Are Vintage Drums REALLY Better? (The Ultimate Test)
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- "They just don't make 'em like they used to!"
Some people say vintage drums have a sound that just can't be replicated. Others argue that modern drums have the best sound. In this ultimate showdown video, the Drumeo team tests vintage kits against their modern versions and compares how they sound recorded.
To get a fair comparison, we used the same heads and the same mics and tried to match the tuning as closely as possible.
Can you hear the difference between a vintage and a modern kit? Drop a comment and let us know!
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One point that didn't get mentioned is that modern kits are likely more consistent while the vintage kits vary more from kit to kit...
You are so right. Just look at budget kits today, the quality is really good - consistently. If you buy an old kit, it might be great - or not. Lottery.
I would say this could be accurate for most brands except Rogers. Rogers quality control is superior to most. That being said, I enjiy the variations in sound. They were manufavtured by humans and it brings more artistry to the instrument. I dont enjoy new drums at all, and even sold my DW Collectors because it just didnt sound like a real drum to me.
Totally true…manufacturing of high end products is really pretty great today
In the case of the Ludwig you compared completely different kits. Vintage is 3-ply mahogany-poplar with maple reinforcement rings, 12-14-20; Modern is 7-ply maple with no reinforcement rings, 12-16-22. Not surprising they sound completely different. I prefer the Vintage Ludwig here (I have a modern Classic Maple though). However, in the blind test I thought it was the Modern, when it was actually the Vintage.
Came here to say this. Drumeo should have gotten a Legacy Mahogany downbeat and compared that to the 60's kit. Also, classic maple rack toms don't sound dead like that unless you use crap heads or can't tune. I have mine in a snare basket and it rings for days
Honestly, I thought overall the Ludwig vintage sounded the best compared to all the other vintage kits and I have never owned one. Maybe I should.
It doesn't that the head selection and tuning for the modern maple was not going to produce a modern sound.
ALSO - That 60s Gretsch is a 6ply Maple/ Gum shell, and the Broadkaster reissue is a 3PLY Maple Gum (thicker plys) shell. The BEST comparison video I ever saw was the Gretsch Matt Chamberlain video where he played his 50s 3 ply Gretsch Broadkaster and the modern reissue. GREAT production and the kits sounded awesome. Then... he jumped ship and switched to another company or 2... 🙄
They also used the wrong heads, should’ve done clear ambassadors
The difference with Ludwig kits is astonishing. To me the vintage one just sounds perfect!
Vintage is 3-ply mahogany-poplar with maple reinforcement rings, 12-14-20; Modern is 7-ply maple with no reinforcement rings, 12-16-22. Not surprising they sound completely different. I prefer the Vintage Ludwig here (I have a modern Classic Maple though).
That's because the Classic Maple's toms sounded terrible with those heads, and the rack tom was choked on the snare stand. If they had clear Ambassadors they would've sounded better than the vintage IMO.
I buy Gretsch. That’s my brand
It's comparing apples to oranges. Of course they're different. 🥁❤
Classic maple is 6 ply straight maple. Totally different sounding drum.
They should have chosen the legacy mahogany for a true comparison.
The acrylics got me. Otherwise I was clean. I'm torn. I like the modern kick better for it's tightness, but vintage toms just sound better to me.
Agree, the really old antique kicks in SD3 often becomes too loose and heavy for me, like u barely touch them and booom 😅😅 so I often go for a smaller modern kick and vintage toms
Same. I guessed all the others but wondered if the acrylic was a trick, e.g. modern BD, vintage toms.
I could tell immediately . I had a red Ludwig Vistalite kit in the 70s and the toms rang like oil cans no matter what heads I fitted , the bass drum was horrible and I used a Supraphonic snare . worst. Ludwigs. ever . Any improvement HAD to be modern drums .
Vintage, I hear more dry and low end, you can feel the wood // Modern, I feel more the drumhead and harmonics
I think a common trait in vintage drums is they can have more overtones, but the overtones are also more pleasant.
This, a modern kits overtones are often a weird high pitched ring that no one ones to hear, the old kits have a nice warm hum that just makes the kit sound more full
I thought the vintage Gretch kit had a more rounded sound than thé modern one, with l'ESS treble
None of that is true.
We know Dave always screen looked as a child during gaming LAN parties back in the day...
Didn't we all...? 😆
So it's treason then
Screen peeking was kind of unavoidable.
