Pearl President Series Deluxe Drum Set Review

[@TheRealPowerBob5000]

Thank you for showing the drums with different heads. It offers such a better first impression. You folks are amazing at what you do. Thanks for all the hard work!

[@drumcenternh]

That's really nice to hear, Bob. Thanks for watching!

[@Dickoz0r]

Absolutely. Prefer clear and they usually don't appear in demos ☺️

[@davidcurtis4478]

Kit sounds great! Guys, thank you for all you do for the drumming community! You really showcase all the equipment. You guys Rock! DC

[@MrFunkyjive]

Thanks it really helps to hear all the sounds samples to get an idea of what the drums are like.

[@jacko2049]

Pearl is killing it lately I prefer the black dots and those classic Paiste cymbals sound are amazing 👌🥁 Great job guys

[@ramencurry6672]

These drums are perfect for so many styles of music. Natural sounding tone. Despite the lower price, they could be used on an A list celebrity album and sound great.

[@jas_bataille]

@@ramencurry6672 Plenty of cheaper drums are being used in top studios. Those, one could to a world-tour with live - that's a whole other level above an older Pearl Export (BLX), known their punch in the studio, or much "studio secret". You don't really care for hardware much since you don't tour those. This is a whole other level, particularly the bass drum, best I've ever heard, plus it comes with internal muffling - why have they ever got rid of that for nasty, sticky moongels instead is beyond me!

[@manufiore7159]

@@jas_bataille BLX are not export!

[@MikeLuke]

Those drums seem like a mix engineer‘s dream, a perfect allrounder. Mellow tones, controlled attack and sustain (even though the coated Evans contribute a lot to that sound as always). 14x22 is an awesome size for kick drums, great low end without endless boom. Usually not the biggest Pearl fan, but this one sounds really good.

[@camerondean6804]

Mike, I'm with you. When this video first came out, I passed right by it. Recently, I saw the snare featured elsewhere on YT, which led me to do a search and I re-discovered this video. I'd passed originally because of the look and the shell material. Big mistake. Still not excited by the look, but after listening to these drums and several new, legacy (usually 3-ply) kits, well call me gobsmacked. To my ears your getting THAT vintage sound that we (I) have been lusting for, at a much more affordable price. In my estimate 1/3 less expensive than a new, vintage kit, and also less expensive than an old vintage kit, without all the worn hardware issues. Unfortunately, can't play right now due to an orthopedic issue I'm working on, post-surgery; but, when I do the guys at DCP will be getting a contact from me regarding these drums. By the way, DCP you guys--as always--rock. Thank you for all the work you put into your video. Hope Tony is recovering quickly. Happy holidays to everyone.

[@unicajamalaga2]

Dcp? Whats that?

[@michaelbruhl4425]

I like this Pearl President, but with the black dot heads. My brothers school friend had a Pearl President in the early 70's. I was so excited, and from now, I was 10 years old, started to learn drums.

[@jas_bataille]

They come with the black dots...!!! Believe it or not!

[@liamdrzewicki6558]

Always a good day when DCNH posts

[@JohnD72277]

my first kit was a "Continental" (stencil kit) w/ black dot heads. This hits way close to home!

[@BluesSanctuary]

Quite possibly one of the best sounding kits with the room mics!! Sounds awesome!!!

[@kevinseverance120]

That kick with the coated head is thiiccc! Snare and toms sound really nice with both dots and the coated heads; different sounds but both very round and pillowy.

[@jarithhughes4412]

Top points for Shane’s sandals 👌🏼

[@drumcenternh]

You're in the minority, but, thank you.

[@af7119]

I'm digging this kit with the black dots! Almost forgot to mention the cymbals too. Loving the 18" crash and the hi hats.

[@DadBurl]

Beautiful kit! Love the coated Evans heads!

[@Jaake-my2rq]

Thank you for describing my first kit so beautifully. I sold that round kindling to an art student for 50 bucks. He covered it in shag-fur. A fitting end.

[@MegaAhhhhhhh]

I got a kit just like that but in gold grain

[@eliasarroyo4929]

Surprisingly I like more the sound with the black dot clear heads. 😳

[@tbs32688]

Because… Evan’s 👎🏼

[@ohrid59mk76]

me too and this are not even real REMO heads ( Remo UT -made in China) !

[@BrandonPaluzzi]

@@ohrid59mk76 The President ships with Remo USA Black Dots, not UT.

