Help Ordering DW Drums

BigDrew

Junior Member
I'm looking to order a set of DW drums. I'm looking at the Santa Monica series and have some questions. I want to try and get the best set possible within parameters. I'm looking at the sizes below but would love feed back on some of the items. These will stay home and I play mostly funk, rock and some jazz. I want a smallish set that sounds great for me...and is fun to play!

20x14 Bass - Any feedback on depth?
10x7
12x7 Crazy to have both the 10 and 12s at 7" depth?
14x? Floor Tom - What depth would you recommend?
14x4 Snare

My questions follow. What bass drum depth would you recommend? I love the sound of 10" toms, but I am not crazy about 12"; I am looking at ordering both at a 7" depth, any downside? Based on these sizes, would you recommend a 14x12 floor tom?

I think that I am going to go with a satin oil finish. Leaning towards Azure...any other recommendations? Last, I am leaning towards the Santa Monica shells...would you go straight maple or any other wood type? Any crazy bearing edge ideas?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.
 
I can throw in my 2 cents regarding the sizes.

20x14 is a great size for bass drums. I actually prefer 20x16 as you can get a little more oomph out of them, but an equal number of people will likely prefer the tighter punch of the 20x14. So either way should be fine.

10x7 is also great, but personally I would not go any shallower than 8” for the 12” tom. That said, 12x8 is my favorite tom size that sounds great at any tuning.

As for the floor tom, I’m partial to square sizes, so 14x14 gets my vote. But have you considered going with a 15” floor tom? That’s a great in between size that sounds good tuned up or tuned low (14s sometimes struggle with lower tunings).

As for the snare, be certain that you want a 14x4 before you order it. That’s a very specific size with a very specific sound. Nothing wrong with it, but be sure you like that sound since that shallow of a snare is not that versatile.
 
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All looks good.. I don't think any of this can be a bad decision although I just prefer their mahogany hybrid shells but yours will sound good...... 14 depth on kick is good...... the 7 depth on the 12 is fine.. but you have a reason not to go 8 ? ..... Snare depth sounds great IMO..... 14 floor I would go 11 or 12 to blend with the consistency of the other toms.. but that is just me..

Most important thing is don't get ripped off.. LOL..
 
Great choice.

I chose 10x7, and 12x7 too because the 22 is too big for me.

But, I do feel this will work out better with warm woods like mahogany, walnut, etc. this to keep the warmth and depth. My kit is a Maple Mahogany so that is no problem.

Since you have a 20'' kick (I would say, go 20x15) you can go for 10x8, and 12x8 too.

Also I would go for a 15'' that really is closer to the estate of the 14'' but the sonic feautures of the 16''.

My floors (15'' and 18'') are both 14'' deep and I have no issue what so ever with the 7'' depth difference.

My snare is a alu 14x5, and I wouldn't go shallower for a 14''. Heck you can play jazz on an 8'' deep, tuned high. So I would go deeper if you rock out too.

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I can throw in my 2 cents regarding the sizes.

20x14 is a great size for bass drums. I actually prefer 20x16 as you can get a little more oomph out of them, but an equal number of people will likely prefer the tighter punch of the 20x14. So either way should be fine.

10x7 is also great, but personally I would not go any shallower than 8” for the 12” tom. That said, 12x8 is my favorite tom size that sounds great at any tuning.

As for the floor tom, I’m partial to square sizes, so 14x14 gets my vote. But have you considered going with a 15” floor tom? That’s a great in between size that sounds good tuned up or tuned low (14s sometimes struggle with lower tunings).

As for the snare, be certain that you want a 14x4 before you order it. That’s a very specific size with a very specific sound. Nothing wrong with it, but be sure you like that sound since that shallow of a snare is not that versatile.
Thanks for the quick feedback. One of my favorite snare sounds is the old Gretsch's in 14x4. I want the snare to sound just super crisp...and not a ton of body. I feel like I can by ANY snare after that to complement the matching one I get with my kit.

14x14 floor tom makes sense. 15 makes sense too, but I worry about getting heads.

I have a feeling that a lot of people are going to tell me to order the 12 as a 12x8....
 
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All looks good.. I don't think any of this can be a bad decision although I just prefer their mahogany hybrid shells but yours will sound good...... 14 depth on kick is good...... the 7 depth on the 12 is fine.. but you have a reason not to go 8 ? ..... Snare depth sounds great IMO..... 14 floor I would go 11 or 12 to blend with the consistency of the other toms.. but that is just me..