Loved the vid . I missed the Yamaha and Pearl kits , I have a couple of Ludwig Super Classic kits ( 22x 14 . 13 x 9 , 16 x 16 ) a 70s Rogers mini kit ( 20 x 20 kick , 10 x 8 , 14 x 10 ) and a mid 60s Japanese Gretsch clone called Dia Deluxe ( 20 x 14 , 12 x 8 , 14 x 14 ) I have played lots of modern kits and they all have their charms but I just like the round-ness and warmth of those vintage toms . I have a bunch of snare drums , old and new , but my go to is a late 70s Supraphonic 6 1/2 . Still a drum tragic after all these years .
It's strange because I feel the vintage as a cool live drum sound. As if the vintage would sound better on a small theater or venue. Don't know if that would be true, but that was pretty cool!
That Gretsch Vintage sounds so great 👍👍
The ludwig vintage...oh my God!!!🤩🤩🤩
It's nut how easily I was able to tell the modern and vintage apart after that tip about listening to the kick and how it resonates. 100% on the blind test!
What would have been great is to grab an 80s maple kit and a modern maple kit to see if something happens with the wood, like a 90s pearl masters and a newer model exact same shell and thickness.
The only blind test I got wrong was the acrylic. Not sure if its because that tech hasn't really changed since it was invented or if it was because that was the only one they didn't show in the first part of their video. I would like to hear those side by side.
The same, got right 4 out of 5. When hearing acrylic drums, I thought they sounded like vintage because kick sound was longer like other vintage sets, but my gut thought that acryl could sound different and be modern.
It really all comes down to the kick, doesn't it? I had no idea on the acrylic. Got all the other blind tests right.
liked most of the vintage toms over the modern ones lol
I have Earthtone calf skins on my Mapex Saturn V kit at home, and the sounds are very warm and solid. I feel like you can get a vintage sound from modern kits, you just need to be intentional about it.
I really love your channel and appreciate the effort behind doing these videos. In the case of Gretsch, the comparison is useless, it is not apples vs apples. The progressive jazz kit is a USA Custom, 6-ply maple/gum shell with die-cast hoops and the new Broadkaster kit is a 3-ply Maple/Poplar/Maple with 302 hoops, without mentioning the differences in shell thickness and bearing edges. Also, you chose a Broadkaster kit with center lugs, which may eventually have some impact on shell resonance and tone. Why you did not compare two Broadkaster or two USA Custom kits? There are tons of them out there in really good shape to do a fair comparison of the "vintage" element.
Huge difference. I guessed the wood drums right, on the acrylic i had no idea what so ever. Very, very nice test!
Vintage ludwigs blow away the modern kits every time. Glad they were able to prove this
Apples and oranges. They weren't even the same type of wood. The comparison is just silly.
@@pbaker7160 Exactly
Modern bassdrum blows away vintage anytime. Unless you want that ringy midrangy typ of sound for music until maybe 1975?! Yea anyhow can‘t compare them
That Ludwig down beat 2021 floortom was nog great..
What i find so fascinating is the dryness in the basses.
The dry bass is almost a classic be-bop drum sound. Just really interesting to see the difference. I also got only 2 wrong in the test the audience segment 😆
would have been interesting to hear these within the context of an actual song
Also another good observation. 👍🎶
Just keep hearing the Sgt pepper riff in my head on the vintage Ludwig
does drumeo respond to comments? i love your channel guys
👋
I play in a classic vintage brazilian kit, a brand called "Pinguim", I have two of it, onw with 18" kick and the other, a 22". The sound of both is unique and I could recognize it anywhere. In your test I was able to get around 70% of right answers. The Pinguim kits were descontinued in the 80's through 90's but one still find it. Since the beginning it was a copy of Ludwigs classicals with different decoration. The main model was the kind you show in the video. As a suggestion you could search for several brands over the world that were inspired in English, German or American kits... I swear you would find several interesting instruments...
BTW the kits were always 13, 15, 18 or 22.
I personally like the way old drums sound. My kit sounds like a John Bonham, Bull ward, and Neil peart mix.
Hahaha i just die
Bull ward??? 🤔😂🤣
@@osianjones3694 I call him bull ward. Because he used to ham on the drums!
@@yeetfeet1878but… ham doesn’t come from bu… you know what, never mind.
Love the character in the vintage kits and the newer kits are tighter and more precise. I use a 1983 red 7-piece Yamaha touring kit for practice and recording.