[@ohrid59mk76]

@@BrandonPaluzzi take a good look on 4:57 , Remo UT !

[@BrandonPaluzzi]

@@ohrid59mk76 You're absolutely correct! I was going by what Sweetwater said on their promo page, but after double-checking with the Pearl page, they are the UT heads. Super disappointing for the price they're asking for these drums.

[@jrfrondelli2023]

When I saw first saw these, I flipped! This is on my near future bucket list. Not surprised at the sound, as, to me, these look like the old Export lauan shell formula, and THOSE were killer drums! Lauan, done right, is an awesome drum tonewood. Gotta go with the CS heads on these. A little extra impact, and that great Remo punch! :) Shane, please review the Phenolic series too. Another great video.

[@fess749]

I have this kit. I’ve had a lot of kits. This is one of my favorites. They are well made, they looks great and sound fantastic. I added a tom mount to the kick. That along with the cymbal mount make this a great, easy kit to gig with. These drums sound great live.

[@mulletATheart]

I could watch you guys play all day. You're all so good. I'm going to buy my next kit from you, just to thank you for the hours of entertainment.

[@franktatom1837]

My first drumset was a used Pearl kit from the early 70's, bowling ball finish. I suppose the toms on that kit were round when the boat sailed from Japan, but that might have been the last time they were. The edges were uneven, too. From ten feet away, they sounded fine, however. The bass drum had some sort of lighter wood in the plies, including the inner ply, and sounded great. I got the kit at Christmas 1974 and all my friends laughed at the finish, and then punk rock came along and by 1976, it was a cool kit. Mahogany shells sound great, in my opinion . . . Even better when the shells are round and the edges are true!

[@richardpine8011]

All about the vintage sounding toms. Soft woods makes for great fatness. Really glad about the internal mufflers, wish all modern drums had them as an option, just so much easier on a gig than playing around with tape and gels. Paiste 602’s sound beautiful, great compliment for that vintage sound.

[@ramencurry6672]

Sounds excellent. Luan is a great wood. Gretsch also makes Luan drums in their Catalina series. Also sounds great.

[@nickdragone6210]

love this drums kit. May get one in the future. Cheers!!

[@AlbertMoyerJr]

The drums sound great and I enjoyed your stock heads versus coated heads comparison.

[@gordonwoodbatteur]

Hi DCP Team, nice review as usual and very informative! I really like the sound of that kit. The snare sound so good! Very cool to do the head to head comparison. Good choice to have the Evans on the kit. The EQ 4 on the kick drum... oh my goodness! More low end and full round sound! So for my personnal taste I would choose the kit with the evans heads! Cheers!

[@drumcenternh]

Thank you Gordon!

[@Customwinder1]

Love that old skool sound . And the wrap looks awesome . Good stuff . I have a late 60's Arai Kit I'm restoring. The shells are also Luan . Hope it sounds as good as this . Great vid guys . 🤘

[@tbs32688]

If only Pearl made all of their lines to look this cool and vibe-y Snare is my favorite piece from that kit but they’re definitely cool!

[@spadds]

I have a president snare from the 60's. It was my first snare. The throw was damaged before I owned it, but the snare to this day, and the chrome work on the lugs and hoops is perfect! I stripped the pearl wrap off it in the 90's as it wasn't cool when playing rage against the machine (!) but in my more sensible senior years, I'm refinishing this fantastic sound snare back to a pearl wrap - blue oyster. After seeing this video, I'm considering one of these new kits to compliment it! They look and sound killer!!!!! They'll be giving other manufacturers a run for their money!

[@ryebread7224]

These sound great!

[@extralifedisco]

I've never had a "dream kit" before but this one just might be it! Great combo with the 602 cymbals and coated heads. Might be the best looking & smoothest sounding kit I've come across. I would love to see a head to head comparison between the new ones and a vintage President kit.

[@joelmarquez4629]

Those cymbals are amazing

[@dancalabrese3523]

Boy those drums sound great! Preferred the black dot heads maybe except for the bass drum. My first drum set was a Japanese kit with the name "Zim Gar" (I think). No idea who actually made it. Maybe it was Pearl.

[@Rehynn]

Mahagony kit shootout please. I'm happy to see luan getting used for higher-end kits other than C&C's Player Date I.

[@adamfrost8417]

I like this idea.

