Sonor AQ2 Safari Review

[@timcline2799]

Beautiful playing :) Wicked snare work, rim shots, play. Solid, unpretentious review, Ty!

[@davidpeck9836]

Hi Don, Thanks for the demo, and well done dealing with some of the comments which were a tad harsh! Best wishes Dave P 👍🍀

[@donokeefe8380]

Thanks Dave. I appreciate the feedback. I've learned that if you're going to post you really can't worry about the haters. There will always be some. All the best to you.

[@mpcvore]

Great review and great drumming too. I like the fact that, recorded just with the iPhone mic, this kit sounds like it's supposed to sound. Thank you very much.

[@facethemusictogether8489]

Thanks for your comments. I'm glad you found it useful.

[@bonzomio]

Hi Don Nice kit! My keyboard friend bought this kit so I wouldn't have to haul my kit to our Thursday night jams. Love it! Nice playing/demo!

[@facethemusictogether8489]

Thanks. I love them even more with the USA Remos.

[@davidstein9129]

Thanks for this vid. So do you or anyone here know what the main differences are between this kit & yhe Sonor AQX JAZZ Kit? The wooden shells are different...Popular for the AQX Series and Maple for the AQ2 Series. Also, do you recommend replacement drum heads & snares for these? If so, what make & models would bring a sound improvement & are a decent value IYO. Thanks!

[@facethemusictogether8489]

I like Evans G1 coated or Remo Coated Ambassadors on the Snare and toms. I love the Evans EMAD bass drum heads.

[@WyattLite-n-inn]

Beautiful sound and touch

[@donokeefe8380]

Thanks Charles. I appreciate it.

[@StayHomeEatGreat]

Sounds great I have the older Silver sparkle safari. Do you have a video after upgrades?

[@facethemusictogether8489]

Thanks. I do not have the updated video but will work on getting it up. I have 2 of these kits. My gig kit I made a 5 piece by adding an 8" tom. Those have the Remo coated Ambassadors currently except for the Evans previously stated on the BD. The 4 piece kit I have for my students in the studio I just put Evans coated G1's on the snare and toms. BD still has the original heads.

[@melodymanmusic]

Sounds great

[@facethemusictogether8489]

Thanks!

[@johnfearon6115]

I have this exact kit changed the heads tho to evans on the toms,remo reverse dot on the snare and emad on the kick these drums are fantastic and pack away in 2 cases (Pearl midtown cases).

[@firstlast1570]

Do you think safari is better than pearl midtown ? I gonna use it as small club gigging, kick tone is important for me, thanks.

[@scproject-4158]

Just bought this drumset, sounds killer right out of the box.

[@facethemusictogether8489]

You're gonna love them!

[@gabrielnunez5168]

How will the gretsch catalina club jazz compare to this?

[@facethemusictogether8489]

It depends on your preference. I purchased the Catalina Club for my church and it's a great choice. The drum sizes would be comparable to the AQ2 Bop kit and not my Safari. Prices are pretty close. The Sonors are Maple while the Gretsch are Mahagony. A little different sound profile but really depends on your head choices more than that in the overall sound. I do prefer the Sonor hardware. It is extremely sturdy and built to last a lifetime. Both kits sound great though. The Gretsch I bought was an older kit, maybe 10 years or so while the Sonor kit I purchased brand new a few years ago so I can't vouch for any changes in quality control that Gretsch may have gone through in recent years. Sonor manufacturing is still top notch across all their lines.

[@samoliver9132]

Hi Don, I was wondering how this kit disassembles. Does it fit into a small space when you take it apart?

[@donokeefe8380]

Hey Sam, due to the small sizes of the drums, they do take up a small footprint, both set up and in storage. The bass drum actually fits in a regular 16” floor tom case. Pretty cool.

[@johnfearon6115]

Pearl midtown cases ...One for the kick and one for the floor,snare and Tom....

[@polarnatten]

I have the bop kit in the same finish. Replace stock heads with USA Remo and you get a pro sounding kit. Even the snare drum sounds good, which is kinda rare in this price range. The wrap looks great and the drums are well made, but the hoops and bearing edges tend to be overlooked in quality control department... Still, great value for money.

[@jonathanbormann5077]

Are the toms 1.6mm?

[@HiHello-vc4tx]

Hi, Don. It's maple sheel? It's quite bright ton and sounds cool

[@donokeefe8380]

It's a combination of high end North American Canadian Maple combined with some Chineses maple to keep the price down. The drums really project nicely for their small sizes.

[@merlysteambahayarabyaya1106]

Thanks for sharing new friend from Philippine.

[@donokeefe8380]

Hi Merlys. Thanks for subscribing. If you are looking for my drum content, please subscribe to my new channel here, kzbin.info/door/LLgdMaL8qYF4SpTcc8x_SA. I will no longer be posting drum related stuff on this channel. Hope you will join us!

[@benjaminposer593]

Hello Don nice playing. I had the old sonor safari kit once upon a time. Considering a sonor maple bop or dw frequent flyer just wondering if you had a opinion on those kits

[@donokeefe8380]

Hey Benjamin, Thanks for listening. I would have to assume judging from my Safari kit that the Bop will be equally impressive. I have not played the Frequent Flyers but DW always makes solid products and judging by the reviews I've seen it would hard to go wrong with those drums. You will pay more for the DW kit but it may be worth it to you. Check out the video reviews on those. There are many out there. Good luck with which ever way you decide to go.

[@pokemonjandg5746]

Question am I the only one who takes lessons from him

[@ambroulard]

What I find interesting is that the drums with the crappy Chinese heads sound pretty good but the bass drum that you’ve messed with sounds basically crappy...........

[@donokeefe8380]

Hey M.M., Thanks for your input and for listening. I would disagree, but drum tunings are always very personal and subjective depending on what style of music you are playing.

[@edubatera72]

Not “ Sonar” guys.... it’s “SonOr”

[@DrummerGrrrl]

Speak up! I had to give up at the 2:00 mark as I couldn't hear a word you were saying.

[@donokeefe8380]

Sorry to hear that. Hadn't heard that from anyone else. Thanks for the feedback.

[@musicalala]

I actually agree. For some reason your voice is not nearly as loud as the drums.Drums are loud and clear and voice is close to non-existent. If you watch on a smartphone,you have to almost maximize volume (about 8/10 of max volume to hear,then drums are way too loud) to hear what you're saying. My phone has exceptional sound so I know it's not a problem with my phone. Maybe your recording device may be better closer to you.

[@drumshtick69]

small tom had absolutely no tone.

[@donokeefe8380]

Thanks for listening. As I mentioned, these were intentionally stock out of the box with no tuning.