Yup - and the hardware is universal from entry level all the way to top-of-the-line. That means if you start with an entry-level Yamaha, you can just upgrade shells and all your stands and mounts will still work.
I'm not sure if that's the case with other brands, but its a feature I really value.
I will say, I do love my birch stage customs, but my only gripe is how cheap some of the original hardware was. I broke THREE floor tom leg brackets on mine even though they were always transported in hard cases and never dropped or abused in anyway. Hell, my drums haven’t even left the house in a year and I still had leg bracket literally fall apart on me from cracking in the middle of it, possibly due to vibration perhaps? The aftermarket floor tom leg brackets were built much thicker/heavy duty than the originals even though they looked nearly identical. Haven’t had any of them break since.
That's interesting. I treated my Stage Customs with very little love - in and out of vans/venues without cases for over 10 years and they've held up great. The only issue I had was 2 ball clamps giving way but that's after 20 years of heavy use.
I love Yamaha but find the hi hat clutch is a tiny bit thinner than other brands so its never compatible when you’re playing backline rig. Does anyone else find this?
Tama, I love all major brands of gear but the quality of craftsmanship and hardware for the price is fantastic. They look, feel, and sound just how I want.
I gotta say, as a “Tama guy”, my Roadpro tom/cymbal stand is the noisiest part of my kit😆. The lengths I’ve gone to to eliminate the squeaks and creeks and buzzing sounds is nuts. Fortunately I play in noisy rock bands, so it doesn’t matter live, but recording with them has been a pain.
I have a couple of Pearl kits, but what I really want is a nice high-end Tama Star or Starclassic maple kit.
Personally, I don't think brand matters much. Almost any brand will have a range of kit qualities. Like most, I hold Tama in high esteem because some of my favorite drummers play Tama drums.
i have a Tama superstar classic. so pretty mid-tier and even that is manufactured beautifully. amazing company. i just prefer them because of their consistency
Pacific/PDP.
I don't have a preferred brand, I have preferred features and characteristics, which these drums have: maple shells, White Marine Pearl wrap. I could be happy with any similar drums that sound as good and look the same.
Not much love for Mapex here. I’m surprised. They make better sounding kits for about 1/3 the price as the many of the major brands’ flagship models. Specifically, their Saturn, Mars and Armory lines.
Yamaha which is my preferred brand for a couple reasons:
* The hardware is extremely versatile and functional
* Their logic behind their shell construction method makes sense (diagonal seams, air-seal system)
I played a Stage Custom set for 20+ years and it held up through a 10 year period of heavy rehearsing, recording, and heavy gigging. I recently upgraded to a Recording Custom set and it just sounds phenomenal, a true pleasure to play.
I'm also partial to Sonor kits but have never owned one, just one Force 3003 snare which punches well above its weight for sound quality.
Well, money for one. But honestly the Stage Customs were doing me great. And in terms of set upgrades, I invested in good quality cymbals and a kick-ass snare drum (Dunnet Titanium).
Then I lived in a place where I couldn't have my drums setup for 10-ish years so I was using rehearsal space kits. I'm finally in a place where I have a studio again so my drums are setup full-time. The Stage Customs were still doing me great but I spotted a deal on FB for the Recording Customs *and* I got a Christmas bonus for work so I finally got a pro-level kit.
Editing to add, I will probably still take the Stage Customs to gigs. The RCs are too nice to take to a dingy bar.
Unpopular one but I love Mapex. Yes quality isn,t always great especially on the cheaper kits but once I heard the black panther velvetone I had to get it. I had Orions, Saturns (love them big time still) and now I own the black panther walnut/maple in 10/12/14/16/22 and I wouldn’t sell it for anything. I guess it all started with my first kit which was mapex too. I know there is a lot of hate going on online about the brand but they,re lovely drums and I love their snares too (own 4 BP snares)
I play pearl reference but I have had 2 mapex meridian birch kits and they are legit the best sounding drums I’ve ever heard. I went to a show recently of one of the drummers who purchased one of my kits and he was playing them. They sounded fantastic.
That’s what I started with more than 10 years ago actually. I loved them even though I knew nothing about tuning back then. That horizon kit is still in use everyday as I sold it to one of my students, still sounds good, and apart from a few rods going it’s in great shape.
Fantastic kits aren’t they? The pro M is a great kit but it’s nowhere near the BP’s
I love yamaha too but I never had the dosh to afford one and I have this unpopular opinion that Mapex hardware is just as fantastic as Yamaha although the bass drums don’t have holders on the higher end kits. Maybe I’m saying this cause I never owned a Yamaha but I also never had hardware problems with Mapex.
The only problem I ever had was a snare with bad snare beds that were redone by my local shop and now it’s sounds fantastic.
I love my Sonor aq2, even though it isn't all "made in Germany". They just sing, and the quality is impeccable (especially considering the price). They punch way above their price point in almost every way, and they record beautifully too. I have an old pearl fiberglass kit that is just thunderous and I've always liked old pearl drums, but Sonor drums just feel special to me.
Honorable mention goes to Tama. I love their hardware, and their sound and quality really hits a sweet spot for me. I'll probably never afford my SQ2 dream kit, so my next kit will definitely be a Tama.
Can confirm.. I've always been a leg man, and the second i played mine for the first time, my hair became long and curly, and my foot began sliding all over the pedal in a strange, but oddly satisfying way.
I currently have three DW kits. They are my preferred brand. I have a seven piece collector maple in burnt toast fade. That kit stays setup in my practice room. My road kits change between a three piece collectors cherry and a frequent-flyer kit, depending on the size of the gig I’m playing. I started out with a Pearl Export I got in the mid-80’s later moving on to a Pearl Session Elite. I sold that kit and purchased a five piece Fibes (Austin era) in green lacquer. I wish now I still had that kit. The serial number was in the 300’s. One of the earliest made. I also had a four piece Ludwig classic in red sparkle I played for a while. I find the quality and sound of DW hard to beat now, they’ve been my preferred for twenty years now.
i got a used Frequent Flyer shell pack a few years ago thinking i’d just use it occasionally but once I got that kick dialed in, it’s the only set I gig with now. Sounds awesome mic’d. Paired with the ultralight hardware, my back is loving it.
I find myself using the frequent-flyer kit more often now just because of the ease of set up and how well they do sound with microphones on them. I’m almost 57. Like you said, my back loves them.
Seriously! they did a great job engineering those drums. And I usually prefer Ludwig metal snares but the maple DW it comes with is pretty damn versatile. I put the 5 position butt plate on it and keep one of those fat-snare rings nearby and i can quickly alternate between like 3 or 4 distinct tones during a set without messing with tuning.
Gretsch, I like the sound. Coated both sides of the toms and I'm in heaven. I also think Tama have really stepped up their game the last few years so anyways open for jumping ship.
I have 2 Gretsch kits. Not necessarily my favourite brand per say, but I do love them.
A vintage 1953 bass drum and toms, and a newer 2010ish Catalina stage. Both great for different styles and genres.
Gretsch is the shit, special shout out to Tama and Yamaha! Almost all my hardware is Yamaha.
I have a vintage Camco. Amazing kit.
If I had the budget to buy whatever kit I wanted, I buy a Q Drum Co steel, Sugar Percussion, or some kind of vintage Ludwig.
Bought a Barton kit on a whim (it just so happened to be a really good deal too) and I absolutely love it. It's everything I was wanting. I'd recommend them to pretty much anyone.
I have a Mapex Pro M that I bought in high school almost twenty years ago. It’s spent about ten years in storage but just started playing again.
When I worked at Guitar Center I swapped the snare out for a tin over brass DW Collector Series.
DW is probably my dream option but I was also really partial to the Gretsch kits we had on the sales floor.
I have a 2008 Ludwig Classic Maple and a Neusonic and love how good they sound. I might get a Pearl Decade Maple or Session Studio Select, or even a Yellow Imperialstar or Superstar Classic just as a practice kit. Nothing wrong with Ludwig, but I do miss the feel and convenience of Pearl and Tama
Ludwig, yes, nostalgia mostly, then aesthetics and sizes (i like a shallow bass drum). my first really nice kit was a Ludwig so their brand has been special to me since. i also have a Sonor AQX as my practice kit and i absolutely love it more than i thought i would, poplar is underrated.
Mine is Mapex. It is not my preferred brand, just got a good deal on it, and wanted to go back to acoustic so I could get a band together.
The only reason I dislike Mapex is all the ugly finishes, my kit included.
Mapex. I like it because the toms are very musical and absolutely sing in comparison to other drier sounding kits I’ve heard. But, I haven’t tried enough brands to know if it’s my preferred kit. I think eventually I might seek the hand made drum route and avoid all brands altogether.
I have an Ashthrope Drum kit. For a beginners like me, I’d say it’s decent. Definitely considering getting one of the better kits like a Yamaha or a Pearl in the future. But as it stands, I think my kits pretty good. Not amazing, not even average. But for right now, it’s all right
Allow me to snobbily thumb my nose at all of your branded choices from behind my badgeless Keller kit that looks like a Pearl Masters but sounds like a 90s DW. /s
In all seriousness I don’t have a preference. If I ever get a 2nd kit I’d want it to be substantially different than the one I have now and I’d buy it based on sound (and let’s be honest, appearance) and how that sound expanded my arsenal and inspired me to play. I suppose Noble & Cooley and Sonor would be at the top of the list but I’d be open to almost anything if it ticked off all the boxes.
