Pearl Masters Maple Pure Drums: Iconic MMX Shells Reborn

[@sweetwater]

What’s the first song you’re playing on this kit? Sound off in the comments, and head over to Sweetwater to browse the full suite of Pearl Masters Maple Pure drums! 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/PearlMastersMaplePure

[@carlupthegrove262]

Pearl moving to the L arm tom mounts us huge in my opinion. The drums have always be great but the hardware was (IMO) clunky and not as flexible as other manufacturers for positioning toms. I believe this will really help position Pearl as a stronger competitor. Now hopefully they will come out with a bass drum mount. Nice job Nick

[@johnca45]

I agree!

[@danielpeixoto3565]

Yep... 100% agree

[@Philipp.of.Swabia]

Definitely agree.

[@joeldrummer23]

Yesss

[@NotaCerealKiller]

Absolutely loathe L arm brackets, but Pearl seems to have solved nearly all of the issues, so that's nice.

[@RichAndDianaWilliams]

Broke me dreamt of an MMX kit 30 years ago. In my 50s now and I can finally afford to get my MMXes.

[@Aloha967-tree-fo-wer]

I can completely relate, though I had to go for Roland, I have built quite the larger than life kit. To our 50's 🤙🤘

[@WoodenMinds]

Just buy a used MMX kit. I bought my MMX Platinum MIst 8/10/12/13/16/22 with a gibraltar rack system & skb cases (some padded) for $1000 (4ply/4 ply rering)

[@wildmike951]

I have a 90s MMX kit in great shape. Still sounds awesome. 24" bass drum, 8,10,12,14 and 16 toms with matching snare 14...all wine red

[@markomarkovic5729]

​@@WoodenMindsIt's amazing how good deals you have on the used market in the US. Such a configuration here in Serbia costs a minimum of 1700-1800 euros and that's only for the shell set. I've never been much of a Pearl fan, as a kid I fantasized about Premier Signia, vintage Ludwig, Yamaha RC and Tama Artstar, but in recent years I've come to appreciate Pearl more and more. I played a Prestige Session SPX at a gig a few years ago and was blown away by how good that kit sounded. Taught by that experience, I started paying more attention to Pearl and if I ever have the chance to buy drums again (I live in an apartment and am a hobbyist drummer), it will definitely be Pearl. Even the old series like MLX and BLX seem tempting to me, and if they were good enough for legends like Porcaro and Chambers, they will be for me too.

[@aboutthemetal8783]

The addition of the l arm mounting system makes these pearl drums as close to perfect as possible , always liked pearl , it was the mounting system that steered me away .

[@robertcadiz4346]

Me too. Pearl doesn't need any help, but I feel like they are about to reach new heights with the L mount. They are so beautiful. The lugs etc... wow.

[@Aloha967-tree-fo-wer]

Best opening I have seen in a while. Love your style of playing. Thanks for the example, and beautiful set. Aloha😄

[@williemammoth11]

I have to acknowledge that drum gear reviews are better when the reviewer is a legit player with great feel!

[@mandubien]

I own an original MMX from 2002. It’s so versatile and so awesome sounding! Ok it has the old optimount system but it’s still 100% efficient and I’ve never had any issue with it. 20+ years of true happiness 🤘🏻

[@lt.frankdrebin3317]

Still have an MMX kit I bought new in 1998. Black Mist. I also have other partial MMX kits.

[@danlc95]

Love that track, and that playing! Drums sounded incredible!

[@bobcatdrums]

Been waiting for this from Pearl I always loved my ex MMX Midnight Fade 4ply with reinforcement rings and die cast hoops.

[@AtTheSourceStudios]

OMG!!!! Nick you FINALLY listed the sizes CORRECTLY!!! 12x8, 10x7 etc yesssss I AM HAPPY 🙂

[@Juniscrazy]

What was wrong with them in the first place

[@barryrussell4652]

Yes, always love hearing the sizes. CORRECTLY though 12x9 & 10x8.

[@johnca45]

It’s great to finally see another drum demo from NDV. It’s been awhile!

[@anwaypradhan6591]

One of the best openings among all openings. Good going.✌️❤️

[@DavidKrautscheid]

i never thought maple ply drums can sound that good but i was wrong! wonderfull attack combined with a warm resonant tone and that from maple is just awesome!

