What makes a pro kit?

StaggerLee

Silver Member
Ok, i spent today being around a lot of drums (yay!) both vintage and new, and i came to ask myself what really makes a pro kit?
Something that really caught me were 3 kits in particular:
Hayman vintage
Hayman big sound (modern one)
Sonor Bop kit SE

First thing i noticed were what these kits represented. The vintage hayman was a pro kit, the big sound was marketed (and reviewed as in the mags i have) a semi pro kit. The sonor bop se as just an intro level kit. I then looked at the hardware, and the sonor by far had nicer and sturdier. Then the shells, all were poplar, the sonors were sharper and more in round and only difference were haymans had an interior coating. So i sat in wonder, why the better built sonor is so many grades lower in standing when its quality is far superior? So then i got out a c&c player date. Poplar shells, in round, sharp bearing edges like the sonor. And they sounded pretty darn similar. Im not sure if the sizes were the same id hear much of a difference, all i found were the c&c had some clear coating inside and projected more. So what, is the only difference in a pro kit here an interior coating? That if i go to my limited edition martini kit and give it an interior lacquer and ask either andy or highwood drums to do a full bearing edge redo it would be a pro kit?
Quesitons :p
 
In my experience the player is the best indicator of a pro kit...

Beyond that, the devil is in the details but they are often debated. Lets not kid ourselves though. Marketing, Brand and perception play a role as well.
 
I'm sure it varies by company. I think the lines blur significantly when you compare midlevel to pro.

Renowns are NOT marketed as a "pro" kit but to me they are "pro" in every way.

I have a Ludwig Questlove kit which is not much more than termites holding hands in a circle to make a drum. I use it as a "beater" carry around practice kit. It resembles entry level. It's not even mid-level but more than suffices for quick setup rehearsal stuff.

To me it's quality shells and hardware that make it up. Not talking over-engineered - just darn good stuff that can hold up to most things you can realistically put it through.

I have 3 other sets that are marketed as "pro" and they are indeed "pro" in every manner (at least to me). The only thing not "pro" about them is the person playing them - me.
 
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IDK, all the "semi pro" kits I've had were every bit as good as a "pro" kit.

These days the majority of kits under 800 will do anything the really expensive kits will.

Are PDP CX drums considered pro? Because they do everything my multi thousand DW drums did. For literally 1/10th the cost.

I would go as far as to say that the term has no meaning in today's drum building climate, as it's really hard to buy a terrible brand new drumset.

Now hardware...you can definitely buy some cheap ass hardware that I don't consider pro. But drums? As long as they aren't First Act, Groove Percussion, Sunlite...buy what intrigues you.
 
IMO the following makes a pro kit:

1. Quality hardwoods (maple, birch, oak, ash, etc.)
2. Quality work (seams, joints, bearing edge uniformity, shell roundness)
3. Quality finish (lacquer, finish ply, 100% glued wrap, etc)
4. Hardware (robust design and function)
5. Hardware finish (chrome, powder coat, anodizing, etc.)
 
IDK, all the "semi pro" kits I've had were every bit as good as a "pro" kit.

These days the majority of kits under 800 will do anything the really expensive kits will.

Are PDP CX drums considered pro? Because they do everything my multi thousand DW drums did. For literally 1/10th the cost.

I hear you on this. I have owned a Japan made Tama Starclassic Maple kit followed by a Tama Rockstar kit. In a recording studio the starclassic may have reigned supreme, however to the naked ear, the rockstar sounded just as good. While the shell hardware and wood was not what the starclassic was, the drums did have good bearing edges and were round/true as far as I could tell.

Recently I was in the market for a new kit and stared hard at the PDP stuff. The hardware and finished looked awesome and there were great reviews to boot. I did however drink the koolaid and bought a DW Performance Series kit though. My justification was that it was US made and will probably be the last kit I buy for a loooooong while.
 
A pro kit is played by a professional, who makes money from playing said kit. So he who goes out and makes a living on some old crappy exports makes those exports professional drums. Just like some noob rich kid beating on a dw makes those dws beginner drums.
 
How deeply do I want to wade into this treacherous pool? No matter what one says in regard to pro vs whatever is going to have multiple exceptions and exemptions, and strongly-held opinions will flourish. Nonetheless . . . .

Over the many, many years I've been playing, buying, selling, and trading drums, I've had the pleasure of owning drums at every price level - pro to beginner. I have a few observations, all of them subject to the above provisos:

- Pro level kits have been designed with much more attention to shell construction, regardless of the wood species used. With the exception of a few old-line drums that suffered the lack of quality control that was wide-spread in US industry during the late '70s - early '80s, it is obvious just from observation that the woods used in pro level kits were (and are) of a superior quality - probably hand-picked.

- Pro level kits typically undergo scrupulous attention to detail. Thus far I've never owned a pro level kit that displayed any sign of sloppiness in their finishes or hardware. IE, the quality control people must have been on their toes when checking for blemishes, poor chrome plating, casting defects, and hardware alignment.

- Pro level kits, even those that have been roughly treated, endure over time. A couple of weeks ago I ran across a used Yamaha Recording Custom kit that was manufactured in the '80s. Despite obvious signs of gigging and a lot of use, these drums were as structurally sound as the day they left the factory. This has been the case with a number of twenty to forty year old drumsets that I've examined.

- Pro level drums tend to be very heavy. This difference in weight is usually attributable to the heavy-duty nature of the hardware used in their construction. Pick up a Recording Custom bass drum and compare it to a birch Stage Custom bass drum. The heavier weight is readily apparent.

