I first bought my PDP 402 double pedal about a year ago. I was going to my local drum shop, looking for a nice double pedal, with the same nice price. I came across this PDP 402 and first thought “Wow, that’s a sleek looking pedal for that price”. I was also impressed with the fact that PDP is made by one of the best drum companies, DW. So the combination of the price, look and brand, all caught my eye and I decided to buy it. As I was going home, I realized that there were no instructions as to setting up the pedal, but I ended it up finding out on my own, and it being very easy. So once I got home, I went upstairs to my drums, set the pedals up, and started to play. The first thing I noticed was that the pedals seemed very “weak”. I tried to adjust the spring tensions, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling of this “weakness” that this pedal held. After tightening my bass drum head, messing with the pedal springs, and trying to play with no shoes on (to get more power), I ended up giving up on the pedals. They’re overall very weak pedals because the chains are only single drive. If you want more of a powerful, fast, more responsive feel, you should go with some sort of strap pedal or double chain drive pedal. So about a month after buying it, I decided that I just wanted to sell it and get a little bit of money out of it. I sold it to a friend, telling him about how weak it felt, but despite that, he bought it. About a week later, he called me back and told me that he had broken it! He was playing it and the beaters just snapped off. Over all, I would NOT go back and buy this one again; I would go to a more expensive, high quality one.

I have been using these drums for about a year now, and I don’t have one bad thing to say about them! The price is an incredible deal for the quality of these drums. I didn’t like the stock heads that these drums came with, but I have experimented with a few different head combinations on the toms, but the Remo Pinstripes have done nothing but impressed me on these drums. For the snare, I thought the Remo Controlled Sound worked wonders. For the bass drum, the “Remo Powerstroke 3” also worked very well; Very “boomy” and powerful. Being that the wood is made out of Poplar, they’re great for gigging because of their light weight, and small fusion sizes. The one concern that I’ve had with this drum set is the hardware that it came with. The tom mounts and the suspended floor tom mount worked well, but the snare stand and cymbal stands that these drums came with we’re not the best. I upgraded those as well as the pedals. Another great feature that everyone should use when they buy these drums is the memory locks. The I.S.S mounting system works well enough, but the memory locks seal the deal. You just set your toms how you like them, throw the memory locks on, and have a consistent, clean, fast setup, every time. Compared to other drum sets that I have played, these drums are very versatile. The poplar wood that Pearl uses on these drums can pick up the high ends, low ends, and everything in between. Not to mention that the wood is not only lightweight, but very consistent and sturdy. Overall, if I were to go back in time, I would have made the same decision. For the price, you just can’t beat the quality of these drums.

I've been on a search for the perfect ride, and I think I found it. Problem is- I can't afford it, more on that later. Sabian's Paragon cymbals are made in Canada, just the man behind these cymbals; Neart Peart of Rush. But you don't even have to be a Rush fan to appreciate this line of cymbals.

First of all, I love the size of this cymbal. Its a beast; 22" in diameter and thick, its like 8 pounds so don't drop it on your foot. One you move up to a 22" ride its hard to go back to a 20". Its thickness means you get a really good 'ping' out of it that cuts through like no other ride cymbal I've ever heard.

It also has an incredible shimmery wash that is subtle but definitely there, and can be tapped into even more by how and where in the field you play the cymbal. There is a complexity in the overtones, very musical. I read somewhere that Sabian used a distinctly different lathing technique on the top than the bottom, that might be a contributor to the sweet and complex tones.

This cymbal might be a bit much for those who are used to mellow 20" rides. Its loud, its bright (though not harsh at all), its cutting, and it shimmers while giving excellent stick definition. It's kind of a cymbal that does everything you want without having to make any trade-offs, but be warned it is an overwhelming cymbal.

