Good review. Thanks! I’m still between a Club-jam and a Midtown. Booked in at local drum shop to try both. From reviews etc the Midtown seems a bit more of a serious kit. I was the convenience and compact size but it needs to sound good too. Replacing my Premier Olympus kit here. Andy
Well, I'm partial to the Midtown, but have actually heard good things about the Club-Jam too. Glad to hear you'll have a chance to check out both in person. Let us know which you end up going with and thanks for watching!
I solved the volume issues fairly easily with my Midtown. I bought a Roland TM-02 trigger module and a couple of triggers online, sampled my 22” kick, and layer the sample over the mic’d Midtown bassdrum when I’m playing live. It works like a dream. As for the tuning issues, I’ve found the Evans hydraulic heads for the toms, and the Evans Calftone for the bassdrum, solved all my detuning issues. The hydraulics and the calftone lose very little tone at lower tuning, and tuning lower means less strain on the lugs. I hope this helps!
That sounds like a great solution... although I don't think I'm at the triggering point yet, I'll have to check out the hydraulic heads though. Thanks for watching!
I bought the Tama Club Jam. The bass drum mounted cymbal arm works great. The shallow floor tom is really cool and fun to explore. The Club Jam does everything that I need it to. All of the compact kits mentioned in this video work well. I have played all of them. I liked them all. I own numerous kits both vintage and modern.
Thanks for watching! Appreciate the details on what you’ve experienced. We’ve heard good things about many of these kits too since going with the Midtown. Still very pleased with it, but would also be open to other things in the future. Thanks again for the insight and don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t yet.
@@FuzzywallzMastering The quality of low priced kits is incredible when compared to what was offered when I began to play in the late 60's. The roundness of the shells and the bearing edges are so precise. The lugs and hardware are also more than adequate. We live in a time where a person with little cash can get a new drum kit that is well made.
Why is there a diff mounting system on yours. I saw same set with the L arm going straight into the shell. Yours looks you have a isolation mount which is better.
Seems like the new version has the L arm going straight through, and the original version (2021) has the isolation mount. That is too bad... but it looks like the new version comes with stands / pedal. A bit of a trade off there I guess. Thanks for watching!
Well, I won't say that there are zero littlle scratches as a result of doing this, but I always try to get them snug along the bottom edge, so it's not much.
Not a dumb question at all. The kit comes with a riser that inserts at the bottom of the kick, which any standard pedal can clamp to. I should have addressed this in the video.
This is a cool kit. I picked up an Aquabats PDP New Yorker for $150 new and have been really pleased with it. I got it with the intention on having something small for home practice in a tight spot and the ability to bring it to small jam sessions and so far it’s been perfect for just that. For recording and general practice I use an EAD10 which has been huge. It sounds like I’m playing a full size kit because of the triggers and effects, in fact I had to throw a blanket in the bass and threw on a Remo SMT because it was just too bass heavy otherwise. As much as I like the New Yorker I’m thinking about selling it and picking up this Midtown or a new Breakbeats… I just can’t get over the Aquabats theme lol. As for the Breakbeats, there were/are two versions, one that WAS basically a novelty kit that was most suitable for a child, and the other being much nicer and designed for anyone else… it was actually a great kit and offered a really nice looking oyster wrap as an option. Ludwig has now since made improvements on that design and makes them with wood bass hoops (as opposed to plastic), 45° bearing edges and higher quality claws and other hardware.
Nice! I was very pleasantly surprised myself. Not that I expected them to be bad or anything... they just have that unexpected power! Thanks for watching.
I traded a friend an old cheap banjo I had for a Pearl forum series fusion set his son had. Even swap. I changed the heads and replaced them with Evans Onyx heads on the snare and toms and the EQ head on the bass. I use them weekly instead of my Starclassic set. I mean, I'm not gonna use my starclassic set for anything less than a large show but still, I love my little forum series set. Great sound and still going strong. I started with Pearl and I must say, I still love their drums.
