What do you love about your DWs?

[Steech]

IMO, DW Collectors tune down better than they tune up. If you like that deep, fat, rumble, they’re great!

Yup, that sounds about right to me too. I guess I just prefer the higher tunings. I don’t really need all of that low end rumble.

 

[JDA]

low end rumble.

rumble may have some Negative connotation. Rather (not that I know never spent time with a DW kit) say Smooth lows. Like a lot of lot of Smooth lows...

 

[JDA]

now if you compare those two (Mick and Ginger) drummers to their earlier days

on Ludwig, Rogers, Tama...can hear the change with DW to smooth lows;
think that/this is what some/don't like/ miss/ that their earlier drums (they used) had +/-

DW (not in the snares) somehow eliminated the highs in toms- what some would or could call thinness ; as a near company-wide Preference

 

[John DeChristopher]

I don't own a DW kit, though I worked for them from 1986-1989 and was there for their "official launch" in 1987. My son has a DW kit they made for him in 1999.

If memory serves, besides building high quality drums and custom lacquer finishes, John Good's philosophy was designing drums that record well. Not a lot of weird overtones and as he used to refer to it, without the "basketball ball boing" in the toms. And John was recutting the bearing edges on the kits of many LA pro drummers back then and that was some of his criteria for designing DW drums.

I don't know if any of this is relevant to the OP, but I guess my point is: he was designing drums that were easy to record. The idea being, tune them up, throw some mics on them and hit record. Every pro I know that records with DW Drums (including Jim Keltner just this week) absolutely loves them for that reason.

 

[Steech]

now if you compare those two (Mick and Ginger) drummers to their earlier days on Ludwig, Rogers, Tama...can hear the change with DW to smooth lows;
think that/this is what some/don't like/ miss/ that their earlier drums (they used) had +/-

Makes sense.

 

[notINtheband]

I don’t own any DW drums, but I have played some live and have tuned some and taught students using them.
Some of the things I like about them are the build quality, the use of finer thread tension rods that dials in tuning even more precise than coarser threads.
I love that they put out exotic, centuries-old woods in some of their small-run lines and have always wanted to own one just for the heirloom aspects. I mean, when will a kit made of 1500 year-old wood preserved at the bottom of a bog ever depreciate in value or allure?
For me, never.
I appreciate their stamping of the note inside the drum, but after watching several reviews trying to dial in the usefulness of this I still don’t think it’s as useful as John markets it to be. And I get it being used to pair drums into a set, but still, not hearing it myself.
But the care taken to do this and believe in it the way they do is admirable.
I love that they are made in the USA, and they are almost the industry standard in quality drums. The name alone carries legitimacy in the drum community.
With all that said, I still own three kits from other manufacturers that I prefer the sound of.
I wish my Asian-made drums had the wonderful and admirable attributes of DW’s.
They don’t.
And yet, side by side, I still choose the kits I currently own over DW’s, and wouldn’t trade-even for them unless it was to flip and profit on.
But I can still appreciate and admire DW’s for all the above stated reasons.

 

[Steech]

I don’t own any DW drums, but I have played some live and have tuned some and taught students using them.
Some of the things I like about them are the build quality, the use of finer thread tension rods that dials in tuning even more precise than coarser threads.
I love that they put out exotic, centuries-old woods in some of their small-run lines and have always wanted to own one just for the heirloom aspects. I mean, when will a kit made of 1500 year-old wood preserved at the bottom of a bog ever depreciate in value or allure?
For me, never.
I appreciate their stamping of the note inside the drum, but after watching several reviews trying to dial in the usefulness of this I still don’t think it’s as useful as John markets it to be. And I get it being used to pair drums into a set, but still, not hearing it myself.
But the care taken to do this and believe in it the way they do is admirable.
I love that they are made in the USA, and they are almost the industry standard in quality drums. The name alone carries legitimacy in the drum community.
With all that said, I still own three kits from other manufacturers that I prefer the sound of.
I wish my Asian-made drums had the wonderful and admirable attributes of DW’s.
They don’t.
And yet, side by side, I still choose the kits I currently own over DW’s, and wouldn’t trade-even for them unless it was to flip and profit on.
But I can still appreciate and admire DW’s for all the above stated reasons.

Thanks. I’m with you on all of this. I do like the woods, the finishes, and the hardware, but for the same money I can get a few different kits that sound better to my ears.

 

[JDA]

Yes doesn't always make for the most exciting sound
Guess that's why Jim has the Hi Timbale small open drum almost always
to bail/balance out the lows.
Now back when he was using an overall different make

 

[Steech]

Yes doesn't make for the most exciting sound
Guess that's why Jim has the Hi Timbale almost always
to bail/balance out the lows.
Back when he was using a different make

had the snap.

Nailed it.

 

[JDA]

you can be a slave to a producer you can be a slave to "your guitar" player you can be a slave to some engineer in a studio... Or you can just do it Your way. Seeking the approval of others in the music business may be a way " to make a living" in the music business. but a.. individuality

 

[Murat]

I was in love with this finish for a while...

 

[JDA]

John should do a Podcast with these famous and known drummers and have the topic be "Slave vs Individuality" - from a drum seat perspective (of course) - and see where they all fall in their outlook(s) over the years..
how much individuality is acceptable vs how much is yielding to others

 

[Steech]

I was in love with this finish for a while... View attachment 531861

Wow! That’s a thing of beauty. Are you saying you fell out of love with it? And do you still have this kit? What are the details? Asking for a friend.

 

[Murat]

Wow! That’s a thing of beauty. Are you saying you fell out of love with it? And do you still have this kit? What are the details? Asking for a friend.

No I am cool with DW. There are things I like about them, things i do not care so much but I believe they make quality products.
This particular set is long gone but it was amazing. It was a Maple set, don't remember the shell orientation and the finish name was a paragraph !

 

[AtlantaDrumGuy]

I love high end gear but have never understood the appeal of DW Collectors. They sound pretty dead to me even after putting in some serious time to try and get them to sound good.

Please educate me. What am I missing?

I think part of the key is tuning up, and perhaps not tuning so low and flat. They resonate plenty if tuned up with a one ply head.

Andy Johns used them in sound samples, so that they can’t be that bad…the other drums used were mostly vintage.

Platinum Samples - Andy Johns Classic Drums

www.platinumsamples.com

 

[JDA]

8 years ago best jazz setting of DW on YT i know of:

 

[JDA]

 

[Obiwandrumobe]

That I don't have them

 

[Drum Mer]

Jazz Series (I don't know which shell mix though as they come in a variety)

I think that is the hardest part of Dw. They have so many options that sound considerably different from each other, it's hard to pinpoint which one each drummer likes until they own a set.

 

[Steech]

No I am cool with DW. There are things I like about them, things i do not care so much but I believe they make quality products.
This particular set is long gone but it was amazing. It was a Maple set, don't remember the shell orientation and the finish name was a paragraph !

Can you find out the name of the finish?