Do Pacific drums sound alright?

[Metaldrumming]

Do Pacific drums sound alright? I want it to sound like it came right out of a studio. I don't want the toms to sound like bongos, or my snare to sound like a clap. Much like metal drumming. I found one I could buy online, its a DW platinum finishply solid maple snare, 5x14 blue strata. Does anyone think its too big?

 

[Seafroggys]

Is it a DW or a Pacific (I haven't seen them referred to as Pacific in years....)

DW owns Pacific/PDP, which really confuses people sometimes.

Regardless, good head and good tuning can make most drums sound great, as long as the bearing edges are in good working order.

 

[Metaldrumming]

Their pacific. Can anyone answer if 5x14 sounds too big?

 

[Seafroggys]

5x14 is too small in my opinion.

Most snares that come with sets are either 14x5 or 14x5.5. I plan on getting a 14x6.5 someday, maybe even 7" deep.

 

[BeTheOne]

i picked up a 'pacific' maple kit in 2005. It was the high end kit for its time. And yes, pacific is a DW product. Pacific is made in mexico....great kit for the money, couldnt have been happier. Now, the kit, the rack, and 8 Zildjian A series, sit in corner of the studio...spine surgery is a bitch. Ive played for 15 years, professionally in studios and on stage...the pacific kit is a nice sound for those who dont want to drop 4k on a DW kit.

 

[Metaldrumming]

Whoa, 15 years? You must be a pro!

Can anyone answer if the sound is alright? I'm pretty amateur too... how would I even tune it?

 

[isfahani]

The sound will be alright.

The sound will be better than alright once you learn how to tune properly, with a decent combination of heads to match your playing style.

I suggest reading thru the drum forum on this site and using the search engine here and on the internet, as your questions will probably have already been answered, many times over.

Good luck, and work hard - your efforts will be rewarded.

 

[carlnh]

Keep looking. You will be better off with a set of Gretsch Catalina series (birch or maple) for the same or less money. I have even seen Yamaha recording customs on CL to be had reasonably cheap. I guess what I am getting at is Pacific drum are just not that good , and should never be put in the same sentence as DW.

 

[BeTheOne]

Keep looking. You will be better off with a set of Gretsch Catalina series (birch or maple) for the same or less money. I have even seen Yamaha recording customs on CL to be had reasonably cheap. I guess what I am getting at is Pacific drum are just not that good , and should never be put in the same sentence as DW.

Catalina? Meh, overrated IMO. Pacific makes a several kits and their high end kits are pretty sweet in terms of pitch. Maple, birch, clear heads, coated heads, doesnt matter-Pacific is a better kit than the catalina, and pacific drums are made to the same specs as DW kits...materials and quality of materials are what makes the difference between the two. Craftsmanship, pretty much the same. Many pros play pacific kits, and for good reason. All this being said, every drummer has a taste and until you sample you will not know what you like.

 

[isfahani]

Catalina... overrated, overpriced!

I'd second the "Buy some Yamaha Stage Customs off of craigslist" and then buy a decent cymbal or two with the money you save.

Honestly, the retail these days is so damn inflated for what you're getting - just look at OCDP's new line of overpriced imports...

 

[Wireneck]

Do Pacific drums sound alright? I want it to sound like it came right out of a studio. I don't want the toms to sound like bongos, or my snare to sound like a clap. Much like metal drumming.

Not to be a downer but I think you need to do some research and get your expectations in check before you purchase. Metal production is for the most part all about deception. There is loads of editing and sound replacement involved, among other things. You will be hard pressed to find a kit that "sounds" acoustically like it does on a Metal ablum. I am a huge metal fan and not anyway putting down the genre. It is just the nature of the beast.
Don't get me wrong though. Good tuning and proper technique with a fantastic player can sound great on just about any kit.

 

[Supercreep]

I don't like Pacifics.

On a budget, I'd be looking at Mapex or Tama's intermediate line of drums.

 

[Seafroggys]

Sonor, Mapex, Yamaha.....can't really go wrong.

PDP's are actually pretty decent, if you can find a good one. They had a big problem several years back of terrible quality control and they would put out units that weren't up to spec at all on a consistent basis.

 

[twsknight]

I own a PDP CX kit, and I think it's fantastic. With decent heads it tunes up nice. The only thing that wasn't great was the snare, it just never sounded as good as the rest of the kit.

 

[MrMcSick]

My buddy owns a pacific cx kit and it sounds great. I own a cheaper pdp and it sounds better than ok. I would personally buy some ddrum dominion maple for the money. Here is the big secret. As soon as you get the set take all the heads and throw them away lol. go out and buy all new heads, since you wanna play metal get an emperor snare batter, pinstripe for the toms and some kind of 2 ply bass drum head with some muffling rings built in like a pwerstroke 4. Crank the snare head, put on the bass head just tight enough that there are no ripples and do the same for the toms but make them alittle tighter say another 2 full turns on the lugs.

 

[Ironklad Audio]

I guess what I am getting at is Pacific drum are just not that good

really? cause the last time i checked, abe cunningham's pacific set sounded fucking fantastic on the first few deftones albums...

 

[BlackHawk2029]

Pacific is getting ready to discontinue the FS series and they're dirt cheap right now. I've got a 7-piece set (standard 5 piece and two add-on toms), and with a head change and a good tuning they sound absolutely fantastic. birch shells, satin finishes, and the same suspension mounts DW uses. go for it.

 

[Metaldrumming]

You guys have been a load of help . And I recently learned how to tune drums (woo, haha.) Honestly, I don't think pacific is that bad. Not the best, but its pretty good. My teacher owns some pacific kits, they don't sound too bad either. All they need is a little bit of tuning. I might get it for Christmas, maybe maybe not, but I still have a chance! Thanks again for helping everyone .