The amount of work needed to create these videos is not lost on me. Great content, sincere communication and honesty go a long way to cultivate customers. Keep it up!

Timestamps for sound comparsion Full Mix 3:10 - PDP Concept Maple 7:04 - Pearl Decade Maple 11:12 - Gretsch Catalina Maple 15:06 - Tama Superstar Classic 20:26 - Mapex Armory Room Mics 4:30 - PDP Concept Maple 8:15 - Pearl Decade Maple 12:22 - Gretsch Catalina Maple 16:22 - Tama Superstar Classic 21:32 - Mapex Armory Head 2 Head 10" Tom 23:18 - PDP Concept Maple (10x8, Clear) 23:23 - Pearl Decade Maple (10x7, Clear) 23:28 - Gretsch Catalina Maple (10x7, Coated) 23:33 - Tama Superstar Classic (10x8, Clear) 23:39 - Mapex Armory (10x8, Coated) 12" Tom 23:44 - PDP Concept Maple (12x9, Clear) 23:49 - Pearl Decade Maple (12x8, Clear) 23:54 - Gretsch Catalina Maple (12x8, Coated) 23:59 - Tama Superstar Classic (12x9, Clear) 24:05 - Mapex Armory (12x9, Coated) 16" Floor Tom 24:10 - PDP Concept Maple (16x14, Clear) 24:15 - Pearl Decade Maple (16x16, Clear) 24:20 - Gretsch Catalina Maple (16x16, Coated) 24:25 - Tama Superstar Classic (16x14, Clear) 24:30 - Mapex Armory (16x16, Coated) Kick Drum (all 22x18) 24:36 - PDP Concept Maple 24:41 - Pearl Decade Maple 24:45 - Gretsch Catalina Maple 24:50 - Tama Superstar Classic 24:55 - Mapex Armory Snare 24:59 - PDP Concept Maple (14x5.5 Maple) 25:04 - Pearl Decade Maple (14x5.5 Maple) 25:10 - Gretsch Catalina Maple (14x5.5 Maple) 25:15 - Tama Superstar Classic (14x6.5 Maple) 25:21 - Mapex Armory (14x5.5 Steel)

Pearl sounds so differently mic'd vs in room sound. It's so crucial to hear that difference and you guys are awesome for presenting both so clearly.

The MAPEX Armory Kit is the most complete, and pro looking/sounding of the lot, especially when matched with the Paiste 900 series cymbals! Big shout out to PAISTE! These pies sound Great!. It could be because it is a hybrid, and that birch adds a great musicality, that the other kits just seemed to lack (I’m sure that will change when the heads are upgraded). The Gretchen kit was a very close 2nd. It was the most classic “Maple-y” sounding kit of all of them. It seems that the coated heads really bring out the personality of these, and the other drums, that have been fitted with them. This example can be found on the Tama set. The snare was Great, and the tome sound exactly how you’d expect a TAMA kit to sound. It surely had a voice of its own. The other 2 kits are very nice, and perhaps its because of the clear heads but the attack and warmth, in comparison to the Mapex or Gretsch kits, just wasn’t there. I’m happy that they all are putting out these Amazing kits, at this price point. In 1988 (GET OFF MY LAWN!!) You’s have to pony up over 2 grand for a kit as complete, and stunning looking as these sets are. They surely aren’t the Corolla of drums any more, but, they also aren’t a Lexus! For a drummer who is gigging, and looking to step up her or his game, This is the Perfect way to go! I’d be happy to gig out on any of these kits. Thanks so much for the review! Cheers!

Special credit to the individual/s that tuned these kits. They were remarkably close to each other and very well tuned. All 5 of those kits sound awesome and are a phenomenal value!

I agree about Mapex. The Hyundai analogy is very appropriate. The quality of my Black Widow snare blew me away for the price.

I would love to this same type of comparison done where the staff change out the heads. Maybe do a fun test where each staff member is given 1500 - 2000 and has to build a complete set including hardware, cymbals, new heads, etc.

When you finished with the kits I thought the Tama sounded best, but then when you did the head to head I thought the PDP and the Armory sounded best. I need to watch this video about 10 more times.

