DW Performance and Collectors

If you like a lower fundamental, you will like the Performers. What I didn't like about my Pearl kit was I couldn't get the 10" tom to kick off low end, always sounded a bit "pingy" and tonally in the mid ranges.
My 10" DW VLT is plenty low and warm and my VLX 20" bass tunes low as a 24.
 
If you like a lower fundamental, you will like the Performers. What I didn't like about my Pearl kit was I couldn't get the 10" tom to kick off low end, always sounded a bit "pingy" and tonally in the mid ranges.
My 10" DW VLT is plenty low and warm and my VLX 20" bass tunes low as a 24.

Depends on the shell illustrator. My 4 ply Pearl MMX shells tuned lower than my DW Collectors shells. The thicker Pearl shells I have owned did not.., but that is not what they were designed for.

Remember .. Going "Low" is not what everybody is supposed to be doing.
 
Depends on the shell illustrator. My 4 ply Pearl MMX shells tuned lower than my DW Collectors shells. The thicker Pearl shells I have owned did not.., but that is not what they were designed for.

Remember .. Going "Low" is not what everybody is supposed to be doing.

I had an MMX 4ply. I found collectors shells tuned lower. Now my DW kits are VLT and def have more low end. It isn't all about low, it's about a nice round tone. You need the highs and attack too. The MMX(4ply) where much warmer than my MRX(6ply) kit, but still didn't quite get there for me. Plus the the diecast hoops posed many issues for me on the MMX. Gorgeous drums though, would take my old kit back and switch the hoops.
 
My read on the line is if you are a "dyed-in-the-wool" DW fan, then the Performance series is your token reasonably priced kit. The sizes are the same as a PDP X7 kit,but you do have the option of getting 20" or 24" bass drums. I find the structure of the line really goofy (do I really need to buy a snare and a 16" floor tom just to get a 12" tom?), and the lack of 13" or 18" toms or an 18" bass drum is pretty weak for a kit in this price range. DW has a real talent for dropping the ball in that respect.

Watching DW fumble around with lower-priced lines for the last decade has been pretty similar to being a Denver Broncos fan during the 80's: always snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
 
They would probably offer an 18" kick as an option, if you ask.. I would imagine. They just probably get SO FEW requests Mike. Think about it. I think the Platinums had them for a while.., then they dropped it as a standard offering.
 
I am sure they are trying to streamline and be as cost effective as possible. That being said, limited options and sizes.
The ECO X project was a big disaster, and has to be all but dead at this point. I would love to know the #'s for that kit. It was barely cheaper than a collectors, and horribly ugly.
Performers sound better and look better. I really would prefer the small lugs on my kits.
 
They would probably offer an 18" kick as an option, if you ask.. I would imagine. They just probably get SO FEW requests Mike. Think about it. I think the Platinums had them for a while.., then they dropped it as a standard offering.

They said no go on that for now. My frustration has always been rooted in their attitude that 13" or 18" shells are "custom", while their competitors don't seem to have a problem with this. I ended up getting a Collector's kit, figuring I had wasted enough time screwing around with affordable drums and their inherent limitations.
 
They said no go on that for now. My frustration has always been rooted in their attitude that 13" or 18" shells are "custom", while their competitors don't seem to have a problem with this. I ended up getting a Collector's kit, figuring I had wasted enough time screwing around with affordable drums and their inherent limitations.

I hear you. Funny thing is.. collectors are not even that much money if you just know how to find the guys to discount the deepest.

With a new kit.. I would probably only get the DW Gretsch-copy shell...
 
I hear you. Funny thing is.. collectors are not even that much money if you just know how to find the guys to discount the deepest.

With a new kit.. I would probably only get the DW Gretsch-copy shell...

I can atest to this. You can "wait-out" a lot of music stores on their high-end kits. plus, buying a DW is like buying a car; don't pay sticker. I took home a 5 piece brand new Collector's FinishPly last weekend for less that what the performance sitckers for the same kit; add in the fact the place I got it from gave me a generous trade-in on my old kit to get the DWs out the door.

