Sonor Drums: A Drumeo Documentary

[Rhyma Hop]

I take things very easy, that's why I responded to you so kindly and in a coherent & structured form. But it's all good! One thing that life has taught me is to understand and accept that everyone is different. Now I understand you!

GREAT !! GREAT !! I'm so glad you're feeling better !! Cheers !!

 

[Sonorholic]

As my name implies, I totally loved this behind the scenes look at Sonor. I too met Karl at DCP last summer. I hope to someday make this journey and see the place for myself. I'm also hoping that Paiste are next on Jared's list!!

 

[stevil]

Quality control is on point here. If you want great things like hand sanded edges an exacting tolerances then you need to pay for it.

 

[davidespinosa]

FYI, Arthur Chuang replaced Karl-Heinz Menzel as managing director of Sonor in March 2020.

https://www.pressreader.com/germany/graenzbote/20200305/282222307806789

Arthur Chuang is the new managing director of Hohner.
5 Mar 2020

TROSSINGEN (pm) - Arthur Chuang is the new managing director of Matth. Hohner GmbH, Hohner Musikinstrumenten GmbH and Sonor GmbH. He took over the tasks at the beginning of March from long-time managing director Stefan Althoff, who left Hohner for personal reasons. The company announced this in a press release.

Althoff took over the management of the Hohner company in 2012, of which he was sole managing director for six years. Before that, he had been head of the Hohner subsidiary Sonor in Bad Berleburg / Aue since 1998. Arthur Chuang joined the management of Hohner Musikinstrument GmbH in 2007 and had previously worked as an assistant to the board of directors at Matth. Hohner GmbH and took care of the Strategic Center of Hohner Musikinstrument GmbH for around four years with the main tasks of product management, research and development and corporate matters. He left Hohner in 2011 and is now returning.

 

[zenghost]

Quality control is on point here. If you want great things like hand sanded edges an exacting tolerances then you need to pay for it.

While German-made Sonor is impressive when done to their highest standard, the actual level of QC and attention to detail apparently depends on the product line.

Direct quote from Sonor product manager:

"Generally our high QC standards haven´t changed over the years, which doesn´t mean that there can´t happen a mistake, as the majority of our production and QC steps are still made by humans, not by machines. Talking about the difference between SQ² and Vintage, the main difference is that SQ² is an absolute individual and custom made line with each drum manufactured individually, while the Vintage series is a regular drum series. One part of the substantial price difference between the two series (a single SQ² bass drum is more expensive than a complete 3pc. Vintage set) are the much more extended QC processes between each production steps compared to a regular drum series. An SQ² drum is subject to much more stringent controls than any other regular drum series which of course affects the final price for such a product." - Frank Boestfleisch

So, hopefully one is safe with an SQ2, but from there down it may be luck of the draw. That was my experience with the Vintage Series drums, which had some very apparent warts. Others seemed to have fared better on their Vintage Series build quality. So, if you want to guarantee getting the SQ2-level of attention to detail and QC (among the best I've seen), you apparently do need to pay a permium for it. Seems strange to me, but hey, Sonor runs it the way they see fit I guess and tiering QC for the German-made lines must be part of their approach. Prior to that, I'd have thought one German-made medium-beech shell was as good as another.

 

[NobleCooleyNut]

I fast forwarded through the sections where Jared was being annoying or stupidly trying to be funny . The video was about 50% shorter .

 

[florian1]

I'm having a problem justifying the price in THIS era of drum manufacturing. The place where I start having doubts is, "how much more am I really getting in terms of quality"? I'm not seeing anything in this video or others that makes me say, "you know, Sonor's manufacturing process is the greatest that exists on Earth. They do NOT put their pants on one leg at a time, but four"( or whatever comparative you wish to use ). Nor can I say, "no other drums on Earth sound this good".
Now, there WAS a time when both of those statements were absolutely, 100% true and could not be disputed. But, that day has gone. So many manufacturers have upped their game substantially since the 80's/90's, and I don't think of Sonor as my first choice for a maple shell, which is my go-to shell and sound.
As I said, I'd take that 5K and assemble a used kit of Signatures instead because THOSE drums do in fact represent a time and place in drum manufacturing history when Sonor DID make untouchable drums in terms of sound and quality, plus I always wanted to have a set of those when I was coming up in the 80's, and I could in no way afford them back then.

youre paying for your specific choices in the highest quality possible...that costs money. No 2 SQ2 kits are alike

 

[bellbrass]

While German-made Sonor is impressive when done to their highest standard, the actual level of QC and attention to detail apparently depends on the product line.

Direct quote from Sonor product manager:

"Generally our high QC standards haven´t changed over the years, which doesn´t mean that there can´t happen a mistake, as the majority of our production and QC steps are still made by humans, not by machines. Talking about the difference between SQ² and Vintage, the main difference is that SQ² is an absolute individual and custom made line with each drum manufactured individually, while the Vintage series is a regular drum series. One part of the substantial price difference between the two series (a single SQ² bass drum is more expensive than a complete 3pc. Vintage set) are the much more extended QC processes between each production steps compared to a regular drum series. An SQ² drum is subject to much more stringent controls than any other regular drum series which of course affects the final price for such a product." - Frank Boestfleisch

So, hopefully one is safe with an SQ2, but from there down it may be luck of the draw. That was my experience with the Vintage Series drums, which had some very apparent warts. Others seemed to have fared better on their Vintage Series build quality. So, if you want to guarantee getting the SQ2-level of attention to detail and QC (among the best I've seen), you apparently do need to pay a permium for it. Seems strange to me, but hey, Sonor runs it the way they see fit I guess and tiering QC for the German-made lines must be part of their approach. Prior to that, I'd have thought one German-made medium-beech shell was as good as another.

Very interesting, and thanks for that share. I find his honesty refreshing. As someone who does manufacturing QC for a living, I can tell you that QC can add a little or a lot to the bottom line, and if there is high-level QC, that cost will be passed on to the consumer, just like Frank said above. From what I've observed over the years, the bigger the company, the more likely that there will be managers that hate QC and want to get rid of it altogether, at least here in the USA. It's always a tug-of-war. Many large companies have gone through cycles of minimized and maximized QC to see if it makes any difference in sales. Also, the attitude toward Quality Control in German and Japanese manufacturing is vastly different than other parts of the world. Most German and Japanese companies take QC very seriously, as it has been what has kept them in the game, globally.
Basically, you have to factor several things into the equation, if you are talking about a custom drum kit: If I place an order for an SQ2 kit with a dealer here in the USA, they are going to know in Germany that this kit is going all the way to the USA, and they will know dang well they had better get it right. Factor in a lacquer finish and custom configuration, and you can bet the farm that the lug holes will be straight, the edges will be true, and that the finish will be perfect. Why? Because they will have to pay return shipping if it's not, and the internet will blow up with accounts of poor QC in a top-of-the-line Sonor kit.
Along those same lines...
If you want a perfectly-made kit from any of the large drum manufacturers, your best bet is a painted finish from their top lines. The drums most likely to be imperfect are wrapped drums from the cheaper lines. Regarding Asian-made drums, the material is more likely to be cheap or faulty than the craftmanship. My experience, anyway.