These kits are all great for the money. Even 'cheap' kits offer so much in the way of sound and quality of hardware/finishes these days. This video is the first time I've ever heard the Decade maple and Superstar being played. Was blown away by how amazing those two kits sounded. Kids today are really lucky to have this stuff available. 😁

I got the Catalina Maple, and you can get the 6 piece Shell pack with a free 8 inch cymbal mounted Tom all for under $1000. it was an extraordinary value and I love the sound! After tuning, the drums sounded professional quality right out of the box, even with the stock coated heads. Absolutely love it!

I bought an armory based on this video and the drummers review video of it and, wow! Going from a 30 yr old export to this is night and day. What was most unexpected was how much easier the armory is to play because the feel is so dramatically better. With good heads and tuning there is absolutely no reason you can’t use it in a professional setting it sounds that good. And as Shane said, the tomahawk snare is outstanding.

Honestly to me the differences were really small in sound, I couldn't really choose a favourite. The way you mix all of your videos make every drum kit sound fantastic.

You guys did an incredible job tuning the drums as close to each other as possible. I hear you!

Proud owner of a PDP concept maple, I am happy my drumset compares to those nice other kits. I agree with you when you say the snare lacks snare beds. I use high end snares instead, so it´s not a problem.

For quick comparison: 03:10 DW PDP Concept 07:05 Pearl Decade 11:14 Gretsch Catalina 15:08 Tama Superstar Classic 20:28 Mapex Armory

The Gretsch Catalina and Mapex Armory sounded the best to my ears.

All of these sound great, but the best ones to me are Gretsch and Tama. Also, the 900 cymbals sound very good for the price.

Thank you for this great ‘comparison’ video. So honest and professional. I watched all the way through. Once pubs and clubs are back open here in UK I am going to buy my first maple drum kit. It’s been a long wait ... but at 72 I still want to rock!! Thanks again. John @ Brizen Reviews

Hands down, the Mapex Armory Kit. I’ve owned one before and kick myself for getting rid of it every time I hear and see a video of one, and how good they sound!!! The stock heads, like Shane said are garbage. But throw any brand on there you like and they will sing, due to the SonicClear bearing edge. I don’t understand why more companies don’t do this? It makes so much sense for the heads to sit level and seat better. Makes for easier tuning and a much better sound!!! My one wish from Mapex, instead of bringing back the MyDentity kits, they should make an option, and have to pay a little extra of course, but make a MyArmory line where you can pick your sizes, finishes, etc. Make the options a little more stream lined so you’re not sitting with a warehouse full of mustard yellow hardware though!!! 🤣🤣🤣 BTW, don’t steal my idea, I got that shiznet patented!!! 😂😂😂

I have a DW Design Series maple set, which is essentially a really nice PDP kit with DW hardware and branding. For an "affordable" set under $1K, it's been pretty great.

The kick of the Tama, toms from the PDP and the snare from the Mapex. Job done!

PDP and Mapex kits sounded best to my ear. The Mapex had a lower fundamental pitch that my ears loved! Thoughts? Lol

All the kits sounded great, but Mapex takes the win for me. Not having the toms mounted on the bass drum looks way better imo.

The Gretsch drums sound great

Guys I just wanted to chime in from the perspective of a studio engineer. I record mostly alt-rock, hard rock and some pop. I pulled the trigger on the Mapex Ultramarine Armory 5 piece rock shell pack in October and have been blown away by it. Currently I have clear Emperors on top and clear Ambassadors on the bottom. The kit is SO versatile, easy to tune and really shines through on a plethora of genres. It's weird, Mapex has had a not-so-great reputation on the interwebs over the years but after having an awesome sounding limited edition Meridian Obsidian kit, I've just ignored all that garbage, trusted my ears, and I've never been happier (my clients love it too!). This is a killer kit! And beautiful to look at!

To me the Pearl and Gretsch sound the best. Great value drums, wow!

Some of the drum sets at that price point today sound better (mic'd) than what we were on stage with in the 60's. Nice video, Shane. And you're 100% correct that those starting now with their first kits have good quality to choose from ... even at the entry level price points.

I played a PDP CX Maple kit for almost 15 years and it sounded incredible, even in 700+ live rooms. I "upgraded" to a Crush E3 Sublime and it doesn't even compare to the PDP. Considering going back to PDP or just going to a different wood configuration altogether.

I used to own a tama superstar years ago then i tried a pearl session studio and i was sold . pearl has that boomy sound on their toms that i like . the decade sounded the best in my opinion.