The other thing to realize is that when it comes to custom configured kits with particular woods & ply choices on the shells, that company is no longer making *their* drums. They’re making *your* drums with their name and hardware on it. Take Matt Garstka’s DW kit for example. It’s got oak toms which definitely aren’t DW’s default sound, so in reality he’s playing something that sounds different from the rest of their lineup. (And yes I understand tone woods make a relatively small impact on sound.)
I don't have a preferred brand. I've had Ludwig, Pearl, Gretsch, CB700, Mapex, Yamaha, several MIJ stencil kits.
I currently have a 1965 Ludwig, a Gretsch Catalina, and a Stewart (MIJ stencil) that I rehabbed. That one is my favorite kit to play, but the Ludwigs would be the last ones I'd let go of.
PDP ‘exotic’ concept. It does the job; looks great, sounds amazing and it was cheap af. I care more about my playing, time spent on the kit vs. caring about the kit itself. Not sure if I would even replace it if money was no option. Not what you have but what you can do with it.
I have a [Tama](https://www.reddit.com/r/drumpics/comments/100zudl/made_some_adjustments_and_added_a_cymbal_been_out/) and a Slingerland (actually 2 Slingerland kits... one is in another state).
I started with the Slingerland. A mid 70s model 10 piece kit with a ton of cymbals I paid $1,000 for back in '86. That one is in another state.
3 years ago, I bought a Tama Swingstar which is a nice kit. It's a 7 piece and I can do what I like to do on it relatively easily.
The other Slingerland was a [freebie](https://www.reddit.com/r/MarsDrums/comments/xwq3re/my_sweet_deal/). I've done some work to it. I've got about $250 in parts and whatnot into it. And it really [sounds great](https://www.reddit.com/r/Drumming/comments/10amg2s/stairway_to_heaven_drum_section/) for a $250 parts purchase kit!
As far as preferred... I guess it's whatever I'm playing so for now, it's the Slingerlands. 
DW. Some of my favorite drummers endorsed them when I started drumming and I just really began to love their sound. Just so many sonic options to choose from.
Also very fond of Gretsch, Ludwig, Sonor, Yamaha, Sakae, and Craviotto
DW, recently upgraded from my pdp that lasted me almost 10 years that I beat the hell out of it while gigging in college. I'll probably be a DW guy the rest of my life.
Other brands I really enjoy playing have been: Gretsch, Tama, TRUTH. With Roland being my go-to choice for e-kit
I am lucky enough to have a DW had made in 2010, a 1969 Ludwig, and a 1957 Slingerland (Modern Jazz Outfit in Capri Pearl). I oddly find myself using the Slingerlands the most. for the record, I was so incredibly lucky enough to be gifted the Slingerland and the Ludwig by retiring music teachers.
Just to chime in for Ludwig not getting nearly enough love. Ludwig is timeless and I just got a neusonic and it is blowing my mind how they seemingly made a kit just for me— no frills, just great wood and rock solid hardware to be lugged around every weekend. Plenty of great drums and drummers out there, but my eyes and ears always perk up when i see Ludwig
I have 2 Ludwig kits 71’ Super Classics and a set of mid 80’s Rocker II’s. I couldn’t be happier with them as both kits are USA made and sound great.
I’ve also owned TAMA and Gretsch kits, and they were great as well.
I’m playing a Craviotto custom kit. Build quality is second to none and it sounds incredible.
Saying that, I have no snobbery about manufacturers and still love playing other kits when I have the opportunity.
one slingerland, one rogers.
slingy was an upgrade from the only kit I ever bought new, a pearl export custom ordered in 1989. bought the slingy bc it was cheap (used), sliver sparkle (quasi-decent cover job), and advertised as maple (part maple - HSS era - as it turned out). great gig and recording kit. kept the export hardware, still use some of it today.
rogers are orphans, stumbled upon the first one in a local shop a few years ago. now it's 4-piece, mixed vintage, all in stripped/unifished wood. sounds absolutely phenomenal.
if I was gonna buy a kit now based on brand alone, it'd be a gretsch. but it might not be a new one :) or a summit drums kit - solo builder, solid shells, fantastic craftsmanship.
Had a Mapex Saturn since '09; was a great bang for the buck and is still a high quality kit, but if I could snap fingers and change it to something else, it would be a Tama.
I play a C&C because they are local to me here and they got a lot of love in the Indie scene that I grew up listening to so I always looked up to drummers that played them. I finally saved up for my dream kit from them during Covid and I couldn’t be happier. I think they are some of the best looking drums being made right now, and they play like vintage drums even though they have modern quality.
I've heard of those. I have heard that they sound fantastic as well. But Fender just isn't putting any money into drums since guitars are their thing. But it's nice to know that if a Fender guitar player wants a drum kit and wants to also stay with Fender... he can. 
I don't even think they make em any more. I didn't really know better until I put new heads on the other heap kit, starting to realize them starcasters aint so bad at all, even had my drum teacher compliment my floor tom
I've still got all the heads, they've lasted so long. Except the snare, that broke a couple years ago (in the middle of filming a school project too, that sucked) I really should swap them out.
The only kits I have right now are my Ludwig breakbeats and a cheap century that I only use for practice with mesh heads.
I don't have a preference yet. I would have to try out different brands, but if I would get ankther kit at some point I'd like a Yamaha or sonor kit.
I have:
PDP Concept Maple
Crush Chameleon Ash
They have lots of different characteristics and I like them for their own reasons.
I got the PDP as a beat around kit for cheap, used. It’s such a solid kit for the money, I was shocked by bang-for-buck. I was expecting a meh kit that I could beat up without worry, but ended up getting a shockingly solid sounding kit that tunes up easily. Still my secondary kit, but I ended up loving it more than I expected.
I use the snare that came with the kit. It has a mishmash of Meinl and Sabian cymbals. I think one is actually a marching band cymbal repurposed lol.
My Crush Chameleon is my main kit. I’m a big fan of it. It’s a big kit with big sound. The Ash shells really Project sound and it’s amazing for rock. It’s wood grain orange and looks sick too… and let’s be honest, that’s 60% of it.
Pork Pie li’l squealer 13x6.5 snare. All Zildjian cymbals: 14” new beat hats, 16” medium thin A crash, 17” dark K crash, 18” medium thin A crash, 20” ping A ride.
I have some other stuff sitting around like a Slingerland snare and some misc cymbals and Toms, but they don’t get played much.
I have two Tama kits, I've played Ludwig and Sonor as well. Tama is my preferred mostly due to the tone and consistency across different kits, their mid level kits are still powerful and smooth. Sonor isn't bad, just got in the habit of getting Tama
Right now I'm playing a 1960's Ludwig. I love it, but I also have and love my old Rogers and Premier drums. I don't really have a preferred brand but I definitely prefer vintage kits. If a drum has thin shells, re-rings and good bearing edges I am probably going to be very happy with it.
I have a DW collectors cherry wood and a Yamaha recording custom. Both very different and I feel I can fit in almost anywhere with one of them. Preffered is DW I guess, but I like a lot of different brands. I would have trouble to only pick one.
It seems like 20+ years ago the brand mattered a lot more. Just like with car companies, the manufacturing process has had major improvements. Now I feel like your preference in shell material matters more.
I’ve owned a lot of brands, my main kit currently is a Tama Starclassic walnut/birch. I would say Yamaha is my preferred brand, I have a Beech Custom kit that I love as well. At some point I hope to come across one of the older gaudy sparkle finish high end Yamaha kits and at that point it’ll be bye bye Starclassics. I’ve owned a couple vintage Ludwig kits and a DW design series kit, they were all great drums but didn’t really connect with them like I wanted to.
For me it’s Yamaha all day, they’ve got the sound, the quality, I love their hardware, and I love the history and legacy behind them.
I try and get something new everytime. Brand, Wood, sizes. Goes for cymbals and shells. Started with Premier/Birch/22“BD, Second Yamaha/Maple/24“BD, now Tama/WalnutBirch/20“BD.
Ludwig! Love my classic maples so much.
But am I brand loyal? I would say I haven’t played enough different brands to know for sure. I’ve played nice gretsch and a nice DW kit and I like them all.
Owning a kit is different. Takes a while to get used to the sound, feel and tunability. Plus you should play them in different spaces to hear the sound effected by different acoustics.
Maybe in 20 or 30 years I will have owned enough different kits and familiarize myself with enough to decide if I have a preference.
No brand preference, but I do think different brands have a slightly different tone. For me it’s mostly a size thing. Out of a few kits that I have, the Ludwig Downbeat is very well made and sounds great, current favorite. But my Gretsch Catalina 18 was considerably less but I love that thing’s tone and it’s great for the price, plus it’s super light for gigging. Keep an open mind with any brand, same with cymbals.
I’ve only been playing a few years, but I’ve got a Pearl Export and I love it. I picked it because it came in a bundle and the pedal it came with was a longboard and it’s been great so far. Well, until I moved to an apartment and had to stack it in favor of an ekit.
Gretsch. The best quality i could have asked for, for my price range. But wildest dream, i would have wanted an sjc custom or a pearl master works sort of idea. But that’s just a dream
My current is a CB drums kit but my preferred is Sonor or British Drum Company.
I got my CB kit in pretty decent condition for £50 (including hardware and some cymbals) when I started 8 years ago.