Most important thing is don't get ripped off.. LOL..
Thanks for the input. I will probably end up going with a 12x8....just thought it would different to have both rack toms the same size. However, I don't want to sacrifice tone....I guess there is a reason that depth typically increases with diameter.

I may go 14x12 on the floor tom.
 
Great choice.

I chose 10x7, and 12x7 too because the 22 is too big for me.

But, I do feel this will work out better with warm woods like mahogany, walnut, etc. this to keep the warmth and depth. My kit is a Maple Mahogany so that is no problem.

Since you have a 20'' kick (I would say, go 20x15) you can go for 10x8, and 12x8 too.

Also I would go for a 15'' that really is closer to the estate of the 14'' but the sonic feautures of the 16''.

My floors (15'' and 18'') are both 14'' deep and I have no issue what so ever with the 7'' depth difference.

My snare is a alu 14x5, and I wouldn't go shallower for a 14''. Heck you can play jazz on an 8'' deep, tuned high. So I would go deeper if you rock out too.
That all makes sense. Ultimately, I am going for a 20" bass due to tom positioning. I also love the tone you can get from a smaller bass. I actually thought about going with an 18, but the 20 is definitely more versatile.
 
For me-- I get bored with kits and so I often buy with an eye toward resale. That means I don't do anything TOO wild in sizes or finish.

So, what I'd do is something pretty stock: 10x7, 12x8, 14x14, 20x14. Classics are classics for a reason-- they work.

If you're planning on keeping them forever, do whatever makes your heart sing.
 
If you just need a kit that will handle anything you may be playing, there's a reason the 12/13/16/22 configuration has stood the test of time. It's big enough to sound good in a louder situation and small enough to sound good in quiet situations, and it's not too big to schlep around. I'm only 5' 1" (with shoes) and have no problem playing a 22" bass drum. I like the 20" but I find when I need to start slamming, it's too small for me. The 22" can go there much easier, and when playing it softly, you have the added low-ness to enhance the bottom end. My current DW Design kit has the 10 and 12 rack toms, but to be honest, sometimes the 10 sounds too small (it doesn't really matter to me because everything of mine is mic'ed up). But I'm accustomed to seeing the 12/13 on top of the bass drum and both sing great.
 
For me-- I get bored with kits and so I often buy with an eye toward resale. That means I don't do anything TOO wild in sizes or finish.

So, what I'd do is something pretty stock: 10x7, 12x8, 14x14, 20x14. Classics are classics for a reason-- they work.

If you're planning on keeping them forever, do whatever makes your heart sing.
Makes complete sense. I am pretty sure that I will go this route. Thanks
 
If you just need a kit that will handle anything you may be playing, there's a reason the 12/13/16/22 configuration has stood the test of time. It's big enough to sound good in a louder situation and small enough to sound good in quiet situations, and it's not too big to schlep around. I'm only 5' 1" (with shoes) and have no problem playing a 22" bass drum. I like the 20" but I find when I need to start slamming, it's too small for me. The 22" can go there much easier, and when playing it softly, you have the added low-ness to enhance the bottom end. My current DW Design kit has the 10 and 12 rack toms, but to be honest, sometimes the 10 sounds too small (it doesn't really matter to me because everything of mine is mic'ed up). But I'm accustomed to seeing the 12/13 on top of the bass drum and both sing great.
I just don’t like how a 12” tom lays on a 22” bass. My current kit is 8, 10, 12 rack, 16 floor and 22 bass. I hate how the 12 sits. I also don’t love how the 12 sounds compared to the 8 and 10, but that’s another thread!
 
I just don’t like how a 12” tom lays on a 22” bass. My current kit is 8, 10, 12 rack, 16 floor and 22 bass. I hate how the 12 sits. I also don’t love how the 12 sounds compared to the 8 and 10, but that’s another thread!
Back in the day, the 8 and 10 would've been concert toms over your hi hat before getting to your 12/13 rack toms ;)
 
As for the floor tom, I’m partial to square sizes, so 14x14 gets my vote. But have you considered going with a 15” floor tom? That’s a great in between size that sounds good tuned up or tuned low (14s sometimes struggle with lower tunings).
I second this.
 
For me-- I get bored with kits and so I often buy with an eye toward resale. That means I don't do anything TOO wild in sizes or finish.

So, what I'd do is something pretty stock: 10x7, 12x8, 14x14, 20x14. Classics are classics for a reason-- they work.

If you're planning on keeping them forever, do whatever makes your heart sing.
I think this is what I am going to do. I may shorten the floor tom to a 14x12.
 
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