When I first saw this video in the list, I had flash backs to last year when I was searching for an intermediate kit. These were the exact kits I was considering except I was looking at the 7 piece (6 for Mapex). I would’ve loved to had this video. However, for me, this video reaffirmed my choice. I got the Mapex 6 piece Studioease kit. As it currently sits, I have the Tomahawk with Evans HD dry, Emad on the kick and Pinstripes on the tom batters and Ambassadors on the resos.. I also added the 8-inch tom. For the money, they just sound great. The bearing edge makes tuning pretty easy. My next dream is the Mapex Sledgehammer. Come on murder hornet stimulus!! Great video!

The fact that the head to head comparisons are almost all in time with one another tickles my brain in all the right ways.

One of the things that drew me to my Mapex Armory 6pc was the ultramarine gloss - an unbelievably gorgeous color!! One thing that Shane didn’t mention about the Armory is that you can trade in the tomahawk snare for other snare options for free directly from Mapex - I went with the Sabre snare which is a hybrid shell of Maple/walnut and sounds absolutely phenomenal!! One other selling point of the ultramarine gloss is there is a readily available 8” rack tom that can be added on. Also Shane was talking about no tom mount on the bass drum; honestly this design is to reduce vibration and let the bass drum stand alone to give you the best punch without ringing from the rack toms; also the soniclear mounts are top notch and do a fantastic job of letting the toms sing to their fullest. Just as I had originally planned I got a Pearl Icon rack and the Armory kit works just fine with the rack clamps and adapters. Up until I decided on my Armory kit I was deciding on either PDP concept maple or Gretsch Catalina maple and after having tried those two I’m glad I went with the Armory!! Also I’d like to know what mics were being used - I just picked up the Audix DP Quad set after reading great reviews.

Shocked by that mapex. Wow.

It’s unreal how amazing these lower budget kits sound these days. They honestly rival the high end kits in sound, and even in looks. I’d probably have to go with the Gretsch Catalina Maple though. PDP is a close second

listened to the video very carefully...First of all, they all sound great.....A lot of Bang For The Buck!....My picks were #1- Gretsch Catalina Maple, #2-Pearl Decade, #3- Mapex Armory, #4-Tama Superstar, #5 PDP Concept Maple....By The Way- Great job on the Video!

Great comparison as always. There are really no bad choices here, I would be happy with any of them, but I was particularly impressed with the PDP and Mapex kits.

I’ve gotta say that I’m hearing very few real differences between these kits. I think that personal preferences in what YOU like to hear will tip the decision in whichever way you wish to go. I’ve always loved PDP kits and have owned 3 over the years: CX, MX and LX. All were made in Mexico. Great sounding, durable, light, and cheap enough you’d take them anywhere and not worry. I played many gigs on that LX. I just ordered the 20th Anniversary kit and it looks like I’ll have to wait until July sometime to take delivery. I understand it’s the very first kit that’s going to Canada. Love this channel and drop by frequently.

I like the Mapex too, but agreeing with you , I would prefer to have tom rack on the Kick Drum. At 68 years old, and after a 50 year Hiatus, just rejoining an enjoyment in life, to play drums again, I will be shopping for an upgrade to my cheap Grammond starter set my wife got as a XMAS gift in 2018. I will never get out of the basement, but looking to be able to play along to music and tunes I think I can handle . If I can play half as good as you, I would have achieved a nice goal. At my age, arthritis DOES configure into your abilities, and creates limitation. But I still love it !!! I know: Practice, Practice, Practice. THX for your quality Videos.

