PDP Concept Maple vs. DW Design Series

Okay, so I was looking at some drumkits and the PDP Concept and DW Design caught my eye. They seem pretty similar... maybe the DW has maple sourced from NA and PDP's from Asia, and maybe a few other minor improvements... but is it really worth getting the DW (which is a grand more than the PDP)?? I know this is really up to my preference but I will use this kit for the next 5 years, so if its really worth it, I'm willing to spend more. What was your experience with each kit? I think they're both good but it's more of a matter of which one is really better in terms of sound, reliability, and value.

Any problems you've had with each kit?
 
Most guys here will tell you to play both kits and decide if the DW is worth paying the extra money.

In my opinion (and I know the DW guys are going to beat me down for this) in most cases, DW drums just aren't worth what they cost. I recently bought a PDP Concept Maple 7 piece and I love it. I bought this particular kit after watching about 30 live drummers in bands playing their oval lugged PDPs and in every case they just blew me away. As far as I'm concerned, PDP Concept and the older X7 series (maple and birch) are all you really need for any application. And the price point for them is just absolutely insane.

If you choose the PDP will will not be disappointed. If you choose the DW, you will also not be disappointed. Your choice.

Peace, Defender
 
Most guys here will tell you to play both kits and decide if the DW is worth paying the extra money.

In my opinion (and I know the DW guys are going to beat me down for this) in most cases, DW drums just aren't worth what they cost. I recently bought a PDP Concept Maple 7 piece and I love it. I bought this particular kit after watching about 30 live drummers in bands playing their oval lugged PDPs and in every case they just blew me away. As far as I'm concerned, PDP Concept and the older X7 series (maple and birch) are all you really need for any application. And the price point for them is just absolutely insane.

If you choose the PDP will will not be disappointed. If you choose the DW, you will also not be disappointed. Your choice.

Peace, Defender

I agree wholeheartedly. I'd take the Concept Maple any day, especially with those delicious lugs and finishes.
 
I will admit, I've never laid a stick on a dw kit outside of a drum store but I own a PDP M5 ( similar to the x7) and I think it sounds great.
 
I've been gigging my Concept Maple for 17 months with absolutely no complaints about it. I love it, my band loves it, sound engineers have nothing but great things to say about it.

BTW, A friend (drummer and sound engineer) absolutely marvels how low I can tune the 8 inch Tom and get the shell to resonate warmly.
 
I was a DW guy when your only choice was the cool maple shells with the re-rings and the big turret lugs and I even owned two of them, and I just didn't like them. I really dug the old Camco's they came from - a friend of mine loaned me his Camco's from the 70s and those were awesome.

Alot of people love DW, and I thought I would, but I couldn't make them sound good and thought maybe I was just lame. When I moved into other kits, I enjoyed those more and was able to make them sound good. So I'm not sure what my issues were.

But I've seen those PDP kits and they look great. I think the only difference is that PDP is made in Mexico and DW's are made in Oxnard? But if you like the PDP, then by all means go for it. They're solid, and really, if you take care of your gear, it will last alot longer than five years. If you were doing heavy touring, that's one thing, but just playing locally and practicing? They'll be with you for decades.
 
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Those lugs are pretty cool on the Concepts.... some people don't like them, but I always thought they look good.. and they did'nt cheap-out on the suspension mounts..
 
The Concept maple are made in Asia, not mexico. They stopped production in Mexico when they were making PDP CX, MX, and LX.

Also the pre-2009 PDP X7 is poplar wood (I know because I have one), though it sounds crazy good.

Concept maple kits are great! I have a 7 piece and it delivers.
 
