• Welcome to Drummer Cafe Community Forum.

Hating DW

Started by DRWM, June 24, 2005, 10:55 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Mark Schlipper

In defense of Rawdrums "it shook" comment, how many of us have had a negative experience with something and opted to write it off lest we have a repeat occurance?    How about a few negative experiences?  

It only takes one negative experience to turn someone off a product usually.   I don't like olives.   Why should I force myself to eat them?   Have they changed in the last 5 years?  Maybe I'll try one if I'm out and someone has some, or try some kind I haven't tried before.    But I'm sure as hell not going to go out of my way to bother with olives ever.  

Its the same with gear.    Theres mob mentality against a product and mob mentality for a product.   Neither is relevant.  Only personal experience is in the end.  

And in the end, if someone found something they feel better about using, despite all the glowing reviews about the product they had a bad time with, then good for them, why should they look back?

swede

Well, I considered dw for a while. I thout that the dw are US made and the Pacifics were foreign made? Anyway, I found that in my opinion, I found a better value for my $$. And of course, now that I have my new kit with "mini-classic lugs" I have to confess that I just made a derogatory reference in the gear threads about "new fangled looking round lugs". (I feel so dirty) Maybe some of the bashing stems form SGS (sour grapes syndrome)(someone that can't cough up the $$$ for the dw may subconsciously decide they're bad drums because they can't get them) I think I better stick to only apples too!

jokerjkny

Quote from: DRWM on June 24, 2005, 10:55 AM(...)

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.



funny, but the PRS allegory is quite accurate.

i know plenty of gents who speak badly about PRSi.  and many of them are Hamer owners.  ;)  and lets put it this way.  the crap that's coming out of Maryland cant even compare to my OG '86 Cu24.  all in all, both are small companies with amazing marketing aspirations that helped hype them over the top.

as for DW, their prices for a keller shelled kit are pretty ridiculous.  Pork Pie, GMS, even Noble and Cooley dont charge nearly as much.  the Dubs are good drums, sure, and heck, i'm a huge fan of their natural wood finishes like the Tamo Ash.  but their hype / overexposure with everyone and their mom's dog using one, has literally pushed me to other more boutique'y brands.

but i do like DW's R&D when it comes to hardware.  a few good idears, tho dare i say, done so in a Microsoft like "if you cant beat 'em, buy 'em out" mentality.

Mark Schlipper

Quote from: jokerjkny on June 25, 2005, 01:21 AMas for DW, their prices for a keller shelled kit are pretty ridiculous.  

DW arent Keller anymore, they're making their own shells.  Just an FYI.  

jokerjkny

really?

yea, that's what i heard, then from another i heard they're doing the keller thing again to keep up with orders.... oi...

Mark Schlipper

Quote from: jokerjkny on June 25, 2005, 10:44 AM
really?

yea, that's what i heard, then from another i heard they're doing the keller thing again to keep up with orders.... oi...

Or maybe I'm wrong and they went back to 'em to keep up with orders  ;D    I hadn't heard, doesn't mean it aint true.

bilkay

Did anybody say they cost WAY too much money?

rca

I don't think high-end drums are any worse than they used to be. I think that the drum industry in general is just doing a lot better job at producing great drums at all the price points, so our expectations are really high. We are really lucky to have so many good choices out there. Second thing that may have an impact is that a lot of live music, especially rock, is played at insane SPLs. Signal processing is used a lot too. So it is really difficult to tell much difference between well-tuned kits. If we were all playing acoustic jazz, maybe that would make us rethink our priorities.

Jay Northrop

Personally I don't " hate " any drum company. I think all have their good and bad points but that kinda goes for everything in life. Jst like why some people may like Pringles better than Lays. But as long as you have a reason why you like or don't like something then your points and claims can be justified. For someone to say I love Yamaha and Hate Tama....well thats a crappy statement and one with no reason or logic. Me I like DW I think they make great drums and hardware.I have three Pacific boom stands and I love them to death. I think they show good workman ship,they don't move,and they get the job done and I never have to worry about them. At the end of the day its all personal prefrence and thats cool but if your going to say you like and or dislike something else it should be common knowledge to make points as to why you like / dislike something.

drummer1202

I'm a noob, esp. when it comes to purchasing drums, so I don't have the expertice to judge a drum for the masses. Nevertheless I decided not to go with DW for several reasons:

1. The outrageous price - yes outrageous - other companies can produce american made custom products for $500-$2000 less per kit, depending on the size of the kit.