My favorite pack in SD3 is decades and I’ve always loved vintage music and drum sounds but like Brandon I’ve wondered why I love it, what makes it vintage and this video helped i think, the vintage is warmer I think, and the toms has sometimes more of a buzz
Very Nice ! Mine is a Gretsch stop badge 1974 ! So long !
I received a Reuther 4 piece grey on Christmas day '76 . That little kit got me through jr. high and high school. Wish drums would transfer well to apartments. Hope someone out there enjoyed them as they sadly ended up in a pawnshop after leaving the service.
I like how Jared is just a hobbyist lol
I was surprised to find that I didn’t like the modern Ludwig toms at all, which is great because I have a 70s Ludwig standard kit. Also, the Yamaha toms are damn near identical between the two, but that modern kick is amazing.
The Gretsch: what you hear (toms) is the huge difference in sound between die cast en triple flanged hoops, interchange the rims between the drums and you'll see what I mean, (and "that great Gretsch sound", it's especially the super heavy diecasts ...) What I do miss in modern drums: that thinner bass drum sound with less lows (but more music ...) in it in a 20", now drum company's seem to make only 20" bass drums that come as close as possible to the sound of a 22", what's the point? With the Yamaha, me being a jazz player: I wish they would make that exact old kit again, especially for the basdrum sound ... (and also the old Yam toms sound more musical to me ...)
That vintage Ludwig just sounds superb. The kick on the 80’s Yamaha tho! Made me want a Yamaha kit badly!
I play a vintage Rogers big R kit, and I only got the acrylic kit wrong! Cool video
I’d play a modern Ludwig kick and the vintage toms!
The Ludwig kit was the one I got wrong. The vintage sounds good to me. Difficult to tell if it's an old or new kit!
Great video, really cool to listen to the differences between vintage and modern!
Man.... I feel like comparing vintage to modern kits would only be accurate if the wood types were the same. Comparing a mahogany/poplar/mahogany w/ maple rerings to a full maple kit, they are going to sound different even if they were from the same era.
Agreed! It would also be more apples to apples if they tuned the drums similarly.
Kick is the tell tale . But I also notice from the 12 " , the vintage sounded better on everyone but the Yamaha set . Moderns 12" all seemed higher pitched , but may have been differences in wood .
Well done comparison! Vintage wins for me! Obvious difference - much warmer
Nice idea of video! I've liked a lot the blind test, please do more!
100% accurate answers here! There is a clear difference on how the heads and shells interact and resonate. (the acrylic was the toughest for me).
I enjoyed this video a lot. Most modern drums have this punchy bass drum sound while the vintage has flat sound. 4/5 score lol
Could you consider a comparison between 1980/90 Yamaha Recording Custom made in Japan vs the modern one made in China ? Would be amazing one
I love the vintage bass drum but the modern Tom's have a clearer sound.
“Local drum hobbyist” lol
Cool video. We need more content like this. I like (and own) both vintage and modern. Its all in the ear of the beholder though. The things the companies are doing with hybrid shells and different bearing edge techniques these days is pretty interesting. Buying vintage can be tricky. Just because a kit is 20 years old doesn't mean it sounds better than modern nor should you add an extra grand to your asking price. Keep up the interesting videos!!
I like a lot of people only got the acrylics wrong. The Tom’s and kick sounded so good. What I found interesting is I liked the sound of the modern Gretsch better than the vintage and I liked the vintage Ludwig better than the modern. The pearl was super easy to tell. I have a modern pearl export and the sound is unmistakable.
Same here
How about compare E-drums vs acoustic and see who can tell which is which ?
Great idea!
@@DrumeoOfficial TY
this would be too easy Lol! Maybe with SD3 or EZd but not standard Roland or Alesis modules...
And compare them in the context of a full mix!
Would probably have a hard time with a pearl mimic.. I honestly enjoy playing my hybrid ekit more than my acoustic in many settings.
GREAT video! Fun and interesting. I missed two kits. The difference in the Ludwig vintage vs the modern was huge. The Gretch kits sounded the best. I'd like you guys to compare modern kits to help people like me make more confident decisions on purchasing a kit. I live days away from any drum store with high end drum kits. Thanks!!!
vintage has a more "natural" sound. modern is more shapaed on modern recording sounds of drum, that are poorer, but for this reason simpler to equalize and raise the loudness. I think vintage in better in absolute way, modern is better for modern music.
Nailed it, I preferred the vintage in every case esp the Ludwig's and Gretsch. The moderns sound too tamed and pre 'produced' for me, but I prefer vintage and raw sounding music in general.