I have yet to try out the Sonor Safari, but agree that maple shells may add overall sound quality and tone, but.... I also see that it is almost $200 more list price and one of things that impressed me about the Pearl was how BIG it sounds for a small kit. Wouldn't be surprised if Safari sounds higher quality but not a big/loud? Would have to do a direct comparison for that. Thanks again for watching the video!
@@FuzzywallzMastering It's all about the heads, the tuning, the weight of the sticks and most importantly, your touch. If all those factors are in place, almost any kit can sound good.
Thanks for your video! Does the bass drum beater hit at a normal angle or is a little more forward as we tend to see on small bass drums with risers? Thanks for posting!
Jay, thanks for watching! To answer your question... pretty much the normal angle. Pearl cut out some of the hoop at the bottom so that you don't have to back the pedal off. Feels natural like a 'regular' size kick.
@@FuzzywallzMastering Thank you for taking the time to respond. That's great to hear. That was the only thing holding me back from purchasing. Much appreciated!!!!!
Would you mind giving me an idea of the footprint of the drum kit? I can see you've mostly got it on that blue rug. A rough footprint would be really useful please?
Thanks for watching! So far no issues scratching the hoop, Pearl cut out a bit of the hoop to make room for the pedal's chain etc. I've been using a DW 5000 on it the whole time.
Very good review. I think the stock batter kick head sounds great; but indeed the toms/snare batters need to go. Aquarian Super 2 coated sound amazing too. I think that many (me included) will find the routed out batter side bass drum hoop to be a slight negative. With many pedals (especially chain driven) you have to, sort of, offset the pedal a bit to ensure the chain doesn't hit the hoop. I have seen reports of the hoop cracking over time. I haven't experienced it though.
Nice review! I recently bought a Midtown and am very happy with it. Love the new gloss white color. It sounds good, works for me and my kids. And I also have a full size kit when I need it. I’ve also played a Breakbeats and while I respect Questlove, the Midtown is more solid.
Thanks for that video, it represented exactly what I felt! Also, it helped me to finally choose not to pick one of those smaller kits, because one way or another, you will end up sacrificing convenience for sound. Gonna go with fusion sizes, I guess. Anyways, keep up the good work!
Thanks for checking out our video! We're glad it helped you feel more confident in making a decision. There are definitely some limits to the sound of these smaller kits.
I wonder how the midtown compares to the Sonor jungle. Same sizes. The Sonor costs less and my experience with Sonor and Pearl (I've owned both) I like Sonor better. So far, I like the Sonor jungle kit. I considered this kit too, though, but I really hated the Pearl tom mounts when I had them, but I see they improved them since I last had a Pearl kit. It'd be great to see the two kits head to head.
Thanks for watching! I am not so familiar with the Sonor Jungle, will have to check that out. Would be cool to see them go head to head either way! Don't forget to subscribe if you haven't yet!
I'm usually a Tama guy and play rock/metal with some roots in funk/jazz, but also will start doing acoustic gigs and looking for a small kit. Was looking at the club jam but this seems much better/fuller sound wise and those much more convenient bags is closer for me Definitely will grab one of these!
@@NilsHedstrom Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe! Yes, this kit sounds great for rock, it surely isn't limited to just softer stuff, plus a breeze to get to a from gigs.
@@FuzzywallzMastering Great! Actually ordered one with the bags today!:D Will be a great alternative to my two rock size kits with 22" kicks! Thanks for the informative video! Earned a new sub;)
A really thorough review, thanks a lot! Did you change the bass drum batter head? Sounds really cool, which head is it?? I am still struggling to find the best one for this 16".
Thanks for checking out our video! Interestingly, I did not change out the batter side of the kick. It was the toms that immediately sounded like they needed new and better heads. That kick recorded well, right out of the box. If I find a better replacement, I’ll update. Thanks again for watching!
