Pearl showing non-pipe tom holders?!

[mkelley]

Whatever else one can say about the Pearl pipe mounts and the infamous dual socket bass drum mount ..........

They are rock solid and eminently practical.

M.

And kill resale value on non-Pearl kits

 

[JY Kelly]

And kill resale value on non-Pearl kits

What does this mean?

 

[DanRH]

And this...

Dennis Chambers | Pearl Drums -Official site-

Drumming legend Dennis Chambers' updated Signature Snare drum incorporates unique features from his previous models in an instrument that delivers unparalelled versatility, sensitivity, and sonic possibility. Not merely another drum bearing a legendary name, the new Dennis Chambers snare drum is...

pearldrum.com

 

[rsmittee]

You guys are killin me. Now I wanna buy some Pearl drums. Those Reference One kits sound great. I always liked that concept, but seems that they never took off.

 

[frankmott]

I was a District Sales Manager for Pearl from 1996 to 2007.
At every sales meeting -- roughly twice a year -- the entire sales force begged the Japanese Bigwigs to change that tom-arm.
No go. Say what you like, but it is efficient and cheap to produce (especially the earlier geared ones). It is also rock-solid, though there are inherent adjust-ability problems.
NO GO! Our Japanese overlords refused to change. They jumped through ridiculous hoops to make the old design palatable to drummers (Gyro-lock, etc). They were too tied up in the brand identification of the clunky 7/8" arm. Never mind the market demands (as reflected by the sales team).
The same thing happened with low-end maple shells, and the Afro Percussion name (remember that?).

 

[Wxmaggot]

I have owned the ol birch/mahogany Pearl Sessions since the early to mid 90s, same kit, and never had an issue with the old mounting system. Got tons of compliments over the years (my playing excluded). Also, heaven forbid, it has a bass drum mounting system! What was I thinking?!?! Good news though, they sounded like, oh, other really nice drums!
I must say though...I like the new look!

 

[Targalx]

I actually own a Pearl Session kit that I rarely play for this exact reason. The rack and hanging floor toms require the big tube pipe arm things. Thought I could grow to like it. Could never get it exactly where I liked it, without compromising other things in my setup. It has the Pearl suspension tom mount system. So it sits in cases in the garage.

I also have a sparkly Pearl Forum kit somewhere (I think in my garage?), which also never gets played. (Then again, it’s not a particularly great kit for my needs.)

 

[JY Kelly]

I was a District Sales Manager for Pearl from 1996 to 2007.
At every sales meeting -- roughly twice a year -- the entire sales force begged the Japanese Bigwigs to change that tom-arm.
No go. Say what you like, but it is efficient and cheap to produce (especially the earlier geared ones). It is also rock-solid, though there are inherent adjust-ability problems.
NO GO! Our Japanese overlords refused to change. They jumped through ridiculous hoops to make the old design palatable to drummers (Gyro-lock, etc). They were too tied up in the brand identification of the clunky 7/8" arm. Never mind the market demands (as reflected by the sales team).
The same thing happened with low-end maple shells, and the Afro Percussion name (remember that?).

This doesn’t surprise me at all. I find it disappointing that my fave drum company took SO long to make this change. Better late than never, I guess.

 

[drumgadget]

And kill resale value on non-Pearl kits

This is all too true .........

I am the proud owner of a Gretsch bebop kit which proudly sports the dual tom mount on the 18" bass drum ...... which is already a bastard because it was once a floor tom, with 10 lugs to boot.

I know it would be a tough sell ..... but it sure sounds good!

M.

 

[Targalx]

And kill resale value on non-Pearl kits

I don't know about that. But it will make all these previous pipe-mounted Pearl kits less desirable to someone like me...and make the new mounted Pearl kits much more desirable!

I was in the market for a used Ludwig kit in the early 2000s, and any kit that had a Ludwig Modular mount was immediately off my purchasing list for the very reason that Ludwig's Modular pipe mount was too similar to the Pearl pipe mount.

 

[premierplayer]

I've had several Pearl kits and the mounts never bothered me. But I've seen enough complaints on forums over the years that I'm not surprised they caved and changed them.

I was never a fan of the pipe L arm, always thought I could never get the positioning I wanted with them.
I picked up a Export kit on the cheep for gigging and was I surprised, no regrets.
I understand the "No Love" for the looks (it doesn't bother me anymore) the rock solid function makes up for the looks for me.
I have replaced all of my gear tooth arms with the current sleek looking clutch model.
I'm perfectly happy with my Pearl plumbing.

 

[Skyrm]

New mounting system near the end of this video, 8:59 I think

https://fb.watch/kMq2mWs0eN

 

[Redbeard77]

Pearl just put this video out and there's a segment on the "R2 Air" suspension mount, but they still use "pipes"
edit: the L arms come on at 9:10, they're optional

 

[FloydZKing]

My guess is that Ol' Pipey isn't going anywhere. They are just offering an alternate mount. Now everyone can clutch their Pearls in their chosen fashion. Heavens forefend!

 

[712drummer]

I liked the pipes with Optimounts.

 

[Seb77]

Might be obvious: a big advantage of the L-arm to me is you can lift a drum out of its mount without having to remove adjacent drums or stands.
A benefit of the old tom holder that is mentioned in one video above: if the pipe is horizontal, like when it's mounted to a cymbal stand, you can change the tilting angle very easily. Good for a teaching studio kit with students of different height, for example.

 

[DrummBumm89]

Pearl just put this video out and there's a segment on the "R2 Air" suspension mount, but they still use "pipes"
edit: the L arms come on at 9:10, they're optional

Not that I think my time is worth much of anything, but VERY rarely do I watch an 11-Minute product video. This video was really well done, and showcased they aren't trying to completely rest on their laurels. Reminds me of the rebranding of Sabian with the new logo.

The tube tom mounts are just something for people to complain about. Anything that's different people find a reason to complain (DW Lugs, Sonor Tension Rods). I do really really like the L-Arm Version that they have that appears omni-directional & can shift in & out.
I certainly have had L-Balls go bad on $200 stands which is very annoying.

Love their Eliminator pedals and their single braced hardware. Their top-end snare stand has some bad riveting which makes the basket pop off the center post, but it is 15+ years old I suppose.

I do think that consolidating lines is 100% the right move, I had no idea where any given line lived in their old lineup. With that, I think Masters Maple and Masters Maple Pure is a bad marketing name, and if they wanted to keep it is named backwards. Maple Pure to me would mean a straight Maple Shell without any excess stuff like rerings.

 

[Obiwandrumobe]

Looks like Pearl is either not offering or doesn’t want to show a bass drum mount for their new tom system. I for one can’t stand “flying” toms off of stands. Also, the new tom mounts protrude to the point that it’s hard to pack them into hard cases or drum bags. I’ll pass on what seems like an over-engineered take on what they’ve been offering.

 

[Skyrm]

Looks like Pearl is either not offering or doesn’t want to show a bass drum mount for their new tom system.

I believe the post below the L-Arm is still 7/8" tubing, so the old BD mount should work fine.

 

[Obiwandrumobe]

I believe the post below the L-Arm is still 7/8" tubing, so the old BD mount should work fine.

The more things stay the same the more things stay the same.