cymbals vs drums

so after about 5 years of drumming i can surely say that top series cymbals do sound different and in a lot of cases sound do sound better too. (well.........in some sense each cymbal sounds different, but you get my point)

but damn oh damn..........why cant i say the same about drums? i have a sorta beginner set, but with change of heads and tuning it sounds that much better. i have graduated from planet Zs to k hats and ride and dream bliss and wuhans thrown in the set too. but haven't really got over my drums yet.

i am going to buy another kit soon, but thats only because i want different sizes and finish. i have found that the sizes and thickness of shells make more difference to sound than all those woods. (i may be wrong here, but right now thats what i believe). expensive kits do look better with all those finishes and thats what i am looking to upgrade. but sound wise i am still happy. never had thought this would happen.

any counter views?
 
I"ll tell you in a week when the DWs arrive. I have a Pearl Export at the moment and am fed up with it. I have a sound in my head and those drums just aren't capable of it.

In short with professional series drums you get better quality wood, hardware, technology and greater care put into your drumset... unless you buy a Pearl reference and then you get the pride of having "Made in Taiwan" stamped into each drum badge. That said though, the reference I recently recorded on sounded 10x better than my exports. There are reasons that higher quality drum sets cost the extra money, but if you can't tell the difference then that's fine, go for what seems best value for money. I don't think anyone should buy a pro series drum kit until they can appreciate the craftsmanship that went into making it and the tonal superiority it offers.

I'll agree with you that the shell thickness and make has a huge effect on the sound, but the type of wood also is a crucial element to how a drum sounds.
 
expensive kits do look better with all those finishes and thats what i am looking to upgrade. but sound wise i am still happy. never had thought this would happen.
The FEEL of high end drums is what you pay for. I have heard plenty of bad sounding top-end kits, just like Ive heard plenty of decent sounding cheap kits, but the sensitivity and projection that comes from high-end wood cannot be imitated on cheaper lines. The high-end kits just about play themselves.

And they generally have a much greater tuning range to work with.
 
ah yes, the tuning range is what i will have to explore more. cause the kit i have don't have that good a tuning range. i guess i will just have to go buy a semi pro kit for now and compare it one on one with my good old one.
 
It's a (very old) truism: you can make quite modest drums sound terrific with good heads and good tuning, but cymbals are what they are, forever.

That's why I always recommend that guys replace their iffy cymbals one pro-level cymbal at a time as they can afford them, rather than make sideways moves with low-end cymbal packs.
 
It's a (very old) truism: you can make quite modest drums sound terrific with good heads and good tuning, but cymbals are what they are, forever.

That's why I always recommend that guys replace their iffy cymbals one pro-level cymbal at a time as they can afford them, rather than make sideways moves with low-end cymbal packs.

i agree. cymbals should be replaced one at a time by really good ones even before you even think about replacing those drums. atleast thats what i did and survived 4 years.
 
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45849

Even with the stock heads and still playing around with tuning they sound so much better than the exports. I know a lot of emphasis is placed on the type of heads and how they are tuned, but if the drum itself isn't capable of producing a good tone then no amount of high-tech heads or precise tuning is going to change it. The DWs have a fantastic timbre to begin with, and don't need to be fought with to find a good sound.

I'm using the exports as my rehearsal kit now, but I can see myself packing up the DWs more often than not.
 
.......i have found that the sizes and thickness of shells make more difference to sound than all those woods. (i may be wrong here, but right now thats what i believe)....any counter views?

You're mostly right. But to a discerning drummer, the story is in the nuances.

Its not about price either. I've played a $800 GRETSCH RENOWN that sounded like a million bucks, and a $3,000 DW COLLECTORS which sounded worse than my 1st entry level kit. I've also played a friends TAMA SWINGSTAR, an entry level kit which he keeps beautifully tuned which sounds really sweet.

There are differences in wood, quality of construction, bearing edge smoothness, and how perfectly round a drum shell is.

The option is if one 'chooses' to hear these differences, or to ignore them, as many drummers do.

If you talk to some of the drum makers on this forum ( Unix ) or visit the DW factory, the guys will scientifically prove how much of a difference wood & construction can make.
 
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