Tantin Drums hmmm, if it helps, I tend to keep the batter head slightly loose (not too loose) to get a bit more tight attack and have no muffling of any kind in the drum. I tend to be a little heavy footed anyways, so maybe that combo helps it sound a little better. Could always throw a kick-pad on the head, but that would be a last resort (for me at least).
@@FuzzywallzMastering i will try Evans EMAD clear bass head, it has pretty good user feedback and i will let you know if it worked for me, thanks for your tips too 😅
Alex, thanks for watching! Hmm, tough one to answer in any precise way being that I just tune them by ear until I like the sound. Not too tight and not floppy either...
Great job on this video! I happen to own the Ludwig BreakBeats QuestLove Kit and it sounds pretty good and punchy too.. I haven't played any gigs with it however but I've recorded with it on some demos in my studio, sounds good! I do believe they are made from the same Wood , Popular shells. Pearl does have a special way they make their shells so that might be the difference in sound quality. Thanks again!
Thanks for watching our video and insight on the Ludwig kit. Another part of this whole thing is going to be how well they stand the test of time (once gigs can start up again). Keep watching and don't forget to subscribe!
@@irvinmillermusic the breakbeats kit sounds great and I like the fact that it's small&compact but like your self I'm interested in the Midtown kit as well! Both kits are made from Poplar shells!
Thanks for the info and honest review! Appreciate the effort in making your words sound clear and well pronounced, but the anchor-like annunciations seem very unnatural and even more gimmicky than the quest love kit you mentioned.
Thanks for checking out the video and letting us know it was informative. Also, we absolutely appreciate the critique on our delivery, we notice it too and are going for a less “Ron Burgundy” approach in the new videos. All the best!
I can't decide between this one or the yamaha rydeen. I don't really care about the size, I'd just like to have a decent sound 'cause my cheap chinese kit sounds pretty bad.
Hey thanks for watching! That's a tough call because you're comparing a full size 5 piece kit to a compact 4 piece. I don't have any experience with the Rydeen, but Yamaha definitely makes quality drums. My suggestion is, if possible get to a shop and play both and see what you think.
Good review. Thanks! I’m still between a Club-jam and a Midtown. Booked in at local drum shop to try both. From reviews etc the Midtown seems a bit more of a serious kit. I was the convenience and compact size but it needs to sound good too. Replacing my Premier Olympus kit here. Andy
Well, I'm partial to the Midtown, but have actually heard good things about the Club-Jam too. Glad to hear you'll have a chance to check out both in person. Let us know which you end up going with and thanks for watching!
I own a Tama club jam and while the floor tom looks shallow it plays very low with a good set of heads.
Great review.
Thanks for watching!
I bought my pearl midtown yesterday and couldn’t be more pleased
Eric Mcnalley thanks for letting us know. Hopefully the video helped!
Just got mine from sweetwater yesterday and I’m super impressed!
Vintage Future niceeee
I have an old 5 piece kit, 12,13,16,22 with a 14x5 snare. I am tempted to acquire a 10" tom and convert set to a midtown like configuration... 🤔
I solved the volume issues fairly easily with my Midtown.
I bought a Roland TM-02 trigger module and a couple of triggers online, sampled my 22” kick, and layer the sample over the mic’d Midtown bassdrum when I’m playing live. It works like a dream.
As for the tuning issues, I’ve found the Evans hydraulic heads for the toms, and the Evans Calftone for the bassdrum, solved all my detuning issues. The hydraulics and the calftone lose very little tone at lower tuning, and tuning lower means less strain on the lugs.
I hope this helps!
That sounds like a great solution... although I don't think I'm at the triggering point yet, I'll have to check out the hydraulic heads though. Thanks for watching!
I bought the Tama Club Jam. The bass drum mounted cymbal arm works great. The shallow floor tom is really cool and fun to explore. The Club Jam does everything that I need it to. All of the compact kits mentioned in this video work well. I have played all of them. I liked them all. I own numerous kits both vintage and modern.
