I'll tell ya what guys,I've been playing drums since 1964.That's along time. I've always took great pride in my method of tunning drums.I don't care what kit or manufacturers your demoing, you always get the greatest sound out of each and every kit.That says a lot to me.Your reviews are honest and you don't sugar coat anything.Keep up the great job guys.Ive owned several DW kits.I personally prefer the all maple kits.The great thing about DW is they offer something for just about everyone's taste.Yes they come in at a premium price tag.so do all the major manufacturers for there hi end kits. I think what DW has done is raise the bar for all drum manufacturers. If your going to put a big price tag on it then it better be good cause John Good ain't done yet.These people are serious drum builders.!!!
I heard before and believe that DW and Sonor shells are the best lifetime shells I love sitting behind a DW set The sound is like no other They will ring forever
I’ve never been a DW drum guy as much as I’ve been a fan of their hardware. I play another brand of drums, but I’ll often upgrade the drum’s hoops, snare set and of course the stands and pedals with Drum Workshop. You just can’t beat how much abuse they can take and still be rock solid. Great review as always, Nollie!
I am not aq drummer but i have to agree.......If I were to ever buy a kit.....it would never be DW as they never come out right in a recording.....but do like the hardware!
Thank you guys for making these reviews. Very helpful and informative. Well made presentation and intelligent production. I love waching these videos. Might worth to dedicate one video for your recording methods. I would be very interested about how do you record and mix the sound of these drums. Thanks again and look forwad to more of these reviews.
That kit surely sounds good. If I would have one remark about it: it lacks a bit of personality. The finish on the one hand, but the sound on the other hand too. It sounds like a kit that will work in every situation, but will not really stand out at any. On top of that, I'm not a fan of the DW-style lugs. So after all, not a kit for me, but I would completely understand why someone goes after it.
Mike Van Daele I think you’ve pretty much summed it up. I’ve never heard a DW kit that really blows me away, sound wise. It’s always struck me as the drum version of white bread or Budweiser. It could just be that I tend to like more classic sounding drums made with maple or mahogany. It’s possible even a head change could open them up a bit. I also have never been a fan of the lugs.
I'd check out pdp. Maple or birch shells, tuned medium to high with evens ec 2s on top. And stock heads on botto. Should be a tastey open sounding kit, with a limited sustain.
but the feel when your playing a dw collectors doesnt come close ,the sound you get from sitting behind a Dw collectors sounds better than any kit ,Dw collectors is so easy to do fills or lay a groove and it doesnt choke .Tonez for days
Wow what a sound from those toms. you mentioned the bass drum sound but it doesn't translate. with all the muffling and mic pick up it just sounds like any other bass drum. Most demo's I have watched and listened to I have the same complaint across the board. The bass drum is too chocked and the mic only pics up the attack with no sustain at all...sounds blatty.
I can’t believe this guy said this DW Kit wasn’t eye catching or however he put it. I’ve had so many drummer friends and musicians of all types compliment my kit admiring the wood grain in solid maple, I was insulted by this guy’s description (whoever he is).
Compared to what though? Tama star, Sonor sq2, craviotto etc are all the same money. If you get a chance to visit the factory you’ll really appreciate what you are paying for. It’s like anything high end its reassuringly expensive
@@dwdrum11 DW collectors sound the same as their "performance" series and their own top versions of their PDP brand. Their ability to market and get people to pay $1000 more for similar sounding drums is what gets them so much hate in the drumming community.
Alexander Jamieson as does pearl with a maple session kit vs a masters, tama with a star classic vs a star. Sonor with a force maple vs sq2 maple, Yamaha live vs 9000 rc maple I could go on they all sound nice, heads and tuning make a bigger difference. However with any high end kit you’re paying extra for hand finishing and the r&d that goes into making these drums. They are just round shells after all. When you say hate in the drumming community I don’t hear the people who record them complaining, is it the same drumming community that also hates bass drum mounted toms? Yet Steve Smith loves them on his sonor, Dave weckl told me he loves mounted toms. There’s so much negativity in the drumming community it’s unreal yet it’s not the real pro’s who complain. I’ve left most forums as they’re full of keyboard warriors not professional drummers
@@dwdrum11 The real pros get sponsored by their respective drum manufacturers, so when us working/gigging drummers who have to earn a living outside of music complain about marketing hype over tone woods, it doesn't make us keyboard warriors. I fully understand what drummers are actually paying for with high-end kits are improved hardware and finishing options. The big problem is when some kid starting out drumming get's duped into believing marketing hype about tone woods and talks about how "birch, or poplar" drums suck or why this brand's wood is so much better over that brand's wood, etc. Some of the best drum recordings ever came from a plastic (acrylic) drum set played by none other than Jon Bonham. DW and Pearl are the worst offenders.