[@todddrexler4393]

I'm sure it's a great kit. When I listen to drums on video, they always sound good, regardless of the brand. 😊

[@craigjohnchronicles2504]

Tune a drum well, get a good sound.

[@todddrexler4393]

@Craig John Chronicles Exactly! Every kit I've owned sounded great because I tuned them well. There's no doubt that Pearl makes great drums though.

[@canatolakhoemini6728]

Exactly! What I just commented.

[@darkknightk]

Your descriptions and reviews of products are so very articulate and in-depth!!!! It's like you can sell an Eskimo ice!!!!!👍🏿

[@itsjoeredula7]

Man! This kit sounds amazing! Not to mention that gorgeous finish.

[@jiovansanchez4111]

bro nick is so good, and inspires me to play drums! keep it up man

[@philliah]

i want that kit right now!!

[@ChrisP3000x]

This guy is so great at so many things.

[@ProgSnob14]

Badass! Absolutely slaying that kit! Looking forward to seeing you with Mr. Big in the not too distant future.

[@vandavis000]

Now pearl using the new L arm means pearl has everything in options. Amazing add on.

[@matthewwhitaker4849]

Would love to see a demo of all the other kits Pearl released.

[@John--qh9xl]

Great sounding drums.

[@cutitshaveit]

Great drumming

[@thethings4708]

Most of the time i don`t like drum demo... BUT MAN !!! I ALWAYS enjoy YOURE drum demo... what an amazing drummer ; always fluid, lots of grooves and orinality... WOW ! 👍☝🤘👌

[@louishebert5106]

Méchant beau kit, vraiment super, un 4 plis en érable, une sonorité incomparable

[@HelinduNethmal]

the intro was lit. nick love your playingg

[@_Music.A_]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 killer color... killer mechanical design... Killer gold logo......

[@paulk1]

Very cool Nick!

[@joebrooks3638]

I just ordered a Masters Maple Pure kit and I love the 4ply with reinforcement rings idea. They sound great too. Love the color btw but I went white with black hardware (custom order)

[@michaeltalley5826]

The floor toms sound amazing! I may be upgrading my Pearl Session Studio Session kit for these.

[@mikevanderhule]

Killer playing! That was awesome!

[@jas_bataille]

7:50 The thing is you don't even need dampening anymore because of the new R2 mount system. You just need to insert the discs top and bottom to lessen the motion of the tom on the air suspended mount and control the sustain. This is probably why they ship with single-ply heads to begins with!

[@craigjohnchronicles2504]

this feature seems sketchy at best. Unless they're suggesting the tension rods a primary resonation point. I haven't heard sound test between the two options (with and without -- would have been nice to feature the differences here), so will remain skeptical until proven otherwise. ...Meaning, those rings don't feel like a definitive point of difference to chose these Pearl's over any other maple Pearl set, much less any other brand with a premium maple shell pack.

[@jas_bataille]

@@craigjohnchronicles2504 How does it "feels sketchy"...? Of course the tension aren't the primary resonant point. That's not how the design works, with all due respect : it suspends the tom through the top and bottom so that it effects is the most suspended it can be - of course it's not levitating, but it balances out the weight so that there is effectively a suspension motion. The system isn't in direct contact with the tension rods but rather in contact with little cushioned rubber disks, which acts much like a spring would in a car suspension (accepts the movements aren't that perceivable because the arms themselves are so sturdy). Pearl have been developing those probably for close to 20 years in secrecy, considering that the Decade Maple took 10 years to make and they only rolled out three actually new design (President in 2022 and the limited Fibreglass/wood in 2015, and the Decade Maple) since the Master series was first created : all the others are just remixes of that with upgrades on the same design that hadn't change in 20 years - and the Decade Maple are the only on that's not a remix from even older recipes! So if they're changing the suspension tom mount now, it's everything but sketchy. BTW, you do *not even want to suspend your drum at the primary resonant point*. You want to suspend your drums at the nodal point, the point that is not going to affect the primary resonance (see Yamaha's patent on this). There is no such thing as a "primary resonance point" on the side of the shell anyway... the primary resonance point is the top bearing edge when you hit the drum at the center of the head. Tapping around the shell doesn't really tell you much of anything - but it sure suits DW marketing ;) I don't work for Pearl nor am I associated with the brand however, those are my observations. Good day to you sir :)

[@jcdrums2798]

beautiful drums!

[@massimocarere4588]

Rock on! Great!

[@drumrnva]

Great drums, great playing. Tell us about the cymbals please.