When I first started buying gear from chains, I would pay sticker. I've (painfully) learned that on average for just about any serious piece (pro cymbals, upper end kits, snares...), you can get out the door for somewhere between 66%-75% of the original sticker price. You just have to be prepared to speak up and ask what they can do for you and to walk out if you can't reach a deal that works for both parties.
 
I can atest to this. You can "wait-out" a lot of music stores on their high-end kits. plus, buying a DW is like buying a car; don't pay sticker. I took home a 5 piece brand new Collector's FinishPly last weekend for less that what the performance sitckers for the same kit; add in the fact the place I got it from gave me a generous trade-in on my old kit to get the DWs out the door.

When I first started buying gear from chains, I would pay sticker. I've (painfully) learned that on average for just about any serious piece (pro cymbals, upper end kits, snares...), you can get out the door for somewhere between 66%-75% of the original sticker price. You just have to be prepared to speak up and ask what they can do for you and to walk out if you can't reach a deal that works for both parties.

Agreed. A DW on the showroom floor in the current economy can go 65% off list no problem.
My new custom order kit was 47% off list. But since it was an exotic kit it was still a boatload of cash :eek:
 
They would probably offer an 18" kick as an option, if you ask.. I would imagine. They just probably get SO FEW requests Mike. Think about it. I think the Platinums had them for a while.., then they dropped it as a standard offering.

Something else I didn't think about until later, but the Platinums were ready to explode with a ton of new options that I found quite appealing (even in spite of that hideous lug design), and then suddenly it all vanished, which might well be blamed on the economy's swan-dive around that time.

I have heard John Good say that his personal favorite configuration is 8", 10", 12", 14" and 16" with a 22" bass and 14" snare, and my theory is that all of the lower-end kits revolve around that. He may personally regard 13" or 18" toms as being very outre sizes, where I would look at that and say, "what about the classic 13", 16", 22" setup or a Bonham-style 14", 16", 18", 24/26" kit?" Nothing terribly custom about either of those, though a 26" bass drum is pretty uncommon.
 
Something else I didn't think about until later, but the Platinums were ready to explode with a ton of new options that I found quite appealing (even in spite of that hideous lug design), and then suddenly it all vanished, .

You know what is funny.. is the Platinums are a total STEAL. You just have to deal with the four colors they offer.... but I actually dig that lug o.k.

What were the options they were going to introduce ?
 
At their zenith, the Platinums were offered with about 20 shell colors, chrome or black hardware, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 and 18" toms, 10, 13 and 14" snares and 18, 20, 22 and 24" bass drums. I just did the math on that, which comes to 560 individual model numbers that had to be stocked...just to have one of each in the warehouse. When the economy "assumed room temperature" (died), the line was cut to eliminate 13" toms, 10 and 13" snares and the 18" bass never saw the light of day. Then the finishes were reduced to four and the black hardware eliminated, meaning they only had to keep 40 model numbers in production.

From a business standpoint, it's a tremendous savings for a small sacrifice, but it was also enough to make me ignore the Platinum series for good. I've since been developing my skills to build my own tubs, as that's really the only way to get what I want without losing my shirt.
 
Yep.. I remember all those options.. I thought you meant something even newer was going to come out before they went to limited options.

I guess they are totally history now and it would make sense now that DW completely bailed from that area.
 
It would be nice if DW pulls their head out with the Performance series. Fewer options at a higher price isn't exactly a bargain if they are intended to replace the Platinums.
 
I emailed dw today about the platinums because i noticed they were gone a few days. They confirmed it. The line is gone, they recommend the performance series as a replacement. Apparently it has to do with the fact that platinums were made in Mexico.

Its nice for me because i managed to order a matching 1-ply solid maple platinum series snare for $179 brand new. This snare used to be listed somewhere around $480 I think.
 
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