Sonor SQ1 Shell Pack & Matching Snare Drum - Drummer's Review

Here's our review of a Sonor SQ1 shell pack and matching snare drum. Filmed at Middle Farm Studios, April 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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[@NS-dd9ou]

Nolly review's are always very well structured. You can tell the words have been chosen carefully, not just what first comes from the top of his head. 0% blabbing. I appreciate your content in the drums reviews and also what you do with guitars (such tasteful heavy playing!)

[@donsak111]

Drummers review is the best thing that has happened to me on the Internet:)

[@slaughtherheadmetaldrummer7634]

yes

[@jonreintjensdrums]

I bought this kit shortly after chris coleman presented it at musikmesse germany. I directly fell in love with the tone and the punch of these drums. I have this kit about 1 1/2 years right now and been to several studios with it. These drums are one of the best drums on planet in my opinion. Sonor never dissapoints🤷‍♂️💪

[@219Dave]

jon reintjens Can you compare them specifically to some other sets you have owned?

[@jonreintjensdrums]

@@219Dave the sonor sound is very different than any other kit i have played/owned. Especialy with the sq1 you get the quality of a sq2 but pre-confirgured. The kit has a lot of punch/tone. In my opinion sonor makes the best birch kits in the drumming industry. These drums are truly one of a kind🙏 definitely recomend them!

[@daffyshakilfur3563]

I have this same kit and I play it with a rock music party band, jazz gigs and also just did some recording with it. It is so diverse, I love it.

[@drlodge]

Which size shells do you have?

[@dwdrum11]

Gorgeous looks and the sound to match. Never owned a sonor but those who do seem very loyal to the brand and quite understandably

[@topperhardy1614]

Excellent review, thank you👍🏻 Just one thing about your comments on the „reverse position“ of the L-arms, that is in fact the correct position which was introduced with the 600 hardware series. The longer part goes into the ball and the shorter part fits exactly the tom mount.

[@MrDirtysticks]

One of the best sounding sets I've ever heard.

[@costamesa22]

No one does drum reviews better than Nolly. I just ordered my 6 piece SQ1 set. Can’t wait to play it. I’ve also heard these played with Remo clear emperors which is the exact sound I’m going after.

[@MikeLuke]

A studio engineer‘s dream, perfect combination of attack & warmth.

[@MikeLuke]

Derek Frampton DOT com I agree on the Pearl. However, at that price point of the Pearl Decade there are some serious options that offer good value for money: Gretsch Catalina or the Yamaha Stage Custom, which is my favorite of them. The Sonor though is a different league. The hardware, the quality of the shells themselves... so I agree with Nolly that the price here is reasonable.

[@MikeLuke]

Derek Frampton DOT com Well, let’s agree to disagree. Quality matters. Not with all brands, but for most of them. Of course you pay for the brand itself. But the Sonor SQ1 is made in Germany, so you pay the higher German salaries in comparison to Chinese build drums. You say there are niche? Well, maybe they don’t want to build drums for 500$ - though they had some cheap lines in the last (Sonor 1000). The perception of quality is always subjective anyways. Just check the review of the Pearl Decade on this channel, Nolly mentioned some slight quality „issues“ on the shells. I am not a big Pearl fan whatsoever, but I agree that the Decade Maple offer a good quality for the money. Cheers 🤟🏻

[@larrytate1657]

These do seem warmer than most other birch drums.

[@larrytate1657]

Well the Yamaha recording custom is actually more expensive than these so considering that these aren’t too bad. However Canopus has a nice birch kit for about 1,700 that’s high end. Called the Yaiba kit

[@banditY2K]

@Derek Frampton aKa 1PaPaD1 1/3 the quality too.

[@ReignJeffersonCTria]

High quality videos with killer drum sound and information can't think of a reason why just 11k subs these are epic this channel deserve more subs seriously

[@nojnoj3069]

SONOR Drum's are by far the best in the world. SONOR Drum's. Pure excellence.

[@euex]

Warm and very rich sound, great review.

[@avramnovorra]

1st Sonor review I've seen on the channel, and I gotta say it was a good one.. That snare sounded like it was made of metal instead wood... 👌🥁

[@that-avr-drummer]

I own the black version of this set up. They are fantastic drums and give a lot back to the drummer.....highly recommend them!!! I play these for Birch and Ludwig CMs for maple

[@claystaggs8908]

Absolutely stunning kit. Sonor knows how to build a quality kit for sure.

[@johnbertasius2612]

That's a classy looking set of drums. Great sound too.

[@hungry_arch]

Absolutely love your reviews brother. I think you may have me sold on this sq1 series

[@drlodge]

That sq1 has an awesome sound, so deep and vibrant. Thanks for the review!!

[@dww0902]

I like the dynamic range displayed in all these videos. I don't know how y'all get these kits for review, but I'd personally be interested in seeing some Gretsch Brooklyn and DW Performance series kits demo'd.

[@banditY2K]

I have a set of these in the exact same sizes in GT Black. Phenomenal kit. Listen to this w/ headphones.

