Pearl Masters Series--opinions please!

[drossfile]

I've always been partial to Pearl drums, and I'm looking for a permanent upgrade. Based on what I've read so far, it looks like the Masters BRX series is what I'm looking for. These drums will be used strictly in the studio for metal, fusion, and rock. I'm looking for rich, full lows with sharp attack, so the idea of a "natural eq" from the birch appeals to me. I'll be going in to actually play a set of these, but that never really gives you a true representation of how YOUR set will sound (tuning, heads, room, etc). I'm just trying to get as much info as possible before I drop $4k on something. Thanks!

 

[gbdweller]

My band currently practices in a rehearsal studio so my drummer is never happy because of the studio kits. It never ceases to amaze me how fantastic his masters sound when we record or play live. The difference is astonishing. Sharp attack, well rounded eq, and you can feel the bass drum in your chest. I don't play drums, but as a guitar player i would have to say that my drummers master set is the best sounding kit I've ever played with, and I've played over a lot of kits.

 

[SMX_Dizzy]

Damn, you must be gettin a big kit to drop $4k on a BRX. They're amazing drums though, some of the best I've played. My favorite within the Masters series is the MMX, but BRX's are amazing. You won't be disappointed.

Have you thought about sizes and finish yet?

 

[drossfile]

Damn, you must be gettin a big kit to drop $4k on a BRX. They're amazing drums though, some of the best I've played. My favorite within the Masters series is the MMX, but BRX's are amazing. You won't be disappointed.

Have you thought about sizes and finish yet?

Thanks to both of you for your input, and to the above question, the answer is yes: wine red with black chrome hardware, and the sizes are: 22x18 kick, toms are 8x8, 10x10, 12x10, 14x12, 16x14, and an 18x16 floor tom. the $4k will include all the tom mounting hardware, stands and arms too, and that's just an estimate based on what one store told me the price of the kit minus hardware would be. Pearl's MSRP on the "build your dream kit" site is a little over $5300 (w/ hdwe included). I still have to shop the kit around a little before I buy. Again, thanks. More comments welcome!

by the way, dizzy--what is it about the mmx that you prefer? warmer? more sustain? i naturally gravitated to the brx because of the fact that i'll be using them in the studio...i still haven't really made a solid desicion...

 

[RezN8]

If I had $4,000... Pearl's Masters series would definitely be a front runner.

The Masters BRX kit you described does sound like the type of kit you would use for the types of music you want to record. It is one of the best kits Pearl makes.

If I were going to drop $4,000 on a kit, I would definitely shop around and play as many different kits in that price range as I could. But if you've always loved Pearl - stick with them!

 

[SMX_Dizzy]

I prefer the sound of the MMX b/c I love the warmth and I love the resonance and sustain. I like some punch too, but overall I prefer the tone that maple achieves. Don't get me wrong, BRX's are perfect for the studio and sound great, but I just love the feeling of a maple kit singing.

btw I haven't seen Wine red w/ black hardware. I could try to get someone on the PDF to photoshop you one if you haven't seen it either.

For those sizes, list price is $5645, meaning you should be able to get them for around $3400-$3500.

 

[funkydrummer]

my drum teacher has a set of brx drums-- they sound fantastic. since pearl only makes so many of each size drum per year, you may end up waiting at least that long for them to ship if they are out of what you order. pearl also does that thing where they will combine different woods in one shell. i.e.: one ply of birch, two maple, etc... that sounds like a real interesting idea, however there's no way to hear the drums until there built.

 

[ermghoti]

I put it off before, 'cuz it's sorta OT, but I'd suggest you look into a Tama Starclassic Performer. Birch, great HW, sounds awesome, a bit less cash (maybe, see below), and far faster delivery time (90-120 days).

The black chrome is not a standard option, but Tama will mix and match any of thier options available in your country. "In your country," because there are a few drums they just don't sell in certain markets, for rather unclear reasons. So if you want the birch/bubinga sandwich shells, you'd have to order from a dealer outside the US.

Check the Tama forum, but I think somebody special ordered a set with the black chrome hardware, and they didn't even upcharge. If they don't, you could probably get your kit for about $3k-ish.

I have inquired about adding a tom to the SCP's I bought from dturcotte, and even though the finish is discontinued, A. they'll do it, B. they'd like me to ship them a tom to match, and C. they won't charge more than an off-the-shelf tom.

