Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: Older Pearl export question...with some urgency..!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    A wee bit west of Boston
    Posts
    892
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default Older Pearl export question...with some urgency..!

    I spotted an older Pearl Export kit in OK shape, this morning at an estate sale, and like an idiot (who does not know a thing about drums!), have left my best offer.

    Instead of a floor tom, set has a extra larger tom on its own boom stand.
    The household was into Jazz. would that be a Jazz setup?

    I can still pull my bid off or decide to keep it in... 1 1/2 hrs


    Surprisingly, spouse approves!
    Last edited by poodlesrule; April 8th, 2011 at 11:52 AM. Reason: edit to correct to "boom"
    Less golf, more saxophone

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    W. Branch of Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania
    Posts
    1,044
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    That would be a good rig. What did you do? You could be real happy with that set and have lots of fun, guaranteed.

    The big thing with drums is the heads. You should replace them because they probably are old. If you get the set I can help you with some ideas on good heads for rock use that will make the set sound great. Of course others have other ideas, but being a rock/jazz type drummer for many years I have my preferences. I don't like ring'y boing'y heads. I like a solid rock thump that can be played both soft and loud without sounding like trash can tops.

    Do you get the cymbals too? What kind?

    Not knowing what you offered that could be a good deal. You don't need a lot of drums to begin. I even love Conga drums, and have a set of three, for developing rythym.
    Duffy Bolduc
    South Williamsport, Pa.

    "Now all the things that use to mean so much to me has got me old before my time." G. Allman, "Old Before My Time", Hittin' the Note.

    Major changes to guitars and amps, to be updated soon.

    Fiance - Supportive of musical art

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    A wee bit west of Boston
    Posts
    892
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    I did get it!
    I may have overpaid a little, but the shells look good. It has to be a '92 or '93 Export.

    Hardware is a mixture of Pearl and Tama
    Cymbals: Ziljian ZBT Hi-Hat, 18' Crash Ride, and a Paiste Sound Formula 16". Just right to learn on, IMO.
    Heads are Evans, g2 for toms and "___-reverse dot" for snare. Resos are Pearl brand, maybe the factory set?
    The Pearl metal shell snare cracks pretty good, a lot of fun!

    I need to work on:
    bass drum as the muffling material shifted and puts a bit of pressure of both heads, batter needs adjusting
    make sure Hi-Hat rod is straight.
    get better cymbal sleeves (best kind?)
    getting earplugs... and a drum key!


    Finding a comfortable position and proper piece placement is quite a bit of work.
    As you point out this is plenty for me to learn... and there is lots of it! It may also be the gateway to other types of percussion instruments -congas played well can rock!

    The set is away at my "fun" place, but I have a junk floor tom, pad and throne at home, so I can still practice in my spare time.
    Last edited by poodlesrule; April 11th, 2011 at 04:58 PM. Reason: added cymbal description
    Less golf, more saxophone

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Finland
    Posts
    3,424
    Post Thanks / Like
    Blog Entries
    23

    Default

    Depends, how much did you pay?

    Sometimes you can get the drums itself really cheap. I actually used to have an older Pearl Export set rather same as yours, but it only had the drums really. A 22 kick, snare, 10" 12" 13" and 15" toms, black.

    BUT I didn't have the kick pedal, no cymbals or their stands and no skins on the cans to speak of, plus a shot snare spring---I only had this super cheap hi-hat&stand and the tom holders/stands.

    I always figured I'd some day build a set out of them, but the cost of getting all the missing stuff was so big it woulda been cheaper to buy and entirely new full cheap set :-(

    So I sold 'em off for 50 euros, I guess it was dirt cheap anyhow, because once I posted about it it took mere minutes for someone to call and buy them, and then I kept getting msg's and calls all day although I deleted the post asap.
    Dee

    "When life's a biatch, be a horny dog"

    Amps: Marshall JVM 410H w/ Plexi Cap mod, Choke Mod & Negative Feedback Removal mod, 4x12", Behringer GMX110, Amplitube 3/StealthPedal

    Half a dozen custom built/bastardized guitars all with EMG's, mostly 85's, Ibanez Artwood acoustic & Yamaha SGR bass, Epiphone Prophecy SG, Vox Wah, Pitchblack tuner plus assorted pedals, rack gear etc. for home studio use.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    W. Branch of Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania
    Posts
    1,044
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    So true.

    I have a Yamaha rig that came with the hardware and factory heads. The cymbals I got, all Zildjian "Z's" and an "A" ride, cost as much as the entire set, but these are great pro level cymbals.

    Also, the factory heads were so cheap and ring'y that they had to be replaced with the heads of my liking, which were Remo pinstripes, at the cost of another sum. But I got nice double ply rock type heads that don't require any damping and have a great rock thud.