Thanks for watching! Appreciate the details on what you’ve experienced. We’ve heard good things about many of these kits too since going with the Midtown. Still very pleased with it, but would also be open to other things in the future. Thanks again for the insight and don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t yet.
@@FuzzywallzMastering The quality of low priced kits is incredible when compared to what was offered when I began to play in the late 60's. The roundness of the shells and the bearing edges are so precise. The lugs and hardware are also more than adequate. We live in a time where a person with little cash can get a new drum kit that is well made.
@@bobdadruma Agreed!
@@bobdadrumawell said
Why is there a diff mounting system on yours. I saw same set with the L arm going straight into the shell. Yours looks you have a isolation mount which is better.
Seems like the new version has the L arm going straight through, and the original version (2021) has the isolation mount. That is too bad... but it looks like the new version comes with stands / pedal. A bit of a trade off there I guess. Thanks for watching!
Love your review. You answered all my question. Pearl it is!
Awesome! Enjoy it! Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe if you haven't yet.
I see you get stands and legs into the tom case. How do you do that without scratching up the drums? Don´t the dividers get in the way?
Well, I won't say that there are zero littlle scratches as a result of doing this, but I always try to get them snug along the bottom edge, so it's not much.
Just got mine and the snare sounds great!!!!
Awesome! Surprised me it sounded that solid glad I’m not the only one! Thanks for watching.
Dumb question, but do you need to use the kick drum riser or will a regular kick pedal not work ?
Not a dumb question at all. The kit comes with a riser that inserts at the bottom of the kick, which any standard pedal can clamp to. I should have addressed this in the video.
This is a cool kit. I picked up an Aquabats PDP New Yorker for $150 new and have been really pleased with it. I got it with the intention on having something small for home practice in a tight spot and the ability to bring it to small jam sessions and so far it’s been perfect for just that. For recording and general practice I use an EAD10 which has been huge. It sounds like I’m playing a full size kit because of the triggers and effects, in fact I had to throw a blanket in the bass and threw on a Remo SMT because it was just too bass heavy otherwise.
As much as I like the New Yorker I’m thinking about selling it and picking up this Midtown or a new Breakbeats… I just can’t get over the Aquabats theme lol.
As for the Breakbeats, there were/are two versions, one that WAS basically a novelty kit that was most suitable for a child, and the other being much nicer and designed for anyone else… it was actually a great kit and offered a really nice looking oyster wrap as an option. Ludwig has now since made improvements on that design and makes them with wood bass hoops (as opposed to plastic), 45° bearing edges and higher quality claws and other hardware.
Thanks for all the info! I have heard good things about the newest Ludwig option, but haven't tried it in person yet.
I just picked mine up yesterday from my local shop. I love the sound especially the snare and kick!
Nice! I was very pleasantly surprised myself. Not that I expected them to be bad or anything... they just have that unexpected power! Thanks for watching.
@Miles Anthony Me too, I was really surprised to read what your girl friend said.
I traded a friend an old cheap banjo I had for a Pearl forum series fusion set his son had. Even swap. I changed the heads and replaced them with Evans Onyx heads on the snare and toms and the EQ head on the bass. I use them weekly instead of my Starclassic set. I mean, I'm not gonna use my starclassic set for anything less than a large show but still, I love my little forum series set. Great sound and still going strong. I started with Pearl and I must say, I still love their drums.
Thanks for watching, sounds like a great trade to me! And yes, the Starclassic is like the a tuxedo, for those special occasions!!
Do you have an opinion on the Sonor Safari? The Sonor having maple shells seems like it would be a big deal for sound quality.
I have yet to try out the Sonor Safari, but agree that maple shells may add overall sound quality and tone, but.... I also see that it is almost $200 more list price and one of things that impressed me about the Pearl was how BIG it sounds for a small kit. Wouldn't be surprised if Safari sounds higher quality but not a big/loud? Would have to do a direct comparison for that. Thanks again for watching the video!
@@FuzzywallzMastering It's all about the heads, the tuning, the weight of the sticks and most importantly, your touch. If all those factors are in place, almost any kit can sound good.