A few years ago, at tax time I bought my first brand new kit in like 20 years. I got the 7pc pdp concept maple kit. Id been salivating over this kit since it was called the x7. I've had WAAAAAY more expensive drums, a 6pc Ludwig Superclassic maple kit, a 5pc wood hoop Roy Ayotte kit, a set of Pearl Masters, yadi yada, but that was in a time money was less of an issue for me. When I got the pdp's I bought them knowing they'd be my last kit for life. I love my pdp's even if they've been in storage for a couple years since getting a Roland kit named "lock down" lol. Here's the thing, I took my time, researched all available options. At the time the options were in a 7pc maple kit, the pdp's, Tama whatever's they're called, and the Catalina kit. I was currently playing the 6pc Catalina kit. And it served me very well for a few years. I'd sanded off the lacquer by hand, and refinished them in natural. Didn't seem to be that big a deal when I started out on the 10. By the time I got to that 16x16 I felt differently lmao, but too late then right? Anyways, they were great, but being as I was already playing that kit, I wanted to try something different. Even though it's basically the same now lol. I never have had a DW kit, which is my dream kit. Honestly, I had a guy who was going to sell me a 5pc no snare shell pack of collectors series in broken glass wrap. Well, that's the year I got audited. Yay!! He eventually sold them, in September. Can't blame the guy since he'd been holding them since March. I looked at all the options in person, which if course ruled out the Tama's. They had the best finishes by miles, truly beautiful but the hardware looked awful to me. It's like they used the same hardware in these as the cheapo imperialStar kit with the meinl cymbal shaped disks all in one. I ruled the gretachdgse out since I already had those. The PDP'S were honestly always going to be the way I went and I knew it, so I got them. Now, when I saw less than 2 months later, Pearl had decided to say "hold my beer, watch this" and came out with the Decade Maple 7pc set, I was just a tinge upset. Why? I mean, look at those! I got my Concepts in the pearl metallic white color. I love white drums, and whatcha know, here's a Pearl kit, in FLAT white! All the sudden, all that chrome I initially loved on my pdp's, seemed excessive to me. Pearl had went a different route, bad the mounts, and lug casings were all really low mass, and let that beautiful white "not" shine so well! If I'd have waited 2 more months, I'd without any doubt at all be playing a Pearl kit no... Well, whenever I can't stand it anymore and bust out my loud drums again. Man, they truly did come out swinging on that whole 7pc maple under a g, segment. Wonderful drums. I do think that before my days are over, I'll have traded out of my pdp's into that flat white 7pc Pearl kit. Stunning drums, and I've always loved Pearl. Most of my hardware and snare drums are all Pearl now, and I'm disappointed for researching and waiting for 3 or 4 years on a kit, to in the end jump the gun by a couple months. Yay! I still love my pdp's though. I'm not talk to typing this so they don't hear me lol

You know what I don't get? Shane says, he's not a good drummer. Besides Nick D'Virgilio, he's one of my favorite if not, my favorite drummers for testing kits. Great chops and feel. The amount of work that it takes to do one of these vids is freaking intense What!!! What a great channel, it's the best drum shop channel on KZfaq!!! Sorry Nick D', I love you brother.

Man I clicked this video so fast once I saw this!! Thank you so much for considering my idea for a video! I didn't think it will ever happen, but it did! Thank you guys for the video! I play a Tama indigo burst 7 piece superstar classic!

I have the pdp and they’re great. They’ve always had great low end, and they hold up real well with heavy hitting. I would go for a different finish though.

I have the exact Mapex kit with the same finish. It’s phenomenal both stand alone and mic’ed. Incredible sound!

The Armory was my favorite. To have try those working in a drumshop also, I have to admit that Mapex really nailed it with this one. My second favorite was the Tama. That being said, all those kits will work and give a good sound for the price you pay. I think those kind of kit is among the best to gig with if you don't want your 6k $ drum kit being carried and thrown by people who doesn't care much that you do...

Tama edges it in the toms for me but the Mapex was very close behind.. even probably if you swapped the heads out. Throw in the fact that I liked the Mapex snare the best then if I was in the market for such a set, that is probably the one I would go for. Great video guys! 👍

I’ve been a Pearl guy since I bought my export series kit nearly 20 years ago. That being said, I really wanted them to be the best. That Mapex kit was beautiful and sounded so good!

I have the mapex armory kit, 6 pc. And I am in love with the sound!! Even with stock heads tuned nicely, that 16" floor has a lot of throat and deep. I think my mapex sounds better than the one in this video, woth stock heads. In person is just a whole different thing. Couldn't decide between pdp, gretsch and mapex. Glad I got the mapex!

The Mapex kit sounded and looked pro level. The snare popped far more than any of the others.

Don't forget: the hardware and cymbals can skyrocket the price of your drum set, even higher than what these cost. If I had to pick a first acoustic drum kit, I'd be looking at these as my first choice or at least a birch one. I think any one of these kits will make you a happy drummer!

Man! As a drummer who started my journey 20 years ago I thought I had it pretty good with my Pearl Export with the ridiculous Tom depths 😂 I wish I was a new drummer now a days, these are awesome! I’d even consider one of these if I wanted to add a maple kit to my collection.

