Members Taffer Posted March 24, 2015 Members Posted March 24, 2015 I have both a Mapex 7-piece birch M series AND a Pearl Export series...contrary to the opinions here, I enjoy the Pearl Export much better! I play on both kits in two separate bands but I really do enjoy that good ol' Export Pearl. The snare is my favorite snare of all time because of the punchiness and perfect ghost note quality for funk rhythms. The toms are all free-floating so i get a beautiful sustain on them and the response on the toms is perfect. The kit is solid and beautiful and has lasted me for years - still in excellent shape. The Mapex has more warmth in the toms but the stock snare is horrible. I replaced it with a Yamaha 13' brass piccolo which is about a $500 snare. It's great in the studio, but I still like my export snare better. Also, the response with the Mapex drums are a bit slower than the export. If you already bought the Mapex you don't want to put deadringers i them as it might ruin the warmth available for the shells. I use all Zildjian cymbals with both kits.
Members Temple of Light Posted March 24, 2015 Members Posted March 24, 2015 I mixed and match an old 70's era Export series with the new Vision series, some proper heads, an ISS mount and alot of S.P. stands. DW for hi-hat and pedals, with all Paiste PST5's for cymbals, 2 China's and a couple of Wuhan splashes {which by the way, Wuhan's & PST5's are not toys or junk, they cut quite well against any amount of guitars, have quite a lot of character and musicality and mic'd up will yield a nice shimmery and sustained high vibrational crash and a tight dry pinginess ride tone on record...}But...that being said: buy what you can afford.I use mostly Zildjian A , Zildjian Platinum and Istanbul rides and crashes & Wuhan China's in the studio...My play out kit is 7 pieces and 12 cymbals, and it works good enough for live performance.I dropped about 12 hundred on all of it, & it lives in my car...It's not good enough for cases and touring but sounds quite good enough to me unmic'd in a live setting...and I'm used to some really pricey shiate at home...but that's studio furniture that doesn't travel...
Members Taffer Posted March 24, 2015 Members Posted March 24, 2015 Radman are you using sustained/riveted splashes with your Wahun's? What do you like about the Wuhan splashes that would cause you to use them over Zildjians?
Members Temple of Light Posted March 25, 2015 Members Posted March 25, 2015 Wuhan splashes are cheap, like much less than half the price of the same diameter from any other brand or series, yet they sound quite extraordinary, not brassy or hissy, and look awesome with a brilliant finish quiite similar to Zildjian's. I play them inverted, punkrock style, and the sound is as good as any Sabian, Zildjian or Paiste I ever tried @ Guitar Center. I bought them sight unseen from MF and would buy them again, and again...I'm using the 10" & 12" I've had em 4 to 5 months and no cracks, and I hit pretty hard...
Members Temple of Light Posted March 25, 2015 Members Posted March 25, 2015 And no holes or rivets...and I quite like the PST5's, not so much the 3's or 7's. PST5's are a medium weight, the 3's are too light,the 7's too heavy...
Members Phil_The_Rodent Posted March 25, 2015 Members Posted March 25, 2015 Catch me up here, guys. My cymbals are quite old, and I know that Tama changed their line so that Rockstars are a much lower entry point now than they were (I believe my Rockstar Custom kit *was* above the Imperialstars and the Roadstars in the 90s)... but I have never heard anyone say that ZA Customs were close to bottom rung. I've been using mine for, {censored}, must be 15-20 years and they sound amazing. When I used to buy new cymbals, I would go into the cymbal room, close my eyes, and hit {censored} until I found what I wanted. ZA Customs are both my crashes and my china because of how the sound blossomed. My splash is 20+ years old... it's a 10" Turkish. My Zildjian 10" splash didn't hold a candle to it.
Members boomboomdrums Posted March 27, 2015 Members Posted March 27, 2015 Yamaha Stage Customs are the biggest bang for the buck in the lower price range IMHO. I bought a new one in 1997. Great drums. At the time (I know a long time ago) I compared all the brands. It was between Yamaha and Mapex. I went with the Yamahas and have not been disappointed. Even the steel snare that came with it sounds very nice. I got lacquer as it was the rage in 1997. If I were purchasing now I'd go with covered. Lacquer looks sweet, but it is too easy to ding/scratch.
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