[@leandrovergara]

suena genial! pearl y dw son mis favoritas!!

[@gballmaier]

Nick, you drumming maniac!!! I just love the beats and chops this awesome dinner LAYS DOWN. NICK I BOUGHT MY FIRST SET FROM SWEETWATER BECAUSE OF YOU. I HAVE TO SAY THAT MY MAPEX 7 PEICE STUDIOEASE FAST TOM KIT SOUNDS BETTER THAN ANY KIT I'VE TESTED IN THAT PRICE RANGE. THANK YOU MR. D V

[@SONORSQ2guy]

Hey kids, here’s a long demo of something you cannot afford to buy enjoy the demonstration. 👍

[@ivanbajovic3476]

4,606$ for 4 piece Masters + 260$ for 2 tom holders. Holly sh..

[@markmirche7760]

Awesome.

[@barryrussell4652]

Great video and great playing. New L arm concept is also great, but it doesn’t extend to an easy and convenient bass drum mounting system. The old twin post bass drum mount needs to be revamped with the same concept.

[@barryrussell4652]

Needs to be only a single post in the bass drum with single / dual L arms attached.

[@mjm5081]

Beauty!

[@JaxDrummer]

Love those hi-hats. I’m a Sabian supporter would love to know specs! Thanks great demo as always Nick.

[@lt.frankdrebin3317]

Sabian!! Been playing nothing else since 1993.

[@Mike-ol7xp]

Took long enough for the L arms to be utilized, better late than never I suppose. Kinda sucks they're not interchangeable though, because now you're forced into buying a very expensive upgrade any way you slice it. Lucky are the new drum buyers out there who happen to like Pearl drums.

[@arjunsajeev3406]

Pls make a review on pearl professional series kit ❤️

[@dmgsoultogetherness6667]

great review

[@DidYouReadEULA]

Sublime playing.

[@JulianFernandez]

MMX is cool!

[@RoeShamBoe]

is that a pearl kit with "L" arms?????

[@SopranoPizzaJMFNJ]

IKR? Great Drums but that hardware... Hopefully this is a change for the better!

[@wilkinsnl]

Yep, they’re pretty cool too. You can still get the old fittings.

[@darrellroseborough7275]

Hi Nick, great work as usual. I myself would like to know what that opening song was as mentioned in the comments. By the way those Pearls sound magnificent.

[@5Antvin]

with all of the drum co getting radical with tom suspension systems over the decades -most are still using floors with legs as the floating floor toms are seemingly a thing of the 80's

[@si1995gtnupe1997]

My MMX has a floating’ floor tom. I got the set new in 2006.

[@JCordoba1001]

I don’t know how to feel about the L rods 🤔 I always felt like a rebel using the tubes!

[@pideuhweuh8459]

These are optional, the tubes will still be arround

[@tonyjuguan4292]

did that hihat stand just tilt forward to the drums? 😮

[@brnby8984]

Pearl is finally competing with Tama with the inclusion of diecast hoops outside of Masterworks or Reference lines

[@vladeguignimusic]

Die Cast Hoops had been included on Masters Kits for many many years

[@blainehanson5915]

My Masters BRX came stock with Mastercast hoops

[@si1995gtnupe1997]

@@vladeguignimusic: Correct!

[@si1995gtnupe1997]

@@blainehanson5915: And correct…

[@davix8669]

The MMX with optimount was sold with Diecast on, the earlier ones were with the super hoops on, so diecast aren't a new thing

[@Sundaydrumday]

ugh this kit is so nice it hurts me lol

[@mavrickloewen1543]

Are they replacing original reference and reference pure??😭😭😭

[@john-ck8sw]

Maple pure or reference one which one do you like better. I can't decide help lol

[@yourtube4242]

Hey Nick what cymbals are you using?🛑

[@gordonwoodbatteur]

Hi, awesome presentation as usual! Big fan of this drums. Other question: is it possible to have the listing of the Sabian cymbals used in this video please??? That would be great! Thank tou. They sound well balances!

[@CD-gk9ix]

About time Pearl moved on from the circular/tube mounting system for toms.

[@SagaContinu]

Wow I'm hyped by those tom mounts who cares about the kit hahaha

[@davidsuprenant2782]

The L arms are a game changer for pearl.always loved there drums just never a fan of there mounts and bass drum mounts.Saying this,watch the price tag,your getting a little high.!!!!Alot to choose from these days.!!!!!