@@farshimelt I don't disagree with this! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for your video! Does the bass drum beater hit at a normal angle or is a little more forward as we tend to see on small bass drums with risers? Thanks for posting!
Jay, thanks for watching! To answer your question... pretty much the normal angle. Pearl cut out some of the hoop at the bottom so that you don't have to back the pedal off. Feels natural like a 'regular' size kick.
@@FuzzywallzMastering Thank you for taking the time to respond. That's great to hear. That was the only thing holding me back from purchasing. Much appreciated!!!!!
Nice review. I would have liked to hear the drum's a bit more and earlier in the video.
Also a great point!
Would you mind giving me an idea of the footprint of the drum kit? I can see you've mostly got it on that blue rug.
A rough footprint would be really useful please?
Thanks for watching! With cymbals and thrown, about 5' x 4', a little less if it is just the kit.
@@FuzzywallzMastering thanks for replying :) very useful
I have heard of scratching issues with the kick pedal scratching the hoop. What pedal are you using? Any issues ?
Thanks for watching! So far no issues scratching the hoop, Pearl cut out a bit of the hoop to make room for the pedal's chain etc. I've been using a DW 5000 on it the whole time.
Put a piece of Dr. Scholl's mole skin on the hoop. It also works well for where the beater hits the head.
That's why I took my Breakbeats back and bought Pearl's.
Did you replace the kick head also or just on the Toms?
Actually no, only replaced the snare and Tom heads. Interestingly, I’m satisfied with the stock kick head thus far. Thanks for watching!
Very good review. I think the stock batter kick head sounds great; but indeed the toms/snare batters need to go. Aquarian Super 2 coated sound amazing too. I think that many (me included) will find the routed out batter side bass drum hoop to be a slight negative. With many pedals (especially chain driven) you have to, sort of, offset the pedal a bit to ensure the chain doesn't hit the hoop. I have seen reports of the hoop cracking over time. I haven't experienced it though.
Dave Parfitt thanks for checking out our video! So far I haven’t ran into any pedal or hoop problems, but if I do I’ll update here.
Nice review! I recently bought a Midtown and am very happy with it. Love the new gloss white color. It sounds good, works for me and my kids. And I also have a full size kit when I need it. I’ve also played a Breakbeats and while I respect Questlove, the Midtown is more solid.
Thanks! Agree on all points! Don't forget to subscribe if you haven't yet! More drum based reviews coming....
Thanks for that video, it represented exactly what I felt! Also, it helped me to finally choose not to pick one of those smaller kits, because one way or another, you will end up sacrificing convenience for sound. Gonna go with fusion sizes, I guess. Anyways, keep up the good work!
Thanks for checking out our video! We're glad it helped you feel more confident in making a decision. There are definitely some limits to the sound of these smaller kits.
I wonder how the midtown compares to the Sonor jungle. Same sizes. The Sonor costs less and my experience with Sonor and Pearl (I've owned both) I like Sonor better. So far, I like the Sonor jungle kit. I considered this kit too, though, but I really hated the Pearl tom mounts when I had them, but I see they improved them since I last had a Pearl kit. It'd be great to see the two kits head to head.
Thanks for watching! I am not so familiar with the Sonor Jungle, will have to check that out. Would be cool to see them go head to head either way! Don't forget to subscribe if you haven't yet!
I'm usually a Tama guy and play rock/metal with some roots in funk/jazz, but also will start doing acoustic gigs and looking for a small kit. Was looking at the club jam but this seems much better/fuller sound wise and those much more convenient bags is closer for me Definitely will grab one of these!
Will mostly play softer stuff but if I understood right you could actually also do rock gigs on this one?
@@NilsHedstrom Thanks for watching and don't forget to subscribe! Yes, this kit sounds great for rock, it surely isn't limited to just softer stuff, plus a breeze to get to a from gigs.