2.Those "new fangled round lugs" - I really just don't like the way they look.  Yeah I know the sound doesn't come from there, but who wants to play on a kit that they feel is funny-looking?  Something about them seems cheap trying to look fancy.

3. The sound on the kits that I sampled wasn't anything mind-blowing. Granted neither were the other kits I sampled, but they were all played in stores without benefit of my preference of tuning and alot of time to settle and really groove.

Alll this being said , I can't say that I hate DW.  They are just not the company for me right now-- you never know maybe in the future I'll start to like those funny looking lugs!


Mister Acrolite

I can't buy into it being "hip" to hate a product (other than maybe tobacco).

DWs are great looking drums. For my tastes, they are overpriced, and not consistent enough that I'd want to invest in a set. A good DW kit sounds GREAT. A not-so-good DW kit sounds just okay. For all that money, I want more than okay. So I wouldn't buy a DW kit unless I'd played it first.

Dave Heim

Quote from: drummer1202 on June 27, 2005, 01:23 AM

2.Those "new fangled round lugs" - I really just don't like the way they look.  Yeah I know the sound doesn't come from there, but who wants to play on a kit that they feel is funny-looking?  Something about them seems cheap trying to look fancy.


They're actually not new.  They've been around for years.  Before DW they were used by Camco.

Filacteria

I don't know about DW per-se, but my experience with Pacific has been less than gratifying

TheDuke86

I think DW makes great drums. However, I'll take a vintage Gretsch kit with a Radio King snare anyday. :)
As Mr. Acrolite so eloquently stated- the only problem with DW in my mind is the consistency between kits. I've played decent DW kits, and wonderful DW kits. However, when I pay 4000 dollars for a kit, it @$%# well should be better than "decent".

jokerjkny

heh,

for that kind of money, rather than a D-Dubya, i'd much rather get a USA Custom Gretsch kit.

DRWM

That's an interesting point jokerjkny.  You would be willing to shell out $4k, but not for a DW.  

I'm interested in hearing your opinion as to why a Gretsch is worth the cash, but a DW isn't.  Does a Gretsch sound any better than a DW?

DRWM

I mean clearly DW isn't the only drum company selling kits for more than $4000.  

When someone mentions DW it seems all kinds of negative things get said about them that have little to do with how the drums sound and look.  But when the Gretsch name comes up, you don't hear everyone yelling and gnashing their teeth at how "way overpriced" Gretsch drums are.

That's why I think some drummers find it hip to hate DW.

Mark Schlipper

Quote from: DRWM on June 28, 2005, 11:56 AM
That's an interesting point jokerjkny.  You would be willing to shell out $4k, but not for a DW.  

I'm interested in hearing your opinion as to why a Gretsch is worth the cash, but a DW isn't.  Does a Gretsch sound any better than a DW?

As someone who feels the same way, yes.  I do feel Gretsch sound better than DW.   Subjective?  Sure.   But we're talking about devices that make sound for art.   The better part of any decision will be based on subjective opinion.  

DRWM

You're absolutely correct 563, it is subjective, there is no standard for what I think sounds better as opposed to what you think sounds better.

But that still doesn't make an argument for someone saying that $4000 is way too much for a drum kit.  Or that one or another kit is overpriced.

Mark Schlipper

Quote from: DRWM on June 28, 2005, 12:13 PM
You're absolutely correct 563, it is subjective, there is no standard for what I think sounds better as opposed to what you think sounds better.

But that still doesn't make an argument for someone saying that $4000 is way too much for a drum kit.  Or that one or another kit is overpriced.

$4000 can easily be too much for a DW if the person saying so doesn't think what they have to offer is worth the asking price.   If what's being charged is more than someone thinks the kit is worth to them based on their subjective opinion, then it is overpriced.  

The real value of a kit isn't just determined by its build quality.  Its determined by the interest of the potential buyer.