Are DW Acrylic Drum Sets as Good as Their Wood Drums?

[@rdavidr]

Wheres my acrylic gang at?

[@bloodyluvrz]

dw acrylic kit has always been my dream drum kit tbh, but im basically broke 😞

[@tbtdylarn8611]

I wan one

[@DragonCrestPC]

Right here! Double 26" vistalite ludwig set!

[@yngstix]

Working acrylic gang hours to make acrylic gang payments 💀

[@JonManProductions]

Me, listening to Avenged Sevenfold's "Nightmare" Album which Mike Portnoy in place of the Rev (R.I.P), used his acrylic monster for the recording session.

[@_defalt_8371]

Man today is one of the best days in my life, i just bought my beloved tama starclassic performer, it doesnt sound like a big thing but for me it is huge, i hope all of you guys can experience this kind of joy some day

[@rdavidr]

congrats! I still remember the day I bought my first Tama, which was my first "real" drum set

[@_defalt_8371]

@@rdavidr well, i had a tama rythm mate, it did good for the past 4 years, now i am a big boy and i deserve big boy drums, thank you for being one of the most influencial persons on my path, you are truly the man.

[@ivanbajovic3476]

@@_defalt_8371 Serious toys for a big boys 😉

[@jeffhelmlinger7914]

@@rdavidr David, do you think the Donner acrylics with the bearing edges cut would be a good kit!

[@TyshonYbarra12]

@@rdavidr Do a DW vs donner drum compare

[@moondrums]

Probably one of the best videos you've created everything from your playing to the description of the drums very nicely done and those drums sound great actually

[@psychozulu]

has he ever had a bad sounding kit on here?

[@Dirtywaterdrinker]

I make better sounding kits on GarageBand

[@SteezusChrist__]

The ear tuned acrylic snare sounded beast Great video, I’ve never been the biggest fan of acrylic but your vids have been changing my mind

[@aaronsudasna]

I’d like to hear a comparison between the donner and the Dw, since I believe all acrylic shells are made by the same company. Also, it would be cool to see a recut of the donner bearing edges and comparison.

[@jeffhelmlinger7914]

I wanted to get him to tell us how much better is the dw kit than the Donner, for $1000 more and I would like to see him recut the bearing edge on the Donners as close to the Dw before he compares. I think RCI Starlite was making the acrylic shells for several drum companies but I don't think Dw . I checked on Donners and they are not made by RCI Starlite I also have a message into Foreach drums to see if they source from the same company as Donner does. Luddie Vistalites have seams, unlike the Dw , and others, but RCI could still make the acrylic shells and cut and glue them or even send them to Ludwig to cut and glue them!

[@briansturk8723]

yeah, it seems RCI doesn't make the Design series acrylic shells (they are made in China), but they do make the Collector ones.

[@jeffhelmlinger7914]

@@briansturk8723 they only make the acrylic shells in the design series, I believe!

[@luvmedrums4057]

Yes,what you said

[@briansturk8723]

@@jeffhelmlinger7914 very possible, I was in correspondence with the folks at RCI (to get a replacement shell for my design series acrylic) and they said they only do collector series shells, maybe they aren't acrylic? My design series FT has developed 3 cracks around a lug. :( :(

[@Jeff-rh8mq]

The rack toms are a lot more musical than I expected.... The pitch and resonance are great! Very distinct! Great playing as always.

[@vukjovanovicofficial]

Anything this man makes is top tier content. Lots of love David, your work is amazing!

[@achilles_real]

Pozdrav Vuče

[@Oatinator]

This is my main kit and i LOVE it. It cuts through the mix live really nicely, but is admittedly a bit much for small venues. I've had multiple sound guys tell me they just shut off the mics lol

[@leeroymartinez8920]

Just so everyone knows. I just bought this kit!. It should be here in 2 days!!

[@thumperpaul]

Anything DW is awesome. Really like those acrylics!🎉🎉🎉

[@rkaylor5769]

This channel is dope. You never know what rdavidr is going to find next.

[@thegeorgeflores]

I've got an Acrylic 13x7 Pork Pie snare and I have loved it for years! Acrylics are the business.

