Fantastic find! Custom Classic Kit Review

To be honest, from everything I have seen, it's definitely a shoe-in for the intermediate category. And average intermediate at that. That's only for the 6 piece Maple kit, too. That'd put it squarely against the Gretsch Catalina (yeah yeah, argue with me if you want) and the PDP X7, both of which are $700 to $750 ($900 if you choose the fancy lacquer for the X7). So in essence, you're saving $100 to $150 dollars.

Now, can they sound the same as a more high end kit to the audience, yes, most definitely. There are very few drumsets that a skilled drummer cannot swap heads out and tune them to sound great. Add in a knowledgeable audiotech and you're solid.

To us drummers with more discerning ears and can be picky? Probably not.

Now, is it a great alternative for drummers with cruddy CB and other no-name beginner kits to upgrade to? I'd think so. As I've said before, it's not a bad kit, just a more intermediate one. And for most hobbyists and semi-pro drummers, that's good enough. Hell, one of my favorite bands, Cromwell, is signed to a label and has a drummer that uses a PDP X7 kit. And he has amazing chops.

Right on. Well spoken. It is what it is. Not top of the line, but definitely worth a look for the intermediate niche.
 
No, I didn't say high end DW's or Renowns azrae1l, this is what I said, "The Custom Classics on the other hand will stack up against any kit EXCLUDING the high end kits like the Renowns and high end DW's". But they do stand up to the Gretch Cats, Mapex maples, DW X7 maples. The CC birch set that recently came available, shrink, looks to be an entry level kit at best, not to be confused with the first line of birches that came out just after the CC maple 6's, came out, they look and sound pretty good. I already stated that the wood is a Chinese Maple in my first post GRUNTERSDAD, the same shells that are in the Cat's, which are produced on the same assembly line as the CC's. I have been bashing them for over a year now with no problems. They still look and sound as well as they did when they were new. You guys have to actually read the posts before formulating a bias. I understand and respect everyones opinion, but don't prejudice just because they aren't a household name. Go on YouTube for some testimonials from other people that have taken a chance. You can't beat this deal for maple shells, lacquer finish, tight hardware on the shells as well as the stands that are also offered for $600.00 bucks shipped to your door. Peace out.

i didn't say you said that, i never even mentioned a name or else i would have quoted it just like this. i'm not disreguarding them just from the name, i'm looking at the pictures sounds, youtube, ebay, going price, what others are saying and i'm giving my impression. as i stated i can't really judge until i see them in person but that is my impression so far. hell my last drum kit was from a no name company so i can safely say i don't shop by name and it was a decent kit for what it was, but what it was was a cheap entry level kit in a configuration i liked that i could afford. now that i can be a little more choosy and i can afford to spend a lot more yeah i'm going to be more critical of what i look at but i never take anything at face value and if i find a no name drum kit that nobody has ever heard of but it's what i want then yeah i'll buy it in a heart beat....
 
Wow, you guys are getting all worked up! I would definitely agree that it's an intermediate-level kit, but one with features that are more to the pro side (namely, virgin kick, shallow depths, and the hardware pack). They sound - to my ear - really, really dang good, and the overall tone of the drums is a tone I would choose over other high-end stuff. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to put them on a record. Also, with the price point (as far as I know the 6-piece birch kit is always $499 on ebay), you're not only getting the kit, but a really, really nice hardware pack. It's way nicer stuff than the entry-level PDP and Dixon packs that are in the $200-$300 range for hardware alone. My whole point is that with, say, a Cat Maple, you're looking at $750 minimum for shells, plus at least $300 or so to fully upgrade the hardware to something comprable. That's $1050 vs. $500, and they're the same drums - literally. I expect, as long as durability doesn't prove to be a factor (which it hasn't in any way yet, none of the hardware budges when I play), to be playing these drums for a very long time. I'd love to get the jazz kit as well as the Maple 6, that would be quite a diverse and useful array of drums... 3 kits for the price of 1? Fo sho. Wolvie, how does the Maple kit sound/function/look/feel? I'm assuming it's more or less identical to the Catalinas?

Also, I got the photos, but upon trying to link from Myspace, it didn't work... anyone have any tips?
 
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Virgin kick is becoming more prevalent, shallow depths are just manufacturer beliefs and design, and hardware packs are quite common with every level of kit, though I must admit I did forget to incorporate the price of the hardware pack to my price comparison earlier.

I'd personally like to see more audio/video clips before anyone espouses them.
 