I used to have a Keller DW. They were nice drums. I'm sort of embarrassed to say I think the Mapex Armory sounds better to me than this Collectors, although I love the snare drum here
I don't like DW's lugs. They are almost screaming: hey, we are here, big and round mushrooms on the shell! They are impractical as well. Every well designed lug should be oblong shaped. It helps to reduce surface touching the shell and it is better distributes all tensions coming from the rods. Check out famous Yamaha, Sonor or Ludwig lugs.
DW are very expensive and well marketed, getting high profile drummers to use them. Endorsements ? Gretsch and Ludwig sound better and are cheaper, in my personal opinion.
Dw has the best feel for drums ,when you sit behind them they feel nothing like ludwigs or any type of kit ,they are expensive drums because its american labor and high end quality ,ludwigs dont close ,if you havent owned one you cant knock it till you try it .
Agreed. Aside from top notch build quality, they have a lot of nice technology that’s their own. Gretsch and Ludwig are good sounding iconic shells, especially gretsch. And they’re built in California ffs.
DW drums are like getting a $45 filet mignon steak, with no seasoning or sauce to go with it. They just lack character, and immediate recognition, something that manufacturers such as Sonor, Yamaha, Ludwig, and Gretsch all have. They are instantly and pleasantly recognizable, great sounding and well manufactured drums, with Yamaha and Ludwig costing way less, and with all 4 having a much more rich history. What do you think big name producers use in studio? A brand new DW, or a vintage Gretsch, Ludwig, or Yamaha recording custom ? The proof is in the pudding. It's a no brainer. DW..Don't believe the hype. On a side note, another insane product from them, is their machined direct drive pedals. Extremely heavy on the stroke no matter how you adjust them, and outrageously priced, with a single pedal going for the price of a used 5 piece Grestch Catalina maple kit, and the double pedal coming in at a whopping $1200 USD. Sorry DW, you need to get back to the drawing board..
nah ur right, Sonor and Yamaha absolutely put drum workshop to shame and anyone who can’t see or hear it obviously has their head in the ground and can only respond be calling people “haters” for not liking dull, bland, subpar drums hahaha... but gretsch was bought out by DW so expect the quality to diminish now unfortunately
I dont know where you got that DW sound from ,you sound like the type of person that cant afford a dw collectors and hate on them because there not cheap 😂🤣i got the 90's yamaha recording custom and i got a dw collectors and as i own both they are 2 totally different beasts, yamaha has a dry controlled phat tone that is great for studio because yamaha created the recording for a studio enviroment , now the dw collectors are both studio and live kit ,i tune them right on the money and have a yamaha subkick in front of my dw 22 kick and no matter big or small gigs ,everyone loves my dw's even sound engineers smile when i pull out my sparkly DW collectors because they know there gonna sound amazing as they always do .I dont think you have ever played a dw collectors because everything you described sounds like nothing dw collectors sound like and i know because i own a dw pure maple 5 piece 2 toms 2 floors and 22 kick and i can assure anyone DW collectors kit will beat any kit out there just on the kick alone no other kick has that power .
I'll tell ya what guys,I've been playing drums since 1964.That's along time. I've always took great pride in my method of tunning drums.I don't care what kit or manufacturers your demoing, you always get the greatest sound out of each and every kit.That says a lot to me.Your reviews are honest and you don't sugar coat anything.Keep up the great job guys.Ive owned several DW kits.I personally prefer the all maple kits.The great thing about DW is they offer something for just about everyone's taste.Yes they come in at a premium price tag.so do all the major manufacturers for there hi end kits. I think what DW has done is raise the bar for all drum manufacturers. If your going to put a big price tag on it then it better be good cause John Good ain't done yet.These people are serious drum builders.!!!
I heard before and believe that DW and Sonor shells are the best lifetime shells I love sitting behind a DW set The sound is like no other They will ring forever
I’ve never been a DW drum guy as much as I’ve been a fan of their hardware.
I play another brand of drums, but I’ll often upgrade the drum’s hoops, snare set and of course the stands and pedals with Drum Workshop.