[@jessejlewismeng]

I love you papa

[@Rainofc]

🤨

[@Danielthedrummer]

Ayo if you’re not his son then 💀

[@benithedrummer]

I love you too son

[@dryskinpug24]

🤔

[@benithedrummer]

@Pierinhood aaaaaaaaaaa

[@JayQuijada]

6:52 Acrylic shell note is F#2 6:55 Wood shell note is actually C3

[@gregwonhoff7161]

Your videos are so dang entertaining, but that is just an offshoot of your personality. Thank you so much for all of your offerings.

[@foodforthegods]

My DAW ostensibly has perfect pitch and shows the wooden shell at 136 Hz, which is just about a C# (+32 cents, so a quarter of the way to a D) and the acrylic shell at 92 Hz, which is just about an F# (+9 cents), assuming A=440 Hz. (I measured the tail on the samples because that's where the tone is.)

[@eugeivashchenko758]

Love the DW collectors tension rods. If I'm swapping heads, I just use a basic drill w/ a drum bit, and get it there like 85-90% of the way. Then w/ a tunebot, I can match all the lugs to the exact hz number. With other drums, I'll always be a little nervous using the drill and I'll get variance between the lugs of 2-3 hz. It sounds pretty good, but DW is all about precision so it's no surprise that they have the tension rods that they do.

[@AnimalJohn85]

Awesome kit with even better playing! That groove is something else!

[@jobdiaz8844]

I’ve just joined by random suggestions and am in freaking LOVE WITH THIS CHANNEL!!!!!! The transitions AHHHHH

[@vicentecastro6066]

It's alway sa good Day when rdavidr drops a video

[@JoanneFong]

I would definitely try that bearing edge shot with the camera on a tripod and using a large Fstop for a greater depth of field. You will have to crank up the studio lights to compensate. If that doesn’t work, using a macro lens would let you push in on the subject very close for detail shots. Also a polarizing filter is useful when shooting shiny things. They eliminate the reflections on surfaces.

[@SeanD313]

^^^ This. All of this, right here. 👍

[@PYROWORKSTV]

Regarding 3:00 try waving a hand at your focus point or try using manual focus if your camera has this option ^^ Nice video though, love those crystal clear toms!

[@bobstigler]

The finer threaded tuning rods allows for a more precise tuning...it's a good thing. I think the shell material matters least...the head type and tuning of the heads matters most.

[@jeffreyhyder2429]

I’ve got a Pearl Crystal Beats that use the same shell. I think I only paid about $900 for a 3 piece kit with 12”,14” and 20” kick. It’s got such great punch and tone compared to a wood kit, and everyone loves the way it looks, especially at a show when it’s all lit up.

[@minki1820]

Im not sure if I enjoy acrylic drums in general, but I do know I enjoy your videos!

[@kosdakis]

I have perfect pitch and so the 10 by 8 collectors wooden shell wasn’t actually a C, it was a C sharp and the acrylic drum shell was a G sharp. Love your work!

[@artemismaximus3487]

the acrylic was an f sharp

[@thejdmguru621]

@@artemismaximus3487Let the battle begin

[@256k_]

i think it wasn't completely a C# but definitely higher than a C.

[@markeric1337]

I these a more of a percussion sound going on with these? Like a more beefed up roto tom kit? (lower notes). Or am I just imagining that? .These kind of sound like cheesy 80's pop drums to me; for my taste. but who the f am I.

[@HyruleDude]

Actually, it’s Z sharp.

[@raffdaddyjr.2204]

Luke’s Drum loot has some crazy prices. Cool he sent you that snare

[@DrummerDanVa]

I had a black Fibes acrylic kit in the 70's. Loved the sound and how they projected since I wasn't miced.

[@shawnfrost2996]

So I don’t know if anyone has answered this or not because I have not gone through all the comments, but the reason why the threads are finer on the Collector series is to give you more tuning range. Hope you find this helpful and I absolutely love your videos!

[@Wolfofthenightt]

I know nothing about drumming, but I'm in love with these videos.

[@heythaian]

The kick sounds so good!

