alexbassguy
Junior Member
Hey,
I'm a bit new around here. I've certainly followed the forum and learned a lot from it - a lot of awesome minds on here. But I thought I'd chip in with a review of a kit that I just picked up online that is a puzzlingly amazing piece of work.
Custom Classic Pro Birch Hybrid 6-Piece Kit
It's from a virtually non-existant company out of Arkansas called Custom Classic. They're sold - and branded - exclusively through a small music store in Fort Smith called Sigler Music. As near as I can tell, a chief staff member at Sigler Music named Chris Ward decided to start a line of drums that were made by a Chinese drum manufacturing company that makes many of the name-brand "intermediate pro" kits (Gretsch Catalinas, D-Drum Dominions and AMX, etc.). Chris started Custom Classic, engineered the sizes and build, and purchased kits wholesale straight from the factory.
The mentality is simple but smart - with names like Gretsch or Pearl, you're not just paying for the drums, you're paying for catalogs, NAMM booths, stickers, endorsemets, marketing, offices, etc. Custom Classic really doesn't have any of these costs, so the kits are ABSURDLY cheap - I got away with one for a startling low $424.99 out the door, free shipping. Sounds sketch, right? I know. But wait, let's look at the drums before making any judgements.
Custom Classic currently makes 3 kits - the Pro Birch Hybrid 6 ($499.99), the Bro Birch Jazz ($469.99), and the Pro Maple 6 ($599.99). All can only be ordered directly through Sigler. All three are made of 7-ply birch and maple (as the names imply), include a hardware pack and are available in a variety of lacquer finishes. The Hybrid 6 comes in a 6-piece with suprisingly shallow toms and a deeper snare (10x6, 12x7, 14x12, 16x14, 14x6, 22x18). The Jazz kits are the same sizes as the Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz series, and the Maples are the same as Catalina Maples. Now, for the price, you'd expect to get some confusing, awful basswood-birch-poplar-who-knows shells with thru-shell L-arm mounts and a blue wrap. But the photos of the Pro Birch Hybrid 6 showed some fantastic features - 6-piece kits with solid birch shells, isolation mounts on the toms, 45 degree bearing edges, gorgeous high-gloss natural finish, virgin kick drum, custom sizes. Not only that, but the hardware packs boast a dual-cam driven hi-hat stand with adjustable tension and a full footboard, a dual-chain-drive kick pedal with quick release, and beefy boom, straight and snare stands. So, I figured - for the price and the (supposed) features, what do I have to lose?
When they arrived, I opened the boxes no really knowing what to expect. I was afraid of finding low-quality crap, but I was wrong. These drums are gorgeous. The finish is a flawless clear lacquer over gorgeous birch. I checked every single bearing edge - no imperfections whatsoever, even on the kick. There was some assembling to be done, but nothing too difficult. The isolation mounts are Gretsch-style, and every bit as functional and durable. The kit has cross-shell lugs (think Tama Rockstar), which you'd think would dampen the shell too much, but it actually has fewer screws going through the shell with standard lugs. They actually tuned easier and agreed more with my DrumDial than a Pearl Masters Maple. Even the heads that came stock were nice, 2-ply generic clears (single coated on the snare) that tuned up well and sounded just fine. The snare strainer was a bit shakey, but nothing tragic.
Now, I work in a Guitar Center - no, it's not your LDS, but there's still some high-end kits in there, so I know what good drums in tune sound like, what features they have, etc. But these Custom Classics sound every bit as good as any kit we have in the shop (and that includes a few DW Collectors, a Starclassic Birch/Bubinga, Yamaha MCAs...). The toms sing, the kick punches, and the snare cracks. I was blown away once I got these guys tuned up - they really do sound phenomenal. These drums could easily be sold in the $1000 - $1500 range, higher if they offered more finishes and a few more sizes/configurations. The hardware is nicer than the photos show, somehow - the kick pedal is fast and responsive, has a fully adjustable cam, and is as durable as any $200 pedal. The hi-hat stand is smooth as butter and fast as lightning, and the tension adjust system is handy and works well. The stands are beefy and fare against mid-level Pearl and Tama (beware the memory locks - mine like to stay permanently tightened, even when the screw is removed). But overall, this kit is simply mind-blowing. The sound, the build, it's all truly pro-quality - for the price of an entry-level piece of junk. The only thing to do now is sand and seal the insides, and it'll be every bit as good as any top-shelf kit out there. (and please note - the video on the Sigler page doesn't even begin to do this kit justice.)
Feelings about outsourcing and economics aside, I have to give props to the folks who make these drums. Even though Custom Classic are from China, they are fantastic, well-made kits that hold their own in every respect to the competition. I also point to Dream Cymbals, another Chinese manufacturer selling top-of-the-line, hand-hammered bronze at ZBT prices. It's a crazy world these days. Even ten years ago, unless you had bank, you got low-quality gear that was extremely limited in its possibility. Nowadays, you can buy extremely "high-end" stuff like interfaces, mics (recording cats - check out Sigler's Studio Mic page for some other awesome finds!), preamps, controllers, guitars and basses, etc. for extremely cheap, all thanks to - you said it - inexpensive Chinese manufacturing. Well I say, hey - it's got the features, why not try it? Worst that can happen is having to send it back.
If anyone has any questions feel free to ask or pm me. I have a feeling I'm going to be hanging around a lot here...
