Pacific CX 2003 Series 5pc Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI bought this set for $600 at my local Guitar Center as a shell pack, since I already had top notch hardware and cymbals. I was looking into a high-end maple set, and was shocked at the high-quality and the low price. It costs almost $600 to buy just 5 bare maple shells with quality bearing edges.
I like EVERYTHING about this kit. I've owned a Tama, a Premier, and have played at length on OCDP, DW, Pearl, and a custom-made maple set my friend built. This set, with new Evans heads and proper tuning, sounds just as good as any of them. The wrap is cool looking (I know, wraps are cheaper, but still), the mounts are perfect (RIMS style), the FAST toms sound awesome, the kick is super-punchy, and the snare is great. I put a DW logo head on the front, and I've actually had several drummers weren't familiar with the new PDP sets ask me how much my DW set cost me. Several of them have purchased this set after hearing it live and thinking it was a DW.
The bearing edges are perfect on all of the drums, and the wraps are done extremely well. I can't say enough about how good this set sounds (especially the kick).
Unfortunately, nothing is perfect, and there are two minor issues I have with this set. One of them has to do with the lugs on my 12" tom. I tune both of my heads low to cut down any sustain, and this causes one of the lugs on the bottom side to come loose after extended playing sessions. It doesn't rattle, and I can't hear any difference in tone, but I have a feeling the socket will become stripped after a few years.
The second issue is that 14" tom has 6 lugs instead of 8. This makes it slightly harder to tune, but it's really not a big deal. It keeps me from being able to tune thinner heads as low as I'd like, but by using Evans G2 coated batter heads, I get the same sound.
As far as I can tell, everything on this set is extremely well-built and sturdy. I obviously didn't get the matching hardware, but I noticed it was also surprisingly high-quality for the money. I did a little homework, and I discovered that these sets are as cheap as they are because of Mexican manufacture. A lot of the parts are the same as a DW (not sure about the shells, although the ads claim that they're the same). The tom mounts are really sturdy, and have a rubber piece between the rim and lug. The kick has wood rims, which I think sound way better than chrome or die-cast.
All in all, I think these drums are the best value in the market. There's really nothing that can touch an all-maple set for $600. Even if the maple isn't keller "grade," it still sounds as good as keller maple sets I've played on. If you're looking into a new set, whether you're pro, intermediate, or just starting, I'd recommend checking this set out. I was blown away.
Steve Berman rated this unit
on
2003-07-08.