 

[drossfile]

my drum teacher has a set of brx drums-- they sound fantastic. since pearl only makes so many of each size drum per year, you may end up waiting at least that long for them to ship if they are out of what you order. pearl also does that thing where they will combine different woods in one shell. i.e.: one ply of birch, two maple, etc... that sounds like a real interesting idea, however there's no way to hear the drums until there built.

combining different woods is a feature of the Masterworks custom order, which I'm not especially interested in. Does the shipping delay apply to Masterworks only, or does this also apply to all the standard series (masters, session, etc)? If so, that may change everything. There's no way in hell I'm paying somebody thousands of dollars a year before I get the product. That's just effing crazy.

 

[SMX_Dizzy]

Masters are now all special orders, which takes between 4-6 months, unless you're really lucky it'll take maybe 3 months. Masterworks can take forever, unless you choose an easy/stock finish but usually 6 months or longer. On Sessions, I got my shell pack in 5 days, there are only certain sizes (and if you want a virgin kick) that have to be special ordered which are again around 4-6 months.

 

[drossfile]

Masters are now all special orders, which takes between 4-6 months, unless you're really lucky it'll take maybe 3 months. Masterworks can take forever, unless you choose an easy/stock finish but usually 6 months or longer. On Sessions, I got my shell pack in 5 days, there are only certain sizes (and if you want a virgin kick) that have to be special ordered which are again around 4-6 months.

"virgin kick": does this mean a kick without the tom-mounting hardware? if so, i definitely want it. i plan to rack-mount everything, and there's no sense in getting holes in my wood that i don't need. as for "certain sizes," as far as i can tell, the kit i've dreamed up (see above post) is all in standard sizes. i used the "build your dreamkit" function at the pearl site and they had samples of all the sizes i chose. i did not customize the drums themselves, but rather the kit they would comprise.
and i have shopped this thing around, and here's what sucks: guitar center won't tell me what their price is--they guarantee the lowest quote, and they want me to give them a price and see if they can work with it. not only that, the dude refuses to deal with me on the phone. says i have to come in, get everything on a ticket, and then we'll figure it all out. little does he know that i'm something of a businessman, and not some starry-eyed kid who's gonna max out his credit card by being dazzled by the sales geniuses at GC. anyway, i threw the $3k number at him, and he said it shouldn't be a problem. now, the drum shop that i absolutely love dealing with (these guys actually know what they're doing, and if you're in the canton, OH area check out zampino's drum shop) is more expensive (got a phone quote of $3387 for the shell pack), but they're easy to deal with and i know it will be hassle-free. and yet another music store that i get most of my recording gear from won't give me any info at all, despite the fact that they're an authorized pearl dealer. also, at both GC and at the last place i mentioned (lentine's), they act almost hostile about ordering a custom kit. i heard this from both of them: "um, you do know that a custom order has to be PAID..." no, dipshits, i assumed you'd fork over the cost of a custom-ordered kit with absolutely no collateral whatsoever. it's almost worth the extra $400 just to deal with human beings. sorry, just venting here...

 

[SMX_Dizzy]

"virgin kick": does this mean a kick without the tom-mounting hardware? if so, i definitely want it. i plan to rack-mount everything, and there's no sense in getting holes in my wood that i don't need. as for "certain sizes," as far as i can tell, the kit i've dreamed up (see above post) is all in standard sizes. i used the "build your dreamkit" function at the pearl site and they had samples of all the sizes i chose. i did not customize the drums themselves, but rather the kit they would comprise.
and i have shopped this thing around, and here's what sucks: guitar center won't tell me what their price is--they guarantee the lowest quote, and they want me to give them a price and see if they can work with it. not only that, the dude refuses to deal with me on the phone. says i have to come in, get everything on a ticket, and then we'll figure it all out. little does he know that i'm something of a businessman, and not some starry-eyed kid who's gonna max out his credit card by being dazzled by the sales geniuses at GC. anyway, i threw the $3k number at him, and he said it shouldn't be a problem. now, the drum shop that i absolutely love dealing with (these guys actually know what they're doing, and if you're in the canton, OH area check out zampino's drum shop) is more expensive (got a phone quote of $3387 for the shell pack), but they're easy to deal with and i know it will be hassle-free. and yet another music store that i get most of my recording gear from won't give me any info at all, despite the fact that they're an authorized pearl dealer. also, at both GC and at the last place i mentioned (lentine's), they act almost hostile about ordering a custom kit. i heard this from both of them: "um, you do know that a custom order has to be PAID..." no, dipshits, i assumed you'd fork over the cost of a custom-ordered kit with absolutely no collateral whatsoever. it's almost worth the extra $400 just to deal with human beings. sorry, just venting here...