I'm a bit new around here. I've certainly followed the forum and learned a lot from it - a lot of awesome minds on here. But I thought I'd chip in with a review of a kit that I just picked up online that is a puzzlingly amazing piece of work.
Custom Classic Pro Birch Hybrid 6-Piece Kit
It's from a virtually non-existant company out of Arkansas called Custom Classic. They're sold - and branded - exclusively through a small music store in Fort Smith called Sigler Music. As near as I can tell, a chief staff member at Sigler Music named Chris Ward decided to start a line of drums that were made by a Chinese drum manufacturing company that makes many of the name-brand "intermediate pro" kits (Gretsch Catalinas, D-Drum Dominions and AMX, etc.). Chris started Custom Classic, engineered the sizes and build, and purchased kits wholesale straight from the factory.
The mentality is simple but smart - with names like Gretsch or Pearl, you're not just paying for the drums, you're paying for catalogs, NAMM booths, stickers, endorsemets, marketing, offices, etc. Custom Classic really doesn't have any of these costs, so the kits are ABSURDLY cheap - I got away with one for a startling low $424.99 out the door, free shipping. Sounds sketch, right? I know. But wait, let's look at the drums before making any judgements.
Custom Classic currently makes 3 kits - the Pro Birch Hybrid 6 ($499.99), the Bro Birch Jazz ($469.99), and the Pro Maple 6 ($599.99). All can only be ordered directly through Sigler. All three are made of 7-ply birch and maple (as the names imply), include a hardware pack and are available in a variety of lacquer finishes. The Hybrid 6 comes in a 6-piece with suprisingly shallow toms and a deeper snare (10x6, 12x7, 14x12, 16x14, 14x6, 22x18). The Jazz kits are the same sizes as the Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz series, and the Maples are the same as Catalina Maples. Now, for the price, you'd expect to get some confusing, awful basswood-birch-poplar-who-knows shells with thru-shell L-arm mounts and a blue wrap. But the photos of the Pro Birch Hybrid 6 showed some fantastic features - 6-piece kits with solid birch shells, isolation mounts on the toms, 45 degree bearing edges, gorgeous high-gloss natural finish, virgin kick drum, custom sizes. Not only that, but the hardware packs boast a dual-cam driven hi-hat stand with adjustable tension and a full footboard, a dual-chain-drive kick pedal with quick release, and beefy boom, straight and snare stands. So, I figured - for the price and the (supposed) features, what do I have to lose?
When they arrived, I opened the boxes no really knowing what to expect. I was afraid of finding low-quality crap, but I was wrong. These drums are gorgeous. The finish is a flawless clear lacquer over gorgeous birch. I checked every single bearing edge - no imperfections whatsoever, even on the kick. There was some assembling to be done, but nothing too difficult. The isolation mounts are Gretsch-style, and every bit as functional and durable. The kit has cross-shell lugs (think Tama Rockstar), which you'd think would dampen the shell too much, but it actually has fewer screws going through the shell with standard lugs. They actually tuned easier and agreed more with my DrumDial than a Pearl Masters Maple. Even the heads that came stock were nice, 2-ply generic clears (single coated on the snare) that tuned up well and sounded just fine. The snare strainer was a bit shakey, but nothing tragic.
Now, I work in a Guitar Center - no, it's not your LDS, but there's still some high-end kits in there, so I know what good drums in tune sound like, what features they have, etc. But these Custom Classics sound every bit as good as any kit we have in the shop (and that includes a few DW Collectors, a Starclassic Birch/Bubinga, Yamaha MCAs...). The toms sing, the kick punches, and the snare cracks. I was blown away once I got these guys tuned up - they really do sound phenomenal. These drums could easily be sold in the $1000 - $1500 range, higher if they offered more finishes and a few more sizes/configurations. The hardware is nicer than the photos show, somehow - the kick pedal is fast and responsive, has a fully adjustable cam, and is as durable as any $200 pedal. The hi-hat stand is smooth as butter and fast as lightning, and the tension adjust system is handy and works well. The stands are beefy and fare against mid-level Pearl and Tama (beware the memory locks - mine like to stay permanently tightened, even when the screw is removed). But overall, this kit is simply mind-blowing. The sound, the build, it's all truly pro-quality - for the price of an entry-level piece of junk. The only thing to do now is sand and seal the insides, and it'll be every bit as good as any top-shelf kit out there. (and please note - the video on the Sigler page doesn't even begin to do this kit justice.)
Feelings about outsourcing and economics aside, I have to give props to the folks who make these drums. Even though Custom Classic are from China, they are fantastic, well-made kits that hold their own in every respect to the competition. I also point to Dream Cymbals, another Chinese manufacturer selling top-of-the-line, hand-hammered bronze at ZBT prices. It's a crazy world these days. Even ten years ago, unless you had bank, you got low-quality gear that was extremely limited in its possibility. Nowadays, you can buy extremely "high-end" stuff like interfaces, mics (recording cats - check out Sigler's Studio Mic page for some other awesome finds!), preamps, controllers, guitars and basses, etc. for extremely cheap, all thanks to - you said it - inexpensive Chinese manufacturing. Well I say, hey - it's got the features, why not try it? Worst that can happen is having to send it back.
If anyone has any questions feel free to ask or pm me. I have a feeling I'm going to be hanging around a lot here...
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