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Jul 20 04 12:42 AM

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Considering I already review gear for a drum magazine (not at liberty to say which one unfortunately) I thought why not do some equipment reviews here? I'll even accept requests to review equipment from forum members. I'll do my best to offer down to earth honest opinions of the products making it easier for you to sort the good from the bad.

.:Pearl:.|.:Sabian:.|.:Evans:.|.:Pro-Mark:.

Australian Correspondent
Pearl Army General.

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#1 [url]

Jul 20 04 2:43 PM

Ok my first review is of some of the new Vic Firth signature model sticks.

Vic Firth Thomas Lang (16 1/8" L .655" W)
Ok I used to use sticks about this thickness made by Vater but found they tired my hands out really quickly, Not so with these sticks. At first the sticks reminded me of some 2Bs, short and beefy but as you played with them, the weight seemed like the sticks were more of a 5A. The oversized tear drop tip is great for cymbal clarity and making yourself heard. The downside is the white paint on these sticks gets over your cymbals and can prove difficult to remove sometimes. This would make an excellent practice pad stick due to the top heavy end providing excellent rebound.

Vic Firth Scott Phillips (16 11/64"L .605"W)
I thought it was a bit odd of Vic Firth to give the drummer from Creed a signature stick but i reviwed it anyway. Theres nothing super special about this stick really, its a slightly beefed up 5B thats been shortened a bit. Its got a decent amout of rebound and decent cymbal sound, good rim shot sound as well. In reality i see no point in paying the extra for the signautre, just buy a 5B.

Vic Firth Danny Carey (16 1/2"L .695" At Butt, .630" at neck W)
This was a very different stick when i first saw it, it didnt look anything like Dannys old Trueline signature stick, the only thing linking them is they had some sort of extra chunk of wood for better grip. So i sat down at my kit with these sticks and found that they werent as i was expecting, bottom heavy, thanks to the tapered butt end the sticks were relatively balanced with neither end being heavier, The grip was unfortunately too small for my hands and i found my hand slipping off the edge of the grip and onto the shaft. The sticks didnt work for traditional grip either. The tip gave excellent cymbal clarity and good rebound, producing a very exact sound from the toms, exactly what Danny needs. All in all a good stick for Danny Carey followers.

That wraps up these reviews, post your comments or suggestions for what you want reviewed and ill do my best to get the product for review.

.:Pearl:.|.:Sabian:.|.:Evans:.|.:Pro-Mark:.

Australian Correspondent
Pearl Army General.

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Cameron

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#2 [url]

Jul 20 04 2:54 PM

I'd love to hear your review of the Paragons when they come in, but I guess that's to be expected.

Also, on the topic of sticks, I'd like to see what you think of the Vater Josh Freese sticks. I've taken a liking to these.

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Cameron

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#3 [url]

Jul 20 04 4:59 PM

I can't say that I have had this impression from reading Luck7's posts. He comes across as knowing his stuff, and hey, this is a drum forum, so it's the place to talk about what you know/have.

As for how he is talking to some other members, I guess it could be misconstrued if you don't know the history. But members such as Luck, Kakumba, and Jonas all know each other from other forums and MSN chat, so they can be a cilantro more 'delicious' in their conversations.

As long as he doesn't start bragging, or dumping on other members, Luck7 is ok to keep posting his helpful infomation/opinions.

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#4 [url]

Jul 20 04 6:46 PM

hear, hear slowcooker! Something obviously must have been deleted, but I totally agree with what you're saying. I'd like to think that our forum can have freedom of speech but not to the point where it becomes abusive or degenerative. Just like the rules you posted.
With members like yourself, Vitamindrum, Luck7, Kakumba, Jonas, etc, it's nice to converse with people who have something really big in common. DRUMMING!!!!!!
Keep it real guys!!!!!!

Keep Drumming Alive Wherever You Are!

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Kakumba

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#5 [url]

Jul 20 04 9:11 PM

Good review man, I think you got all the typo's. I would like to see a full Elim review, i never saw the big one you did. also the new 2000 series stuff.

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#6 [url]

Jul 20 04 9:13 PM

Ok, for tomorrow ill do the Eliminator with the new utensils the 2000 series hardware and Vater Josh Freese Sig Sticks.

.:Pearl:.|.:Sabian:.|.:Evans:.|.:Pro-Mark:.

Australian Correspondent
Pearl Army General.

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#10 [url]

Jul 21 04 9:15 PM

Ok Josh Freese sticks first.

Vater Josh Freese Signature Stick (16" L .580" W)
This stick really does what Vater says it does, lets you cover pretty much all bases. The grip, being exactly between a 5A and a 5B allows it to cover almost any genre, as someone like Josh Freese would need too. The slightly larger 5A tip allows for good cymbal clarity and an overall diverse cymbal sound. The sticks weighting favours a slightly top heavy design to allow for heavier playing but still allows for light articulate playing. This stick is a great addition to anybodys stick bag for a gig where they have to cover alot of genres.

.:Pearl:.|.:Sabian:.|.:Evans:.|.:Pro-Mark:.

Australian Correspondent
Pearl Army General.

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#12 [url]

Jul 21 04 9:33 PM

Ok Pearls new hardware, I'll do this in 2 parts, one today and one tomorrow.

