Pearl Session Studio Select Kit - Drummer's Review

Here's our review of a Pearl Session Studio Select kit. Filmed at Middle Farm Studios, February 2019. For full specs, please visit our website: www.drummersreview.com, and to connect with us further, check out our social media channels...
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[@alienkinkvr]

I own this kit and it sounds fantastic, after replacing the tom heads the "pitch dive" he was describing on the floor tom stopped. I do need 2 patches of moon gel on each of my floor toms (my shell pack had 2 floor toms) to deal with that free resonance. Buildings in California should be built on these isolating feet so that they're impervious to earthquakes.

[@michaeltalley5826]

I purchased this kit about 9 months ago, and your review was pretty on point. I actually found my 14 inch floor tom to be easy to tune, once I went from the stock pinstripes, to clear ambassadors. I have both a 14 and 16 floor toms, and they are thunderous in sound, but in a good way. If you plan to buy this kit, change out the pinstripe top heads, and will make the rack toms sound brighter. One additional note, if you are interested in the Crimson Antique Burst finish... in photos, it looks dark - kinda Wine Red. Truth, it looks more candy apple red, but it's the darker grains from the birch that make it appear darker in photos.

[@avramnovorra]

The whole kit sounded monstrous in a great way.. That Cross stick in particular was especially sweet!

[@surfrby8876]

I just discovered these Sessions Select and they"re on my list,I love them

[@personaldronerepair6141]

Love the review format. Clear , Concise , and Informative . Great Review .

[@kellykuzinskir5182]

I have an older Pearl Prestige Session Select with the maple/mahogany shells and I absolutely love it!!! Thanks again for a great review. Really appreciate the approach you have to your reviews.

[@markomarkovic5729]

How would you compare older Session kits with the new ones? I had a chance to play some '90's Session on rehearsals, and it was one of the best sounding kits I ever played.

[@kellykuzinskir5182]

My kit is the Maple/Mahogany vs the Birch/Mahogany. And it is a thicker shell with the old rock sizes. So to me it has more low end and less sustain than the newer ones.

[@phillamoore157]

I've got a set of those I record with and they're one of the best sounding kits I've ever played. I think Pearl finally figured out that they were a bit too good for that price range.

[@phillamoore157]

@@kellykuzinskir5182 ....exactly spot on. The perfect amount of sustain, which these days is getting uncontrollable (I never thought I'd say that).

[@phillipperez8200]

Since the early 80's I fell in love with Pearl drums I always prayed to God that he will make a way for me to have my dream kit one day it like your Slogan says Pearl is the Reason to play drums I have Reason to play drums it's my Gift from God God bless you guys at Pearl drums and merry Christmas from the Perez family to yours 🎄

[@Tateisadrummachine]

I am so amazed at how big that 20 inch kick sounds. They're just as loud as a 22 with the same length, but there's a certain quality about a 20 that I like so much more.

[@franciscowidmer]

Please review the Pearl Masters Maple Reserve. Good videos!

[@tingledinkle]

I realllyyyy want this kit, gonna save up for it. See you soon Pearl!

[@jesuslebron9421]

I worked on Session Studio Drums at a gig and i slapped on REMO coated Emperor all around the toms and clear ambassador on bottom power stroke 3 front and back on the kick after that they sounded great no overtones just in and out sound!

[@scottyweimuller6152]

Yeah the stupid stock heads that come with it are trash in my opinion and have really pitchy overtones

[@Assimilator702]

Bill Perri However these are UT heads which are inferior to a USA made Remo head. The UT heads use a low quality film.

[@NEALBABBITT]

They sound very musical! The excessive sustain of the floor tom is a beautiful thing! Snare sounds really good!

[@jamesfranklin8269]

I really love the piano gloss black pearl the best reason why we play Drums 💪🥁

[@scottyweimuller6152]

Ive had one for about 3 years, I prefer my pearl masterworks kit and my Pearl master studio birch which I highly highly recommend.

[@alessandrorossini8704]

A: nice and useful review. B: my drummer's point of view is that a rack tom/floor tom has NEVER a too long tail! I mean: there are many ways to shorten a long tail on, let's say, a floor tom: zero rings, moon gels, both or, if you don't like their "darkening effect", you can even just reverse-mount one or two of the legs, puttin' their metal side on the carpet, this usually is the fastest and easiest way to shorten the sound or, in the case of this type of Pearl's rubber feet, just replace them with a solid type for just a few bucks. On the other side, it's always such a drag when you have dull and dead sounding rack toms/floor toms, most of the times it's impossible or expensive to make them sound decently, expecially the rack toms.

