Buying a second hand drum kit. Is a Pearl Masters a good fit for my studio, and what should I be paying attention to in terms of condition?
Kia ora y’all,
Not a drummer here, but I run a small recording studio, mostly doing medium-dark rock music. For the last 2 years we’ve been using a friend’s Pearl Masters kit, on long-term loan.
I haven’t had any issues with it, but I’ve also not recorded on many other kits for the sake of comparison.
However, my friend needs money and wants to sell the kit. Obviously I could buy it, but that raises the question of whether this is the right kit for me. It’s just the shells; I already have my own hardware and snares.
The work I’m doing is loosely post-punk, post-rock, in a very Bad Seeds, Swans kind of vein. So I prefer natural, open sounds, minimal damping, and a fairly realistic, less-processed sound.
Is a Pearl Masters a good fit for this? Is there something else that might be a more ideal fit for my specific needs?
Assuming I want to buy it, what are the potential issues in terms of condition? I’ve not had any noticeable problems, the heads are all new, and there are no missing or obviously broken pieces, but I’m not sure what problems kits might develop over time I should be aware of.
I’ve had one drummer say the kit “feels worn out”, but I’m not sure what this would mean; or whether it’s actually a thing. Musicians believe all kinds of weird stuff!
It’s a big investment and is the centerpiece of my studio, so I want to get the right thing.
Thank you in advance!
-W