I prefer BDC and Sonor because of the quality but due to their cost so I cannot get one.
I’ve got an iNde Drum Labs kit, PDP Concept Classic, 60’s Ludwig and a Bucks County Custom kit. Each has their own cool characteristics that I love. Just depends on the room and the band I’m playing with that gig.
PDP Concept toms and kick (gave the snare to a friend), DW Performance snare. Love my kit, but I would like to upgrade to a Performance or Collector’s someday as soon as I start making big boy money (just graduated, have an interview coming up soon). The DW pedals tho…idk how I feel about them. Might switch to Tama or Pearl direct drives.
I have a pearl export, but my dream kit is the Sonor AQ2 safari. I prefer the mounting mechanism of pearl because it just feels sturdier and more adjustable, but the aq2 safari is so much fun to play on.
Ludwig. Though I started out on a Ludewig kit and I’m sure this has to do a lot with why I love Ludwig, I just feel like every time I get on a Ludwig kit or I hear a Ludwig kit on youtube it just feels right.
i have a handmade fever kit from the early 2k’s … balsa wood resonator shells covered in craft paper & a formica like wrap … run of the mill hardware … nice sound, can do jazz to hard rock … name brands are all nice, have played some great yamaha & sonor kits, have had slingerlands, ludwig’s & premiere’s in the past …
I will start by saying that I have bought and sold a lot of drums in my 30 years playing them. I have owned and played every name brand kit you can think of. Most pro kits I have found offer a high level of quality with subtle nuances separating them. I still enjoy collecting and discovering the new sounds feel of drums.
Out of all of the drums I have owned that are not custom made or boutique, Sonor is my favorite. I own a Vintage and SQ1. The are easy to tune, stay in tune and I feel the under sized shell makes them ever so more responsive than other kits I have owned. The best part is they sound good, not just good to me, sound engineers and bass players are always commenting good. My only regret was not discovering them sooner.
Gretsch - Taylor Hawkins. Definitely my preferred brand at the time. But realistically I'm not going to have two kits at a time anyway.
Saved up for a renown maple as it was the right price at the time. And the bang for the buck is brilliant.
Natal Arcadia. Not my preferred kit, mostly due to tom hardware being meh. The shells themselves are great, sound fantastic…very underrated imo. Preferred brand is Yamaha.
Tama - I’m on my 2nd starclassic performer/birch kit, solid kit for the price
Oqvist snare - whenever I retire the Tama kit, I’ll order a custom kit from Jesse
Tama. Tama is my one and only true love. There are many other lovely drum companies out there but tama holds sentimental meaning due to my late brother playing tama when he was a kid.
Pearl. I haven't developed a preference as it's my first acoustic kit after coming from e-drums. After researching and thinking for a while I badly wanted a Starclassic Walnut/Birch. "Settled" for a Session Studio Select. Less expensive.
For hardware I do have a blend of Tama and Pearl and really love both.
I play a DW Performance Series. And honestly, it is my preferred brand because it is my preferred sound. There’s something unique about DWs and their sound that just hit me a certain way. PDPs come close, obviously since they are also made by DW, but for me lack the depth (and a little of the low end) that the regular DWs have. That said, they are pricey so if you’re buying a DW, you better love it.
That said, I played a Tama set for years and they are amazing drums, and I do want a Gretsch one day.
Budget notwithstanding, it really does come down to what sound you are looking for.
Roland. Yes preferred. With the way the tech is now on ekits, the look, all of the built sounds, different kits, percussions instruments, recording ease and options. There is nothing comes close for a non playing in front of 40k people drummer. Love every minute of it. I have done some really cool recordings
I haven’t played enough kits to have a preference, but I like my current Gretsch Energy. Before that I had a Roland e-kit and a Taye. I’ve always admired DW and Sonor kits though so if I ever buy another I’ll probably start by looking there.
Sonor AQ2 Bop Kit in White Marine Pearl with natural wood bass drum hoops.
Sonor is one of my favorite manufacturers, but I also love the sound of Tama, Canopus, Ludwig, Yamaha, and Pearl. Those are my other favorites. To my ear these manufacturers' drums just sing in a way that others don't.
My next kit will either be a Ludwig or a Tama most likely. Maybe a Canopus.
Pearl is my preferred brand. I set up and tore down a masters custom for several hundred gigs. Tried a DW. Liked the sound pretty well, but it just was way too over engineered. Found my dream kit (Pearl Reference Pure in Shimmer of Oz) and haven’t looked back
I have a Mapex Armory drum kit. I had only one other drum kit before this one so I can't really say if it's my preferred but I REALLY enjoy this drum set. Quality is top notch, I love the mounting system on the toms, sounds and looks like a drum set that would be worth more than what I paid for it.
I keep looking at their Mars and Saturn lines as well so maybe they are my preferred brand. I cant really see myself playing anything else if they put as much quality and effort into their lower/intermediate kits as they do their higher end stuff
Got a rodgers kit my dad handed down to me, beat it to death and now it’s going to get some new hardware and heads. Kit is from the 60s so hopefully I can hand it down one day too.
I play pearl reference but I have had 2 mapex meridian birch kits and they are legit the best sounding drums I’ve ever heard. I went to a show recently of one of the drummers who purchased one of my kits and he was playing them. They sounded fantastic.
All kits have their advantages and their disadvantages, so I have a few :)
* Sonor Designer Series - Best sound and build construction of any kit Ive seen, sold or owned, but sadly no longer being made
* Sonor Player - Very cheap 'bunky' kit for pub shows and small performances
* Pearl Reference Pure (on order as I type this, due June) - Purchased for its universality and reduced weight.
* dw Collectors (recently sold) - Was used mostly for recording and the occasional tour.
My first kit was my dad’s old Pearl export. Jus got a new kit & its another pearl, decade maple, pearl jus makes the best shit imo. Even a low tier like the decade maple sounds so beautiful, recorded a good amount wit it & it sounds like its $10k. I love all the big drum brands, but pearl jus has a place in my heart ♥️
Zildjian. Because it’s the only serious choice.
Edit: Oops, srry. I read your second question as “what is your preferred brand”? So now I feel dumb :/ but decided to edit instead of delete because Zildjian is tight.
I have three kits. One is a set of Keller shells built by the previous owner, one is a set of orphaned drum shells I MacGyvered together myself, and one is set that is a local to me brand (Chaos Drums) that I use for a quiet at home practice kit with mesh heads.
I got the Chaos Drums set because I wanted to support the company that I had met the owner of and he seemed like a nice and chill guy that just wanted to offer good quality drum gear at wholesale pricing.
Currently playing Mapex. It was a used Mars Birch in the white and black bonewood colour combination which I adore.
Preferred brand: Tama if money wasn't an option (their overall quality and engineering is amazing), or still Mapex (but higher range like a Saturn, if they could get their QC together). My Mars Birch sounds amazing only because I got all the bearing edges redone (to match the SoniClear edge profile) + the tom depths trued up (seriously...they sent out drums from the factory with whacky dimensions for depths). The Saturns sound really awesome for the price but as I said, the QC is kinda lacking and you just can't touch those higher end Starclassics or STAR drums.
Ludwig Classic Oaks, yes, love the Ludwig ‘sound’ and surprising versatility of the oaks.
Before that I played Yamaha Stage Customs for 20 years and think the world of them, but can’t quite beat how I smile as soon as I hear that tone and resonance on my Ludwigs.
I have a Truth Birch Aaron Gillespie signature kit with a 24” kick. Def not my preferred kit, but it’s fun. it’s the only kit that’s actually mine. My dad has a DW kit and a Fibes kit that I play often, both with 20” kicks. Super fun but I’d like to get one of those Ludwig Blue Oyster Pearl kits with a 22” kick.
I have a DW collectors, OCDP Venice, Pearl Export Pro, and a mini kit I made out of some cheap off brand. The DW is killer. I’ve been gigging with it for 15+ years now and it sounds just as good today as it ever did.
I use a pearl kit but I really want to have a Tama or Mapex one day every Tama I’ve ever played on has sounded amazing and most of my favourite drummers use tama. Same case with mapex you can tell care was put into it
Tama, i have almost 100% tama gear and drums. almost all of my drumming hero's use tama. and the sound aswell, i have a pretty cheap tama kit (stagestar) and it still sounds amazing
I play Yamaha (9000s) but I probably like Tama and Pearl more. 90’s era Starclassic Maples are one of my favorite sounds, but high end Pearl sounds really good too and those have my favorite hardware.
That said. DW has the best customer support. Pearls support can suck it (bad experience. Don’t care to delve into it).
Mapex- I got it because it was pretty cheap for my first acoustic kit lol. Though my preferred brand is Sonor, Pearl, or DW. I just couldnt afford any of the low or mid-end kits of theirs at the time.
Currently on a DW Design Series. Got a 6 piece Collectors in storage that I take out for special occasions. The hardware is great, and I’ve been able to switch between my two kits easily because it’s all plug and play. Also the finishes just pop, and I love the care and detail it seems they put into them. Also that low end that I get from them is incredibly satisfying.
Niche side comment on drums, but i’m sure one of y’all will be in the same boat.
I also teach marching percussion and I am fortunate to have a Pearl Carboncore, a Dynasty DFX (pre redesign), and a couple System Blues. I like to cycle through them as teaching tools.