[@owsten]

Thanks for reviewing this kit. I had it in my sight for a while and while I didn't go through with its purchase, I think your reviews (in general) are useful and offer perfect insight. From what I hear in this video, I feel like this drumset lack a bit of body.

[@michaeltalley5826]

The thicker pinstripe heads didn't help... After I bought this kit I changed them to clear Ambassadors and it sounds better.

[@owsten]

Michael Talley ended up buying one in the 13-16-24 configuration... can't wait to change the heads!!

[@Assimilator702]

Vincent Desmarais I hope you changed them by now. Quality heads are needed for a quality sound.

[@mkl4640]

This will be my personal drumset to have someday.

[@cDisturbed.]

Did you get it yet boss?

[@tony_actor]

Thanks for posting. I agree with you on the snare. Just bought it as a spare and am blown away with its response and feel for the price range. Was thinking if the rest of the kit is the same it could be a contender for the future. As a Blues/Jazz player I think you're on the right track with coated or fibre heads to release the warmth of the mahogany. I'd say the same for the snare although the standard UT head is not bad at all. The 10 lugs instead on the 8 on my Gretsch Catalina Club kit is a welcomed bonus.

[@Jetty-xd9yc]

Very surprised. Well rounded tone from the tom's and the snare sat perfect in the mix. However the kick needed a tad more volume & attack. For the money, you have a professional kit for any gig that comes your way. Great chops and dynamically solid playing!

[@blueburnsred]

Would love to see some Sonor! Sq1 especially.

[@DrummersReview]

Hi Ethan, we are to review a SQ1 in our next batch of reviews. Stay tuned and thanks for watching, DR

[@davidsuprenant893]

This is a great kit especially in this price range.Pearl builds world class drums and don't be fooled by the price tag,there are plenty of people out there making a living off of these drums.I wish pearl would have sent you the kit with the 22" kick with the free 16" floor tom that comes with it.Im surprised you didn't mention that and also there lacquer finishes are incredible.!!!

[@EverythingisFire]

Could be a North America thing only? I don't see the free 16" config. on Andertons Music Co.

[@davidsuprenant893]

@@EverythingisFire Do you have access to modern drummer magazine? They show Terence Higgins with the pearl add.Or better yet go to pearls website. They been running this add since they changed the shells to mahogany/birch. It's a great deal.Check it out.

[@EverythingisFire]

The 16" tom promo? I've definitely seen it since I'm in the States. I'm just a humble novice, though. Need to stick with my 'Export' for now :) @@davidsuprenant893

[@davidsuprenant893]

@@EverythingisFire nothing wrong with pearl export,I use to play out on those kits in the early 80s.Made just as much Dow playing them as I did playing kits that cost 7 times what they cost.Dont ever get caught up that you got to have expensive drums to become a better player.That just is not the case. Happy drumming.

[@andyjeanes100]

@@davidsuprenant893 Absolutely spot on. I'm still playing my Export from 87, nobody that's paid me to play has ever complained about it!

[@mjm5081]

I think it looks and sounds pretty great!

[@chriswright8464]

Very lively sounding drums.

[@vandavis911]

im buying this kit in bigger sizes but i like the natural birch finish.

[@drumflip1253]

Sounds great!

[@MatChew75]

I still got the session studio classic I love the sound of those drums it's probably not as good of a kit as the mahogany & Birch but I still like the sound of the Kapur and Birch together. I think the classic TomToms sound better than the select toms. Their basically the same kit I know the classic have a 45ﾟ edge on it I think it's a 60ﾟ edge now. And I know it's a thinner ply shell than what is on the session classic, which I don't like i like the thicker ply on the classic. But honestly I think my drums look just as good in the hardware looks about the same, i mean its master seriez hardware hasn't changed too much since my 2013 model. colour that I have is the natural finish with glitter which is absolutely badass. With my Tama SLP g13 maple snare, it's a beauty, 13 ×6.5. Gorgeous sounding snare w kit . They made a 14 inch g13 , which I had but traded back in on the 13 inch. The only thing I don't like on my 13" snare is the tension lugs are connected, from top to bottom. The 14" had the individual tension lugs which I really liked but I just didn't like the sound of the 14" like the 13" but I played one recently an i think if I had to do it all over again I would stay with the 14" SLP g13. But anyway have a good day

[@harrisonsmith5825]

Can we see a review of the Tama Star and Starclassic?