I have a first generation Pearl Masters Maple kit that I bought new around 94. It is just plain worn out, though the shells are still good. I decided to buy one of these lower priced maple kits after hearing the sound samples. I chose the PDP concept maple 7 pc. 8-10-12-14-16-22. That's the same configuration as my Masters kit. Though they sound different, they are more alike than different. The masters has reinforcement rings with very thin shells, and they speak a little differently than the pdp. The pdp actually tunes up better, has a wider range, and has a more aggressive and direct sound. The Pearl is more "toney" for lack of better words. These days, if I were out gigging again, I wouldn't hesitate to buy any of these kits to tour with. For one thing, if they get damaged or stolen, you're not out a zillion dollars. They really do sound excellent. Back in the 80's and 90's we would have loved to have drums this good that we could afford without a credit card or loan. It's interesting to hear the different tones from each company. Pearls always sound like Pearls... sort of round in a good way (to me). Tamas always seem to have a harder and colder sound- as has been my experience with them over the years. The most different kit here is the Mapex. I'm curious whether it's because of the wood blend or the bearing edge, because I hear a shorter decay and less overtones in general. I know some people like that type of tone, but it sounds a little flat and lifeless to me. It's easy enough to change heads to take the tone out of a drum that is more live, but you can't liven up a dead drum. Maple is just a great tone wood for a drum. For a hard rock sound I do like birch with double ply heads, but I think maple is the most versatile. Thanks for another great video DCP. If I ever get work again post-covid, I'll buy my next kit from you guys.

I am playing a previous Gretsch Catalina Club jazz kit, bought in 2013. It does give me inspiration, and it is a long time before I need a more expensive drum set (hopefully a Broacaster). So I am a Gretsch guy but, definitely all these kits sound nice. Indeed, the only issue at this price point are the snare drums, but a good snaredrum will cost 2/3 to a full price of these kits. What I appreciate about these videos is a very thorough comparison, with good sound engeneering and deatailed head-to-head comparisons. Also, the nice words and philosophy coming with this is, well, inspirational. Keep the good job going.:)

I gig an armory. Sound guys at virtually every show tell me how great my drums sound.

All of these kits would sound much better without stock heads. A Sonor AQ2 would have been a good addition to this comparison. Great demonstration and thanks for taking the time to show us how these drums actually sound and for all the hard work you put into it 👍

Thanks for making this comparison. I found it honest and very helpful for a lot of drummers looking to purchase a good best bang for your buck kit.

I just messed around with a superstar classic and I was impressed! It was down to the Superstar classic or a Catalina maple and I think I’m going with the Gretsch. Both kits are outstanding though and really, there isn’t anything in this lineup that won’t work. (I’ve owned every brand now in this lineup haha). Furthermore, it’s really nice to be able to get a 3 up 2 down configuration for 1K. I also remember the days when a maple kit was financially prohibitive. I am 100% with you on having a bass drum tom mount; I’m sick of hanging drums off cymbal stands. Great content guys; thank you!

The Gretsch toms sounds the most musical to me and that kick is killer.

The video production in this demo is phenomenal. In fact, I can't think of a comparison video for any product that impressed me as much. I own the Gretsch Catalina Set in a 7 piece. It's so beautiful that I keep it in my living room - it's the focal point of the room. So with my heads of choice on, I've got Evans hydrolics on them now with an Evans coated head on the snare, it sounds the way I want my drums to sound. The entire 7 piece, purchased on sale, was $900, so I figure with the addition of new heads it totaled to around $1000. So, did I like any of the other sets more than the Gretsch? Actually, I liked them all - but it's the microphones and recording equipment that I'm envious of.

My fave part of it all is the ROOM MIC. That's when we can hear everything on it's NATURAL tone and sound

I’d luv to see a comparison of the next level of price/quality up from these . Best shell pack for $1500 Gretsch Renown , Pearl session select , Tama , Yamaha Tour custom , Mapex Saturn , DW design , but no option from Ludwig in that budget 😞🤷‍♂️👎🏼

I'm a pearl guy and that Mapex sounds so damn good

I understand wanting a bass drum mount, but the “virgin” bass drum on that Mapex makes such a difference in the sound. Putting a hole in any drum changes the tone and resonance.

The Grestch kit brought out a different and hgher level in your playing. Your playing was more expansive and it seemed like you were enjoying them and how they were stimulating you. Best content in your playing over al the other kits. Go back and take a listen! Thanks for your efforts in everything you do.