[@ramencurry6672]

Luan is a great wood. Very natural sounding

[@rexross5189]

@@ramencurry6672 lol

[@ohrid59mk76]

@@ramencurry6672 agree ! one of the best kits I ever owned was Tama Royalstar ( luan ) with power toms ! great sounding kit !

[@paistefever]

Fantastic demo, guys! And on the killer cymbals! I still play my Wood Fiberglass that I got from you, guys! :) Pearl, best reason to play drums indeed! Can we also get a video of just James jam on these, in future please? :-P

[@gabrielbueno5640]

It's gorgeous!!

[@AJLeonardo84]

Fantastic video. Pearl and Paiste hit the sweet spot and go well together.

[@bowds7]

Will you be comparing the Phenolic drum shells of the Pearl President Deluxe ? Thanks Shane

[@damnyankeefl]

that's the sound I've always dug. I guess because I started playing in the 70s. this is a great kit.

[@mjm5081]

Full...Round...Beefy...Love the tuning!

[@BobbyJetty1502]

Loving the black dot snare sound. The blue swirl looks great.

[@stevenfederico2594]

Just what pearl needed another line of drums

[@SaS-Music]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 3 thumbs up from me. I’ve only got 2 but these are worth the extra.

[@jermss_]

chops were years and sounds were reals. appreciate you guys swapping the cartoon eyes 👀 for proper heads another banger from the goat shop ❤

[@drumcenternh]

Thank you sir!

[@Danny-nc1kf]

The coated heads sound softer I think I prefer the stock heads cool set btw

[@sopasadena1499]

It would be cool to try coated dot heads. I think these drums would sound even better. The downbeat configuration might improve the sound as well

[@stevekimball7697]

Yes!

[@Tomthedrummer5]

The yamaha stage customs of the early 00’s used to be made of lauan (Philippine mahogany). Those were entry level-intermediate level kits. Seems like we are going backwards a bit here. If this is the case, the price tag of these is not justified. Unless I’m missing something

[@christiancanalita6487]

Is it me or are drum companies going for that C&C drum sound and look/vibe? The Presidents sound awesome! I like them with coated heads but probably would put some Suedes on them to test out. LOVE that wrap too; really nice! 602s so shimmery!

[@NintenDub]

Its what's "cool" now.minimal. lookin noble n cooleyish too

[@ramenthenoodle_]

Don’t you mean C&C is going for the Classic sound and vibe of companies like Pearl that have been around forever? lol

[@jas_bataille]

@@ramenthenoodle_ Yep that was I was thinking

[@traviswoodall6547]

I think your timeline is reversed. C&C has literally been ‘copying’ companies like Pearl, Gretsch and Sonor since they were formed.

[@kddrums85]

Great demo, good showing head options. I have a new President kit and they sound amazing and record really well. I put Evans G2s on mine but the cs dots sounded good and I will use them. All around great video. Thanks!

[@rolandedrummer9723]

True. I had one from the late 70s or so. Sounded pretty good when I put on black dot heads ,but the tom mounts were atrocious.

[@paulrevelli]

I think they sound great. Surprisingly, the black dot heads sounded very good, very focused. Shane, the link to view the full kit is not working. 😕

[@drumcenternh]

Thank you and link is fixed!

[@terryhu57]

Where are my old Dixie drums? They sound good. I’m keeping my 63-64 slingerlands wmp with a brass power tone. But if anyone puts down the Luan. They better talk to c&c about their player dates. If I wasn’t already in a committed relationship with my Slingy’s/Rogers, I’d buy.

[@VermontPrepper]

My first set was a dixie white pearl 4 pc

[@kushking420]

Damn man! I may have to get so black dot heads, and they sounded great for stock heads

[@bradanderson1802]

I think real CS dots would sound killer on these shells... They sure are pretty.

[@JulianFernandez]

cool kit. specially if you have your bases covered on the standard/gigging kits department.

[@SheldonKreger]

Would have bought one in 24/18/16/13. The 22 kick with the 13 seems awkward to me but I can see why somebody would dig it!

[@drumshot80]

Would the package with the 20” kick tune up well for bop and jazz?

[@trafalgerdavis7839]

I've owned a Pearl Export for years, and years, and years.... Getting a Tama set soon. The one thing I hate about Pearl is the hardware. The pipe tom holders and such, so much mass you have to finagle with around a kit, especially a large kit. No doubt they sound great, but can't get over the Pearl hardware.

