I Porked My First Pie Tonight

JimmyM

Diamond Member
Went to a jam, and the drummer had a Black Beauty and a Pork Pie USA Maple shell kit 13-16-24. He had it muffled up for the small room we were in, but dang did it sound big. Needed a good chrome polish, though.

The coolest thing was the wrap…white sparkle based on the Ludwig Top Hat sets, except with pigs. Wish I had thought to snag a pic.

Had a rack and a bunch of cymbals, too. X hat on a DW 9000 cable hat as well…smallish El Sabors. Had mostly K darks elsewhere. By the way folks talk on here, I expected a lot of slop in the 9000, but I thought it was tight.

I didn’t play much on drums but I jammed with the guitarist on break. Did Sunday Bloody Sunday and I felt like I held it down and got respect. Really enjoyed the sound of the shells and build quality looks very solid. I was a little sad he had a Genera HD on the Black Beauty, though ;)

Just looked it up and that set costs $2800! For some reason I thought they were much less expensive. But I guess that’s why they sound great even with too much muffling. I wasn’t complaining…last thing I need is to be deafened!
 
I've had two sets of them, and they were both great! I ended up not liking the 18-inch-depth kicks anymore, so I sold them off. They are starting to make more 14"-depth kicks now which I think is a great move.

At this point, I would like to try out on of their Hip-Pig kits.
 
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$2800 for a hand built three piece kit of that quality is a bargain IMO.
I have two Pork Pie USA maple kits, they both sound fantastic and record well. I paid around $1000 or less (used) for each of them. Maybe PP are cheaper lightly used in the USA?

They are. Not that I’m in the market, though. But yes, it’s a good un!
 
I've had two sets of them, and they were both great! I ended up not liking the 18-inch-depth kicks anymore, so I sold them off. They are starting to make more 14"-depth kicks now which I think is a great move.

At this point, I would like to try out on of their Hip-Pig kits.
The one my friend is using is 24 x 14. Must be more recent, I guess.
 
Here's the "top hat and pig" graphic. I saw this kit at Lone Star Percussion a few years ago. The B20 sparkle is pretty cool on its own; it's made with bronze shavings from cymbal production.
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Yep, that’s it. Did not know that about cymbal shavings. That makes it even cooler! I noticed that this set has hardware that looks like it hasn’t been polished in a while, too. I guess that’s a relic thing they do at the factory?
 
Pork Pie USA Custom kits are top quality. You could get a 3 pc set with just satin stain for under $2500, I think. Some shops have 3 pc sets, USA-made ones, for under $2300. For custom maple kits, Pork Pie and Noble & Cooley and GMS have long been highly regarded.

Muffling a PP USA kit is a crime. Let the drums sing!
 
Pork pie makes some great drums, even their Taiwan 'stencil' drums are fantastic for the price. I owned a 12 maple and a 14 steel, I've also played on a 14 brass and a few 14 and 13 acrylics all from their 'budget' lines and they are wonderful.

I played a gig one time (little Brit punk pub in Sanford called 'Stranded Sailor') and my 14 pork pie steel snare fell from above my head, slammed on the stage, rolled off the stage where it fell a few feet onto a tile floor and bounced like a ball, and rolled to the back of the room on a tile floor where it eventually stopped. That thing did not have a scratch on it and not a single lug was even slightly out of tune. That was a Taiwan made sub $200 snare. I sent an email and bill responded personally the next day with excitement and joy. I would love one day to own a Pork Pie kit in bop sizes.
 
Yep, that’s it. Did not know that about cymbal shavings. That makes it even cooler! I noticed that this set has hardware that looks like it hasn’t been polished in a while, too. I guess that’s a relic thing they do at the factory?
Yeah, some of their drums ship with aged hardware. Check out the Pork Pie Facebook page, Bill is always playing around with new finishes and veneers.
 
Tim’s kit was the first I heard of Pork Pie. On east coast, I still hardly see them even though a well known custom shop…are they mostly known as a west coast shop?

Me too. First time I heard a PP kit was when I bought Primus, Sailing the Seas of Cheese in ‘90-‘91. Tim switched to Tama around 1995, I think, but Bill still cut the edges on his Tama set.
 
The only Pork Pie gear I have at present is a 13x6 steel snare drum but it's a keeper. Built like a tank, sounds great.

I would love to try out a shell pack one day. I've heard nothing but good things about them.
 
The only Pork Pie gear I have at present is a 13x6 steel snare drum but it's a keeper. Built like a tank, sounds great.

I would love to try out a shell pack one day. I've heard nothing but good things about them.
And I was thinking I’d love to try one of their snares. Their wood snares aren’t prohibitively expensive, either. Their seamless metal snares can get a little up there but still pretty reasonable considering the market these days.
 
Tim’s kit was the first I heard of Pork Pie. On east coast, I still hardly see them even though a well known custom shop…are they mostly known as a west coast shop?


Am I the only one that's bothered by how much his throne moves around? I thought at times it was going to fall apart. Does Tim Alexander have back issues?
 
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