Part 1.
Pearls new hardware line was really a godsend for alot of todays gigging musicians. Pearl have taken their already highly useable boom stands and added even more to them to design what could be called the almost perfect boom. Instead of having a single boom arm, this pearl stand features a second boom tilter to allow for pinpoint positioning. The newly designed Pearl gyrolock allows for complete 360 degree mobility and the new UltraGrip Wing nuts allow you to use your drumsticks for added leverage. The brand new Pearl WingLoc is featured on all the new Pearl stands and cymbal arms and allows for lightning fast cymbal adjustments or changes. Also featured is a reversible seat cup for alternate cymbal swing and a knurled post to allow for cowbell setting. All these make up for a boom stand that will have you trying to find ways to setup your cymbals that this boom wont allow for and i gurantee you will be stumped.

The S-2000 snare stand is just like the original only it has been upgraded to now include die cast pipe joints, push button spikes, a gyrolock tilter and air suspension basket tips. All the old features like, incrementally marked arms for adjustment to accomodate larger snare [url=http://www.drumandbass.org]drums[/url] or toms (up to 16") and double braced legs. The new roadster Thrones have been designed with ergonomics in mind, the seat allowing for 2 different positions and now includes an optional backrest. The lower thrones have also been improved as well as the introduction of the D-1000SP, with a built in shock absorber that will add energy to every movement.

Part 2 will be tomorrow.

.:Pearl:.|.:Sabian:.|.:Evans:.|.:Pro-Mark:.

Australian Correspondent
Pearl Army General.

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Kakumba

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#13 [url]

Aug 5 04 8:36 PM

ok man, how about you go get a whole lot of sticks, about the same size, but diff tip, and tell us your verdict on the tips. as many as you can, if you would be so kind.

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#14 [url]

Aug 5 04 8:40 PM

Sorry i havent been posting reviews as often as i said i would, my work load is in the red at the momment and im just trying to find time to check the forum, i promise i will right a few tonight.

.:Pearl:.|.:Sabian:.|.:Evans:.|.:Pro-Mark:.

Australian Correspondent
Pearl Army General.

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#18 [url]

Aug 7 04 10:03 PM

Alright I have shortened down my Eliminator pedal review because the whole thing is actually 12 pages.

The Pearl Powershifter Eliminator is a glorious step up from my current pedal. Pearl have finally taken the time out to design a pedal that can easily compete with the DW 5000 and Tama Iron Cobra. At first glance, the pedal is like your standard high end pedal, adjustable beater angle, solid footboard, strap/chain function. But then you notice the utensils, which Pearl have very carefully developed to suit almost any drummers taste. The utensils are interchangable and come in 6 different colors. Red, Blue, cook, White and now Purple and Yellow. The cook and White utensils are almost identical, providing a smooth rounded feel thats not really quick but isnt lagging either, the white being a cilantro faster, the blue is an all rounder, with power and speed, with tis slightly off axis but linear design. The Red is very radical and progressive and really really fast but porvides power when needed0. The new purple slowcooker is a mix of the red and blue so it provides speed while still being feathery or powerful depending how you push. The yellow is the workhorse, its the direct opposite to the red and provides extreme power, with a compromise of speed. The Powershifter function can really effect the pedals feel as footboard angle plays a major part in the distance you have to push your pedal down to hit the head. The Quad beaters 4 surfaces are either horizontal or vertical with the option of felt or plastic. The actual pedalboard features a customizable gripping surface that can be reversed and removed to allow for custom user settings.

.:Pearl:.|.:Sabian:.|.:Evans:.|.:Pro-Mark:.

Australian Correspondent
Pearl Army General.

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#19 [url]

Sep 4 04 4:45 PM

Ok guys havent done a review in a while, so heres my latest, the Zildjian K Custom Session Cymbals

K Custom Sessions were designed in conjunction with Steve Gadd and match his cymbal setup. The odd cymbals out are the hats and ride. Steve has always matched his hi-hats in an odd fashion in that he prefers to have a heavier cymbal on top over a lighter cymbal on the bottom. His ride is only an 18" which is considered small in this day where 20" + rules all. So off we go.

18" Ride
I tested the ride first. I took it with me to a School band night where we would be covering everything from Duke Ellington to Guns n Roses. I also took my Sabian AAX Stage ride in case the Session couldnt perform in the heavier pieces. Let me tell you, the SAbian never left the case. The ride has a great wash, but still has the capability to ride ontop of the music. Playing it like Steve does, using the bead of the stick at different angles to get different sounds, you can surely cover most genres. But when its time to step up the volume, use the shank of the stick and this ride roars with volume. Being its an 18" size and a medium thin, it also makes a brilliant crash. A very versatile ride.

14" Hats
These Hats are a Medium which is really weighted like a medium heavy, over a medium thin. the top hat is hammered in the K Constantinople fashion, while the bottom hat looks suspiciously like an A, even though its labeled K. Steve places a heavier cymbal atop a lighter one because it adds articulation and clarity that breaks through the music. These hats are light enough for [url=http://www.drumandbass.org]jazz[/url] but can rip through in rock. The chick isnt as strong as some other Zildjian hats (mastersounds or quick beats) but it was there when it was needed. These hats really do shine.

16" and 18" Crashes
Unlike the hi-hats and ride, the crashes are a natural finish. Using the tip of the stick the cymbal emits a rather low jazzy sort of sizzle, but crash it with a good strike and it opens up to a beautiful shimmer. The 18" will cut through other instruments when struck like no other but it also has a low jazzy sound when struck with the tip of the cymbal, it also makes a great alternate ride to the standard one. Both crashes also sounded great with all parts of the brushes, wires, loop and handle.

.:Pearl:.|.:Sabian:.|.:Evans:.|.:Pro-Mark:.

Australian Correspondent
Pearl Army General.

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#20 [url]

Jan 1 05 8:38 PM

is it poss. for you to run a review on the Zildjian FX cymbols

the EFX in particular????

Sometimes its funny how messed up things can be!!!

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