im tied up

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BlackHawk2029

BlackHawk2029

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after i get my new snare im going to start saving for a new kit. i'm looking at the pacific FS series fusion kit and the taye rockpro fusion kit..... the tayes are a little cheaper and less attractive, but sound and features-wise how do they stack up against the pacifics? i REALLY like the looks and the mounting hardware on the pacific kits, along with the hardware pack that is included. anyone have any opinions or prior experience with either kit?
 
Hey BlackHawk- here is my limited experience:

My bassplayer is also a drummer who borrowed my kit (vintage Ludwigs) until he could afford his own. He first bought a Pacific kit, which sounded OK for the small gigs he was doing, but he soon outgrew that kit (his words) and moved up to a DDrum set. He told me the Pacific kit was "OK", but he was looking for something "different".

The DDrums he bought sound great and look like they can handle the road pretty well. The Pacific kit is a distant memory.

Now for my take on Taye.
As long as I've been a drummer the two "BEST" sounding kits I ever heard and/or played in person were a Camco set (70s) and a custom Ayotte kit. That's saying a lot b/c I love the sound of old Gretsch kits, hi-end Ludwigs, top-of-the line Yamahas, TAMAs, etc, etc.

But the Camco and Ayotte kits really stood out to me sonically. Now I can't afford either, but when I heard Ray Ayotte was with Taye, I started researching the company and eventually bought a kit "sight unseen".

I've never done that before. I ALWAYS play a kit or cymbal beofre I buy it. But there were no dealers close enough for me to try, so I bit the bullet and dove right in.

I ended up with a Taye Studio Maple kit. At first I had a bit of buyers remorse b/c I'm very particular and I expect a lot for my hard-earned cash. I contacted Taye and they were VERY responsive to my requests. I sent a few items back to Taye and they sent me replacements NO charge/No hassle.

The Taye Studio Maple kit sounds AWESOME and the finish is truly beautiful. You can't tell just how beautiful from a web pic. The ACS hardware allows me to put pretty much anything anywhere - something I'm still getting used to ;) . I've had it set up in MANY configs so far, including an ambidex set up (with a dual slave bass drum pedal).

Taye makes their own shells. So does Yamaha. Most everyone else uses Keller shells. Many companies also buy hardware from companies like Taye- then slap their name on it.

So far Taye has really, really impressed me - a great "bang for the buck" (pun intended). They are definitely a company to keep your eye on.
 
yeah ray ayotte actually started the Taye company... and im not a drummer but from what i've heard of his custom stuff they're really nice... but the pacific FS series isnt exactly a low-end pacific kit which is why i was wondering.
 
i dunno i dont really have the cash for something REEEALLY high end (its already gonna take me 4 1/2 months to save for the pacific kit if i decide to go that way. i just need something that sounds nice, and i really like fusion sizes for some reason... maybe they're just a bit clearer to me, and the 2-inch interval down the toms makes more sense to me.. it seems like they would tune a little better to match each other going down a scale, and maybe have a little more range. i could be wrong though. The kit im playing now (wish it was mine) is a Ludwig Accent CS Custom, which is owned by a lady friend of a bandmate..... and i REALLY like it.... all fusion sizes in a sort of bright orange finish, and a 22" kick.
 
yeah i think im pretty much sold on the pacific (i talked to a friend in a local band aroud here about 'em as he has the 5-piece and the add-on 8" and 16" toms) the finish is gorgeous (natural to charcoal burst which is what im looking at, and the toms have a nice attack and pretty good sustain (going from what knowledge of drums i have, which is less than your typical drummer and more than your average guitarist) and i like the mounting hardware alot as well as it seems to have more possibilities than the Taye Rockpro. any other opinions would be very much appreciated though... im looking at about a $900-950 budget.
 
Ack!!! Seeing double or...

deleted double post... see below
 
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Actually that's a pretty decent budget for a kit.

I hate to make things more complicated for you but if you're going to be paying that much for a kit I think you owe it to yourself to research more options.

For instance, TAMA and Mapex make great gear in that price range that will SOUND great, LOOK great, and stand the test of time. The thing I like about TAMA over Taye is the hardware. The tom mounting for instance. TAMA's is much better IMHO and much easier to deal with when moving things around/setting up/breaking down...

I bought the Taye for that certain sound of Maple shells for my studio recordings. I use TAMA Rockstar's (very inexpensive discontinued model from 1999) for rehearsals, gigs AND recordings depending on what sound we're going for.

Really the best advice I can give you is to hold off buying anything until you know what you like/dislike about each company's products.

Decide what you'll be using the kit for, how often you'll be moving things around, if it's more important to sound good, look good or both. How easy is it to keep the kit looking clean too. How angry will you be a few years from now when you accidentally scratch that nice finish?

Make sure you you know what you're getting - go to a music store if/when you can and really look at the hardware - not just the stands, but the actual lugs, rims, snare strainer, drum spurs, etc. That's really the best way to know what you're getting for your hard earned cash.

Happy hunting, Rez
 
yeah its gonna take me a few months to build up the cash so ill have plenty of time to make the decision.
 
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