Virgin kicks are standard on Masters. I wouldn't say that the sizes you are getting are standard sizes...the 10x10 and 12x10 have been replaced w/ 10x8 and 12x8/12x9...but everything else is pretty close. It might be cheaper if you order a “stock” shell pack (22x18, 10x8, 12x9, 14x11) and added the 8x8, 16x14, and 18x16…the price on that would be around $3131 at your good store, and less than $3k at GC. In all honesty, I'd go to the place where you enjoy dealing with, not where it's cheaper.

The sizes are up to you, but you'll save $ either way if you get a "stock" shell pack + the rest. I say "stock" b/c nothing in the Masters line is stock anymore, but those are still offered shell packs. Unless you're dead set on having that 10x10 and 12x10, I'd be just fine with a 10x8 and a 12x9.

 

[drossfile]

Virgin kicks are standard on Masters. I wouldn't say that the sizes you are getting are standard sizes...the 10x10 and 12x10 have been replaced w/ 10x8 and 12x8/12x9...but everything else is pretty close. It might be cheaper if you order a “stock” shell pack (22x18, 10x8, 12x9, 14x11) and added the 8x8, 16x14, and 18x16…the price on that would be around $3131 at your good store, and less than $3k at GC. In all honesty, I'd go to the place where you enjoy dealing with, not where it's cheaper.

The sizes are up to you, but you'll save $ either way if you get a "stock" shell pack + the rest. I say "stock" b/c nothing in the Masters line is stock anymore, but those are still offered shell packs. Unless you're dead set on having that 10x10 and 12x10, I'd be just fine with a 10x8 and a 12x9.

this may seem like a ridiculous question, since i've been drumming for 15 years, but what difference does the depth of the drum make? deeper tone or more sustain from a deeper drum? the only reason i really went for the even numbers is i figure geometric balance equals tone balance, but that's just some silly assumption on my part. what is the difference?

 

[SMX_Dizzy]

this may seem like a ridiculous question, since i've been drumming for 15 years, but what difference does the depth of the drum make? deeper tone or more sustain from a deeper drum? the only reason i really went for the even numbers is i figure geometric balance equals tone balance, but that's just some silly assumption on my part. what is the difference?

I think both of those factors, tone and sustain, come from depth. I'm not 100% sure though, but I've heard that and it makes sense. I'm really not a fan of square, or close to square, drums (unless it's floor toms)...but if you are, good for you. If you like those sizes, go ahead and get em.

 

[drossfile]

I put it off before, 'cuz it's sorta OT, but I'd suggest you look into a Tama Starclassic Performer. Birch, great HW, sounds awesome, a bit less cash (maybe, see below), and far faster delivery time (90-120 days).

The black chrome is not a standard option, but Tama will mix and match any of thier options available in your country. "In your country," because there are a few drums they just don't sell in certain markets, for rather unclear reasons. So if you want the birch/bubinga sandwich shells, you'd have to order from a dealer outside the US.

Check the Tama forum, but I think somebody special ordered a set with the black chrome hardware, and they didn't even upcharge. If they don't, you could probably get your kit for about $3k-ish.

I have inquired about adding a tom to the SCP's I bought from dturcotte, and even though the finish is discontinued, A. they'll do it, B. they'd like me to ship them a tom to match, and C. they won't charge more than an off-the-shelf tom.

it took me a long time to realize this, but you, ermghoti, are a genius. as you can see, i started this thread 7 months ago to the day. i have been researching this mess ever since. and after some wildly varying quotes on the masters (brx is now brp--masters premium), and some discovery on pearl's sad current state, i have played a tama starclassic performer set and was dazzled. so a $4000 quote on the masters has become a $2800 quote on a breathtaking SCP kit. keep in mind that $2800 is buying me a virgin kick, 5 rack toms, and a floor tom. i place the order tomorrow. thank you all for your input and guidance--anyone looking for a professional birch kit will want to listen to MR. ERMGHOTI and look seriously at tama!!! thanks!!!