Agree, I got SD3 and it’s expansion pack decades and it’s good for 30s to 40s swing and 70s disco but not modern rock, yesterday I bought the new gospel pack from ez drummer and it’s now my modern kit, it has a punch that the old ones doesn’t have or need, the swing kits has punch too but it’s a different older kind of punch, good for swing, my philosophy is vintage drums for vintage music and modern drums for modern music!
What you said !
I got all good answers at the end except the acrylic one.
Thank you so much for making this video. I always had this question
I like to pair my American Thanksgiving with a side of "Yam"ahas, lol!
I think the current Gretsch USA Customs V.S. vintage Gretch Round Badge would be a better head to head battle!
I got right every blind test except for the acrylic drum sets! I play a modern kit with a vintage snare drum, but I also like to play with a modern snare drum!!
I play an early 80s Tama Royalstar.
Surprisingly, I was fooled only by the acrylic kit. But I was going by what was said about the difference between the bass drum sounds, and listening for the slightly delayed reso head flap. However prior to seeing this video, I wouldn't have known what to listen for and I definitely wouldn't have been able to tell which kit was the vintage. Also, if I didn't have my hearing aids on, I know I wouldn't be able to hear the subtle differences. Which makes me realize how much I was missing over the years, since I have always had hearing issues. I also have been wearing ear protection for the last twenty odd years. It doesn't help for noticing the finer details, but it has kept me from losing my hearing completely.
I have a 80's set of Ludwig's double bass and they sound like a million bucks..i have had several drummers try to buy them off of me but nooooo...
I'd be interested to see a china cymbal comparison video, from all brands that exists here.
If that ever happens, which I'll have some doubt on.
I can actually agree, I own a 24" Wuhan china at home. It's loud as fuck, and can handle being smashed the living shit out of. The price doesn't say otherwise. That thing still is shocking.
Ohhh snap I got them all right :) Great video! I play a modern acrylic kit... so that section was easy :)
Well done!
The difference between vintage and modern is really very simple. The wood of vintage kits has hardened and settled- a.k.a aged, making them warmer than brand new drums, with wood which hasn't settled yet. Great comparison guys 👍👍👍
I really like the looks from a vintage drumset, but I don’t like the sound of it. To solve my problem, I bought a messed up Gretsch Catalina Club Mod, and restored it like an old drumset. I used mahogany veneer on the shells, and printed the vintage Gretsch logo on a Remo Fiberskin for the front of the bassdrum.
To be honest one of the biggest differences in vintage vs modern is the hoops that come standard with them and of course the depth of the drums. Unless you're going for a super clean recording the only different that is really significant is the Kick-Drum, almost all those vintage kicks were super shallow and that makes a huge difference in sound! I just cut down a 22×20 into a 22×14: night and day!!
I don't much like the tuning on any of their floor toms -- who wants a floor tom that sounds as high as a rack tom? Tune it down! Weird that they tuned the kits for jazz but then played them as if for rock. The snares, though, sound fabulous across the board. Of course, once you add a band, most people -- including anyone in an audience -- would be unable to tell the difference.
wow, the Vintage sounds really more open and wide! :-D
Yep, I have a modern maple mapex
and a vintage sonor 3 piece beech kit, love both, different vibe.
Got 33% on the blind test 😫 I knew to listen for the kick but the snare threw me off I guess. Great Video!
Thanks Francis!
First! Sending you great greetings from Singapore 🇸🇬🇸🇬🇸🇬!
I actually like modern drum sounds more
Drums are drums. The right choice of heads, proper tuning and hitting them right are all FAR more important than brand, age, and even shell material. As long as they’re actually round (which most vintage drums are NOT) they can be made to sound great.
I got 4/4, but apart from being a drummer I’ve been producing/mixing/recording for a couple of decades almost. I have a 1964 gretsch kit, 24, 18, 14 and a 1972 ludwig blue oyster, definitely love them!
If you want a vintage sound on a modern kit, put on some well used but not destroyed Remo Ambassadors
That cheap vintage Yamaha sounded fantastic!
The biggest give away for me is the bass drum sounds . I can’t tell the difference on the toms but the bass drums give it away .
The only one I couldn’t tell was on the acrylic kits .
Great video!
Thanks!
