Pearl Session Customs SRX Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsThe set was bought with cash $1,695 (saved for months) in 2002 at Guitar Center in Portland, Or. KUDOS go out to Jov at G.C. for his honesty and experance.
Pearl SRX Session Custom drums & Drum sets.
As a professional “weekend warrior” drummer I demand a lot in my choice of drums. The main factors I consider is 1. Tone of drums 2. Quality of Drums 3. Ruggedness on how well the hardware is built. Being almost anal and never wanting to compromise on sound Yet only playing 2 nights a week doesn’t allow me a famous “Rock Star” budget!
While comparing Maple shell 5pc drum kits in the $1,500 to $2,000 range I must say I did my online and in store research. Spending more hours that most musicians do combing their hair in a life time! I compared Tama, Premier, Yamaha and Pearl kits in this price range. They all make quality kits with great hardware at fair prices. After doing all my research the final factor came down to the obvious….playing the different sets.
I wake up all excited (like a child on Christmas) today is the day I’m buying my new kit. I race down to the drum shop the sales jockeys are all over me they know JD is buying today after 6 weeks of doing my homework. I young drummer salesman says to me “JD I’m gonna be straight up with ya, the solid maple kit you want is right over there” He pointed to the Pearl SRX custom session 5pc. I explain to him “I just sold my old Pearl kit and I’m really interested in the Yamaha kit” He explained to me That kit over there came in last week and everyone (all the other salesmen) are in love with that kits sounds. He handed me a pair of sticks and I took the 14 steps to the BEST CHOICE I think I have made in drums while playing for over 30 years! I lay down a nice snap on the snare and say out load “Wow” that’s a nice “crack” sound. I put my foot to the pedal and “BOOM”
Oh yea, This bass is has tone and serious bottom end punch but not murky or muddy toned. Next come the simple roll down the toms. Again I’m beside myself in total maple bliss! The toms feature a powerful attack with exceptional mid & high tones. I play the entire kit for about 5mins. I know this IS IT! I ask the salesman what about that Pearl kit over there? He tells me the truth “That’s Pearls Masters kit it’s basically the same thing with better heads out of the factory and low mass tuning lugs…for about $2,400.00 more” I had to compare the near $2,500 difference and sure they were very nice too but my pro ear’s didn’t hear a $100 difference, let alone a justification for $2,400.00 more.
The Session Custom SRX is probably the deal on the market still today if you want:
The true sounds that can only be found in Quality solid maple ply shells. The SRX features the exact same 6ply maple shells as its bigger priced brother MRX.
The SRX hardware is all double braced and the rims are all 2.3mil. pearl super hoops the same as found on the more expensive MRX. The free floating (no holes through) the tom’s mounting system is the fabulous Optimount system. These are the best tom mounting brackets on the market hands down. No holes in your toms allows the great tones of the maple drums to ring out naturally with extended resonance and sustain.
The drums finishes/colors are beautiful with high gloss lacquerers that shine and allow you to see the great looking maple wood patterns through the gloss.
I have played DW (Drum workshop) kits in the $5,000 range that were great drums but I myself can not justify $5,000 on a kit when I found my Pearl SRX for under $1,800 that rivals (and yes many times beats out) the tones of the $5000 DW kits.
No down falls in this: The Pearl SRX drums at all
fully explained in review above
In closing this review I must say……If your looking to spend under $2,000 on a maple drum set and demand quality and well built drums stop listing to all the hype about DWs and all the other kits costing over $4,000. Let your ears be the final factor in this choice. Go to your favorite drum shop or music store and sit behind that $5,000 kit just remember how sweet it sounded…..Now go jump behind a Pearl Custom Session (SRX) kit. Tell me, now is that not the sweetest sounding maple kit for under $1,800.00 ?
You bet it is! You saved over $2,-3,000 dollars, now go pick out every nice cymbal you ever wanted and add a drum rack. You still have money left over to buy lunch and put gas in the equipment van. I’m serious, go compare those sweet tones of the SRX to any maple kit in it’s price range and sets/kits costing thousands more.
Jerry Davis rated this unit
on
2003-12-09.