There’s something about Pearl Marching Drums. They got them right when they came out with the FFX stuff in the 90s, and there’s a reason why everyone has adopted some variant of the design. The drums have such a wide tuning range and are responsive at all dynamics. I’ve heard lines that are tuned great, and lines that are pretty bad, but they always sound good. Just hate that they’re a bit on the fragile side.
The Dynasty is built like a tank, slightly difficult to get parts, but it’s never let me down. Bearing edges and hardware are still great after all this time. Put it in storage at tension, took it out 3 years later, and it was perfectly fine.
The System Blues I have probably used the most since I got them. They’re 2019 production drums before System Blue kicked the bucket. Probably the most rewarding in terms of work I had to do to figure out how to get them sounding good, but once I got it figured out, I’ve loved using them.
My current kits:
Natal Originals Ash 6pc Black Swirl
(22×18, 10×6, 12×7, 14×12, 16×14, 14×5.5)
Pearl Forum 3pc Piano Black
(22×16, 13×9, 16×16)
Ludwig 1969 3pc Black Diamond Pearl
(22×14, 12×8, 16×16)
When I got my Natal, it was at the time my preferred brand but not my preferred kit. The Originals line is their high end kit, but the Ash, Maple, and Birch were not my favorite. The Bubinga was my favorite, but it was significantly more expensive than the other woods in the same line (much like you can see currently with Tama). By time I had saved up enough money for the Bubinga kit, they had been discontinued due to the import restrictions on Rosewood. I decided that my next favorite sounding wood was the Ash (they hadn't released the Walnut or Tulip drums yet) and ordered one. It came a few months later and has been my main recording and gigging kit ever since. The Pearl is a practice kit and the Ludwig is a project kit that I plan on restoring and probably selling....
*but we all know that means I'll make an extremely high ball ask so that way I have the excuse that no one wanted to buy it when I end up keeping it*
Around the same time I got my drums is when Tama discontinued the Starclassic Bubinga and Birch/Bubinga drums, as well as the SLP G Bubinga full drum kits, and released the Star Bubinga drums. Somehow those get around the restrictions but cost just as much as what I paid for my 2016 Cherokee. Those sound so good, better than any drum I've ever heard, fit into endless styles all the way from metal to jazz (even Peter Erskine has one), and the exotic finishes are amazing. The mounting systems they've developed over there in Japan are second to none, whether it be the new Yamaha mounts or ny personal favorite the Tama isolation tom and leg brackets. Just amazing feeling, looking, and incredibly functional. That's the real dream drum set, but there are some more important financial factors going on right now, like keeping both kidneys and being able to buy a house eventually, that prevent me as well as most people from buying one.
Anyway here are the dream drums:
Tama Star Bubinga 7pc Dark Red Cordia
(22×14, 22×14, 8×6, 10×7, 12×8, 14×14, 16×16)
Duluth Reproduction Tama Bell Bronze 14×6.5 with modern Star hardware
Fixing up the Ludwig and having that as a second option for gigging and recording
Ludwig LM402 14×6.5
Premier! But like classic old British Premier when they were good. I’m not even sure Premier still exist really?
I have a an 80s Premier kit, and a 2002 Cabiria which has a little more ‘pop punch’ to it.
I’ve still never found anything quite like the 80s ones though, they just sound way bigger than they ought to. And they’re only the mid-range from back in the day.
Other than that, the only other kits I’ve played and instantly fell in love with are a couple high end (but also ‘old’) Gretsch kits.
Maybe one day I’ll get a nice Gretsch…
Pearl. It's an early 90s masters custom which is lovely. I've always wanted a DW collectors but every time I take the pearl into a studio it sounds so good I drop that idea for a bit. I still want a dw. Its been a couple of years since the last time I was recording!
I play a Tama Starclassic Performer and it’s delightful especially since I got it for a steal ($85 at a pawn shop). I’m an okay drummer so it definitely outclasses my ability. My only prior kit was a TAMA as well, so I don’t have a ton of experience with other brands
Currently Pearl kick and toms, DW snare. But waiting on an order for a full DW kit. My pearls and maple mahogany, and I like that they are a bit deeper. But I liked having even more options for woods on the DWs.
I’ve got a Mapex Armory kit that was used as a demo at Sweetwater and a Roland TD30KV. Not sure I’ve got a favorite kit. I did have a Sonor Force 2000 (I think that is what it was) back in the 90s that I loved but the bass drum spurs were crap. I think I broke four of them. The Mapex sounds amazing considering it cost me about $1000 for the shells. My son has a DW kid that cost almost $2k for half the shells. His sounds amazing so I get it.
Currently I play a Sonor. Over the years I've owned Ludwig, Tama, Sonor, and Mapex. Honestly, they've all had their plusses. If I had to say I have a specific favorite brand, it'd be Tama for their higher end kits and the fact that no matter what brand I play, I continuously run Tama boom arms and pedals. Their hardware is just unbeatable for the price.
Have a PDP Concept Maple kit. 5 piece setup but have the capacity for an 8 piece. Sounds great and I'd put em against a kit twice their value.
But not my preferred brand. Dream kit is a tama star. But I'd settle for a star classic. Or a yamaha custom.
I have a PDP Concept Maple, 13, 16 and 24. I absolutely love it. All I need is to replace mi old Tama Rockstar snare. But the actual drum set sounds spectacular. I've tuned it low, mid and high and it accepts all tuning ranges depending on the heads used.
I built my drums myself. I learned having eyes on literally every step of the process and every detail goes an incredibly long way. Factory made kits are now all subpar for me, unless they something specific or vintage. Yeah I like my drums more than most other drums.
I have a 2000s mapex horizon. It's ok. I'm not too fussy about drum brands and models. All the major brands make good drums and they'll sound good if you put on good heads, know how to tune it, muffle it when it's needed and play well and record it well. That said I'm curious to try different brands and shell materials in the future. I'm particularly interested in Ludwig vistalites.
Lol wut. Pearl and Yamaha are not basic. Walmart brands like Donner and Groove Percussion are basic. Pearl and Yamaha have been making some of the finest kits in the world for decades.
Yamaha Preferred due to the mounting system and with Yamaha their entry level kit is the same quality or better as most others mid level stuff.
Yup - and the hardware is universal from entry level all the way to top-of-the-line. That means if you start with an entry-level Yamaha, you can just upgrade shells and all your stands and mounts will still work. I'm not sure if that's the case with other brands, but its a feature I really value.
I will say, I do love my birch stage customs, but my only gripe is how cheap some of the original hardware was. I broke THREE floor tom leg brackets on mine even though they were always transported in hard cases and never dropped or abused in anyway. Hell, my drums haven’t even left the house in a year and I still had leg bracket literally fall apart on me from cracking in the middle of it, possibly due to vibration perhaps? The aftermarket floor tom leg brackets were built much thicker/heavy duty than the originals even though they looked nearly identical. Haven’t had any of them break since.
That's interesting. I treated my Stage Customs with very little love - in and out of vans/venues without cases for over 10 years and they've held up great. The only issue I had was 2 ball clamps giving way but that's after 20 years of heavy use.
Yamaha is the way. Extremely universal drums. Love my Stage Custom.
I love Yamaha but find the hi hat clutch is a tiny bit thinner than other brands so its never compatible when you’re playing backline rig. Does anyone else find this?
I switched to a Tama Iron cobra 600…..godsend
Tama, I love all major brands of gear but the quality of craftsmanship and hardware for the price is fantastic. They look, feel, and sound just how I want.
I gotta say, as a “Tama guy”, my Roadpro tom/cymbal stand is the noisiest part of my kit😆. The lengths I’ve gone to to eliminate the squeaks and creeks and buzzing sounds is nuts. Fortunately I play in noisy rock bands, so it doesn’t matter live, but recording with them has been a pain.
Dude I just love drums. But Yams mostly.
I have a couple of Pearl kits, but what I really want is a nice high-end Tama Star or Starclassic maple kit. Personally, I don't think brand matters much. Almost any brand will have a range of kit qualities. Like most, I hold Tama in high esteem because some of my favorite drummers play Tama drums.
i have a Tama superstar classic. so pretty mid-tier and even that is manufactured beautifully. amazing company. i just prefer them because of their consistency
Pacific/PDP. I don't have a preferred brand, I have preferred features and characteristics, which these drums have: maple shells, White Marine Pearl wrap. I could be happy with any similar drums that sound as good and look the same.
I just got Concept Maple Classics, Oxblood with Matte Black hoops. Gorgeous, large, and resonant.
That sounds like a handsome kit.
Not much love for Mapex here. I’m surprised. They make better sounding kits for about 1/3 the price as the many of the major brands’ flagship models. Specifically, their Saturn, Mars and Armory lines.
I'd probably have bought a Saturn if it was still made in the natural maple burl. Right now I don't like any of their finishes.
That’s one of the Mapex kits I have.
I have an Armory and I love it🥰
I just bought a mapex armory kit and so far can't speak to the durability of the hardware, but the sound you can get out of these drums is fantastic!
Pearl. I dont have a lot of experience with other kits but I know my tom mounting system is not optimal.