I currently own a Yamaha Oak Custom kit and a vintage 3-ply Ludwig Classic kit, before that, I played a custom-built C&C kit that cost twice what my two current kits did... the PDP CX kit I owned several years ago could easily stand up to all of those kits in sound and I never had an issue with reliability. Still the prettiest kit I've owned to date - that kit was always a stunner on stage ;)
 
I currently own a Yamaha Oak Custom kit and a vintage 3-ply Ludwig Classic kit, before that, I played a custom-built C&C kit that cost twice what my two current kits did... the PDP CX kit I owned several years ago could easily stand up to all of those kits in sound and I never had an issue with reliability. Still the prettiest kit I've owned to date - that kit was always a stunner on stage ;)

So when you write that you 'owned' a PDP kit...I assume you sold it, got rid of it??? If it stood up to the other kits, why didn't you keep it? Did you buy the other kits after the PDP thinking the other kits would be better? Just curious.

Rob
 
I've owned a lot of drums over the years. In my view PDP makes a good quality budget drum. That said, I've had excellent results with my DW Collector kit in terms of it tuning and holding tune, projection and tone quality. The build quality and finishing on my kit is superb. I would compare the DW collector series to a high line Gibson, Fender or PRS. The PDP line is a bit like Epiphone, Fender Squire, etc. ( a price point series ). In the hands of a true artist, any decently made guitar can sound quite good and so is the case with a drum kit, with good heads and a player that understands tuning. Buy what you like and can afford and then enjoy it. Labeling DW as overpriced is a bit like saying a Steinway or Bosendorfer piano aren't worth it. If you play one you readily know they are better. That said, the extra expense is out of reach of many.
 
If I had a choice between the two, I’d go for the PDP Platinum Series. I still think those were the absolute best value set DW ever produced. They are basically the DW Performance series, with concept lugs at less than 50% the price of the used performance series price
 
I've said it over and over....one more time....it's the drummer NOT the drums that the audience listens to. Again (and you can YouTube it), check out the street guys playing home depot buckets, with pie pans and old pots for cymbals. Most are as good if not better at rhythms, rudiments, fundamentals, and keeping time than Bonham or Peart. Lots can give Buddy a run for the money.
Now, about PDP vs DW. Since the audience has no idea what brand you're playing, the only reason to go DW rather than PDP or Premier, or you name them is to satisfy your inner ego fueled by a superb marketing department over at Drum Workshop. Here's my suggestion. You've limited your search to PDP or DW though you don't cite any credible criteria. Go with PDP. If you're a gigging musician take the money you saved by not buying DW and purchase good cases to protect the PDPs. If by some strange chance anyone does ask you "Hey dude, what kinda drums are those?" Simply say......"Mine."
 
I've said it over and over....one more time....it's the drummer NOT the drums that the audience listens to. Again (and you can YouTube it), check out the street guys playing home depot buckets, with pie pans and old pots for cymbals. Most are as good if not better at rhythms, rudiments, fundamentals, and keeping time than Bonham or Peart. Lots can give Buddy a run for the money.

 
If I had a choice between the two, I’d go for the PDP Platinum Series. I still think those were the absolute best value set DW ever produced. They are basically the DW Performance series, with concept lugs at less than 50% the price of the used performance series price

What are your thoughts on the Platinum vs. the Exotic kit? I've narrowed down my search to the DW Performance kit and the Concept Maple Exotic.
 
What are your thoughts on the Platinum vs. the Exotic kit? I've narrowed down my search to the DW Performance kit and the Concept Maple Exotic.
Resale will always be better on the DWs. If it was between the PDP Platinum or Concept Maples, then Platinum all day! That’s not to say the Concept is a bad set. It isn’t. For me at least, the Platinums still are a better value and a better shell. They had a limited run, so add on, while available may be tougher to find.
 
I have no experience of either brand/kit but one thing to consider is how the drums actually respond to your playing with your sticks. The direct comparison videos posted by stores like DCP are useful in this respect ( not sure they are PDP /DW dealers ) in that you can hear different drum brands at the same tuning played by the same drummer doing the same patterns and same mics/room. What these videos show is that construction does make a difference, but in most cases it’s sonically hard to discern. So then you left with how the drum feels and responds under your playing.
 
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