does anyone know what the hell is going on at Pearl?

  • Thread starter Thread starter drossfile
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drossfile

drossfile

nope
Help my out on this if you can. About 6 weeks ago, I went to my friendly neighborhood GC to get a quote on a Masters BRX set (6 toms, 1 kick), and the dude checked his catalog and quoted me $3k. A couple days later, I went to the "dreamkit" page on Pearl's website to refine my set. What I printed out had a smaller kick, and two of the toms were one inch less deep, so I was figuring on a slightly cheaper quote. Now, while I was at the site, I noticed that "Masters Premium" are the new birch Masters, and my kit would now be a BRP instead of a BRX. I went back to GC for a new quote and explained these deveopments to him; he called Pearl, and my new quote was $4000!!!!!! WTF???? I can understand a slight increase due to the better hardware, but a full 33% hike??? I've called FOUR authorized Pearl dealers since then, and I get either, "the Pearl expert will call you back (which he never does)" or "we have no info." Does anyone out there know what's going on with this transition?
 
Word on the street is that Pearl are falling to pieces. It's a real shame because I love thier stuff, but they're being priced out of the market by Mapex etc. at the lower end, and DW (amongst others) at the high end.

Obviously there is still a demand for the masters stuff, but without selling the lower end of their range, they can't afford to run, and it's taking its toll on their staffing etc., which I imagine is why you've been quoted all these different prices, and why the retailers don't know what's going on.

This is just what I've heard from a couple of UK dealers...
 
yeah, i found out that the reference series has been an expensive failure for pearl. tomorrow i'm ordering the exact same kit in a tama starclassic performer (which sounds incredible) for almost half the cost ($2800). thanks for the input, it really gave me occasion to stop and think about my blind loyalty to pearl. can't wait to play my new set. cheers!
 
I appreciate a well made drum as much as anybody but they've had it coming for a long time... Way overrated IMO.

All the way down to those exports that are dead-as-fuckall due to the shell thickness and weight of the lugs... and those pseudo-iso mounts.

buh BYE.
 
You guys have no idea what you're talking about.

The price from the Pearl site is the MSRP - Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price ...a price that is discounted anywhere from 35% to 50% off at the retailer. The price quoted by Guitar Center was actually a little high. Your msrp price of $4000, will sell for around $2400.
 
PYRRHO said:
You guys have no idea what you're talking about.

The price from the Pearl site is the MSRP - Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price ...a price that is discounted anywhere from 35% to 50% off at the retailer. The price quoted by Guitar Center was actually a little high. Your msrp price of $4000, will sell for around $2400.
Click to expand...

guess again, hombre. those are list prices for the old line--Masters BRX. This line, as well as MMX, has been discontinued. the new stuff is called "Masters Premium" of which maple is called MMP/MRP (4 vs 6 ply) and birch is called BMP/BRP. the price has skyrocketed. most retailers don't know what's going on--i had to tell them all myself about the change of lines, because none of them have gotten ANY information from pearl since the last NAMM show. the most recent catalog at www.pearldrum.com is the jan 06 catalog--which has prices for the OLD masters lines. look into it--if you can get walk into any drum shop and get the special order i listed for less than $3900, i'll stand corrected. either way, i think a tama SCP (22x18, 8x8, 10x9, 12x10, 14x12, 16x14, 18x16) for under $2900 is a great deal. hell, i got 3 other quotes on it that were $2800-3200, the former of which i used to get price matching at GC, and out the door price from GC beat ruppsdrums.com, and both of them beat massmusic.com. let me know if you learn any new developments, as i'm curious about how this all plays out at pearl.
 
Like I said before, it's a shame, I play a Pearl MLX - which as far as I'm aware was the Masters' all-maple predecessor - and I love the way it sounds and feels, I hope Pearl get their shit together real soon.

PYRRHO, I'm afraid to say - I think you're full of bullshit. Yes, the Pearl site will offer an SRP, and shops will discount a little from that to keep prices competitive, but not by anywhere near as much as 35 or 50 per cent! If they gave that much off, they'd almost be selling at a loss, or ay least very close to trade prices....
 
Elton Bear said:
Like I said before, it's a shame, I play a Pearl MLX - which as far as I'm aware was the Masters' all-maple predecessor - and I love the way it sounds and feels, I hope Pearl get their shit together real soon.

PYRRHO, I'm afraid to say - I think you're full of bullshit. Yes, the Pearl site will offer an SRP, and shops will discount a little from that to keep prices competitive, but not by anywhere near as much as 35 or 50 per cent! If they gave that much off, they'd almost be selling at a loss, or ay least very close to trade prices....
Click to expand...
You can think I'm full of whatever you want, but if you're getting less than a 35% discount off of Pearl, your dealer is taking your rube-ass for a ride.
 
PYRRHO said:
You can think I'm full of whatever you want, but if you're getting less than a 35% discount off of Pearl, your dealer is taking your rube-ass for a ride.
Click to expand...

what you don't seem to be hearing is that the MSRP catalog prices at the Pearl website ARE NOT CURRENT!!!! there are NO prices up yet for for the new lines that have replaced the original masters series!!!
i originally got a quote for $3000 on an MSRP of $5300!!!! this is WELL OVER a 35% discount off list you idiot! the problem is, the BRX line that i got that quote on NO LONGER EXISTS. the only way you can find out list price on a MRP, MMP, BRP, or BMP kit is by calling pearl, which is not something you and i can do, right??? so how are you figuring MSRP on a BRAND NEW LINE FOR WHICH THE CATALOG IS NOT YET AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC?????
i spent 7 months researching all of this, so do your homework before you tell me you know more about it than i do.
i'm sure you'll post another contrarian, uneducated post on this, since you obviously are more interested in claiming to know something than you are in getting the information to actually know it. it's like you're proud of your ignorance. if, in fact, you are interested in getting some facts, why not check out
www.pearldrum.com/pearlusa.asp
you may even learn a thing or two.
 
drossfile said:
the only way you can find out list price on a MRP, MMP, BRP, or BMP kit is by calling pearl, which is not something you and i can do, right??? why not check out
www.pearldrum.com/pearlusa.asp
you may even learn a thing or two.
Click to expand...

I can call Pearl. Perhaps you should heed your own advise.
 
then by all means call them and update with a post!!! in case you hadn't noticed, the title of this thread is, "does anyone know what the hell is going on at pearl???" call them and answer the question here! if you can give me concrete specifics i may come to the conclusion that GC is just trying to push the tamas and is anti-pearl for some reason! damn, man! i'm not out to make you look bad, i just want some frigging answers!
 
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