RegimentContra94 Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 I'm going to be purchasing all new battery equipment for the school I'll be teaching at next year. I've been looking at Pearl FFX 1412 Snares. Any advice on good equipment to buy? I'm looking for it all, snare, tenors and basses and could use any advice you can give. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divII/IIIlvr Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 I'm going to be purchasing all new battery equipment for the school I'll be teaching at next year. I've been looking at Pearl FFX 1412 Snares. Any advice on good equipment to buy? I'm looking for it all, snare, tenors and basses and could use any advice you can give. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Hey, just my thoughts here. I really don't like the Pearl snares and tenors. Yamaha's multi-timbre system is great and way ahead of anything Pearl is doing. Also, Yamahas equipment is MUCH more durable if you are talking about using this with a High School. The school I teach at just bought Pearls, the year before I got there, and I can't stand them. If you absolutly need to go with Pearls, make sure you get the right heads and make sure they are tuned very well. I suggest REMO BLACK MAX on top and a clear batter head on the bottom for the snares... REMO Crimp-Lock Pin stripes for the Tenors. I don't like Evans, but a lot of people do. If someone has a better way of heading these drums, let me know. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tristan Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 (edited) I think that unless you want to be able to use the "Scottie" sound, the MTS unit on the Yamaha snares is just another gadget, another way to introduce dirt in the line. Yamaha sFz snares are good though. Pearl snares work if you take care of them, but the free floating lug casings can get bent if the drums are abused. Also check out the Dynasty drums. Best lug casings, ever. Do not--I repeat, do NOT-- go with the cut-rate models. No PowerLite from Yamaha, nor the equivalent from Pearl. They are cheap for a reason. Yamaha PowerLite tenor shells warp and generally do not sound very good at all. I recommend going with 6-6-10-12-13-14 tenors (second spock optional). My personal preference is a deep shell, but that's a lot of weight to put on the kids. Also, absolutely go for the upper end basses. I recommend 16-20-24-28-30 for a high school line. You can change the 30 to a 32, but again, that's a big drum. Try to keep a 4" separation between basses--you will be much happier with the tuning. For plates, I recommend Zildjian Z-macs or K-customs, no smaller than 18". Cymbals smaller than that sound like toys. If you want to change the sound, change the cymbal weight, not diameter. Heads--my personal recommendation again. Snare--Stay away from Falams batter heads. Go for White or Black Max instead. For the bottom, if you want a dry sound, go for a Falams II bottom head. For a wetter sound, a Remo Hazy Ambassador Snare Side is good. Be sure to individually tune your snare guts--it makes a big difference. Tenors--Pinstripes are the standard. Make sure the heads are "crimplock." Non-crimplock heads will pull out easier. If you have money to replace heads more often, go for the Suede heads. The sound is amazing, but the heads do not last as long as Pinstripes. Use a smooth white Emperor head for the spocks instead of pinstripes--you'll get a better "crack" sound. Also make sure you have at least two 1" diameter holes drilled in the spock shells. For bass heads, I recommend either Remo Ambassadors or the Evans heads with the integrated muffling system. Hope this helps--any questions, feel free to PM, AIM, or email :) Tristan Edited May 12, 2005 by 4malletmarimba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegimentContra94 Posted May 12, 2005 Author Share Posted May 12, 2005 Thanks for the advice. It sounds like Yamaha are the most durable, which is great for a high school line. For budget reasons, I will be just purchasing a quad set. Do you recommend then a 10-12-13-14 set? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divII/IIIlvr Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 (edited) Thanks for the advice. It sounds like Yamaha are the most durable, which is great for a high school line. For budget reasons, I will be just purchasing a quad set. Do you recommend then a 10-12-13-14 set? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yea, I would! Good choice with the Yamahas! They really are very durable. And 4malletmarimba is right about the MTS system...unless you have a killer snare line, it's not worth the money. 10-12-13-14 is good, I believe Yamaha just started creating a deep shell drum, I would look into this, as I feel it makes the sound a lot less chincy. Oh yea, make sure you go with the 14'' Snares as well. 13'' = BOO!! :P Hope this helps. Edited May 12, 2005 by divII/IIIlvr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RegimentContra94 Posted May 12, 2005 Author Share Posted May 12, 2005 I saw someone makes a snare that is a 13" and is not very deep. It seemed half as deep as a full size snare. I can't imagine being able to hear it on the field! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divII/IIIlvr Posted May 13, 2005 Share Posted May 13, 2005 I saw someone makes a snare that is a 13" and is not very deep. It seemed half as deep as a full size snare. I can't imagine being able to hear it on the field! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You can hear them, but I not as well as the 14. Yamaha makes a 13 and 14. I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, but they were made to have a different timbre and also made for indoor drumlines. I think cavies used them in 1995, but I'm really not sure about that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tristan Posted May 13, 2005 Share Posted May 13, 2005 As a general rule, the bigger the drum, the better it can be heard. Unless you are planning to use the snares for indoor line extensively, I would stick with the 14" snare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mug663 Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 the MTS is something you usually write specifically for. Cavs have used it off and on over the past couple of years for a bunch of different things. Sip Bassque Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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