Stage Custom Birch vs. Maple Cohort?

Rolltide

Active Member
The Stage Custom is the best kit under $1000 most people would concur.... Assuming you agree and recognizing this is a Birch kit , what is the Maple kit equivalent?
 
I don't think there is one. Not with the lineage of the Stage Custom, anyways. The All Birch shell goes back to 2008, but the series itself (YD-5000) goes back to 1980.

Gretsch Catalina Maple goes back to 2014 (?). Pearl Decade 2017 (?). You get at least a "full" drum set, for under $1000.

DW Design goes back to 2013 (?) ..... but it's just under the wire with no snare, for $999.

PDP Concept maple also goes back to 2013 (?). I'd probably pick it, as the maple rival to the Stage Custom.;)
 
Of the ones I've played I would rate the following above the Stage Customs:

Pearl Export EXL or EXX 5 piece
Gretsch Catalina Maple 5 piece
Bo's DW's ( what a steal) , The best of this bunch and impossible to beat for the $1,000 mark.
PDP Concept Maple
Mapex Armory 5 piece ( highly underrated and better than the SC's in every way)

My 2 cents worth.
 
They SC is OK.. I notice customers commenting on what they do to make them sound "warmer".. LOL ..

I have never heard a Stage Custom sound as good as these below.

MY BAD !!!! I forgot about the Tama Superstar Classics. All maple and under $1000.
 
I don't think there is a clear winner on the Maple side. (If we're talking strictly 5 piece kits)

If we're talking 3 piece kits, the clear winner would be the DW Design Series. They sound fantastic and are a step up in quality.

But for 5 piece kits, the best sounding in the price range is the Gretsch Catalina Maple IMO. And depending on what day of the week it is, sometimes I think they sound better than the Yamaha Stage Customs. The only downside is the Catalinas use a slightly lower quality of hardware. It's not night and day, though.

The 2nd best sounding kit to me is the Mapex Armory, but they aren't all Maple...they have birch plies too.

The Decade Maples have their issues. Cheap looking chrome that has a bumpy texture to it (possibly pot metal lugs? I dunno) Only 6 lugs on the 16" floor tom? Yuck. And they don't sound as good as the Catalina to me.

Tama Superstars are a solid option, they have great hardware, but they don't sound quite as good to my ears. (as the Catalina or Armory)

The PDP Concept Maples are great drums (despite the hideous lugs), but they just don't sound quite as good as the Catalina or Armory to my ears. They still sound good, though.

That's just like my opinion man.
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All sound better that the Yamaha....?
Better is all a matter of personal preference. Some people prefer birch. Me .... I like them both. I have 2 RMV 100% maple shelled kits, and 1 Yamaha SC 100% birch shelled kit ..... and a whole bunch of mixed wood shelled kits.
 
I traded my Stage Custom Birch kit in for a set of DW Designs. The Yamahas were good but the DWs are appreciably better.
 
The Stage Custom is the best kit under $1000 most people would concur.... Assuming you agree and recognizing this is a Birch kit , what is the Maple kit equivalent?
 
2 up
1down
Prefer 16 floor
Prefer 20 kick
Those sizes are gonna limit your choices. Usually 16" floors get matched to 22" bass drums. My Gretsch Round Badge kit came 20, 13, 16 (configuration called the Name Band) ...... quite popular, in the 60's. But those days are long gone.

Depending on what rack tom sizes you want ..... may further limit your choices ..... Standard seems to be 10" and 12" now. If you're good with those, most all manufactures will have a 20, 10, 12, 14 configuration. Add on a 16 floor (you can sell or keep the 14) and you're done.
I played 22-13-16 Barton Beech kit , best drums you could ever imagine for sound and quality for $2000
Beech ..... kind of a "not so common" wood for drum shells. Old Sonor kits were the first beech drums I ever heard. Sonor still uses beech. Later, the Yamaha Beech Customs hit the scene. Really nice drums too. If you went with the Barton ...... you'd definitely have a "you don't see those every day" kinda drum set.;)
 
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