    I recently put on all new heads and I got ebony pinstripes for all the toms and a Powerstroke for my big snare. I also got an Aquarium Super Kick II bass batter head that sounds really great - no muffling needed inside the drum, and it has a built on muffling ring so when you install it the ring is already there. It also has a circumferential ring of double ply mylar to also quell the ringyness.

    I would suggest putting new heads on any old set of drums, especially if they have the original heads on them; which could be the case. Heads, even if not played, get old and difficult to tune. I would also, personally, get double ply or hydrallic heads if I was mainly playing at home so that my sound would be more toned down, with the extreme ring'yness dampended so that soft playing doesn't sound like playing the bottoms of a bunch of metal trash cans. But I like a full, musical thud tone rather than the ringing tone that requires dead ringers for playing at home. I also have mostly light weight cymbals so I get that great "pshsssssss" sound, rather than clanging when playing along to CDs or alone at home.

    Depends upon what you need. If you are playing in a loud rock band you need to put on some heavier heads to cut thru, and maybe even some single ply quality heads, but for home the double ply or hydrallic heads and some thin cymbals work great.

    You probably could have picked up some used stands and a pedal and high hat stand, plus worked in some used cymbals for not that much money, Dee. That set sounded kind of neat, with the three rack toms, plus black is easy to add to if you are interested in having a relatively matched set. Mine are natural walnut stained wood shells, not plastic wrapped.

    Around here you can't find a good used guitar on craigslist but there are a lot of real good drum sets selling cheap right now.
    Duffy Bolduc
    South Williamsport, Pa.

    "Now all the things that use to mean so much to me has got me old before my time." G. Allman, "Old Before My Time", Hittin' the Note.

    Major changes to guitars and amps, to be updated soon.

    Fiance - Supportive of musical art

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    W. Branch of Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania
    Posts
    1,044
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    How's the drum rig working in?
    Duffy Bolduc
    South Williamsport, Pa.

    "Now all the things that use to mean so much to me has got me old before my time." G. Allman, "Old Before My Time", Hittin' the Note.

    Major changes to guitars and amps, to be updated soon.

    Fiance - Supportive of musical art

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    A wee bit west of Boston
    Posts
    892
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    It is going very slow...!

    I have the set at my other place and I am there only some of the time, I need to set some time aside just for practice, as after a day's work, I do not have the juice to get to it.
    I work on my rudiments separately, on a practice pad. I hit the local libraries and got me some fundamental DVDs from (the late) Joe Morello and Tommy Igoe to study from. Goal is to get the simple, rock beat down fairly well, natural, with punch, then add variations (4 on the floor, etc), flourishes, move rudiments around the kit.

    I have not changed anything yet on the set, and still working on getting a comfortable position. I need a boom stand to bring the ride closer. Still not happy with the its sound (ZBT), so it will be the first thing to get upgraded.
    I got and like the 7As sticks as you recommended, yet, I naturally go back to the 5As...

    I now get a kick out of watching local bands' drummers working, specifically ignoring the (guitar) lead parts, which feels odd..!

    EDIT to add: I just noticed that the stats say the thread was read 400 times! Odd.
    Less golf, more saxophone

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    W. Branch of Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania
    Posts
    1,044
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    I'd say when you get your ride, get a "thin" one that really shimmers, not clang'y. You probably don't want clankity clank clank clank unless you need to cut thru a loud band. You can always get a clank by hitting the bell part anyway.

    I went to the music shop the other day and tapped on probably over twenty five rides. I found at least two that I really liked. I think they were about 225 or so and they were 22 inch ones. I can't remember what brands they were except that a couple of the best sounding were Zildjians. Others were either Paiste or Sabian. The ones I picked sounded especially good to me. Hopefully the salesman, I know well, will remember the one I really liked. They have a drum specialist.

    I would say to tap on a bunch of them and pick out the ones you like the best. There should be a big selection and it should be in a quiet environment, not GC. Once you pick out the ones you like the best, if you are like me, you'll have a hard time deciding which one to get because they all sound so good and are about the same price.

    When hit, I like to hear a nice controlled, even decay of the sound that doesn't oscillate in an unbalanced, wobbly type of way, but should produce a steady sound that fades away evenly without unbalanced tones washing around unevenly.

    I think every cymbal sounds slightly different, just like every snowflake is different. There are a lot of things going on there: thicknesses, machining, castings, alloys, hammerings, hand crafting, different set ups of the machines by different people, skill of the craftsman, etc.

    I bought a really comfortable Roc-n-sock throne that has a hydralic seat post and a backrest. I used to use an improvised stool that actually worked pretty good.

    Keep practicing your rhythms and don't be afraid to let go and improvise into your own grooves. It's only rock and roll, and I like it.
    Duffy Bolduc
    South Williamsport, Pa.

    "Now all the things that use to mean so much to me has got me old before my time." G. Allman, "Old Before My Time", Hittin' the Note.

    Major changes to guitars and amps, to be updated soon.

    Fiance - Supportive of musical art

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •