DRUMMER CAFE - Community Forum

Which should i go with?

Send me your early voter ballot in 2008. I feel like voting twice next year. ;)

Go with the TAMA, unless you like the Pearls better.   ;D

You should go with a Sonor kit.  I'd say maple S class or if you like birch the S Classix (in ebony veneer with matching snare).

Or go for the tiger stain in an SQ2 if money is no object. You pick the wood and shell thickness; beech, birch or maple.

I've played both Tama high line kits and Pearl Masters/ Ref./exports, forums.

They just don't compare  ;D

All things being = of course.  :D

If your drum shop is friendly - they won't mind you trying them out side by side. Only you can know which sounds better to your ears...

Hmmm...I'd have to say go with the Pearls, unless you really have your heart set on the TAMA drumkit. ??? ??? ???

I agree with Louis. I was with Ludwig for quit some time. IN Dec.,2006 I purchased a New Tama Kit at G.C. Locally and Iam Very plaesed with the new kit. Solid equipment and good sounding. I looked at the Ludwig equipmet they were selling and was not pleased at all. I've been in several times since and found very little in the way of Ludwig equipment. At this point I'm very pleased in my choose. My choose would be Tama.

I have played 3 different kits of Pearl and 2 kits of Tama's.  I would pick the Tama's. I have also played Yamaha but I am partial to Tama.
For Drums made in Japan, I would pick the Tama's first, Yamaha second and Pearl 3rd but this is just my taste.
                           Nutty

I usually play Tama starclassic performer kits (house kits) when I play at the clubs here and the toms on them sound fantastic! I still prefer my (mapex) kick drum sound 10-1 over those, but that is just me. I don't tune those kits at all, so I am sure some of that is responsible, but they are 3 different kits I play and all of the toms sound killer. Just an observation to try to help the decision making process easier.

It's impossible to say one is better than the other.
Each company makes several different sounding kits for a start. So which lines are we trying to compare?
In the end it comes purely down to personal taste. You have to choose for yourself.
I laid out because I wasn't sure if this debate would be treated seriously, however it seems now it is.

Chris is right, The performer series may be birch and with a maple bass drum  like the regular Star Classics may fix what you are talking about.
The toms sound killer on the Regular maple Star Classics too but the kick drum sound deeper and warmer IMHO.
                             Nutty

Both companies make very nice sounding kits, good enough for many professionals to choose them.
Two drummers I greatly admire; Kenny Aronoff (Tama) and Dennis Chambers (Pearl) for starters.
In the end I find you either have a gut feeling about which is best for you, or you negotiate a particularly good deal on a certain kit with a local store. In addition, the choice and quality of hardware is a good place to start when choosing between brands, less so the type of finishes offered.
If you find a great looking kit that also sounds good, then you have probably made up your mind.

It's completely relative. I say play them both. Listen to artists who play them. Listen to drummers play them live. Listen to drummers that have recorded with them. I could tell you that I much prefer Pearl Drums, especially their hardware, but as I said, it's relative.

There's always this option. . .

http://shazam.econ.ubc.ca/flip/

We always go into these threads advising people to use their ears, but we never ask these guys what they're listening for. Do you know what sound you want? Do you know what to listen for? I didn't when I first started buying kits. I only knew names of drums, the big ones I saw other drummers playing on TV. When I was a young teen I didn't even realize a manufacturer made more than one line of drums. I thought it was like, you know, one kind of Tama, one kind of Pearl, one kind of whatever.

Anyway, I think it's best to have a sound already in mind. You never know. You may end up liking something besides Pearl or Tama.

I'm pretty keen on Yamahas right now, but out of Pearl and Tama (both make great drums), i'd go with the company that has better customer service. Pearls is awesome, but i've never dealt with Tama (I only have a Tama bass pedal), so I cant tell you either way.

Oh Boy, do I feel stupid!  I have never thought about that part of the equation.  How can we tell people to use their ears if they have no idea of what they are trying to hear.  To tell the truth I bought my first kit partly because it was a Ludwig (there were not too many brands to choose from back then) but mostly because it was a red sparkle and I loved the way the kit looked.  I guess there could be worse reasons to choose but looking back I had no idea what sound I wanted.

Wow Louis,
My first Kit was Red Sparkle and that is all I cared about back then too.
                           Nutty

Don't you think a drum sounds page would be a nice project for someone? Just something saying, "This is what 'warm' means," and "This is what 'fast-acting' means." Maybe we could get one of these big corporate websites like Music 123 to do something like that.

I'm not sure you need to know what you want to hear in advance. I think it can be far more powerful to let yourself be surprised by what you hear.

For example, until I played a set of Camcos, I didn't even know a drum could SOUND like that. Similarly, I think the average drummer playing an old  Pearl Export kit with worn-out stock heads may have no idea what a well-tuned set of Fibes or Pork Pies sounds like. Thus, sitting down behind that kid could really open up his or her mind.

That's why I always say: get thee to a drum shop, and sit down and PLAY this gear. Then - trained or not - your ears should be able to tell you what they like. At least that's been my experience.

Mr. A, explain to me what "well-tuned" means and I might agree with you. ;)

Again, it's something you tend to know when you hear it.   8)

I don’t think that knowing exactly what you want to hear is necessary either.  However, I NOW believe we should be telling them to listen when they test drive a kit.  In my opinion we have an obligation to give a more complete answer when asked rather than waiting for that sound or knowledge to "Bite them in the Seat Meat"!  This does not mean I think we should spoon feed information to anyone.   However we should remind them there are lots of different sounds out there in addition to all the wonderful finishes. 

If someone doesn't know how to tune a drum, or doesn't recognize a drum that is tuned well, then that person debating a switch from one brand of drums to another is an exercise in futility.

To the original poster:  what is it that you don't think you're getting from Pearl drums, and why do you think you can get it from Tama drums?  Why are you considering Tama, specifically, and not any other brand(s)?  That's not to say that one shouldn't consider Tama drums (or Pearl) - but why start out the search by limiting your options?

I'm afraid I have to agree.

I see nothing wrong with a completely inexperienced drummer walking into a drumstore with no preconceived ideas (or soounds) at all, playing all the kits and if one kit sounds better than the rest (instinctively), buying it.
The problem we often try to highlight at The Cafe is the influence of branding.
Kids don't go into a drumstore with an open mind, they generally go into a store looking for a kit that mirrors the sound of Lars Ulrich, or Peart or Portnoy. Or even a kit that just looks right.
I also reject this whole idea of having a sound in one's head.
I don't think many players, but the truly advanced ones, can operate on that level.
I certainly can't.
I'm constantly surprised by drums and their sounds, much like Mr A's Camco experience.
I have my own prejudices, favouring older American drums and not particularly liking modern Japanese drums.
However I regularly have to use other people's kits and rental sets. If a new Yamaha kit blows me away, I'm sensible enough to admit it.
BUT, I have to play it in anger and for an extended period to make up my mind.
I couldn't walk into a drum store and tell you which is the best performing kit.
The conditions are too alien for a real road test.
However, auditioning drums in a store is a much better test than asking forumites to choose between two brands.
That's why I (and others) always reject these debates and suggest the poster make up their own mind by getting out there and playing.