[@VarionJimmy]

And you could see the beater through the floor tom. 😁

[@boristomakic5995]

I had the same drum set and it was great live and recording...I put two upgrades - light inside all shells and DW 3-way butt end on a snare ...the whole Design series is great, you don't need to spend extra money on Collectors

[@boristomakic5995]

@user-tx4vc8em3r 👍 I'm from Croatia, Europe

[@SydneyDrums]

The tension rods on collectors called vari pitch and the finer thread means that you can do finer adjustments in tuning with small turns of a tuning key

[@samtheman233]

what could be a sick although expensive video idea on your quest to play every kind of kit, sound difference between Birch Bubinga, and just regular bubinga! anyways sick vid enjoyed every minute of it

[@SopranoPizzaJMFNJ]

I've played these DW Acrylics & they sound Great! Definitely one of my next buys!

[@heidiheidiho6412]

One advantage I think an acrylic shell has over a wood shell is you can play them under the pouring rain and not worry about warping the following day. You might have to worry about lightning strikes though as you're playing. 😅

[@powmowwow]

this is my dream set. i have a DW performance series which is the best set ive owned so far, i played a dw acrylic set at GC one day and was amazed.

[@SuperDuce74]

They sound clear-mazing!!!

[@luvmedrums4057]

Never owned acrylic drum or set of them.My buddy's Dad's got set of blue vistalites.He said once there passed down him,there coming to me.David,you tune better by ear than the tension watch Great job always 👍

[@crlaw75]

Yes, those DW tension rods, if you needed some, have been special order items since '96 because they changed the threading then to a finer one.

[@user-cz7yz9hc8b]

I have a DW Design Acrylic but I wrapped it in vinyl fabric because I don’t like the look of clear acrylic (only colors please) so I wrapped mine in vinyl fabric, but its completely removable since I just tacked the lucks through the fabric so they anchor it to the drum, then a little doublesided tape on the seam. Its sneaky, sounds acrylic but looks like sparkling tangerine 😅

[@patrickpaolicelli8808]

I love your drumming. You have a great ear for tuning the drums

[@rhino1138]

Dude. You could make a sardine can and a paint bucket sound good. Next level - Legendary Kits played by you. Start in the Jazz era work forward artist by artist.

[@chrislucky]

David bro, probably one of the bets vids in your whole channel bro. Gratz!! ✌️ Big hug from 🇲🇽 saludos Amigo!!

[@crlaw75]

Neat idea about the protector around the bearing edges.

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

So if you're planning on playing every type of drum kit. When you assembling a rototom kit? I love Thomas Lang's rototom kit.

[@rdavidr]

funny you bring that up 😉

[@RainMakeR_Workshop]

@@rdavidr I look forward to the vid.

[@lagazotheque]

Damn, that is some sick playing. Your videos keep getting better !

[@__jco32]

i think you just made me like acrylic drums. they sound really punchy and full. great for classic rock i think like bonzos used to. thanks!!

[@AaronTremblay]

Camera nerd here for input on the bearing edges. Try this: Tripod, aputure around f/11-f/16, macro lens, lots of light , and manual focus 😁

[@TechNiVoltisgr3at]

Aye! Luke 's Drum loot! Dude is a great guy with great deals. Can't recommend him enough. Seriously go check him out

[@coreywoodruff]

Camera nerd here: To film bearing edges, get you a macro lens so you can focus closer to the drum. Even a cheap* 60mm one will help. Love your vids, man!

[@dennisrediske6338]

Great video from a past owner of Ludwig Vistalites. I like their sound! Thank You

[@michaelcooper1555]

You're a pretty sharp dude brother... After watching a heck of a lot of drum videos it's great to watch you make common sense. I think you proved when it comes to kick drums and Tom's.... a drum is a drum.. as long as you pick the right heads and know how to tune. I'm a Canadian and been in a party / corporate / wedding / Festival band band called Bigg wiggle For 30 years. Had my fair share of drum sets but am currently using an acrylic set from a company called RCI... According to them they make the shells for a lot of big companies.. So for me that video was great. Keep up the good work brother! I trigger a lot of stuff playing live.. have you ever considered covering that area? Cheers, Coop

[@wilfredomendez3450]

Beautiful Dave, and thanks for sharing

[@HermesTrismegistes369]

I have that kit. I like it, I’ve played live with it. Micd up of course. People like it. Girls and kids like it. Lol. It’s good to have three or four kits if possible. ❤

[@alexbeaumier]

Hey, camera nerd here. For capturing the bearing edges, I'd recommend getting a good macro lens. They're great for capturing small details on objects. You can also find magnifiers for your camera to put between your lens and the camera that act as a pseudo-macro lens, but your best bet is to get the real thing!

