Sonor Force 2007 Birch Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsLots of years (20+), numerous recordings in various styles and live playing also
These drums were bought for $1300 at DrumPower but retail for around $1700. I got them to get a great looking and sounding all round kit. Record/live/tour
These drums really look superb; I'm very impressed with finish on drums. 100% birch 9 ply laminate shells do provide excellent basis for good drum sounds- birch won't move or warp for a lifetime, but will only improve!
kick pedal is smooth and silent. As good as DW. Drum sound is excellent with the right tunings, wide dynamic range.
Very reasonably priced.
No probs with hardware. Drums and cymbals stay where they should, The way all the mountings and fittings go together is very well designed and efficient. Three section clamps hold the stand sections without heaps of pressure
TAR mounts are cool they work really well.
Sonor still make good solid drums- well engineered and designed. I'm more than satisfied with this beautiful kit.
The following is pretty picky:
The lugs look good but they are really
stiff to wind tension rods into, which is meant to keep them fixed in place and not loosen, but I've never had any TR's loosen without this feature, and it just makes changing heads longer and harder.
The lugs also rattle/buzz bigtime when there's nothing in them- makes it impossible to use the drums without the bottom heads if you need that sound without taping them up: very loose springs in them.
The bass drum has the key type tension rods which makes tuning the bass drum, and changing heads, far more time consuming than the old hand turning tension rods. The key falls off easily because its on sideways not downwards like it was intended for. All manufacturers do this now though- annoying.
The shells bearing edges are the 45 degree one angle type- one cut: and to ensure that the edge contacts the flat of the head the shell diameter is actually a little under the given size, so the heads fit a little looser than when the two angle cut bearing edges are made. It seems to work fine but I'd rather the edges of the head snug around the shell to prevent the head possibly moving and altering tuning.
The resonant head on the kick would be better with at least a small hole in it, because it makes the kick beater flutter against the batter head, like playing on a baloon. The UX kick heads really do make the kick sound crap. But with enough muffling can sound acceptable.
The REMO UX heads don't do the drums much justice, but can sound good with enough trial and error depending on your purpose.
There is no protection for the wooden kick hoop and the bottom of the kick pedal which black marks on the hoop.
The fact that the harware legs are round balls lends to a tendency for them to want to fall over if pushed, rather than resist falling if they were flat like Pearl legs.
The mounted tom mounting system is not flexible enough as far as moving the toms further from or closer towards you, but is alright.
The drum throne squeaks a little, but actually less than any other drum seat I've used apart from Buddy Rich type cylinder ones.
There's a fair bit there but don't get me wrong they're very good drums, and its all pretty minor stuff that can be worked around without too much effort- just letting you know exactly what you stand to run into should you purchase a set.
Overall very good quality and construction. The shells are superbly crafted. Absolutely 110% for those without doubt- awesome work. Compared to days gone by the stands are thinner gauge steel, narrower diameter tubing, tension rods smaller diameter, lugs "low mass", basically anything to cut down on the amount of steel going into the kit. Even though less has been used in some areas than with older drums, it seems to have been made 'smarter'; better modern machining no doubt allows these more complex improvements on a large scale at less cost. The finish looks very good, and depending on the heads/tuning drum sound is excellent across a wide range, without much trouble.
These days with the advances in machining techniques, CNC, etc. quality is more precise and consistent than ever, and you've got to appreciate the hard work those Chinese Sonor technicians put into these excellent drums. QC seems to great too- I can't find a blemish!
The Sonor Force 2007 birch drums are definitely good value for money. If you are looking at purchasing a new set of birch drums, you cannot really do better for the price than these, despite the slightly annoying lugs/TR's they are excellent drums that should last a lifetime of gigging, present extremely well, and offer a solid basis for obtaining a wide range of excellent sounds depending on how they are tuned, head combinations, etc.
I'm very happy with them, and I think any drummer worth there salt would be too. I will look after them well! Good luck and happy drumming.
The burgermeister rated this unit
on
2007-08-29.
