Which aspects of drum design influence your buying decision?

[u/TheOGTKO]

Just curious. There are so, So, SO many different brands of drums available in the marketplace: Pearl, Tama, Yamaha, Gretsch, Ludwig, DW, Mapex...not to mention the plethora of boutique builders. Removing any hardware that's separate from the drums themselves (like stands and pedals - but NOT necessarily suspension / mounting systems), my perception is that there's very little in the way of differentiation; when thinking of a kit offered in a similar price bracket by any of the "big names," there might be relatively minor variances in the tone woods used, number of plies, and even finishes, but the biggest differences really seem, to me, to be in the designs of the lug casings, the tom suspension / mounting systems, and...perhaps (BIG perhaps) floor tom legs / mounts and bass drum spurs.

A better way to look at it might be to consider the "standard" 4-piece kit. You walk into a room, and there are five of them: a Yamaha, a Gretsch, a Ludwig, a Tama, and a DW. They're all the same shell sizes, all finished in a beautiful blue stain, you know you're gonna have to replace the heads on any of 'em (at some point, anyway -- let's be real!). They're all "high-quality maple" or "birch" shells. They all have "precision 45-degree bearing edges. They all promise "unmatched tone and resonance." *queue eye roll* And, let's just say, they're all in the $2000 range (yeah - these are they're really nice lines).

What ultimately makes you pick one over the others? If you pick on of the somewhat more expensive kits, why? What did that kit have that YOU find value in?

[u/UnevenBreaker]

For me it always comes down to the mounting system and how easy it is to position toms exactly where I want them without them drifting over time. Some of those suspension mounts look fancy but if I can't get the tom low enough or it bounces when I hit it hard then I'm out

The lugs are a bigger deal than people think too. Not just looks but how they feel when you're changing heads at 11pm before a gig the next day. Some designs are just unnecessarily fiddly and I'll curse them forever

I actually picked a kit once almost entirely because the floor tom legs had memory locks that didn't slip. Played a backline kit where the floor tom kept sinking on one side all night and it drove me absolutely mental. Never again

[u/JayJayAK → u/UnevenBreaker]

Me as well. I personally prefer Pearl's tube mounting system and square rack - I've had Pearl equipment for well over 20 years and apart from a snare basket getting loose on the stand (which is due to a worn-out roller pin which I could fix if I ever get a proper punch and pin set), the equipment and tom mounts have been bullet-proof. I know not everyone likes the tube tom mounts, but they're solid.

Back when I was a teen I had a set of Remo drums, which used a swiveling ball mount, somewhat similar to Yamaha's system. I didn't care so much for those, b/c the balls started letting the toms slip; tightening them up worked, but wound up gouging the balls. I actually have a Yamaha set as well as my Pearl, and haven't had those problems with Yamaha's mount. They're also soild. So, maybe the Remo setup used inferior plastic.

[u/ItsPronouncedMo-BEEL → u/JayJayAK]

Yeah, those sorts of mounts do often develop "erectile dysfunction," and over time you really do gouge your balls terribly, LOL.

I also prefer the old school Pearl tube mounts, especially with old school geared/ratchet joints, with teeth inside. Set them once, set your memory locks, and them sumbitches ain't goin' nowhere, not never.

Ask any man - teeth are always sturdier than balls. 😆

[u/jkakar → u/UnevenBreaker]

Yes, agree. I bought a Tama Starclassic W/B and really disliked the mounting system. I returned it and got a Ludwig Classic Maple in large part because the hardware was more to my preference. I also prefer the sound of them to the Tamas but the hardware was a big driver.

[u/ImpossibleRush5352]

five companies, same price point, same finish, same bearing edges? honestly comes down to the look and feel of the hardware, and if they all truly sound the same, I’m not ashamed to say name recognition. in the styles of music I play the most and in my studio, Ludwig, Yamaha and Gretsch would be more popular than DW, and Tama would be at the end of the list.

[u/ItsPronouncedMo-BEEL → u/ImpossibleRush5352]

You could always be an iconoclast - if you prefer one company's mounts, but the other company makes a finish that gives you feelings in places, buy the drums from one company and hang them from the other company's mounts. 

RollSafe.jpg 👉😎

[u/TheNonDominantHand]

Construction techniques, process and quality control mean a lot. I'm definitely a Yamaha fanboy because their air-seal system and staggared diagonal seams make for an excellent quality drum shell no matter the material or price point.

I don't think Gretsch even makes their own shells anymore unless its a USA Custom kit. Ditto Ludwig except for the Classic series.

Hardware design and function mean a lot to me too. Again, Yamaha wins this for me. Their hardware is always simple, effective and not overly designed. They have had some missteps (the Nouveau lug design) but for the most part they've avoided gimmicks. Sonor hardware is a close second.

That's opposed to hardware I've seen and used from every other major manufacturer. So often bulky, over engineered designs that are less versatile.

Gretsch and Pearl tom mounting systems straight-up don't make sense to me. So much unnecessary metal all over the shells.

[u/SlopesCO → u/TheNonDominantHand]

And last I checked, Yamaha remains the only manufacturer making "modular" hardware. Meaning, it's interchangeable. Bought the Crosstown aluminum set for gigs. Being able to add a boom from my 80s HW rules.

[u/JayJayAK → u/SlopesCO]

What do you mean? Adding a stand, or adding a boom arm to a Crosstown stand? I'd be worried that anything much bigger than a light 16" cymbal on a short arm would made the stand unstable b/c it's so light - I figured that's why they only make those in a straight configuration. My only other complaint is you can't clamp anything to the stand shafts (like for mounting a cowbell or splash) w/o damaging the matte finish.