[@VarionJimmy]

The demo at the end was great! I couldn’t believe my ears when you started with *that* Phi.. fill. 👍👍👍 And yes, it was a C on the shell. I’m not a drummer, (keyboardist/sound engineer) but I’ve loved drums all my 48yrs, so I’m a big fan of your Channel. This time I learned that acrylic shells are heavier and less ringy. 🤓 (I seem to share the same taste in tuning/ring with you.)

[@robsolf]

Appreciate you doing this vid! I've been tempted to get a Bonham acrylic setup(since I currently don't have that config, currently) and have been worried about sacrificing tone. Acrylic kits really don't seem to lose much, so long as they hold together.

[@alexwojtowicz96]

Bought this exact kit a couple of months ago and I love it!

[@gabrielcortinas2521]

So are they about the same weight as a wood kit? Want to get one but I’m afraid they would be too heavy to gig with.

[@alexwojtowicz96]

@@gabrielcortinas2521 I don't really notice a significant weight difference and I do gig with it.

[@Deerob]

For the bearing edge filming part: Something like the Laowa 100mm f2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO lens will let you focus super close and the lens is pretty cheap, too. You'll need a lot of light at its minimum focus distance though.

[@TreySmittyJr]

My dads drumming (and our friend) has a dw arcrylic kit, and he barely doesnt let anyone touch it. Except me. I LOVE THAT KIT! Its on my christmas list 😂

[@vassilisbakalas3423]

I liked the six stroke roll fill at the end, very creative!

[@beddypk2778]

All my need for drum content is provided by you thank you dear sir

[@TheTubeMeister]

I just bought the DW design series acrylic. Arrived a few days ago. Absolutely love it!! Amazing kit, amazing sound and it looks so sweet!! Wouldn’t have bought anything else. If you can afford one, buy it!! I got the 7 piece.

[@juliointeriano8758]

I'm very happy with mine as well. I think it's one DWs best kits. I got a lot more value from their acrylic kit than my dw performance.

[@legacyShredder1]

My Tama Star and Starclassic Maple kits had protection on the bearing edges when I received them. I was impressed by that too. Also shoutout to American Musical Supply and Zzounds; they're two different companies but they share inventory and warehouses. Both companies have gone out of their way for me on my journey building my studios. I most likely wouldn't have been able to create such a great facility without their help. Good people.

[@jas_bataille]

Hey! Camera nerd here :) You need some kind of macro lens or filter to film bearing edges properly. A macro wide angle lens attachment can come relatively cheap (around 50 bucks on Amazon) and do the job just fine!

[@lucasbarker5787]

Sounds awesome. Looks cool. You're playing was slick too.

[@katzz6444]

Great sound I'm getting an acrylic kit and you playing gave me the sound.

[@ILikeWafflz]

3:03 Have you tried hanging something dark (or whatever appropriate color) directly behind the bearing edge?

[@calebmooneyham287]

I have a DW design series kit. One of the maple kits. It also came with those clear heads instead of the treated heads that DW is known for. I think it's simply a cost saving measure for that line of kit.

[@michaeldeloach838]

I have a Ludwig clear Vistalite kit in the big Bonham sizes. 26", 14", 16", and 18". Cannons!

[@blakemcfarland4293]

I have the DW acrylic set with an additional 18" floor tom, and one of the first things I noticed after tuning it, was how much more punchy it was than my Yamaha Rock Tour kit.

[@anthony22bob]

As always, great explanations, great representation of the instrument before you, and great drumming. Kudos!

[@pulsar-_-4504]

3:42 David, it’s designed like this so it doesn’t fall out when it’s tightened. It’s called a memory lock for a reason! 😂

[@mattpirtle]

On the topic of shooting the bearing edge, it looks like your f setting on the camera might have been in the range of 2.0 and I would recommend something more like 4.... also you can create contrast with a spot fill light of a different color, a small 5 watt color changing bulb is only $5, you can point it at or past the shell and set the color to something that stands out from your key light which probably has a color temp in the range of 5k. Hope that helps! You're the best!

[@davedunst7133]

Oh crap, that demo at the end sounded great!