Wow, you guys are getting all worked up!

Also, I got the photos, but upon trying to link from Myspace, it didn't work... anyone have any tips?
You should be able to simply copy and paste your myspace page address right into a post. It will become a link.

You guys are getting all worked up over this. The drums are simply a mid level kit. You are buying the same level of intermediate drums that many other brand name manufacturers produce, but without the big name badge. The OP never said that they were top level.
He just said that he bought them and they were good drums for a low price.

It is the same as buying an unbranded mattress, or furniture. The products are made in the same factory as the big brand name, but they cost less because they are unbranded.
This type of thing is done all the time. Food stores and clothing stores also have their store brand goods that are made for them in the same factories as the large brand names that they sell for less.
TVs and consumer electronics are another example. Hyundai manufactured cars for Mitsubishi before they went out on their own.
 
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You should be able to simply copy and paste your myspace page address right into a post. It will become a link.

You guys are getting all worked up over this. The drums are simply a mid level kit. You are buying the same level of intermediate drums that many other brand name manufacturers produce, but without the big name badge. The OP never said that they were top level.
He just said that he bought them and they were good drums for a low price.

It is the same as buying an unbranded mattress, or furniture. The products are made in the same factory as the big brand name, but they cost less because they are unbranded.
This type of thing is done all the time. Food stores and clothing stores also have their store brand goods that are made for them in the same factories as the large brand names that they sell for less.
TVs and consumer electronics are another example. Hyundai manufactured cars for Mitsubishi before they went out on their own.


Your exactly right on the button dadruma. We all have to acknowledge that sometimes a cheaper in price product can be every bit as good or even better as a more expensive product of the same nature. Yes alexbassguy, I actually played the Cats and could hear no difference in sound between either kit. Your name implies that you play the bass, so does my son. He got a Washburn T24 4 string neck thru body, 24 frets (very pretty) for X-Mas this year. I also played a friends Pro-M Mapex kit and the CC's sounded better to him and myself. I was actually going to go with a PDP 7 piece kit that they were selling at the time, but they were Poplar shells. Can't pass up Maple shells with good hardware for that price tho. Now since then a PDP Maple 7 piece has been produced, oh well, I'm happy with what I have. You can't beat that Maple sound in drums. Sorry everyone about my over zealousness, but I run into this stigma all the time in other chat rooms, discussions about kits with people that can't believe that a kit sounds great without Pearl, or Mapex as a brand name.
 
Very cool! I am, indeed, a bass player. Washburn makes great basses, I'm sure he loves it. I *had* a Warwick Corvette 6-string, an American J-bass, and (another inexpensive, fantastic Asian import) a Brice 6-string fretless, but it was all taken from me by a very, very bad person. Brice is another perfect example of the "Chinese Awesomeness Phenomenon", or CAP, as I have now deemed it. Same concept as the CCs - cost me $350, which typically buys you some J knockoff, but it had a gorgeous curly maple top with satin finish, active/passive electronics, nice ebony fretboard. Sounded like a champ, I used that thing all the time. rondomusic.com has them for even cheaper now, I believe. They also carry Agile Guitars (another CAP company), which make models very similar to top-shelf guitars. Brice and Agile both have dozens and dozens of positive reviews on Harmony Central, and the former certainly has my backing. Never played or seen Agile's stuff, but it looks really nice. And the Brice held its own against any 6-string in the $700-$1000 range (not quite as nice as the Warwick, but hey, the thing was $1800). But anywho, this is a drum forum! That's reassuring to hear that the CC Maples are identical to the Cats, because I LOVE the sound of them, also that they sound better than the Pro Ms to you. Moldy, not only does it come with a HW pack, the pack is WAY, WAY nicer than anything I've seen on the sub-$1000 "package deals" we sell at my work - that's all Sound Percussion and low-line PDP stuff. All single-chain with no under-pedal support, and thin "double-braced" stands. The CC stuff was - especially for the price - wonderful. Look at the hardware photos on the eBay page, it's really beefy, durable stuff. Bobadrumma, that's exactly the case - CAP happens all over the market. I did paint them a little strongly, and I realize now that it's simply my ear that prefers them over top-level stuff. However, my point still stands - proportionally, it's at least $1050 of name-brand gear for $500. Plus, they just look awesome with those shallow shells. :) I've built a rudimentary 16" to kick converter (bent 2 old tom legs to angles and found some old RIMS mounts for $7 each at Goodwill, of all places) and have been using the 16 on the ground with the 10" and 14" for a wonderfully tiny bebop kit.

