Premier XPK opinions
Chris Goodwin
XPK in 20, 8, 10, 12, 14 that I use for fusion and jazz gigs. Nice attack
with controlled sustain. Beautiful lacquer finishes, but the interior of
the shells is, unfortunately, black. Coated heads are great on these drums,
so what does it matter, though. Great value for the money, too.
Paul Tatterson <pd...@student.canterbury.ac.nz> wrote in message
news:3781490D...@student.canterbury.ac.nz...
> Has anyone played a Premier XPK kit? Apparently they're not available
> in the US, so that probably counts out most subscribers to this group
> unfortunately.
> A local shop has a '75th Anniversary' kit with gold lugs going for a
> very good price, and I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on these
> kits. They're birch/eucalyptus/birch shells. I haven't had a chance to
> play them yet.
>
> Thanks,
> Paul
Cliff Hyslop
Chris Goodwin <krys...@texas.net> wrote in message
news:y_cg3.5387$AU3.1...@news2.giganews.com...
> Excellent midline kit. Better sound than most mixed wood shells. I have
a
> XPK in 20, 8, 10, 12, 14 that I use for fusion and jazz gigs. Nice attack
> with controlled sustain. Beautiful lacquer finishes, but the interior of
> the shells is, unfortunately, black. Coated heads are great on these
drums,
> so what does it matter, though. Great value for the money, too.
Very much agreed and seconded here. One of the true great bargains in used
drums, as well as new (though not as much as it used to be).
I actually like the interior black stain, though - it looks sharp on a black
kit. (big Yammy RC fan, so I'm biased)
Cliff
Paul Tatterson
SDdrummer
be) 8", 10", 12", 14", and 16" rack toms and a matching 14" snare drum. To
me, especially with the Fiberskyn3s that I'm using, the drums sound very
warm and controlled and earthy. I guess that I would say that the drums
sound mellow, which is a sound that appeals to me.
As far as the interiors of my drums go, they are the natural color of the
wood. The interior of the drums feel coarse, but there may be some coating
on the wood. I haven't checked lately.
I do have one question though about the kit mentioned in the original post:
is there such a thing as an XPK 75th Anniversary Edition? I know that
Premier made a 75th Anniversary Signia set a few years back with a black
finish, wood hoops, and gold hardware. Could that be the set to which you're
referring?
In any case, definitely give the XPKs a look and try them out; you never
know how or where you may find the sound for which you are looking.
Louis Whitehead in South Dakota
Robert Merkle
amazing. The Bass is Solid and punchy.
I'm using an Evans EQ4-batter/EQ1-resonant on the bass, Evans GeneraG2
batter/G1 resonant on toms.
I've got a 22" kick, 10,12,14 toms. Topaz Lacquer finish, looks like a
million dollars. (pounds) I love it.
The only complaint I have is the snare. I've never been able to get the
sound out of that I'm looking for. It's never been sensitive enough for me.
I just bought a Pearl Signature snare and LOVE it...
Who told you XPK isn't available. in the US??? They're all over the place.!
-Rob
Long Island, NY
ent...@mindspring.com
Paul Tatterson wrote in message
<3781490D...@student.canterbury.ac.nz>...
Mike
and quality for such a bargain price. Better than most other intro to
low-mid kits. And yes, they are sold in the US.
If this is going to be your kit for a while, I would suggest getting Rims
mounts for the toms. The XPK shells will resonate all day long, but not
when monted. The small, 2 point, mounting clamp chokes the shell when
mounted. But put them on a Rims mount and they sound great.
Don't buy into the birch/euc/birch hype, though. They will not sound like a
birch shell. They DO sound good, though. If you don't know enough to know
a birch shell from any others, then don't worry about it.
The bass drums ARE killer, like everyone says.
-MIKE-
Darin
Mike wrote:
> Believe all the hype you hear about the XPKs, it's all true. Great sound
> and quality for such a bargain price. Better than most other intro to
> low-mid kits. And yes, they are sold in the US.
>
> -MIKE-
>
Sorry off topic.
Mike I'm curious as to how these drums compare to Pearl Session Series. The
local drum shop here is really pushing Premiers.
If the XPK is not equal to the Session what Premier set is?
Thanks
Darin
Glenn Dowdy
>in the US, so that probably counts out most subscribers to this group
>unfortunately.
The Premier homepage says that the XPK series is not available in the US,
but that's a new circumstance. The new XPK Astria seems to be the same drum
set as the XPK but with the addition of ISO mounts.
