GCRoberts
Member
I've been looking for a high quality kit without going to crazy. And when I say not going too crazy, that means I'm not interested in spending $6 to $8 thousand for DW Collectors. I've been comparing mid-range kits from different manufacturers. For pricing, I've just been using sweetwater. I keep hearing that DW Performance kits are great, but you can get more bang for the buck from the competition. What kits from the competition clearly match them at a much lower price? Or is this all over a few hundred dollars? For example, I'm interested in the DW Performance 5 piece shell pack and it runs $2480. For these comparisons, I'm not considering the snare, cymbals, and hardware...just shell packs. So I looked at Pearl (probably my second choice). They have the Music City Custom for the same price, but it's only a 3 piece pack. Stepping down to the Master Maple Complete, it's definitely less expensive at $1680, but it's also only a 4 piece. Another step down, and I'm looking at the Session Studio Select for $1580. Ok, this is definitely cheaper for a 5 piece, but it seems this is more comparable to the DW Design series in quality, so I'd expect it to be this inexpensive. Then I looked at Tama. Their Starclassic Walnut/Birch is "barely" less expensive at $2300. Ludwig was difficult to compare as every kit was a 3 piece. Yamaha had a very affordable 4 piece kit called Tour Custom for $1300, but again, that seems more like the DW Design market. Maybe Mapex Saturn V MH Exotic 5 piece for $2199? I'm just not seeing the DW Performance as being overpriced. If I'm missing something, please feel free to fill in my knowledge gaps for me.