• Welcome to Drummer Cafe Community Forum.

Hating DW

Started by DRWM, June 24, 2005, 10:55 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Mark Counts

Chip,
I have never seen anything like this Sub Woofer.  Does it really give you more bottom end or Frequencies that you can feel???
                                         Nutty

TheBeachBoy

Quote from: drumnut1 on June 16, 2006, 07:34 PM
Chip,
I have never seen anything like this Sub Woofer.  Does it really give you more bottom end or Frequencies that you can feel???
                                         Nutty

No personal experience, but from what I've heard, it's basically a giant mic, similar to the amp "mic" Mr. A used for recording.  It should give a nice low-end.  I'd imagine many clubs that most of us play in won't be ablt to utilize the woofer to its fullest potential, but it'd be great for recording, espeically if you're doing hip-hop or rap (yeah, I know most of those are drum machines).

Chip Donaho

Quote from: drumnut1 on June 16, 2006, 07:34 PM
Chip,
I have never seen anything like this Sub Woofer.  Does it really give you more bottom end or Frequencies that you can feel???
                                         Nutty
The jury is still out on that one. I'm changing heads this weekend and we'll see. As they came out of the box both drums had a pillow. So they had lots of "in the chest" thump. I can only use the woofer in certain bars. The stage is small where my normal house gig is. So I don't trust careless musicians around it. But I'm getting ready for a big outdoor gig. I'll have different heads and be able to give a better opinion. I did get comments at the gig in the picture...."Those drums sound great." That's the only thing I've had to judge from. I haven't dialed that set in yet, but I now have the heads I want for them. I'll see if I can do some recording with them in the near future. I've heard a woofer is great for that. But they sure do get a lot of looks from people. Just plain different.....  8)  Roy from Aquarian said he thought I was on the right track with my thinking. I want to get the thump from the main drum and a "open boom" from the woofer. No pillows and better heads should get me that. I'm anxious to try it with the new heads..... I'll let everyone know my thoughts once I get it dialed. But a stupid soundman can kill even great sounding drums. I know, I've had words with a few of these idiots. Some of them shouldn't even have access to anything other than a radio knob. But that's another subject. So far the comments are good. But from behind the set it's hard to tell. I don't have mine attached to the other bass. It sits on a cradle and you just plug the mic cord into the side of the woofer. I had a special case made for it to match my other cases. Only takes me 2 minutes to set it up. Just set it on the cradle and go. I decided I don't want to purchase the attachments and drill the main bass drum. DW suggests to attach it to the other drum. No need to, the cradle does just fine.    ;)

progsnob2112

I don't really hate DW. If they offered me an endorsement, by all means I wouldn't say "No Thanks" but I prefer Tama, I have always played Tama, and I love everything about them. In fact, my graduation present was a nice set of Tama Starclassic's, and they sound AMAZING!

-Art
http://ajfmusic.com

Dave Heim

Quote from: progsnob2112 on August 16, 2006, 11:56 PM
I don't really hate DW. If they offered me an endorsement, by all means I wouldn't say "No Thanks"


You know that "endorsement" does not equal "free drums", right?  When a company grants you an endorsement deal, they sort of expect you to actually like their products and speak highly of them.

Dave Lemonds

Quote from: Dave From Chicago on August 17, 2006, 06:53 AM
You know that "endorsement" does not equal "free drums", right?  When a company grants you an endorsement deal, they sort of expect you to actually like their products and speak highly of them.

Amen to that brother!!