I still can't figure out this Myspace pic thing - here's the direct link to the album, check them out if you'd like. Just crappy cell pics of the kit, my apologies, I'll get vids/sounds up ASAP.

Custom Classic photos
 
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Wow what a debate on this kit.. I watched the videos on the sigler ebay pages, I didnt care for the hybrid kit, although alexbassguy, your suspended toms probably sound much better opposed to the solid mounted ones. I thought the jazz kit sounded excellent. I dont think I could take the plunge and order without trying them, but it seems like a good deal. Hopefully we can get some more opinions of people who have actually bought the kit and own it, instead of people knocking them without even sitting behind one.
 
As a long time player I have often heard the argument that drums have to be expensive to be good and sound good. This simply isn't true to me. I buy and play low end kits that sound great all the time. I use them for gigging and practice.

The good thing about this is that if anything happens to an inexpensive kit I simply replace it with another one for a few hundred dollars. These kits are disposable. When they get beat up I simply give them away to someone that can't afford a kit. I would never gig in a club with an expensive kit. I would be heartbroken if anything happened to it.

Here is a sound sample of one of my cheap kits. Tama StageStar, I paid $200 for it used. I put good heads on it. It was recorded with a single usb mic.
By the way, Thats a 14 x18 bass drum with an SKII batter. That is also the stock steel 5 x13 snare with a Genera batter. The toms have Aquarian Studio-X's as batters. Stock resos all around.
 

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how is the CC maple gonna sound compared to a pearl masters custom?
 
The op speaks the truth about trhe Custom Classics!!

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Aside from an issue with a small crack in the floor tom shell from an over zealous screwgun operator (Sigler is sending out a replacement as I type this)... the overall quality of build and finishis very-very nice and the sound is amazing!!

The kick drum is as punchy as all get out as well as are the toms! JUST AMAZING!
I kid you NOT!!! I was blown away!

I prefer the sound and feel of this kit OVER my Catalina Jazz kits I owned!

The birch shells are finished very nicely finished and the edges are flawless! The shell HW is beautifully chromed and everything is attached straight!

If you are on the fence with Custom Classic, I will urge you to go for it! You will not be disappointed!

This drum set represents the best bang for the buck that I have come across in many years!

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I just stumbled on this series the other day, and am strongly considering buying the little birch jazzer. I'd prefer if it had a plastic wrap finish rather than polished lacquer because I just want to throw these drums in the back of my car for gigs without spending addition money on cases. If I do that with a polished lacquer finish (especially black) before long they'll look beat-up. This would also be a good kit for gigging around NYC, Baltimore, DC or Philly where you never know if you're going to see your drums again. So I'll probably get the CC 4-piece birch kit then wrap it in champagne sparkle along with coated Remo ambassadors on the tops and an Evans EQ3 on the BD batter. Hell, I might even put a little white Yamaha logo head on the front just in case anyone out there in the audience is really brand-conscience. they can keep the hardware though. Pack that stuff into a bag and you'll need help carrying it.
 
I bought a set of the Hybrids in the natural finish about ten days ago. Nice finish and even with stock heads they sound good, so when I change the heads out I think I will be even more pleased.

I live near two of the Sigler stores that sell these on line so I had the advantage of actually seeing one before I bought. The only things that I was not pleased with is the snare stand and the tom arm/multi-clamps. The clamps are fairly lightweight and I don't think they would stand up to heavy use. The snare drum has a beefy bottom/leg section, but the upper part has a cheap plastic tightening knob and the tilt knuckle section doesn't seem all that sturdy. Despite this everything else is pretty heavy duty (I really like the hi hat stand and cymbal stand). The bass pedal is really nice, but keep in mind it is not an Iron Cobra, nor is it meant to be.

A couple of the bearing edges on the toms had slight nicks, so small that you could barely feel them when you run a fingernail across. But for $499 I am really pleased with them. If you buy one of these thinking you will get a Starclassic or Reknown you will be disappointed. But from other kits I looked at in the $800-$900 range, I feel I bought something very comparable and saved $300-$400.

The main thing that attracted me to this kit was the tom sizes. I wanted shallower toms, and a 10, 12, 14, and 16 configuration. And yeah, when set up, there sure are pretty!
 
Do they make a 5 or 4 piece package. I'd rather spend money on nice cymbals and buy a low end kit with decent hardware but would rather have a simple kit.
 
