PDP platinum vs Mapex pro m

dieseldesade said:

What do you the members of drummerworld think? I'm looking at both kits and can't decide. The salesman at GC likes the PDP (of course he keeps them in stock) and he said the hardware with the Pro M sucks. But the PDP is a shell kit with no snare and I would have to by hardware anyway. both kits have a 24"k 18"t 16"t 13"t. The Pro M also comes with steel snare and a Black Panther 13"x6" cherry and maple snare and some hardware. I like the looks and sound of both kits. So please help me decide. Thanks


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My advice to you is GO WITH THE MAPEX! The Black Panther that comes with it sounds better than any PDP snare you will get. In my opinion, PDPs sound weak. Mapex is a very good company and they make fantastic drums. Go with the Mapex. Pro Ms last.

Maybe i've just been out of the loop for too long. When i was younger and had to be more frugal with my cash, the only options for semi pro kits were a lot fewer. The pdp platinum and mapex pro-m totally blow away stuff i was playing when i was getting my start. I guess you really need to get to a store that has both of them in stock, side by side to make your choice. I'm not endorsed by anyone and i've owned Ludwig, Pearl, Tama and now ddrum over the years and to say that one company is outright better than another is kind of silly to me. I keep hearing "buy used" on the forum. Amen, my brothers! but also buy closeouts and blowouts. If the Pro-m is really being discontinued, I'd say without knowing anything about either series, go for that one, there will be bargains galore until it is out of stock. Google shopping it. Ebay it. Craigslist it.

I noticed you had a DW head on one of the Pearl kicks......Exports???

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Actually the DW sticker on the kick drum was replaced by a proper Pearl sticker a couple of years ago. I had thw DW on there because it was the only white logo to go on the black bass drum head (like the Sabian and Vic Firth logos that also appear there). I put it on there for the sake of the hardware I'm using which is all DW. Regardless of whose drums hang on it, I'll probably not be using any other chrome but DW.

I'll also concede your point about hype versus results. I see a lot of homebuilders and boutique builders making drums that are just as nice (or better), and not getting as much recognition. That said, there's something to DW's willingness to go to ridiculous extremes for the sake of customization. That it may come across as a bad marketing ploy is something of a perception issue. To wit: when Sabian came out with the RADIA series I thought it was all just a bunch of hype and an excuse to use Terry Bozzio's good name to sell more goofy cymbals. Then I tried a small set of them, fell in love with the sound and now I have about thirty of the damn things. Are they esoteric? Absolutely, but they filled a need for this drummer, and I think that die hard DW guys feel the same about their drums.

As for Tama and so forth, I don't think they really do custom unless you're some kind of hotshot like Portnoy or Stewart Copeland, whereas DW (and the other micros) will do this stuff for anybody.

Me, I'm going to make my own. DW does nice work, but they aren't superhuman. I can make a nice set for at least half of what Don and John are asking for, since I don't have a business to support.

gmrakich said:

Six kits bought over a 20 year period. Different shell builds, etc. Willing to give them a try from time to time. Will more than likely do so again down the road. As I stated, I do have first hand experience ....so I will pass that on and maybe help someone out.

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But what is the point of saying you dont like them and you may buy them again in the same sentence? It doesnt matter how much experience you have stated you have.....................it doesnt make sense. Its like telling someone you didnt like a movie you just saw and in the same sentence saying your going to see it again tomorrow. How could that advice be helpful to anyone? You sound more confused then anything.

mikeybbdrummin said:

But what is the point of saying you dont like them and you may buy them again in the same sentence? It doesnt matter how much experience you have stated you have.....................it doesnt make sense. Its like telling someone you didnt like a movie you just saw and in the same sentence saying your going to see it again tomorrow. How could that advice be helpful to anyone? You sound more confused then anything.

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Funny but you are the only one that seems confused.

mikeybbdrummin said:

But what is the point of saying you dont like them and you may buy them again in the same sentence? It doesnt matter how much experience you have stated you have.....................it doesnt make sense. Its like telling someone you didnt like a movie you just saw and in the same sentence saying your going to see it again tomorrow. How could that advice be helpful to anyone? You sound more confused then anything.

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I might see the movie again to give it a second chance, or even just be be sure what I didn't like about it. I would be interested in hearing someones opinion on gear that he has over over a long time, regardless of how whimsically he expresses it.

Btw, I think all brands suffer from some over-generalized negative perceptions, regardless of the truth.

1. Yamaha - too jazzy. Lacking bite, punch, volume
2. DW- over-hyped, overpriced, difficult to tune.
3. Pearl- Great top end, crappy low end.
5.Gretsch- Not well marketed, not easily available, too much metal on the shell
6. Sonor - Heaviest hardware on earth.
7.Tama- Too rockish... not jazzy enough
8. PDP- Awful hardware, QC issues
9.Mapex- Value for money drums, therefore grade 2 equipment

.......none of it really means anything, except what it means to you.

gmrakich said:

Funny but you are the only one that seems confused.

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True.........................confused by you saying, I have owned 6 DW kits, they are not for me and then you may buy another. Would you go to a restraunt and order the same Dinner every time you went even though you never liked it? Or buy a second pair of shoes that gave you blisters ever time you wore the first pair? Go back to your Poking of the eye.....................if you knew it hurt, would any sane person do it day after day??? To me your experience and reasoning or lack there of is not helpful at all.

gmrakich said:

The brands you mention do not get bashed because their marketing/claims are not anywhere near the DW hype machine output.
BTW, my number one snare I use is a 14x6.5 DW Edge. Fantastic drum.

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Yes, I was alluding to that with my closing sentence. They convince the faithful that everything they do is somehow revoloutionary and it makes other drum brands seem primative or obsolete.

I like the edge drum quite a bit! A friend of mine has one in a 13" profile. Heavy and loud!

mikeybbdrummin said:

True.........................confused by you saying, I have owned 6 DW kits, they are not for me and then you may buy another. Would you go to a restraunt and order the same Dinner every time you went even though you never liked it? Or buy a second pair of shoes that gave you blisters ever time you wore the first pair? Go back to your Poking of the eye.....................if you knew it hurt, would any sane person do it day after day??? To me your experience and reasoning or lack there of is not helpful at all.

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It's more like saying that you haven't liked martin scorsese's last few films, but you might go watch his next one in a year or two when it comes out. In 20 odd years DW has changed a lot, that's why you'll hear people like Mendozart talk of his "keller shelled DWs", making a point that they are not like the modern ones. There's quite a few people who stand by the keller dws being superior. You've also got to remember that Greg plays drums for a living and goes through a few kits, so the 6 DWs aren't as extreme as someone who's only owned 3 sets owning 2 form the same brand.