[@andyham6094]

Yesss. Tama starclassic walnut birch and Tama star walnut or bubinga needs to happen

[@DrummersReview]

We have made the request, so stay tuned... thanks for watching, DR

[@al3xi1]

Could we have a review and comparison between the most used maple kits? Pearl, Tama, Dw, Yamaha, Mapex, Gretch, Sonor exct. So that we could hear the difference between them. Would help many for choosing the right maple drumset

[@ADDG880]

Great review, thank you! Any chance you are able to comment on how this compares to the older Pearl Session Custom (SRX)?

[@JakeStaffin]

Hi Nolly, great video!! I've never owned a Pearl kit (I have a Gretsch Catalina Maple and Yamaha Stage Custom Birch plus a disassembled Tama Royalstar made of poplar which I'm restoring) but I have always been impressed with Pearl drums and hardware. My high school had a Pearl Vision kit and my college's percussion studio has an older Pearl Masters kit and a set of Pearl concert toms, I love the way they sound. I have a Pearl hi-hat stand and a few summers ago I built my own snare drum using Keller shells and Pearl hardware (export lugs and the old Chad Smith signature snare's throw off. I'm considering upgrading to a more professional level kit when I'm out of college and I'm considering either the Gretsch Renown or this kit, but I'm starting to lean more towards this kit. What draws me to the Session Studio Select is that the price comparison to other kits in the same price point and quality is amazing- you get great shells and hardware for under $1600 here in the U.S. and I really like the sizes available. If I buy this I'm looking towards the 10 12 14 16 22 configuration and maybe I'll add in the matching snare drum but I have a few others to choose from. The 22x16 kick is a big draw because I like a slightly shallower kick drum after playing my Yamaha kick which is 20x17, and the birch shells give it the punch of my Yamaha plus the warmth of mahogany. I use my Yamaha up at school for all purposes from light jazz to heavy progressive rock and metal, and I think the shells on this Session kit would allow me to do that. I don't always use big setups but it's nice to have the sizes to choose from- I can use the 10 and 14 for jazz, the 12 and 16 for rock and any combo of the available shells for any purpose. I might consider putting on a more open but still controlled head like an Evans G2 or Remo Emperor instead of the included Pinstripes so I can dial in that more versatile sound that I get with heads like those ones on other kits. But overall I think this kit would work really well once I decide to upgrade in a few years. Hope that Crimson Burst finish is still available when the time comes!!

[@markomarkovic5729]

I think Royalstar is mahogany, but maybe you're right. Have you considered Mapex Saturn? It's in the same price range, and those drums sound phenomenal. Speaking of Session sets, have you thought about buying used, older versions? I’ve had the opportunity to play '90's Session kit at rehearsals, and those are some of the best sounding drums I ever played. The good thing about used drums is that they won't come with stock heads, and of course the price.

[@juanemmanuelsalinas2001]

What the difference between the session studio classic and session studio classic

[@frank.l181]

Probably Aquarian triple threat batter heads would do the trick!

[@erikvessey7001]

Great sounds out of these drums. Did you play them as tuned from the factory or do your own thing with tuning. If I were to wager a bet regarding the toms I'd say that the bottom head's are tuned to the same note as the top. They make such a nice big note! I could be wrong but any insights you care to share would help me to find a good range to tune my kit to. I have the shell package with the 24"x14" bass drum and matching 14"x6.5" snare. I can't wait to get them dialed in!

[@dcaudio1]

Definitely exhibit that warm lower midrange thuddy birch Mahogany sound.....I have the MCX and MCC drums....All maple shells have there place for sure, but i prefer the Music city customs pure shells...thin, warm, and very resonant drums...

[@sandrider1406]

When will you review the Tama Superstar Hyperdrive?

[@dogmart]

@Drummer's Review: Do you think the Session Studio Select kits can be tuned for bebop jazz? Pearl claims the 60 degree edge is used for jazz styles in the Masterworks series (with maple/gum shells), so I'm curious how that edge would translate for tuning on these birch/mahogany shells. Thanks.

[@dr.strange.2655]

I think the mahogany could help, I can hear the tone, I want to do the same.

[@sidmarks265]

Great review and playing. Can you do a poor review please and ask Nick to drop a stick or, perhaps, lose time for a change? Kit sounds good but not outstanding. Price is good so that could swing it. Looking forward to SQ1 review. I've got myself a set so please make it sound terrible!

[@namlu9979]

Sonido exquisito 😎😎

[@grueurgrue2108]

I had a session custom in the 90's. Sorry to say, it was not a very good sounding drum set. Glad they've fixed it up since then.