Every single time you guys put a Gretsch kit into the equation, Gretsch wins. And this is coming from a guy who has never played on a Gretsch kit, so it's not a bias. This Gretsch Catalina kit had so much resonance and musicality, it simply blew all the others out of the water. If I ever need a new kit, I'll definitely come to you for a Gretsch. :)

THAT MAPEX IS THE BEST KIT IN THERE!!!

The Tama, Gretsch and Mapex sounded the best to my ear, and I agree with you Shane, that Mapex snare was awesome!

Great kits. I prefer the Tama since I’ve had two sets before. Absolutely love the 6 1/2 inch snare. The sizes in this demo are just perfect drum sizes for me. All of the sets sound well but the Mapex actually stood out. Thanks for a good review.

Thanks for posting this. I have a Gretsch Renown Maple kit and a Mapex Saturn V Exotic Deep Water Burl kit, and both are fantastic. My favorite on this video is between the Gretsch and Mapex, with the Pearl coming in a close 2nd.

You guys dropped this at the perfect time. I’ve been really into vintage sounds recently but I don’t own any kits with a modern sound. I wanted to have something for when I need that sound, without breaking the bank. I’ve been looking at the entry-level maple kits and have been considering all of these. Great sounds at a great price, especially in the used market. Thanks y’all 👍🏼

Purchased a 6 piece Gretsch Catalina Maple 10 years ago. No regrets!

I own the Mapex Armory 6 piece kit, in night sky burst. Probably the nicest finish, I've ever seen on any kit, at any price range. Looks like a 2000.00 kit. They sound amazing too ( with upgraded heads.)

That head to head comparison section is the gold standard of review videos (and yet I've never seen anyone else do it). Bravo! Since I'm hoping the U.S. completely divests itself from Chinese manufacturing and bans all imports soon, I'd have to go with the Gretsch. Fortunately I thought they sounded great, although that Mapex set was beautiful and the Tama sounded best overall and had the best sustain.

My favorite part of these videos is that you guys are not afraid to call a spade a spade. If the drums left something to be desired now or in the past, you say it without fear of hurting the manufacturer’s feelings. However, In this day and age those shortcomings are fewer and farther between. Equipment is just out of this world now.

I am more and more impressed with PDP and Mapex drums.

I have PDP drum set for 9 years and it sounds great

I bought a 2nd hand X7 P.D.P for $333 Canadian and got a Concept Maple Kick drum off these great people at D.C.P to build a monster still waiting on some Gibraltar stuff should be here and done by July .lol

I really like the fact that the Mapex come with Remo heads!!

This comparison really helped me make my decision on my new kit. All these kits r the ones I've been looking @. The Tamas r my pick. Love the 6.5 snare that goes with the kit, thanks for the awesome vid,

I am personally a PDP guy myself.Ive owned two kits the M5 and the Concept maple exotic which I currently have. It has the virgin kick drum. It basically has every high end feature that you will find on the DW kits cept for the 3 position butt plate on the snare and for right at 1000$. Not too shabby. I also think that any one of these kits would be a great choice, we all know that each company is now making mid- level kits now that are of very high quality. Put on heads of your liking and a good set of cymbals and you are looking good

If I had my way based on what I just heard: Pearl Bass drum; PDP tom-toms, Mapex floor-tom and Mapex snare. Mix and match, lol. Overall, the Mapex set has the best tone overall, imho. 27:11 absolutely agree.

But the most important thing to remember when choosing a maple kit is to NEVER drink lacquer

Excellent Comparison! Thank You for giving us drummers quality content while in quarantine!

Gretsch sounded best to me, overall. However, compliments are in order. 1. Thank you for not distracting me with your drum playing. You didn’t over do it or under do it. Your playing allowed me to listen to the drums and not to what you were doing- too much. Hehe 2. I am utterly blown away - truly astonished with how consistently the drums were tuned. The tom-2-tom was... it just seemed like scientists tuned them. Unreal. 🙏🏻 3. Thank you for choosing Paiste cymbals. 4. And yes, I think I should criticize a bit- how nice it really would have been had you chosen to use the same set of heads on all the sets. This video is so awesome. I applaud you!

I picked up my PDP maple MX kit in green to black fade in 2008. $499 brand new Still playing them today and I'll put them up against any $4000 kit anytime.

