Drums - Birch vs. maple?

Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 9:31 pm

For mainstream rock, I'd get mid priced birch kit and also replace the snare. That's where most of these kits are lacking IMO. I really think Mapex and Yamaha are great sets for the price. I don't think Pearl is making bad stuff either these days. Someday I want a custom Spaun, or a Noble & Cooley... ahh... dreams. Smile

Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 10:26 am

I just spent my life savings on a birch dw collectors edition. I don't regret it, but sometimes it baffles me how good some of my old drum sets sound. I guess I could say that drums, like most instruments, are non-linear as far as price and quality go. It's like those painful dB logarithms... For instance, the sound quality of a $300 kit compared to a $1000 kit will probably be a HUGE difference, whereas the quality of that same $1000 kit compared to that of a $2,500 kit, won't be that big of a jump.

Like the other guys are saying, find something suitable for your style of music...

Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 10:28 am

BrianaW wrote:

For mainstream rock, I'd get mid priced birch kit and also replace the snare. That's where most of these kits are lacking IMO. I really think Mapex and Yamaha are great sets for the price. I don't think Pearl is making bad stuff either these days. Someday I want a custom Spaun, or a Noble & Cooley... ahh... dreams. Smile

Oh, She is completely right about the snare thing!!

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:02 am

Knowing how to properly tune drums, the mic you use, and the space you record in are all much more significant than whether they are birch or maple.

Jim

Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2008 9:41 pm

Who Said it has to be new? You can prob find great used kit and put heads on it your getting more bang for your buck that way and if your lucky it will already have cases with it. If you arent going to be touring with it then looks go by the wayside as a factor in your choice. Drums are sexy anyway because their drums. If they sound good then they are. Im a maple guy myself. happy choosing
Paul

Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:22 am

BobRogers wrote:

I was doing the same kind of search this spring in about the same price range. Ended up with this Mapex set. I think that in this range most companies are contracting overseas and so it's safest not to put too much faith in a long term track record of a brand. Take a look at the individual models. (In the case of the Mapex, I was pleased with the fit and finsh, quality of the hardware, smoothness of the bearing edges. As much as I'd like a nice $3-4K DW or Yamaha set, I feel I got good bang for the buck.)

Actually, I think the shells are way down the list in factors contributing to recorded drum sound. Good heads, tuned correctly (a Drum Dial really helped me improve here) top quality cymbals (where the best is barely good enough) Most of all a good room. Those are the things I see as most important.

I have that kit in green. It's a good kit overall and great for the money. I bought a 16" floor tom to make it a 7 piece. The snare was a little vanilla for my taste but a pair of vintage Acrolites from the 'bay for under $200 total fixed that issue. Cymbals are the more critical item. I run with a variety of K's on that kit.

My other kit is a Gretsch jazz kit with mahogany shells. Very, very different sounding kit. The 18/12/14 sizes are a factor but clearly the wood in the main factor in the differences.

I am using Even's G1's on the toms and Ambassadors on the snares. Tuning is key and as stated previously, a drum dial can be invaluable in learning this skill and helps with consistency.

Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 8:58 pm

if you are looking for inexpensive quality i ould suggest the pearl smx or bmx series, (smx being maple and bmx being birch)
pearl just discontinued the series about a year ago, but many places still have them and are actually getting rid of them for cheap to make room for new stuff,
i own an smx kit and it sounds awesome, it has a lot of top notch features of pearls higher end kits, you can grab a full kit for like 900 usd plus 100 in heads and your set,

as far as heads, thats a whole other story for specifics of what when and where, so just go talk to your local drum guy at guitar center and he will help you, or just post a reply saying you want specifics and i could give you my opinion,

i will say this about snare heads though,
i've recorded twice at the same studio with my band, the first time using a coated ambassador, the second an evans power center reverse, both being put on the first day of recording,
i was pleased with the end result in both cases, maybe even the coated ambassador a bit more,
but after recording the ambassador sounds like crap, it looses a lot of its crack and that is due to it being only single plied,
now as a drummer who is more concerned with performances rather than recording, i really want something that sounds good over a longer period of time,
the single ply heads hold thier tuning better during the recording
but double ply will last longer,
just something to think about, if you are super serious about a good drum sound everytime and if you are going to be getting new heads every session

hope that i was at least a little bit helpful

oh and p.s. i am a big advocate for the drum dial use during EVERY SESSION, it makes my toms sing