You just can’t beat how much abuse they can take and still be rock solid.
Great review as always, Nollie!
I am not aq drummer but i have to agree.......If I were to ever buy a kit.....it would never be DW as they never come out right in a recording.....but do like the hardware!
Thank you guys for making these reviews. Very helpful and informative. Well made presentation and intelligent production. I love waching these videos. Might worth to dedicate one video for your recording methods. I would be very interested about how do you record and mix the sound of these drums. Thanks again and look forwad to more of these reviews.
that bass drum sounds so good
Hats 🎩 off to Drummer’s Review as always you are a class act and I like how you pointed out the strengths of this DW kit. Great Job
What a great sounding kit! The snare is killer
I love those lugs!
Especially the black chrome color!
Please review more DW Collecter types of kits. I would like to see a cherry wood DW Collectors make its way into one of these videos.
That's the best bass drum I've ever heard, honest.
That kit surely sounds good.
If I would have one remark about it: it lacks a bit of personality. The finish on the one hand, but the sound on the other hand too. It sounds like a kit that will work in every situation, but will not really stand out at any.
On top of that, I'm not a fan of the DW-style lugs. So after all, not a kit for me, but I would completely understand why someone goes after it.
Mike Van Daele I think you’ve pretty much summed it up. I’ve never heard a DW kit that really blows me away, sound wise. It’s always struck me as the drum version of white bread or Budweiser. It could just be that I tend to like more classic sounding drums made with maple or mahogany. It’s possible even a head change could open them up a bit. I also have never been a fan of the lugs.
Could you do the collector series DW in Mahogany gum
Ride cymbal is a Meinl Byzance 21" Transition ride!
smooth white ? its better coated
look so good man
Satin harware and they're next level.
Over priced but man do they sound good!!
I really enjoy watching your video's! Do you guy's have any suggestions on a good 6-8 piece set under 1,000 for metal and good metal heads?
If you're looking for 6-8 piece kits under $1000, your best bet is likely to find some used Tama drums.
Mapex- Armory is about $900 for a 6pc (with snare).
Yamaha Stage Custom Birch with clear emperors.
Tama Superstar classic !
I'd check out pdp. Maple or birch shells, tuned medium to high with evens ec 2s on top. And stock heads on botto. Should be a tastey open sounding kit, with a limited sustain.
I probably need to hear it live but listening to the demo clips, the Gretchen Renown sounds just as good at a 3rd of the price.
but the feel when your playing a dw collectors doesnt come close ,the sound you get from sitting behind a Dw collectors sounds better than any kit ,Dw collectors is so easy to do fills or lay a groove and it doesnt choke .Tonez for days
Wow what a sound from those toms. you mentioned the bass drum sound but it doesn't translate. with all the muffling and mic pick up it just sounds like any other bass drum. Most demo's I have watched and listened to I have the same complaint across the board. The bass drum is too chocked and the mic only pics up the attack with no sustain at all...sounds blatty.
agree. I'm not a DW fan, i am more of a Tama Guy, but those toms and FT blown me away. Paradox, kick it's what i liked less…
I can’t believe this guy said this DW Kit wasn’t eye catching or however he put it. I’ve had so many drummer friends and musicians of all types compliment my kit admiring the wood grain in solid maple, I was insulted by this guy’s description (whoever he is).
what mic on a toms ? )
tom mics?
What ride is that?
i think its kinda overpriced but its really good sonically speaking
Dw fan, but agreed nonetheless. A "little" overprice, but fine anyway.
Compared to what though? Tama star, Sonor sq2, craviotto etc are all the same money. If you get a chance to visit the factory you’ll really appreciate what you are paying for. It’s like anything high end its reassuringly expensive
@@dwdrum11 DW collectors sound the same as their "performance" series and their own top versions of their PDP brand. Their ability to market and get people to pay $1000 more for similar sounding drums is what gets them so much hate in the drumming community.