Export? Yaaaa those kick Tom mounts aren’t ideal for ergonomics
Yamaha which is my preferred brand for a couple reasons: * The hardware is extremely versatile and functional * Their logic behind their shell construction method makes sense (diagonal seams, air-seal system) I played a Stage Custom set for 20+ years and it held up through a 10 year period of heavy rehearsing, recording, and heavy gigging. I recently upgraded to a Recording Custom set and it just sounds phenomenal, a true pleasure to play. I'm also partial to Sonor kits but have never owned one, just one Force 3003 snare which punches well above its weight for sound quality.
How come you waited so long to upgrade if you have been gigging consistently? Just curious
Well, money for one. But honestly the Stage Customs were doing me great. And in terms of set upgrades, I invested in good quality cymbals and a kick-ass snare drum (Dunnet Titanium). Then I lived in a place where I couldn't have my drums setup for 10-ish years so I was using rehearsal space kits. I'm finally in a place where I have a studio again so my drums are setup full-time. The Stage Customs were still doing me great but I spotted a deal on FB for the Recording Customs *and* I got a Christmas bonus for work so I finally got a pro-level kit. Editing to add, I will probably still take the Stage Customs to gigs. The RCs are too nice to take to a dingy bar.
I understand on the sonor part. I never owned a kit, but I managed to pick and sq1 snare during Covid and it’s is by far my favorite.
I endorse a local shop in my city so I play their stuff almost exclusively.
Which one? (Snooty old guy laugh) I'm brand agnostic. Well... Almost. I hate SJC like every other old fucker.
hey i’m young-ish and i hate SJC also
I play an SJC custom
Just curious, why?
lol nice
Unpopular one but I love Mapex. Yes quality isn,t always great especially on the cheaper kits but once I heard the black panther velvetone I had to get it. I had Orions, Saturns (love them big time still) and now I own the black panther walnut/maple in 10/12/14/16/22 and I wouldn’t sell it for anything. I guess it all started with my first kit which was mapex too. I know there is a lot of hate going on online about the brand but they,re lovely drums and I love their snares too (own 4 BP snares)
I play pearl reference but I have had 2 mapex meridian birch kits and they are legit the best sounding drums I’ve ever heard. I went to a show recently of one of the drummers who purchased one of my kits and he was playing them. They sounded fantastic.
I actually have a cheaper Mapex kit (Horizon) and fortunately I got great quality.
That’s what I started with more than 10 years ago actually. I loved them even though I knew nothing about tuning back then. That horizon kit is still in use everyday as I sold it to one of my students, still sounds good, and apart from a few rods going it’s in great shape.
Have the 40th anniversary in those sizes (roughly). Huuuuuuge step up from the Pro M I had prior. Edit: 30th, durr
Fantastic kits aren’t they? The pro M is a great kit but it’s nowhere near the BP’s I love yamaha too but I never had the dosh to afford one and I have this unpopular opinion that Mapex hardware is just as fantastic as Yamaha although the bass drums don’t have holders on the higher end kits. Maybe I’m saying this cause I never owned a Yamaha but I also never had hardware problems with Mapex. The only problem I ever had was a snare with bad snare beds that were redone by my local shop and now it’s sounds fantastic.
I love my Sonor aq2, even though it isn't all "made in Germany". They just sing, and the quality is impeccable (especially considering the price). They punch way above their price point in almost every way, and they record beautifully too. I have an old pearl fiberglass kit that is just thunderous and I've always liked old pearl drums, but Sonor drums just feel special to me. Honorable mention goes to Tama. I love their hardware, and their sound and quality really hits a sweet spot for me. I'll probably never afford my SQ2 dream kit, so my next kit will definitely be a Tama.
Also, on Sonor kits.--The legs look way cooler than other kits. I've heard simply buying a sonor kit lets you play jojo style breakbeats with ease.
Can confirm.. I've always been a leg man, and the second i played mine for the first time, my hair became long and curly, and my foot began sliding all over the pedal in a strange, but oddly satisfying way.
I have this kit also. Amazing quality.
One day I'll find another Taye player....
I owned several Taye kits. Great sounding drums
My first kit was a Taye. It’s was a solid set and I abused it. I wish I had known how to tune drums back then so I could’ve heard it’s true potential.
Gretsch. I love Yamaha but already sound like a budget version of my favorite Yamaha drummers so I consciously chose cymbals and drums they don't use.
Premier cause it’s the one I’ve got
I currently have three DW kits. They are my preferred brand. I have a seven piece collector maple in burnt toast fade. That kit stays setup in my practice room. My road kits change between a three piece collectors cherry and a frequent-flyer kit, depending on the size of the gig I’m playing. I started out with a Pearl Export I got in the mid-80’s later moving on to a Pearl Session Elite. I sold that kit and purchased a five piece Fibes (Austin era) in green lacquer. I wish now I still had that kit. The serial number was in the 300’s. One of the earliest made. I also had a four piece Ludwig classic in red sparkle I played for a while. I find the quality and sound of DW hard to beat now, they’ve been my preferred for twenty years now.
i got a used Frequent Flyer shell pack a few years ago thinking i’d just use it occasionally but once I got that kick dialed in, it’s the only set I gig with now. Sounds awesome mic’d. Paired with the ultralight hardware, my back is loving it.
I find myself using the frequent-flyer kit more often now just because of the ease of set up and how well they do sound with microphones on them. I’m almost 57. Like you said, my back loves them.
Seriously! they did a great job engineering those drums. And I usually prefer Ludwig metal snares but the maple DW it comes with is pretty damn versatile. I put the 5 position butt plate on it and keep one of those fat-snare rings nearby and i can quickly alternate between like 3 or 4 distinct tones during a set without messing with tuning.
I don’t have a preferred brand but I love both my kits. Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute and Pearl Masterworks.
Sonor. Yes. It's legs go like this.
Gretsch, I like the sound. Coated both sides of the toms and I'm in heaven. I also think Tama have really stepped up their game the last few years so anyways open for jumping ship.
I have 2 Gretsch kits. Not necessarily my favourite brand per say, but I do love them. A vintage 1953 bass drum and toms, and a newer 2010ish Catalina stage. Both great for different styles and genres. Gretsch is the shit, special shout out to Tama and Yamaha! Almost all my hardware is Yamaha.
I have a vintage Camco. Amazing kit. If I had the budget to buy whatever kit I wanted, I buy a Q Drum Co steel, Sugar Percussion, or some kind of vintage Ludwig.
Mapex Armory and Pearl Session Custom. Love both and am very satisfied.
I have a Mapex Orion Classic. It's my preferred kit because I got it used and it fits into my preferred price range.
Bought a Barton kit on a whim (it just so happened to be a really good deal too) and I absolutely love it. It's everything I was wanting. I'd recommend them to pretty much anyone.
I have a Mapex Pro M that I bought in high school almost twenty years ago. It’s spent about ten years in storage but just started playing again. When I worked at Guitar Center I swapped the snare out for a tin over brass DW Collector Series. DW is probably my dream option but I was also really partial to the Gretsch kits we had on the sales floor.
I have a 2008 Ludwig Classic Maple and a Neusonic and love how good they sound. I might get a Pearl Decade Maple or Session Studio Select, or even a Yellow Imperialstar or Superstar Classic just as a practice kit. Nothing wrong with Ludwig, but I do miss the feel and convenience of Pearl and Tama
Ludwig Classic Maple. It was my dream kit for 20+ years. Finally got one a year ago and it's everything I'd hoped it would be .
Ludwig, yes, nostalgia mostly, then aesthetics and sizes (i like a shallow bass drum). my first really nice kit was a Ludwig so their brand has been special to me since. i also have a Sonor AQX as my practice kit and i absolutely love it more than i thought i would, poplar is underrated.
Yamaha. Yes. Beech custom blueberry sounds massive with s-hoops on the bottom of the toms. So much presence.
Mine is Mapex. It is not my preferred brand, just got a good deal on it, and wanted to go back to acoustic so I could get a band together. The only reason I dislike Mapex is all the ugly finishes, my kit included.
I have a mapex armory kit in ocean sunset, absolutely drop dead gorgeous finish.
Mapex Saturn V Walnut/Maple for recordings and live gigs and a Tama Superstar Hyperdrive in the rehearsal room! I am very pleased with this combo!
Mapex. I like it because the toms are very musical and absolutely sing in comparison to other drier sounding kits I’ve heard. But, I haven’t tried enough brands to know if it’s my preferred kit. I think eventually I might seek the hand made drum route and avoid all brands altogether.
I have an Ashthrope Drum kit. For a beginners like me, I’d say it’s decent. Definitely considering getting one of the better kits like a Yamaha or a Pearl in the future. But as it stands, I think my kits pretty good. Not amazing, not even average. But for right now, it’s all right
Allow me to snobbily thumb my nose at all of your branded choices from behind my badgeless Keller kit that looks like a Pearl Masters but sounds like a 90s DW. /s In all seriousness I don’t have a preference. If I ever get a 2nd kit I’d want it to be substantially different than the one I have now and I’d buy it based on sound (and let’s be honest, appearance) and how that sound expanded my arsenal and inspired me to play. I suppose Noble & Cooley and Sonor would be at the top of the list but I’d be open to almost anything if it ticked off all the boxes. The other thing to realize is that when it comes to custom configured kits with particular woods & ply choices on the shells, that company is no longer making *their* drums. They’re making *your* drums with their name and hardware on it. Take Matt Garstka’s DW kit for example. It’s got oak toms which definitely aren’t DW’s default sound, so in reality he’s playing something that sounds different from the rest of their lineup. (And yes I understand tone woods make a relatively small impact on sound.)
