DW Drums Collector's Series

My kit is a 2006 Collector's Series in 13-16-18-24 sizes with a 14x7" snare. Shells are maple with reinforcement rings. Wrap (or DW FinishPly I guess) is Gold Glass sparkle. Has the cool DW lug style and suspension mount for the 13" tom. All hardware has memory locks and is very sturdy. I've got Remo Ambassador coated heads on the toms and Emperor X coated on the snare (I suppose they come with DW's fancy-shmanzy heads which I haven't tried). Good basic setup for just about any music style.

With the heads and tuning I have, the drums have a nice warm character to them. The maple seems well balanced and compares a lot to vintage Ludwigs in sound (in my experience with both). The bass drum has tons of attack but lots of boom with the big size. The 16" floor tom in particular has a great musicality to it.. I seem to have found it's sweet spot in tuning. Tune them up high and they sustain a TON... tune them low and they balance out; depends on what sound you need I guess. The snare is big and has lots of power; IMHO it sounds HORRIBLE with a single ply head so try an Remo Emperor... an Ambassador coated on it sounded all kinds of awful no matter how I tuned but now it's to my liking.

I have drug these drums around some with no cases and I'm pretty sure they're indestructible. The wrap is very well attached and finished and seems to resist damage quite well. Tuning seems to stay pretty well except for big changes in weather surroundings when I take them outdoors. Hardware is great.. no worries there.

I lost a small rubber grommet around the suspension mount for the smallest tom and went to a local DW dealer who said they couldn't order me one. I emailed DW... they responded quickly and mailed me the part free of charge. It doesn't get any better than that.

This kit has performed great for me. I've been playing for three or more years (more of a guitarist but drums are cool too). I've also had vintage Tama, Premier, and Ludwig kits. This is the cream of the crop but it's also pricey... whatever you do, don't pay list price for a DW. The dealers will eat you alive... be smart like me and buy an almost-new kit on eBay for half of what you'd pay at a dealer. There's nothing the kit really needs or has problems with.. you hit them and they make nice noise. I couldn't say that they're a ton better than any other high-end kit... I just like the looks of the DW and they have great customer service and a good reputation. Buy them, don't overpay, and you'll enjoy them.