[@Rocking-on-with-Frits]

I own a SQ1 since a few months (gold satin metallic) and I totaly agree with this review. It is very punchy, musical, easy to tune (and it stays in tune for a long time), very versatile. I just love it and I think I will keep on loving it long time :-)

[@drummerboyharm3078]

Sounds very 'airy'.

[@Rocking-on-with-Frits]

@@drummerboyharm3078 I am not sure what you mean ... 😃

[@drummerboyharm3078]

@@Rocking-on-with-Frits sorry. I mean a lot of tone and air movement. Less attack and depth in the sound. I am Dutch so sometimes difficult to find words to express myself. Tommorow I'm gonne check these drums by a local drumshop.

[@Rocking-on-with-Frits]

@@drummerboyharm3078 Lachen man, ik ben ook Nederlands. Wat wilde je zeggen?

[@drummerboyharm3078]

@@Rocking-on-with-Frits ja. Bedoel. Ik hoor veel toon en sustain, maar weinig attack en diepte uit de ketel. Maar kan aan de opname liggen. Sonor is wel erg goed in berken drums. Ik was bijvoorbeeld al gecharmeerd van de S Classix destijds. Morgen bij Lars in Venray deze set proberen (20, 12 en 14) lekkere maten!

[@sidmarks265]

Wonderful review. Great playing that shows these off to their best. So good that I own a set!

[@GrahamScanlonDrums]

I bought this kit in roadster green on the strength of this review. Stoked for it to arrive!

[@DrummersReview]

Graham Scanlon Drums glad we could help.. Best wishes, DR

[@greenwoodcolin]

How about you do a video doing an overview of different signature drum sounds, to help newbies figure out what they're looking for? Gretsch vs Ludwig vs Sonor vs DW etc.

[@eduardoricardo94]

Finally. thanks for the review👍🏼

[@rongriffin5980]

It seems these are S-Classix re-invented. Nothing wrong with this as I own and play the Classix. Great review!!!

[@paulbolin7513]

Sonor and Premier are my favorite drums. The undersized Birch shells produce a sound quality that’s hard to complete with.

[@jasperjenkins7729]

Picking up 8 10 12 16 18 22 in Green Tomorrow. Insanely Excited. And I Own Yamaha Custom Absolute and Starclassic and DW. But High End Sonor Birch has been on my WANT list for YEARS. ONLY way to Top this would be Old School Bubinga🤘

[@joecaroselli5858]

Fantastic looking kit and excellent playing and demonstration. Terrific job.

[@cmswrD]

That snare drum is phenomenal

[@frankp.8047]

and so are the toms. wow.

[@RyoTanakadrum]

This is really great review. I appreciate it.

[@del5606]

Nice review. I'd love to hear a section using just room mics.

[@xenprovence6126]

I own a 2018 SQ1 kit. All and all under the mics they sound pretty dang good but it took a lot of work. I'm still having some issues with all the drums like some stiff tension rods and difficulty to tuning the toms (possible bearing edge issues) but the stinger is the "Prolite" badge on the SQ1 24" bassdrum. Unbelievably I had not noticed the badge until I was yet again trying a different set of heads (Ambassador Coated) to try get some bottom end in the room of this fu*king 24 inch bassdrum. OK, I love the way they look but sitting behind the drums is not where they sound best. Best is through some speakers or have your friend play them for you while you stand ten feet away. Over and out from Hollywood.

[@ivanbajovic3476]

Man, thanks for this info!

[@larrytate1657]

Can you put a link for a picture. Sonor is a very meticulous company hard to believe they would put the wrong badge on a bass drum.

[@xenprovence6126]

@@larrytate1657 Hi Larry, not sure how to link a pic but in the meantime below is the response from the vendor....none of which got fulfilled as of yet, only a replacement badge for me to install on the 24" kick. Also, yesterday I played and identical Sonor 24" kick at Pro Drum in Hollywood. It sounded really good, the 24" kick I got is just a lemon, my bad luck! Bryn, I plan on getting the bass drum replaced and the tension rods on the toms. I also want to be sure that the 10” tom bearing edges are good, if not I want to replace that too. I am going to do what I can to make this right. Hang in there and let me get this going with my Sales Rep & US Product Manager. Thank you, Sam Galizia Sam I Am Studios Sonor Certified Plus Drum Dealer 734 377-1959 [e-mail] www.samiamstudios.com stores.ebay.com/samiamstudios?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

[@219Dave]

This is an excellent review. Very different vibe than most others. I felt that you could switch gears any minute and discuss a recent Supreme Court decision or trade talks. Lol.

[@BatManWayneCorp]

The SQ1 is still handmade in Germany, as oppose to their AQ series ❤

[@chrisbedan]

Nolly, i really hope that youre sampling alll of these drums, to have the ultimate GGD library of drums.. OMG!!!

[@charliefarran9603]

I have ordered an Sonor SQ kit, but had the toms bass drum mounted, so I can use flatbased lightweight stands. I hate stand mounted toms, they never seem to be in the right place.

[@johnfearon6115]

Me too Charlie don't like the toms hanging from cymbal stands also use the flat base hardware fitted a sonor vintage tom mount to the kick

[@sergedurocher385]

Nice sound. Can't wait to receive mine. 20-10-16 in black finish

[@ramenthenoodle_]

How did you go about a custom config? Just buy components? Special order?

