PEARL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES MARCHING SNARE DRUM - 13"
Model: PEA-FFX1311/AXX
Product Rating:Date Posted: 2007-06-12 13:47:54
Pros and Cons
Posted By: drummer
Comments:
I'm a high school student in the marching band drumline. My director has recently bought the pearl championship series marching snare drum after our 15 year old snares finally "fell apart". The quality of these drums are good, however I found that the heads are much to be desired.
Before tuning this drum, I highly recommend purchasing a Remo Falam top head. Also, beware of over tightening the bottom head. Without the Remo Falam head, the snare sounded like a very "tin-can" like drum so we decided to tighten it to its fullest extent, along with tightening the bottom head. By doing so, we stretched the bottom head out to the point where it was of no use at all.
Also, of the 5 drums that we ordered, one of the rims completely snapped because we over tightened it. As we were tuning the drum, we noticed that after we went around the entire rim and came back to the first screw, it felt as if it were never tightened to begin with. We kept turning and tightening until the rim eventually snapped. This is probably a defect with the rod or the drum itself, but it is something to keep in mind.
Overall, the sound of this drum with the right heads and proper tuning is superb and I recommend it to all high school drumlines. It's appealing to the eye, presentable, makes a fine sound, and is relatively cheap.
Product Rating:Date Posted: 2007-08-03 14:59:03
Top quality
Posted By: Josh
Comments:
Pearl's Championship marching snare drums are excellent. My students use this drum in the Aurora Blue color, and its looks are striking. While it is true this drum requires a different top and bottom head than the stock heads, I am glad Pearl does not provide them. This allowed me to choose the heads I want to put on it. Not everybody prefers Fallam heads, and it would be a waste to throw a $35 head away when you get the drum. These drums are very easy to tune. Lack of tuning knowledge is probably what caused the previous reviewer's rim to snap. Tuning in a circular motion is not correct, and can put a lot of uneven tension on the rim. The throw-off and butt mechanism are very smooth, but stay where you put them. The snare beds are nice and deep, and the gut snares make contact with the bottom head all the way across, which makes for a very sensitive drum. I use an Evans MX5 bottom head, and it makes the drum very crisp, but it DOES NOT choke the snares (unless you tighten them too much). It also stays tight, unlike plastic bottom heads which tend to stretch and loosen to the point that some tension rods are completely loose. I also use a Remo Cybermax on top, and the drum projects very well with a high pitched but full sound. My students love these drums, and they enjoy the 13" size because of the reduced weight. Overall, I have only praises for this drum. Any drum will sound bad if tuned and adjusted improperly, so some knowledge goes a long way.