Alexander Jamieson as does pearl with a maple session kit vs a masters, tama with a star classic vs a star. Sonor with a force maple vs sq2 maple, Yamaha live vs 9000 rc maple I could go on they all sound nice, heads and tuning make a bigger difference. However with any high end kit you’re paying extra for hand finishing and the r&d that goes into making these drums. They are just round shells after all. When you say hate in the drumming community I don’t hear the people who record them complaining, is it the same drumming community that also hates bass drum mounted toms? Yet Steve Smith loves them on his sonor, Dave weckl told me he loves mounted toms. There’s so much negativity in the drumming community it’s unreal yet it’s not the real pro’s who complain. I’ve left most forums as they’re full of keyboard warriors not professional drummers
@@dwdrum11 The real pros get sponsored by their respective drum manufacturers, so when us working/gigging drummers who have to earn a living outside of music complain about marketing hype over tone woods, it doesn't make us keyboard warriors. I fully understand what drummers are actually paying for with high-end kits are improved hardware and finishing options. The big problem is when some kid starting out drumming get's duped into believing marketing hype about tone woods and talks about how "birch, or poplar" drums suck or why this brand's wood is so much better over that brand's wood, etc. Some of the best drum recordings ever came from a plastic (acrylic) drum set played by none other than Jon Bonham. DW and Pearl are the worst offenders.
lovely sounding toms and snare. But for that price i think the finish is poor
Love your handle!! Lol. I think the finish is nice but bland. It could use a slight hint of color.
"Four to five thousand pounds." "I paid three thousand pounds for a used Nissan."
I used to have a Keller DW. They were nice drums. I'm sort of embarrassed to say I think the Mapex Armory sounds better to me than this Collectors, although I love the snare drum here
7000$
I don't like DW's lugs. They are almost screaming: hey, we are here, big and round mushrooms on the shell!
They are impractical as well. Every well designed lug should be oblong shaped. It helps to reduce surface touching the shell and it is better distributes all tensions coming from the rods. Check out famous Yamaha, Sonor or Ludwig lugs.
so expensive
I can´t deal with those round lugs. Deal breaker for me.
The worst
And don’t forget about their goofy single ply clear heads with the weird white strips. They sound like dookie. These heads sound much better.
DW are very expensive and well marketed, getting high profile drummers to use them.
Endorsements ?
Gretsch and Ludwig sound better and are cheaper, in my personal opinion.
Dw has the best feel for drums ,when you sit behind them they feel nothing like ludwigs or any type of kit ,they are expensive drums because its american labor and high end quality ,ludwigs dont close ,if you havent owned one you cant knock it till you try it .
Agreed. Aside from top notch build quality, they have a lot of nice technology that’s their own. Gretsch and Ludwig are good sounding iconic shells, especially gretsch. And they’re built in California ffs.
DW drums are like getting a $45 filet mignon steak, with no seasoning or sauce to go with it.
They just lack character, and immediate recognition, something that manufacturers such as Sonor, Yamaha, Ludwig, and Gretsch all have. They are instantly and pleasantly recognizable, great sounding and well manufactured drums, with Yamaha and Ludwig costing way less, and with all 4 having a much more rich history. What do you think big name producers use in studio? A brand new DW, or a vintage Gretsch, Ludwig, or Yamaha recording custom ?
The proof is in the pudding. It's a no brainer. DW..Don't believe the hype. On a side note, another insane product from them, is their machined direct drive pedals. Extremely heavy on the stroke no matter how you adjust them, and outrageously priced, with a single pedal going for the price of a used 5 piece Grestch Catalina maple kit, and the double pedal coming in at a whopping $1200 USD. Sorry DW, you need to get back to the drawing board..
Jealous DW hater
nah ur right, Sonor and Yamaha absolutely put drum workshop to shame and anyone who can’t see or hear it obviously has their head in the ground and can only respond be calling people “haters” for not liking dull, bland, subpar drums hahaha... but gretsch was bought out by DW so expect the quality to diminish now unfortunately
I dont know where you got that DW sound from ,you sound like the type of person that cant afford a dw collectors and hate on them because there not cheap 😂🤣i got the 90's yamaha recording custom and i got a dw collectors and as i own both they are 2 totally different beasts, yamaha has a dry controlled phat tone that is great for studio because yamaha created the recording for a studio enviroment , now the dw collectors are both studio and live kit ,i tune them right on the money and have a yamaha subkick in front of my dw 22 kick and no matter big or small gigs ,everyone loves my dw's even sound engineers smile when i pull out my sparkly DW collectors because they know there gonna sound amazing as they always do .I dont think you have ever played a dw collectors because everything you described sounds like nothing dw collectors sound like and i know because i own a dw pure maple 5 piece 2 toms 2 floors and 22 kick and i can assure anyone DW collectors kit will beat any kit out there just on the kick alone no other kick has that power .
they sound great with bass, loud guitars etc.