You will notice that I did not include a paragraph titled "Pro Level Drums Sound Better." Their expense and prestige would lead one to naturally assume that the "best" sound will be delivered by a Pro Level drum, but that is not always the case. And that is a subject that I would not care to address here . . . .

I could go on with a few more points, but you get the idea. Pro level kits are expensive and are a company's "flagship" product. These drums are designed to be better from the get go and to justify a customer's pride and investment. Pro level kits deliver.

GeeDeeEmm
 
The semi pro kits of today far exceed the pro kits of the 60's and 70's. Rogers may be an exception.

Now the vintage sound is a whole other discussion.

But as far as round shells, true edges, good design, hardware that you can rely on, and a world of different finish choices...drums are simply built with better quality and much more precision and options today than they were 50 years ago.

All the semi pro drumsets built today that survive will sound amazing 50 years from now is my prediction. Especially the thin shelled ones.

Like who would have thought there would be a market for the MIJ kits of the 60's?

We are in the middle of the golden era of drum manufacture right now. Quality has never been higher across the board.
 
The semi pro kits of today far exceed the pro kits of the 60's and 70's. Rogers may be an exception.

Now the vintage sound is a whole other discussion.

But as far as round shells, true edges, good design, hardware that you can rely on, and a world of different finish choices...drums are simply built with better quality and much more precision and options today than they were 50 years ago.

All the semi pro drumsets built today that survive will sound amazing 50 years from now is my prediction. Especially the thin shelled ones.

Like who would have thought there would be a market for the MIJ kits of the 60's?

We are in the middle of the golden era of drum manufacture right now. Quality has never been higher across the board.

.... the guy playing it

if I am payed to play card board boxes those boxes are a "pro kit"

Completely and totally agree on both of these posts.

I play "pro" level kits - not to be confused with the person playing them - me. I am not close to be considered a "pro" drummer. Not by a long shot. Not even in my realm of care though either.
 
What makes a pro kit....

The thread title could also read:

Why pay 3 grand for a kit when everything I could possibly need can be had with an 800 dollar kit?
 
What makes a pro kit....

The thread title could also read:

Why pay 3 grand for a kit when everything I could possibly need can be had with an 800 dollar kit?

Spot on!

My reason is simple... I'm an idiot!
 
Completely and totally agree on both of these posts.

I play "pro" level kits - not to be confused with the person playing them - me. I am not close to be considered a "pro" drummer. Not by a long shot. Not even in my realm of care though either.

In the larger picture, Tony is right. But I think Mr. Lee was talking about the actual nuts and bolts of an expensive kit vs an affordable kit in this case.

You may not think of yourself as a pro drummer David, but I'm pretty sure we could all agree on your being a pro level drummer. Pretty close to the same thing really, only without the workload lol.
 
In the larger picture, Tony is right. But I think Mr. Lee was talking about the actual nuts and bolts of an expensive kit vs an affordable kit in this case.

You may not think of yourself as a pro drummer David, but I'm pretty sure we could all agree on your being a pro level drummer. Pretty close to the same thing really, only without the workload lol.

Thats something that bothers me. I have so many gigs that its allowed me to rent a studio to stay and fund me and my fiance entirely on its own, but il NEVER consider myself a pro drummer, just lucky. When people say "pro is down to if you make money out of it to make a living" i go "no, i am in that boat and im not pro".
 
To me a pro drummer is all about the playing. Any hack can do a gig and make a few bucks and justifiably call themselves a pro.

A person has to be able to play at a certain level before I consider them a pro.

And I can't tell if a drummer is a pro by a drumming alone video.

I have to hear or see a person play in an ensemble situation before I can make any call at all if this person plays on a pro level.

Being able to get around a kit solo is a hard skillset. But the more important skillset is how well this drummer plays with an ensemble. IMO.

The YouTube guys who do the chops at a drumkit....I have no idea how they play with a group, so I can't tell if they are good musicians, or just good at playing impressive drum figures.

There's a world of difference.

A little sidetracked, sorry.
 
I agree with you there.
i absolutely cant (and i think thats also going to actually prevent me) from seeing myself as pro as i see it more as technical skill. something you have in vastly more quantity than me. i just find it really weird to get to grips with what i am. i guess im having a case of confused identity as i dont agree with the common perception of pro when im there.... and im unsure if being at that stage that if i dont feel pro im not pro... if that makes sense?
 
I think almost any drum has the potential to move past its marketing label with care, tuning and a skillful playing approach.

How many of us have lauded the Acrolite, which has been and continues to be marketed as a student snare drum?

How many of us sing the praises of kits like the Stage Custom Birch, the Gretsch Renown, the PDP Concept Maples, etc. -- certainly not Rolls Royce drums, but with everything you'd need to gig happily for years?

I do think that if it's going on record, then the quality and attention to detail present in a "pro" kit will make the process of getting and recording a great drum sound easier. I don't think it's unattainable with an intermediate or even entry-level kit, though (but it might take more finessing). "Pro" kits may stay in tune a bit more predictably and have other refinements that make the job easier, but not at an exclusive level of quality, IMO.

Also consider that today's entry-level kits have standard features (and levels of QC) that weren't even available on "pro" kits as recently as thirty years ago.

And of course, I play a vintage "entry-level" kit that has the same 3-ply shells as the then-top of the line drums from the same manufacturer.

I agree with Tony: It's the player, not the drums played.
 
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