newbie question. what set is the best?

mattcrossette

Junior Member
I'm looking to buy a drum set and want to know some kind of a reference point and O.K., I realize there are a thousand different answers to what set/kit is the best depending on style etc. Let me tell you what answer i'm looking for and if anyone can help i'd appreciate it.

I've heard of names like Pearl, Ludwig, Gretsch etc. but know nothing about any of them. Pianos have Steinway, cars have Mercedes, motorcycles have Harley. I realize all of these are arguable, but the overwhelming majority when looking for one of these products if given the choice and money were not an object would choose these brands. Is there a brand of drums that fits into this category? Thanks in advance to all the answers.
 
I've heard of names like Pearl, Ludwig, Gretsch etc. but know nothing about any of them. Pianos have Steinway, cars have Mercedes, motorcycles have Harley. I realize all of these are arguable, but the overwhelming majority when looking for one of these products if given the choice and money were not an object would choose these brands. Is there a brand of drums that fits into this category? Thanks in advance to all the answers.

So what you're essentially asking for is not, "what's truly the best", but "what's been marketed to a point which the average, poorly informed drummer may believe is the ultimate instrument and is also a borderline luxury item".

That's Drum Workshop.

They happen to be great drums. (I own a set; I love it.)

But there's better out there. However, Craviotto is priced in that "who would pay THAT for a drum?" territory - much like Maserati for cars, etc. So when these "best" discussions are made, the super-high end custom is left out.

The real answer to "who makes the best drum set" is, of course, it depends on what you need, what you're playing, etc.
 
First off, Welcome to Drummerworld!

Second, its not really a question of which set is best, but more of which set is best for you? I think that the fact you don't know name brands well is great. This will help you to trust your ears rather than trust people's opinions.

Try out as much as you can.

Hope this helps.
 
So what you're essentially asking for is not, "what's truly the best", but "what's been marketed to a point which the average, poorly informed drummer may believe is the ultimate instrument and is also a borderline luxury item".

That's Drum Workshop.

They happen to be great drums. (I own a set; I love it.)

But there's better out there. However, Craviotto is priced in that "who would pay THAT for a drum?" territory - much like Maserati for cars, etc. So when these "best" discussions are made, the super-high end custom is left out.

The real answer to "who makes the best drum set" is, of course, it depends on what you need, what you're playing, etc.

And there are others out there like Trick, RCI, and Unix which can exceed the sonic performance of any DW, but there are always reasons why someone would not say any one is the best.
 
Cars also have Rolls Royce, jaguar, Ferrari. So your best of just doesn't work. There are as many opinions as there are drum types.
 
And there are others out there like Trick, RCI, and Unix which can exceed the sonic performance of any DW, but there are always reasons why someone would not say any one is the best.

Correct - I was merely trying to draw the parallel. "Accepted by the common man as the state of the art in quality, with a touch of luxury." (Steinway, Mercedes, Harley) That to me in drums is DW - doesn't mark it as the true top of the line, just what people tend to assume. The question is pretty much framed looking at mass produced (for the market) product.

Likewise, you don't have to know much about cars to know that, say, Mercedes (or BMW, etc) is nowhere near the high end. Aston-Martin and a handful of Italian companies would disagree vehemently.

But, that's what I try to get for answering a strange question on its own merits. My real answer is much the same as everyone else's: depends on what you're looking for in terms of sound, aesthetics, budget, and what you want out of an instrument.
 
Correct - I was merely trying to draw the parallel. "Accepted by the common man as the state of the art in quality, with a touch of luxury." (Steinway, Mercedes, Harley) That to me in drums is DW - doesn't mark it as the true top of the line, just what people tend to assume. The question is pretty much framed looking at mass produced (for the market) product.

Likewise, you don't have to know much about cars to know that, say, Mercedes (or BMW, etc) is nowhere near the high end. Aston-Martin and a handful of Italian companies would disagree vehemently.

But, that's what I try to get for answering a strange question on its own merits. My real answer is much the same as everyone else's: depends on what you're looking for in terms of sound, aesthetics, budget, and what you want out of an instrument.

There are certain yardsticks that can be used to call something the best. I'd have to say the consensus in "best" overall quality seems to be Lexus, and that's based on reliability, performance and other standards. Aston-Martin may be the best in terms of extreme luxury GT cars. For every product or brand someone calls "best" , there are definite reasons why something else will be as good or better.
 
I'm looking to buy a drum set and want to know some kind of a reference point and O.K., I realize there are a thousand different answers to what set/kit is the best depending on style etc. Let me tell you what answer i'm looking for and if anyone can help i'd appreciate it.

I've heard of names like Pearl, Ludwig, Gretsch etc. but know nothing about any of them. Pianos have Steinway, cars have Mercedes, motorcycles have Harley. I realize all of these are arguable, but the overwhelming majority when looking for one of these products if given the choice and money were not an object would choose these brands. Is there a brand of drums that fits into this category? Thanks in advance to all the answers.
The answer you're looking for is actually shared by two companies.

Sonor and Gretsch.

Probably two of the most expensive makes on the market, but each has a highly sought after sound...HOWEVER...each sounds different.

Check out the sites and see what cha' like.

...also, you MUST play "Zildjian" cymbals with the Gretsch, and "Paiste" cymbals with the Sonors.
Doing otherwise would be in bad taste (and the @$$ kicking begins in...5...4...3...).

...and lastly, you can augment the snare drum on each (although more common with Gretsch) with one made by Ludwig.
When I was starting out, any drummer using a Gretsch kit with a Ludwig snare drum showed that he knew good equipment that gave excellent sound.




Elvis
 
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...also, you MUST play "Zildjian" cymbals with the Gretsch, and "Paiste" cymbals with the Sonors.
Doing otherwise would be in bad taste


Elvis

That's really funny. Seriously. I actually laughed.
 
Thank you for taking my (humorous, I assure you) cymbal / drum brand comments as nicely as you did.
I thought for sure I was gonna get spammed with hate mail over that one. =)


Elvis
 
Thank you for taking my (humorous, I assure you) cymbal / drum brand comments as nicely as you did.
I thought for sure I was gonna get spammed with hate mail over that one. =)


Elvis

No problem, E. There was a 50/50 chance on the "get it" vs. "bash it" response from gen pop. I for one thought it was witty.
 
welcome to the forum! that said, do you have any idea the monterous can of worms you just popped open?! you're gonna get a lotta spare change...

if money is no object - Yamaha Maple Absoloute, and if it is - Mapex Meridian Maple, but in the end it's what ever you like the most that counts...

so there's my 2 cents, good hunting!
 
No problem, E. There was a 50/50 chance on the "get it" vs. "bash it" response from gen pop. I for one thought it was witty.
Why, thank you. That's very "white" of you to say so. =))



Elvis
 
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