I’ve genuinely got the mapex in the ultra marine, had it a good while now, and I love it. The standard heads are pretty awful, I’v got Evans heads top and bottom and an Evans emad on the kick. Obviously heads/tuning is very individual but it sounds amazing for what I’m playing. Kept the snare totally as is. And I ditched the boom clamps in favour of a double Tom stand so I can have the toms in front of me and the kick to the side with the ride over the kick.Really rate this kit. Mine also came with two floor toms, sure this probably does too but Anyway, that’s my opinion from the U.K. 👍🏻

Eh....six of one....half dozen of another. Pretty much, all these drums sets will do. My choice? The Mapex had the most appealing tone out of the box, then again, I tend to like drums that don't ring forever and the Mapex was the clear winner in that department. The BIG downside for me as well with the Mapex is the tom mounting. Not a fan of cymbal stand mounted toms.

Thank you so much for posting this video Shane and Co. The drumming world sure has revolved from when I was coming up in the 60s.Alot of people like me couldn't afford the ludwig,Rogers, slingerland or gretsch.We bought the lower end drums.I couldn't have imagined getting to play anyone of these kits you demoed today.This unbelievable for under $1000.00.what a deal.

I have a gretsch Catalina maple and the mapex armory. My Catalina maple is older it’s like a 2010 model. Worst thing about it is the tom Mount. It sucks. But the drums sound great. I’ve played those drums at big gigs and got the best compliments from sound men on how my drums sounded above everyone else’s. Now I gig with the mapex armory kit. Swap out those stock heads for some better quality heads. I put evans black chromes on the mapex kit and it’s phenomenal. Can’t recommend that kit enough

I loved both the PDP and the Mapex, yet the PDP is $150 cheaper. That's considerable!

I'd say the Pearl and Gretsch sounded best. Never been a fan of Mapex, but they were actually pretty good. Better than I expected. All in all, these are well priced kits. For a little more money, the Gretsch Renown series is spectacular!!

In my opinion, I will select the Gretsch Catalina Maple as my first choice. I was keenly and seriously listening to all of these 5 drums and i find more high satisfaction on the sound of the Gretsch Catalina Maple. Mapex Armory for me is my 2nd choice and PDP Concept Maple as my 3rd choice.

I live in far away, but if I ever come visit NH I'm coming to your store just because of these videos. Thanks a lot! 🤟🤟

What a great video, Shane and company. These are the videos that are most helpful to me as a gigging drummer/hopefully soon to be gigging. The deluxe, most expensive drums are fun to hear and drool over, but not practical for most of us. Same goes for cymbals. Those Paiste 900's are a serious value for money, in my opinion. Anyway, take care, y'all!

I have the Tama superstar 7pc and it is a genuinely incredible kit for the price. I love everything about it.

Those are all great drums, but at 150 less than the Mapex, the PDP takes the cake for me. People are quick to criticize DW for being expensive - and I also do it, I'll be the first to admit - however, PDP is really freaking hard to beat in terms of bang for your buck, and it's their parent company after all! Also... that Pearl Decade finish is just completely insane at this price point. Anyway, cheers y'all!

hey I want to correct a negative feed back i made comparing DCP to my favorite shop, wood and weather. DCP's videos are very imformative. there is more than one way to market and sell drums. Sorry for my previous neg comments. I will keep watching your posts. when I am in the market to buy again, i will consider you. thanks for the education on drums and the market

From personal experience working at a drum shop, those PDP concept maple kits are insane for the money

Love the way you folks wrapped this up: what inspires you to play well. That’s so great! Best advice you could give. Love the pearl snare/kit, Gretsch and the mapex. Mapex being the Hyundai of drums is a crazy good comparison. And like a lot of Hyundai’s, there were little details on the armory that didn’t make the cut on other drums: the virgin bass and the nylon washers for one are huge deals. Hell some of these kits don’t include those at the high end either! I remember when visions came out. They seemed to kick everyone into gear to make good, cheap drums.

Great comparison! First set I got in ‘75 (college) was a Ludwig VistaLite “QuadraPlus” in clear amber. (Wish I would have kept them). After 40+ years of being off the drums, I’m going back to my favorite hobby… drums. This helped A LOT as I get the chops up, and settle in to choosing my new set. THANKS!

That steel tomahawk is a hidden gem; sounds like a fire-ax chopping thru!