[@clever8088]

They are useful for tuning the bottom heads while mounted. You can just switch the toms around without having to take them off the mount. I prefer L-Arms personally but that is the one feature I like about the pearl tom mounts.

[@ohrid59mk76]

@@clever8088 OK , but how many time you wil tuning your bottom heads during a gig ? I never do that during a live gig !

[@blakegowan6623]

I've had a Pearl Export in my collection for over 30 years....I love Pearl. This kit sounds good. But I notice the high tom has trouble being pitched up. I prefer the black dot heads. I would bite on these if they had a couple more finish options....like Red Tiger stripes.....or Orange swirl.

[@damedashn2139]

Sweet water has them in sunset burst. Looks incredible for a wrap finish

[@DrummerGrrrl]

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. In other words...not bad. Ha ha! No, seriously, WOW!

[@tomhennessey4945]

What a beautiful looking and sounding pair of kits!

[@remygaron8311]

I love my maple master thats all good vid 🤟🏻🤟🏻🤟🏻👏👏👏🥁🥁🇨🇦

[@frankieray2873]

I like how sensitive it sounded

[@VBHenry]

I definitely preferred the coated head on the snare but the black dots sounded fine on the toms but this is coming from a guy who plays a cheap early 2000’s 5 pc export with evans hydraulic heads... btw those paistes are sweet

[@supraphonic88]

what is tune bots setting tho

[@calzaondrums]

Is it legal to fall in love with drums? 'Cause i did. Great video guys, as always!

[@drumcenternh]

Absolutely it is, treat her well!

[@calzaondrums]

@@drumcenternh I'll be pretty jealous too.. lol

[@Paisteconvert]

Good sounding drums! You folks always do such a great job in these vids! I notice that you folks aren't using the traditional Pearl tom mounts (don't blame ya'll a bit on that choice!). I remember when young American drummers laughed at Pearl drums. After all, we already had "pearl" drums...Black Diamond Pearl, White Marine Pearl, Black Oyster Pearl, Sky Blue Pearl, etc....Ludwigs, Leedys, Slingerlands, Gretsch, Rogers and even Kents. One of the other issues for young American drummers back in the day was also that if you couldn't afford anything but a MIJ "stencil" kit, you likely couldn't afford top-shelf cymbals like Paiste 602s (and Ludwig was the Paiste distributor back in the late-1960s). Isn't "luan" wood the same stuff that's used on cheap, hollow-core closet and interior doors?

[@chrislewis1943]

Pearl will not make enough of these.

[@ozoz2931]

Would you trade a Ludwig classic maple for a Pearl president kit?

[@drumcenternh]

Two totally different sounding kits. It really depends on what you are going for in terms of sound and vibe.

[@ozoz2931]

I usually play with out mics small venues, variety of music styles

[@simaojoseph]

Those reissued pearl cymbals don’t sound too bad.

[@billytrance6893]

These sound AMAZING!. How close in sound would you say are they to the Ludwig Legacy Mahogany drums?

[@BolchenTheDrummer]

In this case, you are not paying for the drum composition, but the construction and finish. Some people think that it's a turndown, but every Ludwig Legacy/Gretsch Brooklyn is basically poplar with two very thin plys of noble wood and they are way more pricey than Pearl President drum kit and snare.

[@seppoinnanen5577]

Decent sounds🙂 The rack tom would definitely have more sustain if mounted on a tom holder instead of snare stand. You could really go with this kit anywhere

[@jamesrowe6652]

They sound very nice, great price

[@roybeckerman7843]

Not much sustain in the snare, but that suits drummers who use muffling. How do these rate to the Catalinas..

[@Cowdog1]

Not only do Drum Center of Portsmouth have the best audio recording of their kits, the drummers are really, really good.

[@drumcenternh]

Thank you so much!!

[@rhythmista7707]

I had an original president from 1970 that I bought used for $300 CDN, and sold it for $650. Sure, I made a profit, but now I'm starting to regret it..

[@0Somerandomguy01]

They do sound and look great, I just can't get past the price. I feel that it's wayyyy to expensive for a Luan shell. The competition in this price range is superior.

[@ronaldzeoli7528]

Yes like gretsch catalina club

[@bgnPrinceton]

Agreed.....must have cost them alot for a run of the new hardware used. That's my guess, along with what will likely be limited production runs. Also don't know if Shane mentioned where they were made. At this price, they better be coming from Taiwan.