@@DrumeoOfficial No problem! 😁
Apparently drums change their sound as they're being played a lot. We have a bunch of identical Renowns for practice at school but the main kit that's being used for all the lesson and is basically being played like 12 hrs a day sounds noticeably different, than the others.
I would love to see more blind tests like this. It was really fun
As with an old violin, vintage drums have the tone of seasoned wood, which I think will eventually happen even with a 2022 kit.
Vintage kits are warmer vs new kits are higher pitched better defined , but cooler sounding. I got two test sounds wrong.
It depends if Larnell is on those specific drums
Rule of thumb... if you can hear Come Together straight away, it's vintage lol
i own a vintage ludwig, it's my favourite kit but i wouldn't say it's that different from a new one
How to make modern Ludwigs sound vintage: Give a 12yo dude some 60 grit sandpaper and tell him to clean up the bearing edges. =^-^=
I failed with the acrylic kit, couldn't tell the difference. The difference between vintage and modern Ludwig kit was day and night, the vintage winning by knockout.
The headline suggest: Are Vintage Drums Sound Better?
BUT: In the test are modern drum heads used, acrylic ones i think. I think when u would use vintage style heads the vintage kits will sound better as in the test.
There is another factor by vintage kits...in so many years they can change their sound. A kit standing 20+ years unplayed in the basement, maybe in a very dry or moisturised room will age different as a kit is a lot played in the same time. A Tama kit from a fiend was standing ca ten years unplayed in the basement and not aged well. The wood seems to get stiffer and so the overall tone get higher from the kit. I heared the kit before and after the long the 10 years in the basement and it is sad how much better the kit once was sounding and the sound is gone. Near every vintage kit sound different and some better as others.
A vintage kit might sound not perfect in a modern rock or metal production...and a modern kit not fit so nice to rock n roll or rockabilly or vintage orientated music, so the context has high impact if a vintage sounding or modern sounding kit sound better.
At least your tests here are cute but they say nothing.
I got all the blind tests right except for the acrylic one at the end. Really interesting how different vintage kicks sound once you point it out!
Thanks for doing this but it should be pointed out that the modern Gretsch toms have air holes which the old Gretsch kits didn’t
As a drummer Musician and professional Audio engineer thank You! I've gotten great results with Both. I had a Ludwig gold badge kit that was killer and I mourn not having.
But I have used many different kits... All drums like anything that has its own resonance ( voice ) it's how one uses with passion that's the key. Respect. Seth Ballou🎶👍👍
I’ve got the mid 60s round badge kit
@Drumeo I think me and Tyson are family. (We’re both Finley’s)
If you would tell us a drumkit brand which is the best sounding kit ever created?
Hoping for a reply😃🙂
It kinda depends on what kind of tone you are seeking for..
It really does depend, and it's totally subjective. Could make for a fun video though - thanks for the suggestion!
@@henz8303 hmm yes
@@DrumeoOfficial thanks for the reply 😀
This entire blind test should be done with 5-10 kits.. mixing and matching brands, sizes, etc.. ie, a modern snare with a vintage kit… and do it totally blind…
Then, add it in a full mix
I don’t want to hear about how anyone thinks they know the difference
Love that u used the most modern possible. 2021! Wowie
These drums sound so good, regardless of what they are. That Yamaha kit though, sounds like it had a life in stadium rock, you can feel and hear the energy in the kick.
The Vintage has a more pingy and more open.. Meanwhile the moderns is kinda warm and round...
Agree. The Ludwig kick drum is the only one that bucked that trend. The kick sounds so warm and round!
@@DrumeoOfficial I like how most ludwigs have a lot of attack in their drums :D
It seems that the modern kits don't have the midrange warmth of the vintage kits. Modern Gretsch sounded better to me, but I like the vintage Ludwig much better. The all maple Ludwig toms sound too tin canish.
I can see how Jared got that wrong . I done the wee test at the end and I got the Yamaha kits wrong as well . A 1984 38 year old kit is vintage in my book 🧐
The old stensil kits have 1 Sweet spot. I'm sure they tuned up them and tried to match the modern kit and hsd great results but if you tune the modern to their sweet spot or even multiple high and low tunings the modern will win almost every time particularly over luan
I always liked the vintage drumsound...great tone!
Awesome video, thank you!
I'd love to see videos about legendary vintage snare drums (rogers dynasonic, ludwig supraphonic\black beauty, Slingerland radio king, premier 2000, leedy broadway, etc)
Ludwig vintage (beatles) the sound!!!
Makes me want to pair vintage toms with a modern bass drum.