7 Stunning Drum Sets

Recently, at Sweetwater, we’ve seen a slew of jaw-dropping drum sets come through our doors. Ranging from natural-wood finishes in lustrous high-gloss shines to old-school pastels and new-school digital wraps, there’s no end to the stunning variations of kits populating our showroom. Here are 7 breathtaking kits that have generated some serious excitement on the Sweetwater campus.

Gretsch Drums Catalina Special Edition
Walnut/Maple CS2-R425 5-piece Shell Pack with Snare Drum – Walnut Burst

From their best-selling Catalina series, the Gretsch Drums Catalina Special Edition Walnut/Maple CS2-R425 5-piece shell pack is a limited-run offering that any player with a discerning ear for response and tone will love. Made from seven plies of broadband maple and cutting walnut, each shell is capped with 30-degree bearing edges that optimize head-shell response for mind-blowing tone that jumps front and center in any mix, any style. Vintage old-school claw hooks tension wood hoops to each shell for some serious classic, warm tone that punches through on really aggressive attack as well as with more subtle play. For the Gretsch aficionados, the Catalina Special hardware features include round badges, high-profile tom legs and mounts, and a classic Gas Cap bass plate — additions that exude vintage vibe from a legendary name in the world of drums. Don’t sleep on this collector’s kit! Once they are all gone, they won’t be seen again!

Sonor SQ2 3-piece Shell Pack

A shining star from Sonor’s custom shop, the Sonor SQ2 kit delivers a sonically balanced tonal profile you have to hear to believe. While this kit is undoubtedly stellar onstage, where it really excels is in the studio, due to several thoughtful and innovative design elements. The SQ2’s North American maple shells are manufactured using Sonor’s proprietary Cross Lamination Tension Free shell-making method, which makes for an ultra-stable, perfectly round shell with pristine resonance. Furthermore, Sonor outfitted the SQ2 with its Advanced Projection System grommets, designed to decouple the wood shells from the metal lugs and eliminate loss of tone through energy transfer. To truly customize the sound of your kit, the SQ2 features AcoustiGate technology, a system for quickly altering shell sustain, so you can go from a wide-open stadium rock sound to a tight and dry ’70s-style R&B sound in seconds. And, it’s all finished in a striking Stratawood semi-gloss veneer for a luxurious appearance that will inspire you to spend hours behind the kit.

Pearl Export EXL725S/C 5-piece Drum
Set with Snare Drum

Upgrading one of their most popular kits to make it even better, the Pearl Export EXL725S/C 5-piece drum set is that set that will satisfy both emerging and seasoned players alike. The Export EXL725S features Asian mahogany shells with Pearl’s renowned Superior Shell Technology (SST) that maximizes each shell’s durability and frequency response for punchy, dynamic tone that holds up to vigorous play gig after gig. Pearl’s Acousticglue technique of boiling and pressing the glue between each ply also ensures optimal resonance, creating a seamless, single-ply response. Pearl’s Opti-Loc mounting system is yet another refined design feature that keeps each tom firmly in place, eliminating wobble and maximizing response on each strike. And, with 830-series hardware, players can be confident that their custom positioning of cymbals and heads is rock-solid for optimal performance. This kit also includes a P-930 bass drum pedal that combines Pearl’s Demon Drive pedal with their Eliminator interchangeable-cam technology for dialing in precise power and control.

Mapex Armory 6-piece Studioease Fast
Tom Shell Pack

For players of heavy genres, the Mapex Armory 6-piece Studioease Fast Tom shell pack packs the kind of punchy, full tone that won’t get overwhelmed by the cascade of loud guitars. Birch inner and outer plies provide a really focused attack that has a modern, close-miked sonic result. In addition, Mapex’s SONIClear bearing edges lay drumheads flat on the shell to eliminate rocking and to allow for a wider tuning range as well as pure, deep fundamentals. The kick and toms in this pack are made from hand-selected maple that is resonant and projects strongly, mixing in beautifully with the drier overtones of the birch. And, for the devoted metal drummer, the included Tomahawk steel snare delivers all the growl, sensitivity, and penetrating cut that the genre demands!

DW Collector’s Series Santa Monica Shell Pack

DW went back to its roots when designing the DW Collector’s Series Santa Monica kit. One of its distinguishing characteristics is a Camco-style shell design, which was popular around the time DW first started manufacturing drums. Camco shells use 6-ply construction, which on its own is not uncommon. However, they also contain 6-ply reinforcement hoops made from super-thin 1/32″ single plies. This unique configuration produces a monstrous tone with strong, focused fundamentals. Like all DW Collector’s Series drums, the Santa Monica kit comes equipped with DW’s matchless hardware — True-Pitch tension screws, graduated triple-flanged True Hoops, and washerless STM suspension tom mounts — contributing to the sonic superiority that made DW one of the most respected drum makers in the world.

Gretsch Drums Catalina Club 4-pc Shell Pack with Snare Drum

One of the more compact kits on this list, the Gretsch Catalina Club is ideal for small venues and as a home-studio kit. However, despite its minimal footprint, the Catalina Club pushes out massive tone. In part, this derives from its 7-ply mahogany shells. A softer tonewood than maple, birch, and oak, mahogany generates formidable low end. The Catalina Club also features a 14″-deep kick drum. Like the rest of the Catalina Club kit, the kick’s modest size doesn’t mean it has a modest sound. In fact, the opposite is true. Because of the shortened depth, the kick needs to drive less air to produce a tone, which means that it opens up immediately, sending forth colossal booms. John Bonham, one of the most bombastic drummers of all time, was known for his larger-than-life drum tones, and, throughout his career, he primarily played a 14″-deep kick. Generously priced, the Catalina Club kit punches well above its weight, and its vintage-inspired Yellow Satin Flame wrap is a beauty to behold.

Vox Telstar 4-piece Shell Pack

When you first encounter the Vox Telstar kit, you might do a double take. With its retro-futuristic design, it looks like something straight out of a 1960s sci-fi flick, which makes sense given that it’s a reproduction of a rare Vox/Trixon kit from that era. The original Telstar had a relatively limited run, but it has been a favorite of drum collectors for years. Now, Vox has brought back this quirky kit for modern drummers who have a taste for the unusual. Yet, this is no novelty kit. There is a method behind the aesthetic madness. The signature “flat tire” kick drum offers drummers a fast and easy way to drastically change their tone by merely sliding their kick pedal left or right to take advantage of its sloped shape. Move to the left, and you have a tight, focused sound. Shift to the right, and you get a fat sound with a fuller bottom end. To complete its throwback vibe, the Vox Telstar kit comes equipped with a vintage-style flat-base snare stand, hi-hat stand, and kick pedal along with bass-mounted tom and ride arms. Want to stand out from the crowd? Then there’s no better kit than the Vox Telstar.

Which of these dazzling new kits caught your eye? Give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700 and let us know. We offer great drum financing and the best pricing and service you’ll find anywhere.

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