birch, maple or popular drum set?

  • Thread starter Thread starter gotmojo
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gotmojo

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Just getting started with drums. What type of set is best: Birch, maple or popular?

I'm currently looking at a Gretch 5 piece Birch Catalina blue set.
 
Birch has a great sound in my opinion, I had some old Tama Granstars I wish I never sold.

Maple and mahogany to my ears sound pretty similar, with mahogany actually having more low end typically.

I don't think you can go wrong with that kit bro.

War
 
Whats the sound you want?

birch is bright, maple is warm adn rich, and poplar (used on all pearl export kits) also many people want to get the 60s 'maple drum sound' gretch-eque. but maple wasn't used on kits until 1973. So if your looking for an old school style it's either poplar or birch. gretch kits we're mostly poplar.
 
I prefer Birch - it tends to have a very focused mid range for attack while still maintaining a solid low end.

I currently own Maple, Birch & Mahogany kits and have owned just about every type of material (including Fibes fiberglass) - I have not owned Walnut or Cherry or some of the woods that have recently been used my companies such as Mapex.

Having owned, played and recorded all those kits - I simply found I liked Birch - although Maple wood be a very. very close second!
 
If it were my call, I'd go with the catalinas. I played a set of them at Guitar center and they sounded better than the DWs in my opinion.
 
fritzmusic said:
If it were my call, I'd go with the catalinas. I played a set of them at Guitar center and they sounded better than the DWs in my opinion.
Click to expand...
what style of music would you reccommend that catalinas for. I know they work well for jazz, but what about rock?
 
Birch Catalina

fritzmusic said:
If it were my call, I'd go with the catalinas. I played a set of them at Guitar center and they sounded better than the DWs in my opinion.
Click to expand...


Would the Birch Catalina be good for Rock?
 
Birch Catalina

Warhead said:
Birch has a great sound in my opinion, I had some old Tama Granstars I wish I never sold.

Maple and mahogany to my ears sound pretty similar, with mahogany actually having more low end typically.

I don't think you can go wrong with that kit bro.

War
Click to expand...


Would the Birch Catalina be good for rock music?
 
Buy some Fibes Crystalite drums. You'll have great sounding drums that can cut through in live performance situations.
 
drummerdude666 said:
Whats the sound you want?

birch is bright, maple is warm adn rich, and poplar (used on all pearl export kits) also many people want to get the 60s 'maple drum sound' gretch-eque. but maple wasn't used on kits until 1973. So if your looking for an old school style it's either poplar or birch. gretch kits we're mostly poplar.
Click to expand...


I would disagree with that to some degree, and here's why: My experience has been that Maple is the brightest of the woods, with a lot of midrange - in fact, new Maple drums are really "pingy" sounding when you first get them, while Birch has more of an "equalized" sound with less midrange tones than maple, and they seem to have more low end than maple - not a ton, but a little more. Of course, depending upon how the interior of the shell is finished is going to play a large role in this sound as well.


Tim
 
patlang12 said:
what style of music would you reccommend that catalinas for. I know they work well for jazz, but what about rock?
Click to expand...

Drums are drums - any drum made of any material can be good or bad for any style of music - it all depends on whether or not the drummer can tune them, and how the drummer plays them.


Tim
 
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