[@ikkenhisatsu7170]

I had an acrylic kit for 20 years. They were made by me, with TAMA lugs and hardware, and shells made by a guy from north Jersey who has since passed. Same manufacturer who makes them for Ludwig and several other makers. They were bright and LOUD. Eventually I put Evans hydraulic heads on them and got a pretty good DW-like sound. Great drums. I finally sold them (I didn't want the movers to f*ck them up), but they were pretty great looking and sounding. 7 - piece set - my only complaint was the Tama tom hardware could never support the weight of the 14" tom.

[@muchopomposo.6394]

Brilliant, as usual..! And the music... Marvellous! 👍🏻

[@robertbrowning6035]

The finer threads won't have as much mechanical play, so they aren't as sensitive to vibration and backing out.

[@jwright8838]

Even after you re-tuned the acrylic shell by ear I thought the acrylic sounded so much better. I know that may be controversial, but wow, that acrylic snare sounded ideal to me.

[@soilent9618]

Acrylic snares are super bright and can have a TON of crack. Some of my favorites.

[@RyTrapp0]

Definitely a noticeable 'pang' to it compared to the wood shell - I won't say it's my preferred snare sound, but I definitely don't hate it. Good option to have in the arsenal.

[@channelite]

Yeah those drums sound really good. I think you should try to also get more of a room sound too. Awesome video!

[@Mikehoncho191]

For filming bearing edges. Maybe move further away and zoom in, hopefully that works, if not Macro lenses are amazing and fun

[@loko306]

I wanted to see a sound comparison with the cheaper acrilic kit, but great video!!

[@I-LOG]

That wooden tom didn't quite sound like a C, so to be sure I checked against a piano and it was more like a C# but a little flat, I guess that makes it like a C half-sharp or C# half flat.

[@brandonfeeley514]

Kit sounds pretty good! Makes me want to buy an acrylic set. Maybe a green one?

[@williamstenberg1220]

6:42 The wooden shell actually is a C# but the acrylic was an F, a few cents sharp though.

[@brendanerazo]

I got one of these design series snares in coke bottle green. The thing that strikes me about it is how loud it can get.

[@NOKEY5]

Those kits look great!! I wonder how they sound when you play them Thanks for showing us all of it!!!!!!!! :3

[@anteoinas4545]

Been waiting for a new video for so long!!

[@680mudman]

Love that sonic over tone so cool!!!

[@chastain1122]

I love your tuning and hi hat on this kit

[@jc3drums916]

Only suggestion I can think of for shooting bearing edges is to do the things necessary to get greater depth of field: smaller aperture (f/11 or f/16 or whatever), shoot from a few feet away instead of super close, and use a wide(-ish) angle lens and crop out whatever you don't need in the frame. Unfortunately, RCI doesn't make hoops, only shells, so only the companies that use seamless shells (Crush, Pearl, etc.) will have matching acrylic hoops. At least RCI has more than two or three color options (although DW only uses two or three of them). The memory locks on the Design Series kit used to be on the Collector's Series kits.

[@shirleymorrow7674]

Nice demo. I never used acrylic but it sounds pretty good when you play it.

[@beat_avenger]

Try putting a macro ring on your lens to film the bearing edges

[@lucasgerbee]

9:46 that Tom beat!! 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@davidserota5944]

this is the kit i play but i also use an 18" floor tom. Its great

[@wrongfuture]

The sound on the last take was fantastic. Can you do a video on how you typically mic and mix drums?

[@tyrustucker]

Hey David! Camera nerd/drummer here. Looks like you may just be getting to close to the edge and may need a “macro” lens that can focus at a shorter distance. Also make sure your aperture isn’t too low (it looks like your aperture (f-stop) is wide open (at like maybe f/1.8-2.4) on that shot making the area of focus very small. Try setting your f-stop to somewhere between f/4-5.6 so that you still get some nice bokeh but have a larger field of view to work with and not need too much more light to compensate. Making sure you’re up against a solid color background could also help (especially with the acrylics)

[@ChristopherSmithNYC]

I have a FF Acrylic Black and Yellow Batman shell that would look amazing with this hardware. Ive been wanting to powder coat a chassis in yellow. If you ever wanna get rid of it, Ill take it. I have 8 ff's I could trade too. Wow that kit sounds nice. Not usually a fan or acrylic, but you got them sounding really nice.

[@remygaron8311]

Sound better than wood for rock heavy but with evans drumheads 👏👏👏🤟🏻🤟🏻🥁🥁🇨🇦