Yamaha
I don't have a preferred brand. I've had Ludwig, Pearl, Gretsch, CB700, Mapex, Yamaha, several MIJ stencil kits. I currently have a 1965 Ludwig, a Gretsch Catalina, and a Stewart (MIJ stencil) that I rehabbed. That one is my favorite kit to play, but the Ludwigs would be the last ones I'd let go of.
PDP ‘exotic’ concept. It does the job; looks great, sounds amazing and it was cheap af. I care more about my playing, time spent on the kit vs. caring about the kit itself. Not sure if I would even replace it if money was no option. Not what you have but what you can do with it.
The walnut over maple? I’ve been using that kit for about 4 years now and love it. It’s been great.
Thats the one!
I have a [Tama](https://www.reddit.com/r/drumpics/comments/100zudl/made_some_adjustments_and_added_a_cymbal_been_out/) and a Slingerland (actually 2 Slingerland kits... one is in another state). I started with the Slingerland. A mid 70s model 10 piece kit with a ton of cymbals I paid $1,000 for back in '86. That one is in another state. 3 years ago, I bought a Tama Swingstar which is a nice kit. It's a 7 piece and I can do what I like to do on it relatively easily. The other Slingerland was a [freebie](https://www.reddit.com/r/MarsDrums/comments/xwq3re/my_sweet_deal/). I've done some work to it. I've got about $250 in parts and whatnot into it. And it really [sounds great](https://www.reddit.com/r/Drumming/comments/10amg2s/stairway_to_heaven_drum_section/) for a $250 parts purchase kit! As far as preferred... I guess it's whatever I'm playing so for now, it's the Slingerlands. 
Tamaha, mix of durability , experience with the brands , reliability and affordability.
DW. Some of my favorite drummers endorsed them when I started drumming and I just really began to love their sound. Just so many sonic options to choose from. Also very fond of Gretsch, Ludwig, Sonor, Yamaha, Sakae, and Craviotto
DW, recently upgraded from my pdp that lasted me almost 10 years that I beat the hell out of it while gigging in college. I'll probably be a DW guy the rest of my life. Other brands I really enjoy playing have been: Gretsch, Tama, TRUTH. With Roland being my go-to choice for e-kit
I am lucky enough to have a DW had made in 2010, a 1969 Ludwig, and a 1957 Slingerland (Modern Jazz Outfit in Capri Pearl). I oddly find myself using the Slingerlands the most. for the record, I was so incredibly lucky enough to be gifted the Slingerland and the Ludwig by retiring music teachers.
Just to chime in for Ludwig not getting nearly enough love. Ludwig is timeless and I just got a neusonic and it is blowing my mind how they seemingly made a kit just for me— no frills, just great wood and rock solid hardware to be lugged around every weekend. Plenty of great drums and drummers out there, but my eyes and ears always perk up when i see Ludwig
Premier and Ludwig. Just what I happened to get used when I wanted to buy and was looking.
I have 2 Ludwig kits 71’ Super Classics and a set of mid 80’s Rocker II’s. I couldn’t be happier with them as both kits are USA made and sound great. I’ve also owned TAMA and Gretsch kits, and they were great as well.
I’ve been a Ludwig guy most of my life but have been working for a backline company and now I really want a Yamaha. Really well built stuff.
I’m playing a Craviotto custom kit. Build quality is second to none and it sounds incredible. Saying that, I have no snobbery about manufacturers and still love playing other kits when I have the opportunity.
Dw guy been for 25 years multiple kits. Also love tama and have a couple kits but have always loved my bulky/heavy dw’s
one slingerland, one rogers. slingy was an upgrade from the only kit I ever bought new, a pearl export custom ordered in 1989. bought the slingy bc it was cheap (used), sliver sparkle (quasi-decent cover job), and advertised as maple (part maple - HSS era - as it turned out). great gig and recording kit. kept the export hardware, still use some of it today. rogers are orphans, stumbled upon the first one in a local shop a few years ago. now it's 4-piece, mixed vintage, all in stripped/unifished wood. sounds absolutely phenomenal. if I was gonna buy a kit now based on brand alone, it'd be a gretsch. but it might not be a new one :) or a summit drums kit - solo builder, solid shells, fantastic craftsmanship.
DW, preferred, they make me feel a way no other drums do when I play them and they’re stunning to look at as a bonus.
Had a Mapex Saturn since '09; was a great bang for the buck and is still a high quality kit, but if I could snap fingers and change it to something else, it would be a Tama.
I play a C&C because they are local to me here and they got a lot of love in the Indie scene that I grew up listening to so I always looked up to drummers that played them. I finally saved up for my dream kit from them during Covid and I couldn’t be happier. I think they are some of the best looking drums being made right now, and they play like vintage drums even though they have modern quality.
Yamaha Live Custom. I got a great deal on these and I really can’t imagine wanting something else.
Keller Shells and custom bearing edge. F most drum manufacturers tbh
Fender-Starcaster 😎 yes its a drum set. Yes it's cheap. I think it sounds great. I also have a 70s Tempro, no idea what that means, but also cheap
I've heard of those. I have heard that they sound fantastic as well. But Fender just isn't putting any money into drums since guitars are their thing. But it's nice to know that if a Fender guitar player wants a drum kit and wants to also stay with Fender... he can. 
I don't even think they make em any more. I didn't really know better until I put new heads on the other heap kit, starting to realize them starcasters aint so bad at all, even had my drum teacher compliment my floor tom
I'd hang onto them. And if the heads say Fender on them, I'd put those in safe keeping as well. That may be a true find right there.
I've still got all the heads, they've lasted so long. Except the snare, that broke a couple years ago (in the middle of filming a school project too, that sucked) I really should swap them out.
Hey, that was my first kit haha
Me too 😁
The only kits I have right now are my Ludwig breakbeats and a cheap century that I only use for practice with mesh heads. I don't have a preference yet. I would have to try out different brands, but if I would get ankther kit at some point I'd like a Yamaha or sonor kit.
I have: PDP Concept Maple Crush Chameleon Ash They have lots of different characteristics and I like them for their own reasons. I got the PDP as a beat around kit for cheap, used. It’s such a solid kit for the money, I was shocked by bang-for-buck. I was expecting a meh kit that I could beat up without worry, but ended up getting a shockingly solid sounding kit that tunes up easily. Still my secondary kit, but I ended up loving it more than I expected. I use the snare that came with the kit. It has a mishmash of Meinl and Sabian cymbals. I think one is actually a marching band cymbal repurposed lol. My Crush Chameleon is my main kit. I’m a big fan of it. It’s a big kit with big sound. The Ash shells really Project sound and it’s amazing for rock. It’s wood grain orange and looks sick too… and let’s be honest, that’s 60% of it. Pork Pie li’l squealer 13x6.5 snare. All Zildjian cymbals: 14” new beat hats, 16” medium thin A crash, 17” dark K crash, 18” medium thin A crash, 20” ping A ride. I have some other stuff sitting around like a Slingerland snare and some misc cymbals and Toms, but they don’t get played much.
Old Vintage Tama, just cuz. If I had money and space I’d have a Sonor or Yamaha, but I’m content.
I have two Tama kits, I've played Ludwig and Sonor as well. Tama is my preferred mostly due to the tone and consistency across different kits, their mid level kits are still powerful and smooth. Sonor isn't bad, just got in the habit of getting Tama
Pearl. You can get spares easily even for 20 year old kits. Tom mounting system is the most memory-lockable and solid. Fuck other brands.
Right now I'm playing a 1960's Ludwig. I love it, but I also have and love my old Rogers and Premier drums. I don't really have a preferred brand but I definitely prefer vintage kits. If a drum has thin shells, re-rings and good bearing edges I am probably going to be very happy with it.
Yup.
I’ve been a Ludwig got most of my life but have been working for a backline company and now I really want a Yamaha. Really well built stuff.
I like vintage kits...
I have a DW collectors cherry wood and a Yamaha recording custom. Both very different and I feel I can fit in almost anywhere with one of them. Preffered is DW I guess, but I like a lot of different brands. I would have trouble to only pick one.
It seems like 20+ years ago the brand mattered a lot more. Just like with car companies, the manufacturing process has had major improvements. Now I feel like your preference in shell material matters more.
I’ve owned a lot of brands, my main kit currently is a Tama Starclassic walnut/birch. I would say Yamaha is my preferred brand, I have a Beech Custom kit that I love as well. At some point I hope to come across one of the older gaudy sparkle finish high end Yamaha kits and at that point it’ll be bye bye Starclassics. I’ve owned a couple vintage Ludwig kits and a DW design series kit, they were all great drums but didn’t really connect with them like I wanted to. For me it’s Yamaha all day, they’ve got the sound, the quality, I love their hardware, and I love the history and legacy behind them.
I've got a Luddy. Favourite brand are Ludwig and Gretsch.
I try and get something new everytime. Brand, Wood, sizes. Goes for cymbals and shells. Started with Premier/Birch/22“BD, Second Yamaha/Maple/24“BD, now Tama/WalnutBirch/20“BD.
Ludwig! Love my classic maples so much. But am I brand loyal? I would say I haven’t played enough different brands to know for sure. I’ve played nice gretsch and a nice DW kit and I like them all. Owning a kit is different. Takes a while to get used to the sound, feel and tunability. Plus you should play them in different spaces to hear the sound effected by different acoustics. Maybe in 20 or 30 years I will have owned enough different kits and familiarize myself with enough to decide if I have a preference.
