Hating DW

[DRWM]

Let me ask you guys this.  Why is it hip to hate DW?
It's a quality built and great sounding drum.

I'm not saying that DW is what everyone should play, or that DW is better than any other drum.  I just noticed that I rarely hear discussions about why some mass produced drum company isn't any good, but once someone brings up DW, it's a dogpile.

How many guitar players do you guys know speak badly about PRS Guitars?  Isn't PRS an expensive custom guitar company?

All the guitar players I know who can really play either want, or have a PRS next to their strat.

[drumwild]

The guy who said the tom mounts are "shabby" didn't say why. He failed to convey his experience with these (if any).

I've had great experiences with the DW products I've used. My pedal has held up well and I haven't had the need to replace any parts on it since I got it over 2 years ago. The DW kit I set up for a guy I tech for is easy to tune and easy to set up. The stands are heavy as heck, but that's my only complaint.

I did have some problems (for a few months) where customer service wasn't very responsive (when I would email them for a part and not receive a response for a week). That seemed to correct itself quickly.

At a club, I heard a discussion with the stage manager about the house kit being a DW. This guy says, "DW sucks! Why are you using them?" The stage manager says, "Because it's the kit requested on every rider that passes my desk."

My beef with the guy who says "DW sucks" is that he doesn't say WHY they suck. It's SO easy for people to just blab at the mouth and not back anything up.

And who knows, the reason he thinks they suck might be the reason someone else thinks they're great.

[DRWM]

I hear you drumwild.  That's exactly the kind of thing I've experienced.  People, both in the real world and here in the virtual world, will tell anyone who'll listen that DW sucks or whatever and not explain why they think that.  That's why I say it's hip to hate DW.

But I just don' t hear people as much saying the same kinds of things about other companies.

[Stewart Manley]

This is another one of those topics that comes up from time to time.

http://community.drummercafe.com/index.php?board=10;action=display;threadid=8161]http://community.drummercafe.com/index.php?board=10;action=display;threadid=8161

[drumwild]

In that old thread, the guy says:

I would like to know how others feel about DW drums in regards to their price and workmanship. I have a 5x13 snare I got a few years ago that never really did it for me, and I seemed to have poor workmanship. Anyone else feel the same way?
-Adam

ps- I got the new Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute Nouveau kit, it rocks! So maybe I am a little biased!

In this comment, he does not say WHY there is poor workmanship. He just says it SEEMED to. Conversely, he says the Yamaha rocks, but does not say why.

Yes, he is biased.


While it might be good to continue posting in that old thread, I do have mixed feelings about continuing a conversation more than a year after-the-fact. New threads about really old topics are OK by me, but I guess that would be up to the higher powers who run this fantastic ship.

[dstuart]

Now if every post were like this then we wouldn't have a problem.

DW's ROCK!!!  8)

Analysis of why DW's ROCK:

1) Nice shells and my wrap is built like a tank.
2) Hardware is durable and I've never had a problem with it.
3) I called DW to ask them a question and got great customer service
   even though I bought my kit second hand.
4) Who doesn't love Oxnard, CA...    :-\

[felix]

I had two problems with my dw's.  I had problems with my snare lever wearing out (bushing in the inside of the throw mechanism) and stripping out a bass drum spur.  These could have been a combination of me and the hardware's integrity, who knows.  After 5 years of gigging, something has got to go.

I also noticed that the glue rings started seperating and that the lugs were "noisy" sometimes.  John Good said that never happens, so I felt a bit slighted, but honestly, my complaints weren't quantifiable- so I let it go.

All in all it was a great sounding kit that looked even better.  I'd buy another, but have my eye on a sonor right now, so I'm going to have to pass.

[felix]

Funny we have had dw vs. sonor a bunch of times over at the sonor board.  Lots of opinions.

Anyways, I'm on my third sonor kit and only had one dw- so that says something.  I've had two ludwig, two yammy and two tama.  Sonor is the only contender for a "3 peat".

[Showguy]

It seems to me that DW is like any product that started out small and got big - it's cooler when it's esoteric and harder to find. 15 or 20 years ago you couldn't just walk into a music store or drum shop in a medium-to-large sized city and see and play a DW kit like you can now. They weren't stacked up along the walls because they really were custom made. They were expensive then because you were paying for American labor. Today DW is no longer small and they're not using American labor exclusively. While they are based in the US, I don't see them as being that much different from the Japanese companies.
I don't hate DW. I use their pedals and some of their hardware, and I've got a DW snare drum that I bought used that's great. I wouldn't buy a new kit, but it's mostly because of some of their business practices, as well as substantiated reports of serious problems with some of their shells.  It seems to me that a lot of what you're paying for is the name, and for that amount of money I can get a better sounding kit from a true custom builder. While a custom set won't have the resale value of a DW, at least I'll know who the money is going to.