Ok ...first ....the original posting of a kit with PEARL type mounts is the original set Sigler was selling, ...the new one that everyone is talking about is the "Pro" model.....look for "Pro" and you'll see the updated stuff.

It makes sense, and Chris Ward is smart for doing this ....

The hybrid birch kit is basically a Tama Superstar in the short toms, hell, the lugs even look the same.........
 
My impression is that they're decent drums for beginers so why not? But I don't believe you when you say that you have no association with the people who manufacture them, this Siglar company, or why would you mention their microphones?

Does Siglar make Dream cymbals? You also mentioned those.

I would classify these drums as an intermediate level kit. Beginner kits would be like a Pulse basswood kit, or Sound Percussion. Do some research before you go bashing stuff you don't know about.
 
I ordered the CC four-piece birch jazz kit the other day and the snare and top tom arrived today (the other two are supposed to be here tomorrow). the first thing I did was to put an ambassador white coated batter head on the snare and a clear, one-ply Evans Genera G-1 on top of the 12 inch tom. I left the two bottom heads.

Impressions:

It's necessary to tune the snare drum pretty tight (both heads) to get a decent sound out of it. Lower tuning ranges cause the drum to ring way too much (of course, this could be "fixed" with a zero ring--but then you'd pretty much have what you'd eventually get from a tight tuning except with less cut-through "crack" for back beats). Even at a tight tuning, there's still a fair amount of ring toward the outer perimeter (which I actually like and believe represents the way a snare drum SHOULD sound) and dead-center hits at a tight tuning sound decent. However, it takes quite a bit of very careful, fine-increment tuning to get the drum to this point, and any variation across the head seems to really magnify the general sound problem with this drum--that it doesn't sound like a Canopus Zelkova or Craviatto or even a vintage Rogers Powertone in this size. Otherwise, for the money, it sounds, relatively, very good. Problem: The strainer doesn't allow you to tighten its knob (while released) to the point where you get a really, super tight snap after you re-engage the snares. If you tighten the snare tension too much, it is impossible to snap the release lever back in. And while the lever is engaged, because the tension knob lies under the lever, it is also impossible to physically access the knob. Overall, with a careful (and admittedly narrow range) tuning, this drum sounds quite worth the approximately $75 it costs. I don't particularly like the look of the snare drum lugs--they look very cheap--but so what?

Top Tom--

This drum took forever to tune. I must have worked at it for two hours trying to get the overtones out. Eventually I got it, at least 80% of it--attempting to tune this drum to exactly the same pitch as the 8x12 round badge Gretsch I have here. When I finally achieved the same pitch, and had evened out the cross-head tuning (both top and bottom) this drum still didn't sound nearly as good as the old Gretsch which I'd been able to tune from flapping to near-perfect (to my ear) in probably no more than five minutes. It's a combo jazz tuning, but a medium-high pitch, not excessively cranked. In other words, a normal top tom tuning, but somewhat higher in pitch than the tuning displayed for this drum on the Sigler Music ad video. Another thing--this particular tom, while sold to me as an 8x12, seems to my eye to be more of a 7x12 shell, although I'd need to remove a head to measure it, which would probably mean another hour of tuning. I don't especially detect any particular "punch" from this drum, at least not in comparison to any of my other drums of this size, all of which are maple. But when carefully tuned, this tom is, just like the snare, a very decent sounding drum for the price. But I would NEVER use these drums in a studio with close microphones. Perhaps room microphones would be the best way yo record these drums, and perhaps that why the Sigler video "boasted" of only recording the drums with ambient room microphones--close recording microphones would have revealed the fact that these drums are, at best, and even with the best of tuning, probably only about 75% of the sound quality of a top-line set either new or vintage. But for live playing on weekend gigs, they're fine, I think.

Hope this helps.
 
One other thing-- if you are a heavy hitter who tends to break snare drum batter heads, be sure and take a backup snare drum to your gigs. Because if you break a head on one of these CC snares, don't expect to get it tuned up to sounding like anything on a gig within the two minutes it takes for the bandleader to tell the audience the story about the time he caught an enormous large-mouth bass up at the lake but it jumped out of the bucket in the back of his truck his way home.


And if you buy the piano black lacquer finish, don't even begin to consider killing the lead guitar player by hitting him over the head with it, because the police won't even have to dust it for prints--all they'll need do is look at it for an accurate comparison.
 
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