Am I the only one who doesn't like Pearl?

charliejuson

Senior Member
i am just wondering if i am the only person on this forum who doesn't like pearl? i think it might be because of the tom mounts and i just don't like them but i don't know i just really don't like pearl drums.

anybody not like them either?
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

Their drum sets and hardware look pudgy to me. That is about it.

The make nice concert snares and marching percussion though.
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

"I am just wondering if i am the only person on this forum who doesn't like pearl?"

YES.


(Well this should be a very short thread)


.
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

i am just wondering if i am the only person on this forum who doesn't like pearl? i think it might be because of the tom mounts and i just don't like them but i don't know i just really don't like pearl drums.

anybody not like them either?

Have you played any Pearl kits? You might change your mind if you play some.
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

i am just wondering if i am the only person on this forum who doesn't like pearl? i think it might be because of the tom mounts and i just don't like them but i don't know i just really don't like pearl drums.

anybody not like them either?
Pearl drums are especially unpopular in Hereford. I think you've been assimilated ;)

Joking aside, there are a good few features I don't like in Pearl drums, so I'm sort of with you here. That said, I do have a nostalgic soft spot for the old Export series. Not because they were that good, but because they changed the game. Agree on the tom holders/arms/mounts - time they moved on.

They do a great retake on 1.6mm triple flange hoops though :)
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

I am neutral on Pearl drums. I don't dislike them. I don't see anything great about them either.
I don't know. I had a Rhythm Traveller kit for awhile and I liked it. I once thought about buying a Masters kit, but I didn't. I tried a Masters kit out and I didn't hear fireworks when I played it.
Yea; I guess that it is safe to say that I don't care for Pearl drums enough to buy a pro kit from them.
I have fallen in love with vintage American made drums and all of their quirks.
I have enough on my plate right now to think about. besides Asian drums :)
 
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Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

I'm a bit of a pearl fanboy. I currently have a Pearl Reference that I love. But to be fair before my reference I had never played anything above an intermediate level kit.

Also I prefer my tube arms to Ls. But thats probably because Im used to the tubes.
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

If not the only one, it's probably a small fan club or non-fan club. Every time I see Todd Suchermans kit I want one and I am a big Gretsch fan. But I feel the same toward Ludwig.
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

I'm 100% Gretsch ... but not too long ago I owned a Pearl Masters MCX that sounded amazing

they were heavy as hell.... but man what a sound
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

I hate the way their entry level drumsets look/sound. That powertom/22" kick obsession they have, along with the terrible tom mounts, makes for a bunch of damn ugly kits. And they sound/tune way worse than other entry level kits, like the Tama or the Mapex ones.

I usually judge a company by their "cheap" products, imo it shows how much they respect their potential customers. Spend $3000 for a kit without looking at the logo and you'll probably get an awesome kit. You have to be picky when you have $500 to spend though, and Pearl fails there.
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

I don't like bagpipes. I don't like Mondays. But I like all drums, including machine made budget drums. Every drum will sing for you if you play it the right way, but obviously the more rich, forgiving and responsive drums are the ones we like the best. Like Guru, for example http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107187 (thinly veiled marketing exercise ;)

I have a Pearl Rhythm Traveler Gig Kit as well as a Guru. The RT is a quirky kit that's only good for low volume gigs unmic'd (it scrubs up surprisingly well when mic'd up). The toms have a thinness that are pleasant enough sounds in themselves as long as you don't expect them to replicate the boom of deeper drums - that would be almost like expecting bongos to sound like congas.

On the plus side, the Pearly Rhythm Traveler is by FAR the easiest kit to lug around I know of. Even with my lame girly lugging I can still move the kit with three trips (including sundries). I've seen a guy help me and move it in two tips. You have to like that!

BTW, I think this thread belongs in the Gear section.
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

I don't really like their tom mounts, but I had a huge Pearl double bass kit in the '80s, with all-maple shells, and they sounded great.

I can't really say how their current entry-level kits compare to Mapex/Tama, etc, but I can tell you they are a helluva sight better than entry level kits of any stripe back in the 70s and 80s. I hear a number of people here use them to good effect.
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

I'm no fan of Pearl, especially their hardware as of late. Most of their hardware doesn't stay where it's put, especially their snare stands, unless you have a memory lock on the tube. Most other folks' stands lock in just fine without locks and only get that much better with locks.

I *do* own a Sensitone Elite black-over-brass snare that I love the sound of. But I would not consider buying a Pearl drumset -- nothing about them says "innovation" or "must-have" to me. I also firmly believe that the world would be a much better place without the 7/8" L-arm double-post tom mounting system.
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

That's a high end kit on the Hereford scene ;)

My son has a Vision kit. Bearing edges will be recut to something less than himalayan soon :)

my school has two of them and i just hate them, thats why i just saved to get a tama starclassic
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

I used to own a BLX kit that sounded great. The only Pearl I own ,at the moment, is a black over brass Sensitone. It's a great drum for the price.
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

I have heard nothing but good things about their upper level kits and my old exports from the 80's served me well for many years, although I found the tom mounts very hard to manipulate to get the angles I wanted.

I helped a younger dude shop around for an entry level kit and the vision came across like crap when compared to other makes of a similar price, they had a bulky appearance and in my opinion just didn't appear to be of great construction or sound all that good.
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

I'm with Bob on this one. I'm pretty neutral on them. I don't like them enough to regret never owning a set, but I don't hate them enough to trash them. I did try a double bass Export EXR a year ago as an experiment to see if I liked double bass, and although the kit was built well and sounded ok, it wasn't anything to write home about. And then that experiment ended and the kit went to a guy looking for a heavy metal kit for his son.

They do have the biggest spot at NAMM though, that must mean something ;)
 
Re: am i the only one who doesn't like pearl?

I have an 80's vintage Pearl DLX ,recover because someone (not me)though it would be a good idea to use a belt sander,to strip the lacquer/stain from the shells.I bought(rescued) the shells,dirt cheap,and had to buy all the hardware.

They sound pretty good,but I never liked the Pearl hardware.I pretty sure,Pearl are still the best selling drums out there.Exports were sold somewhere in the over 1 million range.

Pearls free floating snares are still some of the best sounding snares out there.

Steve B
 
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