PROUDLY endorsing DW Drums-

Dave Lemonds

wotg

Lots of quesswork and myths in this tread  :)
DW has been around for quite some time, but it was in the beginning of the ninties - and the andvent of the grunge area and all the fine players like Matt Cameron, David Abruzezze, Steven Perkins etc. that propelled DW to superstatus.
Their hardware and especially their pedals has always been top of the line with clever solutions and precise machining.
DW also has numerous patents, among the most famus is the hex link on doubble pedals that every manufacturer uses today. DW was also one of the first companies that really cared about acoustics and got the snowball rolling with the widespread use of RIMS and "virgin" bassdrums. yes i know RIMS had been around for a while, but they where far from common.
And it was in the years after DW`s rise to fame that all the other drummanufacturers came up with their own versions of acoustic insulaton, like starcast or ISS.
They were also one of the first companies that embraced snares in other diameters than 14"
As far as the quality of DW kit vs. other high-end manufacturers it really comes down to prefrances.
I`ve played both old (keller) DW drums and the new in house manufactured drums and i can`t tell the diffrence.
One thing that probably is true is that DW in the late ninties grew quicker than what DW could keep up with and that may be the reason we hear all the DW badmouthing. When your expanding that rapidly and everyone expects perfection it`s bound to happen that some unlucky guy gets a lemon.
I think that DW is a great company and their buisniess strategy is wery good.
I have never been let down by a piece of DW gear and i really don`t think that they are overpriced.
In manny ways we can thank DW for the quality and focus on perfection that most drumcompanies today strive for.
Along with Pearl and Tama DW has increased the quality, ease of use and continued to break new ground to bring us hardware solutions that is lightyears better than what i played on as a kid.
If someone sholud wonder - No i don`t work for DW!


mc77

I need to chime in on this subject. I just posted a thread about not being happy with midwest percussion customer service. And it would be great to report a good report, so here it goes....

DW customer service for me is the best I have ever been treated. Maybe I was in the right place at the right time. But I was talking with John Good after a Billy Ward clinic (great guy & clinic). That I got a set of DW's in a trade (did not buy them new from a retailer) & I'm having problems with the wrap starting to peel back on one of the toms. He gave me his card & told to call him when he's back in the office. Long story short. I ship my kit out to the DW factory & they sent me a new kit with fresh heads & everything. I was totally floored, because I'm not anybody that is special just you local drummer that loves the craft & the pathway that comes with the journey. He made me feel like I was one of the DW family. So for me I honour it to DW to be my first choice in ever buying a new kit again, thank you John Good & everyone at DW that I talked with during that time, you guys are the best!

Mark Counts

Quote from: progsnob2112 on August 16, 2006, 11:56 PM
I don't really hate DW. If they offered me an endorsement, by all means I wouldn't say "No Thanks" but I prefer Tama, I have always played Tama, and I love everything about them. In fact, my graduation present was a nice set of Tama Starclassic's, and they sound AMAZING!

-Art
http://ajfmusic.com
Hi Progsnob2112,
I am with you.  I can't find anything wrong with DW.  I like the looks of them and I think they make a great product.  I would also not turn down an endorsement from them but I too am a Tama Star Classic fan. Best drums I have ever played. I also like Yamaha.  These three name, IMHO are the best
names in Drums these days.
                 Nutty

Dave Heim

Quote from: mc77 on August 28, 2006, 06:08 AM
I need to chime in on this subject. I just posted a thread about not being happy with midwest percussion customer service. And it would be great to report a good report, so here it goes....

DW customer service for me is the best I have ever been treated. Maybe I was in the right place at the right time. But I was talking with John Good after a Billy Ward clinic (great guy & clinic). That I got a set of DW's in a trade (did not buy them new from a retailer) & I'm having problems with the wrap starting to peel back on one of the toms. He gave me his card & told to call him when he's back in the office. Long story short. I ship my kit out to the DW factory & they sent me a new kit with fresh heads & everything. I was totally floored, because I'm not anybody that is special just you local drummer that loves the craft & the pathway that comes with the journey. He made me feel like I was one of the DW family. So for me I honour it to DW to be my first choice in ever buying a new kit again, thank you John Good & everyone at DW that I talked with during that time, you guys are the best!

I've had nothing but quick, helpful responses from their customer service department over the years.  They make a good product, they fix problems brought to their attention, and they take care of thier customers.

Makes me think we need to start a "Loving DW" thread.


Mark Counts

Quote from: Dave From Chicago on August 28, 2006, 10:15 AM
I've had nothing but quick, helpful responses from their customer service department over the years.  They make a good product, they fix problems brought to their attention, and they take care of thier customers.