[@dcaudio1]

Evans UV1 fixes every problem....best drum head on the market for longevity....Remo coated ambassador is the best sounding drum head period, but don't last very long at all...when i want to spoil myself for a month i go Remo, but for daily drumming go evans UV1.

[@Phantom77_]

Does it come with the hi hat ??

[@roybeckerman9253]

Pearl make good drums, but the middle to lower end, don’t have a great resale value, probably because the market was flooded with them, in the Export Series days.

[@markomarkovic5729]

Exports and Stage Customs.

[@deaconblue5211]

I don't know why Pearl chose to put pinstripes on this kit. They would have sounded a lot better with either coated Ambassadors or coated Emperors. My 2 cents.

[@meepmeep3874]

Anyone have any input on the pitch dive of the floor tom being remedied with better heads?

[@dadinani9763]

What finish is this

[@roybeckerman9253]

Any chance of seeing the new Dixon kits.

[@Monsterdrumma]

If you remember the birch/kapur shell version of this which do you prefer the sound of?

[@EverythingisFire]

Wow. The drums sound great but I assumed shell packs that start at $1k don't come with 'UT' heads. Are there different grades of UT Remos?

[@ritzk79]

EverythingisFire pretty much all sub 1500 dollar kits come with Chinese Remo heads.

[@EverythingisFire]

@@ritzk79 Ahh, gotcha. The only $1k+ pack I've looked closely has been the "Saturn V Tour" which have Remo USA. That's where my assumption came from but I reckon Mapex is somewhat of a "value"/bang for the buck brand.

[@ritzk79]

EverythingisFire it’s a shame, we shouldn’t have to pay 100 bucks more just to change the heads that come in the box. If we’re paying that much for a kit, why not include some playable heads? It’s like shipping a 1000 dollar electric guitar with plastic strings.

[@charliesmithdrummer]

@@ritzk79 My Natal kit came brand new with Evans USA Level 360 G2 coated's on the tops, and an EMAD on the bass drum, and that was well below 1k, just the midrange Cafe Racer series. So you wonder why its a choice not taken by all of the other big brands.

[@ritzk79]

Johnny James C does “pretty much” sound like “all” to you?

[@nikolanikolov9275]

Sound is great, but the room mics is more , in that case the sound of every drum set is almost the same. If you want to hear a diference between woods and sets , you need more close mics.

[@metothemoon1227]

Gréât vidéo !!!!! How this drum sound whitout mics? I hope not too dead. The pearl select session sing without Mics? Hard to choose between dw performance 22/10/12/14/16, master Maple complète 22/10/12/14/16 , pearl session studios select 22/10/12/14/16 and the pearl reference ( not pure) 22/10/12/14/16. I want a pearl versatile drum for jazz , rock,reggae,fusion , cubain music ,old school music and acoustic music. Any advices are welcome thanks

[@oskarfield8696]

Session studio 20/10/12/14. It suits just what you are looking for.

[@fraserregan6335]

Is the Session Custom the same kit but older name??

[@edwardrusellbitara2930]

Hey Sir what interface did you use to record the kit? Thanks

[@zipisto8964]

What mics are on toms?

[@thedutchdjentleman]

zi pisto josephson e22s microphones

[@toddcooper3599]

Very Sexy Kit... Can't wait too get mine soon...

[@tingledinkle]

BET

[@MaguSdelFiasco]

To me Toms sounds "cheap", while kick ad FT are ok (BD is boomy, i like it)

[@Gretsch0997]

Those oval badges though....? Yikes! Deal breaker for me.

[@hyda-jameshill1035]

Agree, the newer badges don't do it for me at all

[@banditY2K]

antithesis of warm. too slappy sounding. Do yourself a favor and try a Tama Walnut Birch before you buy these.

[@Stclairm1]

I just can't stand Pearl's tom mounting system.

[@davidpfeifer9489]

Nothing too special about these

[@millardjcurtis9123]

The snares are terrible to tune.

[@bonzoligist6330]

Toms sound cheap and nasty,overall not impressed really,,

[@oskarfield8696]

Its the heads. Change to Remo ambassador clear Reso heads and coated ambassador batter heads and it will sound amazing. Give it a go

[@BennyWachtelaer]

@@oskarfield8696 I changed the resonant heads and kept the pearl pinstripes. I als tried Ambassador, not my cup of tee. After a long search and switching heads, I'm more than satisfied !! TIP ==> Tune resonance much lower than the batter !!!