[@damedashn2139]

Yeah i think if they sat right around $999 they would be more appealing. I still might get one because I’ve been in the market for a player date style kit and this checks all the boxes. The finish sweet water has is gorgeous!

[@SuddenAccess]

Ha! I Like the stock heads better. Great kit i guess

[@danschneider9921]

My issue is the price. Cool factor- yeah, I love them but $1499 for three drums that are (as they say here) are made from a lower-end mahogany? If that price +/- included a snare drum- yeah I could see it. But to me it feels like you are paying a premium for "vintage" styling and that's about it

[@BedPanAlley]

Black dots, please.

[@tombrennan6312]

They look like old swivomatic era Rogers.

[@TM_Stone]

So the troll comment is saying you have chops all "week", makes sense :)

[@richboshart1201]

Didn’t like the toms. Just not my sound but the snare sounded great. Very woody. Loved the finishes as well. You’ll never sell me on internal mufflers though. One more thing to rattle around.

[@thesneakygamer4343]

Yeah I’m with you on the sound. Some “vintage-style” drums just end up sounding cheap to me.

[@mikefields4136]

I fully believe Pearl released these to compete with Rogers Covington Series.

[@Ben-Jamminalot]

Yep. I have an original that Pearl copied from this new president series. 1968. Difference between a all original , & a kit car. Mines mint condition.

[@jas_bataille]

Celebrating your 75th birthday by commemorating a failure by turning it into the thing your ancestors wanted it to be is the most Japanese thing I've ever seen...! Man, those have all the things I never understood disappeared, like internal muffling and thumb-screws for bass-drum tuning, as well as the cymbal holder on the bass-drum (makes much more sense than a tom-tom holder IMHO). I've spend basically a year listening to hundreds of kit and this is, by far, the only one I would spend this money on and think this is a screaming deal. Any other manufacturer is going to charge 3-4K especially with those heads on...!

[@alessandrorossini8704]

Black Dots are Bonzier...

[@damedashn2139]

I have this kit and it sounds pretty fat with coated heads. Couple issues tho. My bass drum tends to bounce a little bit unlike in this video. Not sure if it’s the bass drum spurs or my pedal. Super annoying tho. It’s also overpriced imo but you’re partly paying for nostalgia which I was personally ok with. Would have liked to have seen it with wood hoops at this price point, but they are cheap plastic similar to the Catalina Club Jazz , only those drums are smaller and half the price. So overall, I wouldn’t buy them if you don’t really have a thing for retro looks/sounds, because the value for the money isn’t great. Not to mention the shells are Luan, which I know is what the original kits where. $999 would have been the appropriate spot to price these. That being said, they sound fantastic and look really good as well. The wrap is quality and the bearing edges are flawless. Cool kit nevertheless

[@buddhaluv123]

Hmmm I don’t like them. I thought I would but they sound toneless to my ear. I do really like the snare tho

[@petermasalsky8844]

Wow. Haters gonna hate, I guess. I think I liked the Evans sound better, but I mean, come on...they're Evans. Anyways, great job as always.

[@ramencurry6672]

Evans sounded great. The Remo sounded better but the Evans might be better suited for blending in with songs. Or depending the situation. I use Evans for my bass drum and it’s perfect

[@44amanaplanacanalpanama44]

Not a fan. They made a kit out of plywood used for flooring and it sounds like it. There's a reason that good drums are made out of hard maple. They remind me of everything I dislike about my 80s exports. The black dots did help some.

[@drummer083]

I'm sick and tired of buying new kits and having to add a tom mount. It should be an option when ordering. When I see a tom on a snare stand, I want to kick it over.

[@Will-fh7ll]

This or catalina club? 🤔

[@ambienhere]

Guys open your branches in India :)

[@adamklein9320]

jazz drums.

[@HR2635]

well .. fun to see and hear a reissue.. stil dont sound like something I would pay for.. dead, almost no tone.. the tone is pure drumhead.. but hey..if they rock your boat.

[@ronaldzeoli7528]

Sorry but I think they are an expensive set of luan mahogany drums.

[@polarnatten]

I'm not sold on these. They look cool but don't sound that good. Lots of better alternatives available in the same price range.

[@roomdog40]

Cymbal arm but no tom mount. Yuck.

[@JD-eq4dp]

What on earth has Pearl done to its logo ? Not a good look in my opinion.