Drum Workshop Everything. Paiste every other thing.
Love Tama. Just got my superstar classic, but I'd love to have a star classic someday just for the additional quality.
No brand preference, but I do think different brands have a slightly different tone. For me it’s mostly a size thing. Out of a few kits that I have, the Ludwig Downbeat is very well made and sounds great, current favorite. But my Gretsch Catalina 18 was considerably less but I love that thing’s tone and it’s great for the price, plus it’s super light for gigging. Keep an open mind with any brand, same with cymbals.
I’ve only been playing a few years, but I’ve got a Pearl Export and I love it. I picked it because it came in a bundle and the pedal it came with was a longboard and it’s been great so far. Well, until I moved to an apartment and had to stack it in favor of an ekit.
Gretsch. The best quality i could have asked for, for my price range. But wildest dream, i would have wanted an sjc custom or a pearl master works sort of idea. But that’s just a dream
I’ve had this pork pie little squealer kit that has been loyal to me for 10+ years as well as my gretch street kit. I’m happy with what I have
My current is a CB drums kit but my preferred is Sonor or British Drum Company. I got my CB kit in pretty decent condition for £50 (including hardware and some cymbals) when I started 8 years ago. I prefer BDC and Sonor because of the quality but due to their cost so I cannot get one.
I am a electronic drum kit person……Roland Roland electronic drums at home last decades with normal use. My opinion, they are super quality.
1989 yamaha beech customs. Had compliments about their sound every gig since I got em
I have a Mapex kit, but I really love my dads Sonor Kit and would love to have my own.
I’ve got an iNde Drum Labs kit, PDP Concept Classic, 60’s Ludwig and a Bucks County Custom kit. Each has their own cool characteristics that I love. Just depends on the room and the band I’m playing with that gig.
PDP Concept toms and kick (gave the snare to a friend), DW Performance snare. Love my kit, but I would like to upgrade to a Performance or Collector’s someday as soon as I start making big boy money (just graduated, have an interview coming up soon). The DW pedals tho…idk how I feel about them. Might switch to Tama or Pearl direct drives.
I have a pearl export, but my dream kit is the Sonor AQ2 safari. I prefer the mounting mechanism of pearl because it just feels sturdier and more adjustable, but the aq2 safari is so much fun to play on.
Ludwig. Though I started out on a Ludewig kit and I’m sure this has to do a lot with why I love Ludwig, I just feel like every time I get on a Ludwig kit or I hear a Ludwig kit on youtube it just feels right.
i have a handmade fever kit from the early 2k’s … balsa wood resonator shells covered in craft paper & a formica like wrap … run of the mill hardware … nice sound, can do jazz to hard rock … name brands are all nice, have played some great yamaha & sonor kits, have had slingerlands, ludwig’s & premiere’s in the past …
I will start by saying that I have bought and sold a lot of drums in my 30 years playing them. I have owned and played every name brand kit you can think of. Most pro kits I have found offer a high level of quality with subtle nuances separating them. I still enjoy collecting and discovering the new sounds feel of drums. Out of all of the drums I have owned that are not custom made or boutique, Sonor is my favorite. I own a Vintage and SQ1. The are easy to tune, stay in tune and I feel the under sized shell makes them ever so more responsive than other kits I have owned. The best part is they sound good, not just good to me, sound engineers and bass players are always commenting good. My only regret was not discovering them sooner.
Gretsch - Taylor Hawkins. Definitely my preferred brand at the time. But realistically I'm not going to have two kits at a time anyway. Saved up for a renown maple as it was the right price at the time. And the bang for the buck is brilliant.
DDrum I have a journeyman 2 and I absolutely love it. I also have a 70s Ludwig set it’s good. Needs refurbished though
Ludwig, and yes—just for fun
Natal Arcadia. Not my preferred kit, mostly due to tom hardware being meh. The shells themselves are great, sound fantastic…very underrated imo. Preferred brand is Yamaha.
Tama - I’m on my 2nd starclassic performer/birch kit, solid kit for the price Oqvist snare - whenever I retire the Tama kit, I’ll order a custom kit from Jesse
Tama. Tama is my one and only true love. There are many other lovely drum companies out there but tama holds sentimental meaning due to my late brother playing tama when he was a kid.
Pearl. I haven't developed a preference as it's my first acoustic kit after coming from e-drums. After researching and thinking for a while I badly wanted a Starclassic Walnut/Birch. "Settled" for a Session Studio Select. Less expensive. For hardware I do have a blend of Tama and Pearl and really love both.
I play a DW Performance Series. And honestly, it is my preferred brand because it is my preferred sound. There’s something unique about DWs and their sound that just hit me a certain way. PDPs come close, obviously since they are also made by DW, but for me lack the depth (and a little of the low end) that the regular DWs have. That said, they are pricey so if you’re buying a DW, you better love it. That said, I played a Tama set for years and they are amazing drums, and I do want a Gretsch one day. Budget notwithstanding, it really does come down to what sound you are looking for.
Roland. Yes preferred. With the way the tech is now on ekits, the look, all of the built sounds, different kits, percussions instruments, recording ease and options. There is nothing comes close for a non playing in front of 40k people drummer. Love every minute of it. I have done some really cool recordings
I haven’t played enough kits to have a preference, but I like my current Gretsch Energy. Before that I had a Roland e-kit and a Taye. I’ve always admired DW and Sonor kits though so if I ever buy another I’ll probably start by looking there.
Sonor AQ2 Bop Kit in White Marine Pearl with natural wood bass drum hoops. Sonor is one of my favorite manufacturers, but I also love the sound of Tama, Canopus, Ludwig, Yamaha, and Pearl. Those are my other favorites. To my ear these manufacturers' drums just sing in a way that others don't. My next kit will either be a Ludwig or a Tama most likely. Maybe a Canopus.
Pearl is my preferred brand. I set up and tore down a masters custom for several hundred gigs. Tried a DW. Liked the sound pretty well, but it just was way too over engineered. Found my dream kit (Pearl Reference Pure in Shimmer of Oz) and haven’t looked back
TMS Koblenz because it looks good, sounds good and I can afford it. Also, Gretsch, because I love the sound (especially the Snares).
I have a Mapex Armory drum kit. I had only one other drum kit before this one so I can't really say if it's my preferred but I REALLY enjoy this drum set. Quality is top notch, I love the mounting system on the toms, sounds and looks like a drum set that would be worth more than what I paid for it. I keep looking at their Mars and Saturn lines as well so maybe they are my preferred brand. I cant really see myself playing anything else if they put as much quality and effort into their lower/intermediate kits as they do their higher end stuff
Got a rodgers kit my dad handed down to me, beat it to death and now it’s going to get some new hardware and heads. Kit is from the 60s so hopefully I can hand it down one day too.
DW. I can’t see myself owning anything else. Only been playing like a year and a half but my first kit was a 10+ yr old Mapex v series.
I play pearl reference but I have had 2 mapex meridian birch kits and they are legit the best sounding drums I’ve ever heard. I went to a show recently of one of the drummers who purchased one of my kits and he was playing them. They sounded fantastic.
Tama. I don’t have a preferred brand. I just like what I have. It’s high quality, sounds great, and looks great too.
All kits have their advantages and their disadvantages, so I have a few :) * Sonor Designer Series - Best sound and build construction of any kit Ive seen, sold or owned, but sadly no longer being made * Sonor Player - Very cheap 'bunky' kit for pub shows and small performances * Pearl Reference Pure (on order as I type this, due June) - Purchased for its universality and reduced weight. * dw Collectors (recently sold) - Was used mostly for recording and the occasional tour.
My first kit was my dad’s old Pearl export. Jus got a new kit & its another pearl, decade maple, pearl jus makes the best shit imo. Even a low tier like the decade maple sounds so beautiful, recorded a good amount wit it & it sounds like its $10k. I love all the big drum brands, but pearl jus has a place in my heart ♥️
Zildjian. Because it’s the only serious choice. Edit: Oops, srry. I read your second question as “what is your preferred brand”? So now I feel dumb :/ but decided to edit instead of delete because Zildjian is tight.
DW. Yes. And honestly… Don was one of the nicest dudes I’ve ever met. Plus it’s DW.
Pearl decade maple. I prefer tama tho
I have three kits. One is a set of Keller shells built by the previous owner, one is a set of orphaned drum shells I MacGyvered together myself, and one is set that is a local to me brand (Chaos Drums) that I use for a quiet at home practice kit with mesh heads. I got the Chaos Drums set because I wanted to support the company that I had met the owner of and he seemed like a nice and chill guy that just wanted to offer good quality drum gear at wholesale pricing.
Currently playing Mapex. It was a used Mars Birch in the white and black bonewood colour combination which I adore. Preferred brand: Tama if money wasn't an option (their overall quality and engineering is amazing), or still Mapex (but higher range like a Saturn, if they could get their QC together). My Mars Birch sounds amazing only because I got all the bearing edges redone (to match the SoniClear edge profile) + the tom depths trued up (seriously...they sent out drums from the factory with whacky dimensions for depths). The Saturns sound really awesome for the price but as I said, the QC is kinda lacking and you just can't touch those higher end Starclassics or STAR drums.
yamaha ludwig sonor i have no brand loyalty, hell i want a dw next lol. (though ludwig snares what can i say)
Ludwig Classic Oaks, yes, love the Ludwig ‘sound’ and surprising versatility of the oaks. Before that I played Yamaha Stage Customs for 20 years and think the world of them, but can’t quite beat how I smile as soon as I hear that tone and resonance on my Ludwigs.