[rawdrums22]

I think there hardware is shabby because I played one a few kits and plain and simple it just shook.  Thats why I started playing Yamaha

[Mark Schlipper]

DW don't live up to their own hype for me.   They are fine drums, and have a lovely selection of finishes.   No argument there.   But all in all I find them pedestrian.   Obviously a matter of taste.    But to me DW is like a Honda Civic with a Lexus price tag.    I can spend half as much and get the same thing from another manufacturer.  

As a guitarist I feel the same way about PRS actually.   I shopped for a guitar with some very specific ideas about what I wanted and compared a $2400 PRS to a $1200 Hamer and a $600 Dean and bought the Dean.

Im willing to spend what it takes to get what I want.   But I'm not going to spend twice as much on something just because of the name.

[drumwild]

I think there hardware is shabby because I played one a few kits and plain and simple it just shook.  Thats why I started playing Yamaha

Sorry, dude, but that's kinda weak.

I could say the same thing about a Pearl kit I've played, without telling you that it's a backline kit in a rehearsal hall that has been abused for over ten years by people who don't care about the kit because they paid $3/hour to use it.

Maybe the DW you played was at a busy music store where kids beat up on it all the time, and the staff doesn't have time to maintain the kit. But you didn't say, so I shouldn't speculate.

Felix made points about his DW experience, and I can definitely respect those comments.

I'm having a similar problem with my Pearl Chad Smith Signature Series Snare (with regard to the snare throw). I gotta lay the thing on its side just to force it shut! I should mention that I lived relatively close to the beach and the salt air does have an impact on gear if it's not lubed properly. I did spray some lithium grease on it, but it was probably too little, too late.

This does not tell me that Pearl sucks. It tells me that I'd better pay closer attention to my gear next time, due to my environmental situation.

I've owned a Pearl Export and a Yamaha Stage Custom. I would definitely own those kits again. I currently have a Premier Artist Birch and won't part with it. They all sounded great and held up to my punishment.

[drumwild]

But to me DW is like a Honda Civic with a Lexus price tag.

The Lexus is made in the Toyota factory :)

[DRWM]

I'm not saying that DW is the end-all be-all of drums.  And I'm not saying that they are better drums than any other drums.  They are man made, and nothing man made is perfect, but the kit I have has been the best kit I've ever owned or played.  My hardware is strong and quality of sound has always been consistent for me.

I'm just pointing out that I've noticed that more often than not, when DW comes up, people have negative things to say and don't have anything to back up their own claims.  It seems that most comments are driven by the fact that it's hip to hate DW.

I respect an honest, experience based opinion good or bad for any drum.  If you like, or dislike a drum, guitar, or any product, cool, but have arguments that support your views, especially if you're going to participate in a discussion or online forum.  :)

[Mark Schlipper]

I respect an honest, experience based opinion good or bad for any drum.  If you like, or dislike a drum, guitar, or any product, cool, but have arguments that support your views, especially if you're going to participate in a discussion or online forum.  :)

And be prepared to accept when people disagree with your tastes.    ;)

[Stewart Manley]

While it might be good to continue posting in that old thread, I do have mixed feelings about continuing a conversation more than a year after-the-fact.

That wasn't my purpose for quoting the previous thread. I just wanted people to know what was said last time. Apologies if that was a distraction of some sort.

Companies "at the top" (no matter what the field, no matter how "at the top" is measured, no matter whether "at the top" is reality or perception) are always a target for this kind of stuff. It's nothing new, and it goes with the territory.

[DRWM]

And be prepared to accept when people disagree with your tastes.    ;)

By all means, disagree with me.  Disagreement promotes healthy discussion.   :)

Like I said, I'm not trying to say DW's are the best or worst drums out there, I'm just trying to illustrate the trend I percieve.  Drummers should have opinions about drums that's what we live for, but don't hate a certain brand just because everyone else does, have your own opinion.

[Dave Heim]

I think there hardware is shabby because I played one a few kits and plain and simple it just shook.  Thats why I started playing Yamaha

Yeah, I once went to the produce store for oranges.  When I got there and looked at them they weren't ripe - you couldn't eat them.  In fact, I had the same experience at a couple of other stores.  So, I decided oranges suck.  And now I only buy apples.

[DRWM]

Companies "at the top" (no matter what the field, no matter how "at the top" is measured, no matter whether "at the top" is reality or perception) are always a target for this kind of stuff. It's nothing new, and it goes with the territory.

That's very true moosetication.  I agree with that.  

Being a tight community, I would think that drummers would be exempt from the mob mentality though.  ;D

[JeepnDrummer]

DW drums are very nice and offer many finishes.  All of the DW kits I've played had a very fat sound to them, which I'd say is somewhat limiting, at least for my tastes.  I agree that they are over priced when compared to many other top lines by other companies.  That's my biggest complaint.

I think the issue is when someone says that DW drums are the best without qualifying their statement.  Some drummers who like other brands then take on the other extreme by bashing DW, again without qualifying their statement.  Frankly, this can be said about any drum brand, but it doesn't really mean squat.