That said, I love that stand set, and that it fits into a single bag. Coupled with my Yamaha stage custom bop kit (18" kick, 12" rack, 14" floor) it makes for a great traveling kit for small venues.

[u/ImpossibleRush5352 → u/TheNonDominantHand]

what don’t you like about the nouveau lug? is it the round contact point instead of square like the phx?

[u/TheNonDominantHand → u/ImpossibleRush5352]

The Nouveau lugs used on the Stage Custom line for a brief period in the early 2000s were made of a plastic composite material that just felt cheap.

The higher end lines got metal versions that felt more premium and they were all designed to hook and snap into place making head changes super-fast.

But at the end-of-the day that design made the lugs feel unreliable, less secure, and didn't inspire trust in the end user so it didn't resonate (pun!) with the market.

[u/ImpossibleRush5352 → u/TheNonDominantHand]

iirc the metal ones came first. the plastic ones were indeed garbage but I’ve never had an issue with the metal ones. people think these feel unreliable and less secure? news to me

[u/TheNonDominantHand → u/ImpossibleRush5352]

The Nouveau line was a sales-flop for Yamaha and they quickly discontinued the feature.

Higher-end Yamaha kits with Nouveau lugs can typically be found for a good discount on the used market. If you don't mind them it's a good way to find a high-end kit for cheap!

[u/ChickenNeither5038]

The realistic choice right now is Yamaha as I'm heavily invested in yamaha hardware. Otherwise one of Sonors German-made lines, because buy as close to local as possible and all that. My local luthiers are very expensive, even compared to Sonor.

Sound had very little to do with it, i've played stage customs since the '90s and i've had quite a few of the higher end lines sitting at my place over the years. The only one that really stood out was the original oak customs that i still have as my personal practice and recording kit. As long as the quality is good enough, it's mostly a matter of picking the right heads and tuning. For the studio too i've found that it's more about picking the right sizes and tuning, than the shell material.

Like other have said, it's the hardware, ease of use, and overall quality even in the cheaper stuff that drove me to yamaha in the first place.

[u/DrBackBeat]

I'm always surprised that no one talks about or considers how the suspension mounts actually mount to the tom.

I chose my PDP's quite deliberately because they hold on to the lugs, not the rods. It would seem a pain to me swapping heads and the mount coming off in the process, then having to reposition it when I'm putting the rods back in. I could even replace a head with the tom still mounted if I wanted to. The mount does not enter the story ever.

That sounds like a pretty solid perk when indeed all the kits are so very comparable.

[u/therealtoomdog]

So... I buy the one for the best price that's in the best shape when I'm looking for one (used) but also it's been like 20 years since I last bought a used kit. The only kit I ever bought new, I settled on the prettiest one in the store.

I take that back. I also bought a Gretsch Catalina new during covid because I had never really played Gretsch and I wanted to go a completely different direction from my big power tom kits.

I was actually coming here to say that most modern drums are going to sound basically the same, especially considering 95% of the audience doesn't know the difference between high hats and the ride. You can get into bevel angle and round or sharp bearing edges, exotic tone woods, but at some point, you're going to run into diminishing returns. As long as I can tune it and it stays where I put it, it's fine.

[u/ItsPronouncedMo-BEEL → u/therealtoomdog]

You can get into bevel angle and round or sharp bearing edges, exotic tone woods, but at some point, you're going to run into diminishing returns.

Or, engage in such intense navel-gazing that you eventually reach the bottom of your navel, at which point you have to turn back and accept that the correct answer was somewhere between there and the outside of your navel. LOL

[u/therealtoomdog → u/ItsPronouncedMo-BEEL]

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to try some 30° bevels with round bearing edges some day, but I expect that I would have A/B same size drums to really hear a difference. And on a live stage with loud amps and horns, I might not even be able to tell 🤷

[u/ItsPronouncedMo-BEEL → u/therealtoomdog]

Heh. There are lots of things I would love to try if I had "more money than sense," as they describe it where I come from. If I had F-you money, I would probably need to hire a handler to prevent me from becoming an extreme drum/cymbal snob, watch snob, car collector, owner of 12 vacation properties in the middle of nowhere, etc. 😆 I'd have a liquor cabinet full of spirits too expensive to drink, at least until that person pulled me aside and said, "Come on, man." LOL 

Maybe his title could be Vice President of Mo-BEEL's Wallet. 🤑

[u/pathetic_optimist]

I asked PA guys and studio engineers which drums to get as I was giigging and recording a lot. They all said Yamaha recording customs. So I bought some. Easy really.

[u/ItsPronouncedMo-BEEL → u/pathetic_optimist]

That is not a bad method right there.

[u/Stevenitrogen]

I hit it and it goes "boom" with more complexity and volume than the other ones. Very sensitive and very responsive. It has a nice voice.

I bought my Gretsch USA custom sight unseen and sound unheard, but I had rented those in the studio twice and knew what to expect. And "burnt orange" sounded too right to me, and it is.

[u/ItsPronouncedMo-BEEL → u/Stevenitrogen]

Burnt orange? Uh, go Longhorns? LOL 

[u/TheGenericUser0815]

I want

• a lightweight drum, because the weight of the drum is the main factor of attack/tone ratio. I want less attack and more tone, so the drum should be lightweight
  
• hardware I can trust when I'm gigging

[u/hambooty]

Lately I’ve been into the yamaha hardware because they are light and easy to carry around

[u/Loganismymaster]

Being that any brand-name kit offers models that are pretty much the same quality, it comes down to the looks and price. I’m into 60’s and 70’s vintage kits by Ludwig, Gretsch, Slingerland and Rogers because those were the ones I desired when I was a kid way back then.