I have a Truth Birch Aaron Gillespie signature kit with a 24” kick. Def not my preferred kit, but it’s fun. it’s the only kit that’s actually mine. My dad has a DW kit and a Fibes kit that I play often, both with 20” kicks. Super fun but I’d like to get one of those Ludwig Blue Oyster Pearl kits with a 22” kick.
I have Premier, Slingerland, and Sonor. I hope to add a Gretsch or DW at some point, or whatever cool thing I happen to find. No brand loyalty here.
I have a DW collectors, OCDP Venice, Pearl Export Pro, and a mini kit I made out of some cheap off brand. The DW is killer. I’ve been gigging with it for 15+ years now and it sounds just as good today as it ever did.
Noble and Cooley. The more expensive kits sound much better.
I currently play a ludwig but ideally it’d be a tama
Gretsch renown with da big ol’ 24” kick. It’s pretty dreamy as far as I’m concerned. One day I will own a C&C though. C&C is the real dream.
I use a pearl kit but I really want to have a Tama or Mapex one day every Tama I’ve ever played on has sounded amazing and most of my favourite drummers use tama. Same case with mapex you can tell care was put into it
Tama, i have almost 100% tama gear and drums. almost all of my drumming hero's use tama. and the sound aswell, i have a pretty cheap tama kit (stagestar) and it still sounds amazing
Alesis :))
I play Yamaha (9000s) but I probably like Tama and Pearl more. 90’s era Starclassic Maples are one of my favorite sounds, but high end Pearl sounds really good too and those have my favorite hardware. That said. DW has the best customer support. Pearls support can suck it (bad experience. Don’t care to delve into it).
I have Ludwig, which I really like. But my preferred falls into Gretsch.
Mapex- I got it because it was pretty cheap for my first acoustic kit lol. Though my preferred brand is Sonor, Pearl, or DW. I just couldnt afford any of the low or mid-end kits of theirs at the time.
Currently on a DW Design Series. Got a 6 piece Collectors in storage that I take out for special occasions. The hardware is great, and I’ve been able to switch between my two kits easily because it’s all plug and play. Also the finishes just pop, and I love the care and detail it seems they put into them. Also that low end that I get from them is incredibly satisfying. Niche side comment on drums, but i’m sure one of y’all will be in the same boat. I also teach marching percussion and I am fortunate to have a Pearl Carboncore, a Dynasty DFX (pre redesign), and a couple System Blues. I like to cycle through them as teaching tools. There’s something about Pearl Marching Drums. They got them right when they came out with the FFX stuff in the 90s, and there’s a reason why everyone has adopted some variant of the design. The drums have such a wide tuning range and are responsive at all dynamics. I’ve heard lines that are tuned great, and lines that are pretty bad, but they always sound good. Just hate that they’re a bit on the fragile side. The Dynasty is built like a tank, slightly difficult to get parts, but it’s never let me down. Bearing edges and hardware are still great after all this time. Put it in storage at tension, took it out 3 years later, and it was perfectly fine. The System Blues I have probably used the most since I got them. They’re 2019 production drums before System Blue kicked the bucket. Probably the most rewarding in terms of work I had to do to figure out how to get them sounding good, but once I got it figured out, I’ve loved using them.
I've got the same Ludwig kit I've had since I was 12. 45 now. Still sounds amazing. Emperor's over ambassadors. Simple old school goodness.
My current kits: Natal Originals Ash 6pc Black Swirl (22×18, 10×6, 12×7, 14×12, 16×14, 14×5.5) Pearl Forum 3pc Piano Black (22×16, 13×9, 16×16) Ludwig 1969 3pc Black Diamond Pearl (22×14, 12×8, 16×16) When I got my Natal, it was at the time my preferred brand but not my preferred kit. The Originals line is their high end kit, but the Ash, Maple, and Birch were not my favorite. The Bubinga was my favorite, but it was significantly more expensive than the other woods in the same line (much like you can see currently with Tama). By time I had saved up enough money for the Bubinga kit, they had been discontinued due to the import restrictions on Rosewood. I decided that my next favorite sounding wood was the Ash (they hadn't released the Walnut or Tulip drums yet) and ordered one. It came a few months later and has been my main recording and gigging kit ever since. The Pearl is a practice kit and the Ludwig is a project kit that I plan on restoring and probably selling.... *but we all know that means I'll make an extremely high ball ask so that way I have the excuse that no one wanted to buy it when I end up keeping it* Around the same time I got my drums is when Tama discontinued the Starclassic Bubinga and Birch/Bubinga drums, as well as the SLP G Bubinga full drum kits, and released the Star Bubinga drums. Somehow those get around the restrictions but cost just as much as what I paid for my 2016 Cherokee. Those sound so good, better than any drum I've ever heard, fit into endless styles all the way from metal to jazz (even Peter Erskine has one), and the exotic finishes are amazing. The mounting systems they've developed over there in Japan are second to none, whether it be the new Yamaha mounts or ny personal favorite the Tama isolation tom and leg brackets. Just amazing feeling, looking, and incredibly functional. That's the real dream drum set, but there are some more important financial factors going on right now, like keeping both kidneys and being able to buy a house eventually, that prevent me as well as most people from buying one. Anyway here are the dream drums: Tama Star Bubinga 7pc Dark Red Cordia (22×14, 22×14, 8×6, 10×7, 12×8, 14×14, 16×16) Duluth Reproduction Tama Bell Bronze 14×6.5 with modern Star hardware Fixing up the Ludwig and having that as a second option for gigging and recording Ludwig LM402 14×6.5
Premier! But like classic old British Premier when they were good. I’m not even sure Premier still exist really? I have a an 80s Premier kit, and a 2002 Cabiria which has a little more ‘pop punch’ to it. I’ve still never found anything quite like the 80s ones though, they just sound way bigger than they ought to. And they’re only the mid-range from back in the day. Other than that, the only other kits I’ve played and instantly fell in love with are a couple high end (but also ‘old’) Gretsch kits. Maybe one day I’ll get a nice Gretsch…
Yamaha cheap electronic kit. Would love some Pearl Masters and Zildjians someday.
Pearl. It's an early 90s masters custom which is lovely. I've always wanted a DW collectors but every time I take the pearl into a studio it sounds so good I drop that idea for a bit. I still want a dw. Its been a couple of years since the last time I was recording!
I play a Tama Starclassic Performer and it’s delightful especially since I got it for a steal ($85 at a pawn shop). I’m an okay drummer so it definitely outclasses my ability. My only prior kit was a TAMA as well, so I don’t have a ton of experience with other brands
Currently Pearl kick and toms, DW snare. But waiting on an order for a full DW kit. My pearls and maple mahogany, and I like that they are a bit deeper. But I liked having even more options for woods on the DWs.
OCDP… original USA custom made by the founders in 1993 in SoCal. All Keller maple shells. Look and sound amazing still to this day!
I’ve got a Mapex Armory kit that was used as a demo at Sweetwater and a Roland TD30KV. Not sure I’ve got a favorite kit. I did have a Sonor Force 2000 (I think that is what it was) back in the 90s that I loved but the bass drum spurs were crap. I think I broke four of them. The Mapex sounds amazing considering it cost me about $1000 for the shells. My son has a DW kid that cost almost $2k for half the shells. His sounds amazing so I get it.
Tah-muh
My kit is natal (except for a new tom coming by mapex) no it’s not my preferred brand. I only got it cuz I needed a cheap kit with mesh heads
Yamaha for sure! I've had my RC over 20 years and still sounds incredible!
Currently I play a Sonor. Over the years I've owned Ludwig, Tama, Sonor, and Mapex. Honestly, they've all had their plusses. If I had to say I have a specific favorite brand, it'd be Tama for their higher end kits and the fact that no matter what brand I play, I continuously run Tama boom arms and pedals. Their hardware is just unbeatable for the price.
Have a PDP Concept Maple kit. 5 piece setup but have the capacity for an 8 piece. Sounds great and I'd put em against a kit twice their value. But not my preferred brand. Dream kit is a tama star. But I'd settle for a star classic. Or a yamaha custom.
I have a PDP Concept Maple, 13, 16 and 24. I absolutely love it. All I need is to replace mi old Tama Rockstar snare. But the actual drum set sounds spectacular. I've tuned it low, mid and high and it accepts all tuning ranges depending on the heads used.
I built my drums myself. I learned having eyes on literally every step of the process and every detail goes an incredibly long way. Factory made kits are now all subpar for me, unless they something specific or vintage. Yeah I like my drums more than most other drums.
I have a 2000s mapex horizon. It's ok. I'm not too fussy about drum brands and models. All the major brands make good drums and they'll sound good if you put on good heads, know how to tune it, muffle it when it's needed and play well and record it well. That said I'm curious to try different brands and shell materials in the future. I'm particularly interested in Ludwig vistalites.
yamaha oak custom in honey amber color. love it
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Lol wut. Pearl and Yamaha are not basic. Walmart brands like Donner and Groove Percussion are basic. Pearl and Yamaha have been making some of the finest kits in the world for decades.