--
Glenn Dowdy
Buy your percussion needs from Steve Weiss
215-659-0100
Mike
good compitition for the XPKs. They have isolation mounts and the Pearl
hardware is much, much better, overall, in my opinion.
Also, the Sessions come with a Brass Sensitone snare, which is a very nice
drum.
I would have to rate the shells as a tie. Both have the same core, with
cosmetic inner and outer plies of nice wood. It doesn't really matter if
it's maple or birch, sound-wise. It takes a lot more than a venneer ply to
affect the sound very much. They both do great lacquer jobs, so you would
have to look up close to choose.
They show a list of $2600 for the Pearls with hardware. The Premier XPKs
with their new rim mounting system lists for $1800 w/ hardware. Quick math;
at 45 percent off, that's $1430 for the Sessions and $990 for the XPK.
I still give the edge to the XPKs. With the leftover $440, you can get some
nice cymbals.
The Premier Vitras are Maple/euc/maple, and list for $2500 and are probably
equitable to the Sessions.
Do some close comparing. Take the heads off and look at the shells. Take a
lug off the drum and look at the casting from the inside of the lug. USE
the hardware and see how well it holds position and how adjustable it is,
especially hi-hat stands.
-MIKE-
Mark Karjaluoto
I'm curious if anyone has tried those new Vitria kits, which are apparently
maple/eucalyptus/maple shells. And has anyone used Premier's new iso-mount?
Mike
> I'm curious if anyone has tried those new Vitria kits, which are apparently
> maple/eucalyptus/maple shells. And has anyone used Premier's new iso-mount?
I think the Vitras and XPK Astria (I predict they dump the prefix, soon)
both come with Purecussion's Rims Mounts, standard. But the Vitras come
with die cast hoops.
-MIKE-
SDdrummer
bass drums on the XPK and XPK Astrias.
Louis Whitehead
Paul Tatterson
actually this kit has been out the back of the store for a while - not
the most popular coloured kit in the whole world. But, I've tried it
and I like it. I'll be getting a different snare though - Premier brass
hopefully. The kit is going for a bargain price (I'm in New Zealand so
I won't bother saying how much). I played it today and was very
impressed with the sound. LOVE that kick! I was intending to get 10,
12 and 14 toms, but this special one is standard 12,13,16,22. It still
sounds great though.
Paul :)
Paul Tatterson
heads - and sounds great.
Paul.
Chris Goodwin wrote:
>
> Excellent midline kit. Better sound than most mixed wood shells. I have a
> XPK in 20, 8, 10, 12, 14 that I use for fusion and jazz gigs. Nice attack
> with controlled sustain. Beautiful lacquer finishes, but the interior of
> the shells is, unfortunately, black. Coated heads are great on these drums,
> so what does it matter, though. Great value for the money, too.
>
> Paul Tatterson <pd...@student.canterbury.ac.nz> wrote in message
> news:3781490D...@student.canterbury.ac.nz...
> > Has anyone played a Premier XPK kit? Apparently they're not available
> > in the US, so that probably counts out most subscribers to this group
> > unfortunately.
Paul Tatterson
standard sizes. I was thinking abouut going for fusion sizes like
yours, but buying this one off the shop floor is going to save me a lot
of money. I play mainly various forms of rock, so I don't think I'll
regret it. I've been wanting a change anyway.
I had the same thoughts about the snare as soon as I hit it. I'm used
to playing a Genista snare, so this one didn't quite do it for me. I'll
be going for a decent brass or copper snare instead. Or maybe I'll get
both :)
The Premier web site lists the XPK as unavailable in the US - see the
post from Glenn Dowdy.
Paul :)
Robert Merkle wrote:
>
> I play an XPK and love it. The toms could cut through anything.. they're
> amazing. The Bass is Solid and punchy.
> I'm using an Evans EQ4-batter/EQ1-resonant on the bass, Evans GeneraG2
> batter/G1 resonant on toms.
> I've got a 22" kick, 10,12,14 toms. Topaz Lacquer finish, looks like a
> million dollars. (pounds) I love it.
> The only complaint I have is the snare. I've never been able to get the
> sound out of that I'm looking for. It's never been sensitive enough for me.
> I just bought a Pearl Signature snare and LOVE it...
>
> Who told you XPK isn't available. in the US??? They're all over the place.!
> -Rob
> Long Island, NY
> ent...@mindspring.com
>
> Paul Tatterson wrote in message
> <3781490D...@student.canterbury.ac.nz>...
Paul Tatterson
the newsgroup - whoops. I've re-posted them correctly this time I
think.
Paul.