Makes me think we need to start a "Loving DW" thread.


I am with you Dave? Start one.
                              Nutty

James Walker

How's about a "DW agnostics" thread, for those of us who neither "love" nor "hate" the company exclusively?  ;)

Danno

Quote from: James Walker on August 28, 2006, 07:11 PM
How's about a "DW agnostics" thread, for those of us who neither "love" nor "hate" the company exclusively?  ;)

There you go. I think they make great products, but my experience with DW customer service has been less than stellar. Same with Ludwig. The best customer service I've experienced with a drum company is with Yamaha.

Dave Heim

Quote from: James Walker on August 28, 2006, 07:11 PM
How's about a "DW agnostics" thread, for those of us who neither "love" nor "hate" the company exclusively?  ;)

Can't we all just get along?   ;D

Mark Counts

Quote from: James Walker on August 28, 2006, 07:11 PM
How's about a "DW agnostics" thread, for those of us who neither "love" nor "hate" the company exclusively?  ;)
Very nice to see you post again James.  Haven't seen anything from you for about a month.

Dave, You are right, what is there to hate about any of this?  It is just drums we are talking about.
                   Nutty

Dave Heim

Quote from: drumnut1 on August 28, 2006, 07:49 PM

Dave, You are right, what is there to hate about any of this?  It is just drums we are talking about.


Agreed.  Its the principle of YMMV in play here.

Slingerland5

Quote from: Showguy on June 24, 2005, 12:09 PM
It seems to me that DW is like any product that started out small and got big - it's cooler when it's esoteric and harder to find. 15 or 20 years ago you couldn't just walk into a music store or drum shop in a medium-to-large sized city and see and play a DW kit like you can now. They weren't stacked up along the walls because they really were custom made. They were expensive then because you were paying for American labor. Today DW is no longer small and they're not using American labor exclusively. While they are based in the US, I don't see them as being that much different from the Japanese companies.
I don't hate DW. I use their pedals and some of their hardware, and I've got a DW snare drum that I bought used that's great. I wouldn't buy a new kit, but it's mostly because of some of their business practices, as well as substantiated reports of serious problems with some of their shells.  It seems to me that a lot of what you're paying for is the name, and for that amount of money I can get a better sounding kit from a true custom builder. While a custom set won't have the resale value of a DW, at least I'll know who the money is going to.

Amen! Couldn't have said it better myself. I'm all for small drum companies. I own all DW Hardware and enjoy it very much. (Except for when I'm carrying it)

Matt Self (Gaddabout)

I owned a DW Custom --  http://www.randywalker.com/rw1.gif]this one  to be exact. I've previously owned three seperate Yammie Customs and a Sonor. The toms sizes were practically the same, and the only way I could really get a distinguishing sound was by using different heads and tuning (big shock).

I didn't really care for my experience with DW hardware, and ended up selling the kit for that very reason. It was too dang heavy! hehe

James Walker

Quote from: Gaddabout on August 29, 2006, 03:03 PM
I owned a DW Custom --  http://www.randywalker.com/rw1.gif]this one  to be exact.

Hmm...looks a bit like a Noble & Cooley, no?

Dave Heim

Quote from: Gaddabout on August 29, 2006, 03:03 PM
I owned a DW Custom --  http://www.randywalker.com/rw1.gif]this one  to be exact. I've previously owned three seperate Yammie Customs and a Sonor. The toms sizes were practically the same, and the only way I could really get a distinguishing sound was by using different heads and tuning (big shock).

I didn't really care for my experience with DW hardware, and ended up selling the kit for that very reason. It was too dang heavy! hehe

Um, if that's the set you had trouble with, I think you're hating the wrong manufacturer.

I see comments here and there about people getting rid of their DW hardware because it was too heavy.  I gotta ask: Did anyone pick this stuff up and check the weight before buying it?  Seems people were surprised by the weight.  Personally, I've not found it to be any heavier than the Slingerland Magnum hardware or the Ludwig Modular hardware.  The weight is not fun to haul around, but it sure comes in handy when you want to keep thise cymbals from tipping or or want to hang other stuff with clamps.