[@mathewshaw2772]

Nick could make a set of kids Sponge Bobs sound great 😅

[@ahardstonerock]

Hi Nick, what double bass pedal you using here? thx

[@barrylok7185]

I want that shirt!

[@paulwall1981]

What cymbals are you using Nick?

[@thedrumman2019]

What has more low end? These or the masters maple 6ply? To me it sounds like the 6 ply has more low end but I watched another video and the guy says the pure has more low end (low end as in boomieness)

[@marclewism]

I want to tour sw headquarters with you sir nick😂

[@samcherry120]

nice

[@lt.frankdrebin3317]

Are these shells any different from MMX?

[@MM-pd5zi]

Why I have to use a Tension Key to adjust the Tom mount? Why didn‘t they install a simple wing bolt like all others do? It would be even more simple…

[@buckjohnson2836]

These sound fantastic. The master pure is about as 'pure' a maple sound as it gets. Then I went and looked at the price! holy $hit - 3500 for a 3 piece. wft Sorry guys but that pricing....I could be wrong but these may not move much.

[@ledhed5717]

It’s ridiculous especially since my Masters Maple Customs were $1,500 out the door just not a few years ago. Same Maple shells, some hardware tweaks, and a few new finishes, and now they want to charge more than TWICE the price???

[@ohrid59mk76]

hier in Europe we pay 3500 euros for DW Performance seryes ! this kit is on DW Collectors level .

[@FONO63]

The fnish is money.

[@roybeckerman9253]

I wonder why Bon Jovi’s drummer, Tico Torres, switched from PEARL to DW, after many years …

[@zivmoerman1844]

it's a master complite whith a new name

[@vladeguignimusic]

No, Masters Complete are 6 ply, I own one of the Masters Complete

[@zivmoerman1844]

@@vladeguignimusic it's the same shell

[@jas_bataille]

@@zivmoerman1844 No, it's not the same shell. Those are the 4 plies with re-rings (MMP). The Master Maple are the original MMX specs, 7.5mm, die-cast hoops. The Master maple complete are 28% lighter than the MMX shells. I mean no disrespect but the MMPs are not even close to the same shells.

[@zivmoerman1844]

yes you right it's the master reserve with a new name

[@DidYouReadEULA]

1:20

[@FONO63]

Drums sound too muffled in the mix.

[@shawndrummer6722]

Better than Tama Starclassic Maple

[@dilankarun9172]

If you like the cardboard sound the Pearl it is 😁, Me, I'll take the Starclassic Maple over anything Pearl. Sounds better, looks better. But for pure Maple sound, Ludwig...period. 😉

[@craigjohnchronicles2504]

Maple Masters Pure is $4,600 for a 4 piece shell pack with a 22" kick. Tama Starclassic Maple is $3,300 for a 4 piece shell pack with a 22" kick. One would hope the Pearl is better, considering the $1,300 price difference.

[@lt.frankdrebin3317]

@@dilankarun9172 Nothing like the sound of your mom, though. Seriously though - in numerous comparisons of top-end drum kits from Pearl, Tama, Gretsch, DW, etc, by general consensus, Pearl comes out on top.

[@steeltruedrum]

Hi-hat stand looks very flimsy...

[@Jazzlikestickhands]

I have this stand, the pearl p-150 flat based. Something with how they have set it up, definitely not a flimsy hi hat stand.

[@musicmeadow1868]

I use that stand and it’s very sturdy, for some reason it looks like it’s not upright at all in this vid?..

[@stevenfederico2594]

Basically there the maple reserve drums new hardware new color. Then charge u 15% more no thanks

[@johnhaynes7468]

The speaking mic is way louder than the drums. Annoying.

[@dyfon-u5k]

These drums sound dead ... maybe low tuning, they don't respond very well.

[@stevenfederico2594]

Pearl the most confusing drum series in the business. 10 different lines of drums

[@rogerwelsh2335]

That’s one dead sounding bass drum😞

[@stevenfederico2594]

No thanks

[@stevenfederico2594]

They sound bad

[@canatolakhoemini6728]

Sounds like any other drum. Export, forum, Rockstar, imperialstar, starclassic, all sound the same.

[@lt.frankdrebin3317]

Your mom never sounds the same.

[@SKARKIBANEZ]

The 1st floor tom is not good Or not good microphoned Or bad tuning