[@sergedurocher385]

@@ramenthenoodle_ special order ( individual components)

[@larrytate1657]

Can you review some birch Canpous drums.

[@KM-px8cs]

Outstanding review! :)

[@scotttucker8127]

Great sounding kit

[@FredEricS-Moto]

I've been playing Sonor all my life, my first kit was a Force 1000. I've made excursions to DW, Pearl and Tama, but I felt nothing really came close to the build and sound quality of Sonor, especially my Sonor SQ2 kit. That said, I'm not saying other manufacturers are bad or anything, but I do feel that Sonor is ahead in many ways. One thing I don't like though, is the hardware, especially the pedals. I feel Sonor can do far better in that category.

[@rigorhead01]

This kit sounds great

[@slrhythm2087]

This one sounds way better than the recording custom

[@arbogast4950]

Have you had any discoloration around the tom mount gaskets? This seems to be a problem with the cruiser blue finish.

[@johannjohann6523]

Yes Sonor drums do have a characteristic sound to them I think that doesn't sound like other drums. I've always loved Sonor drums, but alas always outside my budget. And what's up with those mics you are using, wish you would have videos about equipment other than "just" drums. really like the channel though.

[@chriswright8464]

Sonor has there stuff together.

[@roybeckerman9253]

I know a lot of people rave about this kit, but give me the good Gretsch drums anytime, like the Brooklyns and Broadkasters.

[@robinjohnson6301]

6:37 It's not an oversight at all. Those tom arms are designed to go in the "reversed" position, to give more options for tom placement.

[@Stclairm1]

They are fantastic, but they are $2700 for a 3 piece kit in the US. Add the snare and another tom and you're talking serious cash. I guess they may be worth it if you have it as they are truly art of drum manufacturing IMO.

[@hikikomori2452]

what drum mic systems are you guys using? They sound amazing!

[@Dummertrummer]

The L-rods are supposed to be reversed, like you did in the video. : ) Great review btw. I just ordered the snare. It'll be perfect for my SQ2.

[@banditY2K]

I replaced my L-arms with the one's from the vintage series which are long on both ends.

[@rhythmista7707]

Ahhh.. Music to my ears...

[@PaulMarangoni]

I'm glad you mentioned the issue with the tom mount. The fact that those wing nuts are positioned that way was a deal breaker for me. It's actually the same issue with all of Sonor's lines of drums. If they change their mount to a system that doesn't fight with itself, I may reconsider. Otherwise, it's a hard pass.

[@gregrelmueab2142]

Please review a Tama Starclassic B/B oder W/B! They are fantastic at their price point.

[@Sea_Bears]

I just wish I could find where I can buy the bass drum by itself since it seems everywhere else you can buy the toms and snare by themselves.

[@abcdefu359]

Why would Sonor attach the tom mount directly onto the shell? Wouldn't that kill lots of the resonance? The 2nd rack tom (struck at 3:20), sounds quite choked.

[@filthewheel]

which one cuts more and is louder for playing metal this sonor sq1 or the new yam hybrid oak thx

[@ivanbajovic3476]

Yamaha definitely

[@anguse2068]

I’m pretty sure those L-arms are purposely designed to be reversible for more flexibility.

[@oskarfield8696]

I have this kit but black in 20/10/12/14

[@marcusbrown87]

What shape are the bearing edges? What thickness are the shells? How many plies? Re-enforced hoops or not? Didn't even answer the most important questions!

[@topperhardy1614]

45• , 7mm / 7 ply for snare and toms; 10mm / 10 ply for bass drums 2.3mm power hoops

[@roybeckerman9253]

Don’t have the projection of Ludwigs, or warmth of Gretsch Brooklyns/ Broadkasters.

[@richboshart1201]

Roy Beckerman Don’t have the chincy hardware and spotty quality control of those drums either.

[@MrRadioKing]

Roy Beckerman, completely wrong.

[@roybeckerman9253]

Radio King There is no right or wrong, just my personal opinion. Nice drums, though.

[@stephendufort4154]

what was the price?????? U never say?????

[@fuzzylogiceire]

In total this kit costs about 3900 euro. It's usually sold as a 3 piece for around 2750 euro. If you want to add the snare, that costs around 660 euro, and the 10" tom costs 479 euro. I priced it on Thomann, who have all the parts in stock.

[@DustyCowdog]

Bad-ass...

[@Post-Alone]

Just have to rob a bank first..

[@scottlowell493]

Late 80's tama finishes were dubious... powder puff pastel colors. Pink. Green. all muted and not exactly masculine. The SQ1 follows the same concept as DW performance series. Domestically made, simple and limited finishes. It's a natural progression from S Classix.

[@cruz2767]

SQ1 has too many defects. I don't think Sonor is doing things right these days.

[@thearchman4133]

He hasn’t changed the tuning ? He could have cranked it up .... not very helpful

[@willymccabe6602]

The finest drums in the world have always come out of Europe. Sonor, Premier (in their heyday), and now British Drum Company. American and Japanese drums do not compare.