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 9:48 pm

OK, YESTERDAY WAS MY FIRST TIME HERE, AND I READ THIS ENTIRE POST.
I´M A PRODUCER7WRITER/PRO LIVE AND STUDIO DRUMMER, AND I´VE WORKED WITH SEVERAL MAJOR ARTISTS AND RECORDED IN SEVERAL MAJOR STUDIOS. I´VE HAD A PROMO DEAL WITH SONOR DRUMS, DW PEDALS, AND ZILDJIAN FOR YEARS NOW, AND HAVE SEVERAL KITS, AND CYMBALS TO CHOSE FROM.
I HAVE 8 SNARE DRUMS IN DIFFERENT SIZES AND MATERIALS.
I PREFER MAPLE OR BRASS SNARE DRUMS TO BIRCH.
MY FAVOURITE SNARES ARE MY 1980 14 x 6 1/2 LUDWIG BLACK BEAUTY, MY 1983 14 x 6 1/2 BIRCH (MAPLE FINISH) TAMA ARTWOOD, A YAMAHA BRASS PICCOLO, (DAVE WECKL`S SNARE, BEFORE HIS SIGNATURE MODEL) A DIXON 12 x 5 MAPLE, AND A DIXON 10 X 5 MAPLE.
I HAVE SEVERAL KITS IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT SIZES, BUT USUALLY ORDER A DESIGNER KIT FROM SONOR FOR MY TOURS.
I WOULD SAY FOR ALL AROUND, GO FOR A BIRCH KIT WITH A MAPLE OR BRASS SNARE, DEPENDING ON WHAT SOUND YOU´RE LOOKING FOR.
AMBASSADOR HEADS ON THE SNARES, AND I USE EITHER PIN STRIPES TOP, AND BLACK DOT BOTTOMS, OR EVANS ON SOME OF MY DRUMS.
THOSE TUNING DEVICES SUCK. YOU HAVE TO TUNE WITH A KEY BY EAR, OR USING A PIANO, IF YOUR EAR ISN´T GOOD ENOUGH.
THE SMALLER THE DRUM, THE EASIER TO TUNE, BECAUSE THERE´S LESS AIR MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE HEADS. YOU CAN MAKE A GOOD SOUNDING SMALL KIT SOUND LIKE A HUGE JOHN BONHAM KIT USING THE RIGHT COMPRESSION, AND ROOM. Very Happy

I KNOW THAT SONOR DRUMS ARE QUITE EXPENSIVE IN THE USA, AS WELL AS DW DRUMS. MAPEX IS A PRETTY GOOD LOW PRICED KIT, YAMAHA IS ALSO GOOD. I USE TO HAVE A TAMA SUPERSTAR BIRCH KIT WITH MAHOGANY FINISH IN NORMAL STANDARD SIZES THAT SOUNDED GREAT.
I ONLY SOLD IT BECAUSE, I GOT RECORD DEAL, AND A DEAL WITH SONOR. Very Happy

THOSE OLD TAMA´S HAD A FAT SOUND.
MY FAVOURITE SONOR KIT THAT I USE ON CLUB GIGS IS MADE UP FROM
THE SMALLEST DRUMS FROM MY HUGE OLD SONOR LITE KIT, WHICH ARE BIRCH
I´VE ALSO USED THIS KIT IN MANY STUDIOS WITH GREAT RESULTS.
THE SIZES ARE 10 x 9 TOM, 12 x 11 TOM, 13 x 12 TOM, 16 x 17 BASS DRUM, AND A 10 x 5 DIXON MAPLE SNARE. THIS KIT BLOWS EVERY KIT AWAY LIVE OR IN THE STUDIO.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK FOR A USED KIT. THEY HAVE A BIT MORE WARMTH TO THEM, AND YOU CAN GET THEM CHEAPER, UNLESS THEY´RE OVER 30 YEARS OLD, AND CONSIDERED VINTAGE.
I MEAN, I´VE TAKEN THE CHEAPEST DRUMS ON OCCASIONS, AND TUNED THEM, AND GOT A GREAT SOUND; SO THE TUNING PLAYS A MAJOR FACTOR.
EXAMPLE; I BOUGHT MY YAMAHA PICCOLO VERY CHEAP FROM A DRUMMER HERE IN TOWN. HE HAD IT TUNED TERRIBLY, BUT I KNEW FROM THE DAVE WECKL VIDEOS HOW GOOD THAT DRUM COULD SOUND.
HE SHOWED UP AT ONE OF MY CONCERTS WHEN I WAS USING THE YAMAHA PICCOLO, AND OFFERED TO BUY IT BACK, BECAUSE IT SOUNDED SO GOOD. Very Happy

I TOLD HIM, IT WILL ONLY SOUND GOOD UNTIL YOU BREAK A HEAD, AND THEN YOU´LL NEED ME TO TUNE IT FOR YOU!!!!!!!! Very Happy

THAT WAS THE TRUTH, BECAUSE HE REALLY DIDN´T KNOW HOW TO TUNE THAT DRUM, WHICH IS THE REASON HE SOLD IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. Very Happy

ANYWAY, SMALL BIRCH DRUMS, WITH A MAPLE OR BRASS SNARE SHOULD WORK GREAT FOR RECORDING PURPOSES.
I WOULD ALSO SAY SMALLER CYMBALS, (ZILDJIANS) BECAUSE IN THE STUDIO, YOU CAN MAKE ANYTHING SMALL SOUND BIG, BUT IT´S MORE DIFFICULT TO MAKE BIG SOUND SMALL. Very Happy

PEACE,
DICARLO

Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:49 pm

Dude, seriously - I dig where your comin' from, but typing everything in CAPITAL LETTERS makes that whole post unreadable.

Please knock it off!

Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 8:57 pm

Yea, I agree with Birch. It has a lower tone to it, which I like. Plus its cheaper! Very Happy

Anyways, check out the Ludwig Accent Custom Elite. $700 for a REALLY great sounding drumset. Just make sure you get a set that starts with a 10" tom.
The snares on those Ludwigs though do suck really bad.

If you do want to go Maple, check out the Gretch Catalina. My buddy has one and it sounds REALLY nice, and again, Its pretty cheap.

Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 10:19 am

PORK PIE drums are the best out there for SOUND and QUALITY. =)

http://www.porkpiedrums.com/

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