@@FuzzywallzMastering Great! Actually ordered one with the bags today!:D Will be a great alternative to my two rock size kits with 22" kicks! Thanks for the informative video! Earned a new sub;)
A really thorough review, thanks a lot! Did you change the bass drum batter head? Sounds really cool, which head is it?? I am still struggling to find the best one for this 16".
Thanks for checking out our video! Interestingly, I did not change out the batter side of the kick. It was the toms that immediately sounded like they needed new and better heads. That kick recorded well, right out of the box. If I find a better replacement, I’ll update. Thanks again for watching!
@@FuzzywallzMastering thanks for sharing, my kick sounds awful, haha not sure why tho.
Tantin Drums hmmm, if it helps, I tend to keep the batter head slightly loose (not too loose) to get a bit more tight attack and have no muffling of any kind in the drum. I tend to be a little heavy footed anyways, so maybe that combo helps it sound a little better. Could always throw a kick-pad on the head, but that would be a last resort (for me at least).
@@FuzzywallzMastering i will try Evans EMAD clear bass head, it has pretty good user feedback and i will let you know if it worked for me, thanks for your tips too 😅
Tantin Drums Sounds like a plan!
Got one as well and satisfied with it, especially for the price.
Awesome and thanks for watching! Just played a gig with mine and got the "I didn't expect THAT from that small kit'. Packs a punch!
@@FuzzywallzMastering never gigged with it yet: just used it for practice and giving classes.
in what tensions do you tune your drums?
Alex, thanks for watching! Hmm, tough one to answer in any precise way being that I just tune them by ear until I like the sound. Not too tight and not floppy either...
@@FuzzywallzMastering hmm alright! thanks a lot!!
@@FuzzywallzMastering Look at Rob Brown's tuning video. Simplest, easiest way to tune drums.
@@farshimelt I'll check it out! Thanks for watching!
Great job on this video! I happen to own the Ludwig BreakBeats QuestLove Kit and it sounds pretty good and punchy too.. I haven't played any gigs with it however but I've recorded with it on some demos in my studio, sounds good! I do believe they are made from the same Wood , Popular shells. Pearl does have a special way they make their shells so that might be the difference in sound quality. Thanks again!
Thanks for watching our video and insight on the Ludwig kit. Another part of this whole thing is going to be how well they stand the test of time (once gigs can start up again). Keep watching and don't forget to subscribe!
How do you like the Breakbeats kit? I’m trying to decide what to spring for.
@@irvinmillermusic the breakbeats kit sounds great and I like the fact that it's small&compact but like your self I'm interested in the Midtown kit as well! Both kits are made from Poplar shells!
Thanks for the info and honest review! Appreciate the effort in making your words sound clear and well pronounced, but the anchor-like annunciations seem very unnatural and even more gimmicky than the quest love kit you mentioned.
Thanks for checking out the video and letting us know it was informative. Also, we absolutely appreciate the critique on our delivery, we notice it too and are going for a less “Ron Burgundy” approach in the new videos. All the best!
I can't decide between this one or the yamaha rydeen. I don't really care about the size, I'd just like to have a decent sound 'cause my cheap chinese kit sounds pretty bad.
Hey thanks for watching! That's a tough call because you're comparing a full size 5 piece kit to a compact 4 piece. I don't have any experience with the Rydeen, but Yamaha definitely makes quality drums. My suggestion is, if possible get to a shop and play both and see what you think.
@@FuzzywallzMastering thank you👌
You may get more volume from better reso heads too. 👍🏼💫
Hey thanks for watching! Good call and very true, that will likely happen soon. Don’t forget to subscribe is you haven’t already.
UNIQUE
Great review, not a fan of the breakbeats either..
Thanks for watching! Just curious... what in particular makes you not a fan of the breakbeats?
always so odd to watch youtubers fake drinking coffee. I am curious, why do you do that?
Lol, yeah I dunno, we just kinda did it. Although this was the one and only video we did that for. Didn’t end up turning into a “night show” ha ha.