Now price; this is seriously one expensive cymbal. I haven't seen it under 350.00. Thats a lot of money, but frankly this cymbal does things that nothing in the Hand Hammered line up can do, and outperforms many of my beloved favorites from Paiste. I would like to see this cymbal go head to head with some of the K Kustom line from Zildjian but until then..... this cymbal is worth the money because it surpasses anything I've played to date. Now where's that credit card I have hidden from the wife....

Unfortunately, I've never been able to afford a full DW kit. I've only admired them from afar, and played them on many handfuls of occasions by way of friend's kits and music stores.
The DW Collector's Series is their "flagship" line of course and is available in really in configuration of sizes you could dream up, with the option of all maple shells versus all birch shells, a huge variety of finishes from laquers, to satin oil, 'finishply' wrapped finishes, and even graphics, and a choice of chrome hardware or gold.
The set I played most recently was a Collector's 5 piece in a fairly standard configuration: 22x18 Bass Drum, toms in 10x9, 12x10, and 14x12, and a steel 14x6 snare. They had chrome hardware, and featured 'finishply' wrap in Silver Sparkle.
Sitting down at the kit, I noticed the 14" floor tom was supported by legs rather than a RIMS hanging mount which I'm used to seeing on DW kits for toms this small. I prefer for the toms to be mounted off cymbal stands because it prevents it from "creeping" around when playing aggressively like a leg supported tom would do.
Launching into playing, I was instantly reminded of what makes DW such a leader in drummaking. A deep, full, but punchy bass drum sound from the lightly muffled 22" drum filled the room. The maple-shelled toms thankfully, were tuned fairly well and I was welcomed with crisp attack with moderate sustain, very balanced between attack and sustain. DW drums always seem to be very balanced. They are never so lively to my ears that they have to be muffled.
If anything, DW is making even better and better drums these days. I've played Collector's drums before, and if anything the low-end response is becoming even more present- probably thanks to innovations like VLT or Vertical Low Timbre Technology where the plies of the shell are laminated diagonally, avoiding horzontal plies which increase shell tension and raise the pitch. Whatever they are doing, it works. I don't think I've ever gotten such a low fundamental tone from 10" and 12" toms without tuning the heads quite low as I did playing one of the new Collector's kits.
As far as value for the price- when no one else can match what the DWs do tonally, or aesthetically then its hard to compare it with other drummakers. I was a bit put off by the 3400.00 price tag, but this was for the full kit with hardware, not just shells. The 4-piece of Bass and Toms would probably have run 1800 or more. Can you get a drumset cheaper? Most definitely. Are you going to get the quality, tone, projection, and options available in the Collector's Series? No. If you are seriously considering purchasing drums that are on this level, then you already know what I know, and your opinion on value counts more than mine.

I used this 20" Ping Ride from the A Custom line for a short while.
I'm not typically a fan of ping rides or dry rides since I've come to like (and expect) a good wash underneath the ever present "ping" of a ride cymbal. So I was pleasantly suprised with this cymbal. It is fairly "wet" for a ping ride, so you get a nice low to moderate "wash" or "shimmer" underneath the ping. I've compared this cymbal side-by-side with Zildjian's K Custom Ping Ride, and the K is markedly drier and has significantly less capability to produce a noticeable "wash" underneath the ping than the A Custom will produce when you induce it by playing harder and further out from the bell. In other words, the wash is there when you want it.

I had no problem getting excellent stick definition playing complicated patterns anywhere "in the field" of the cymbal while still getting a gentle wash and sustain underneath it, which pleases me and my playing style greatly.

My only dislike is the small size of the bell, although you can still get plenty of "ping" almost anywhere on the cymbal.

I think this cymbal is versatile enough for use in multiple styles. Its well suited for heavy rock music since it has a good density and its well-definied "ping" would do a good job of "cutting through". It could also be adequate for modern jazz or fusion style music since it has a fairly "wet" sound. I would also reccomend checking this cymbal out side-by-side with the 22" version to see if the larger, more expenzive one is better for you.

Unlike my unfavorable review of the 16" Fast Crash from this series; the A Customs- I really like the A Custom's 18" Fast Crash.
What I like most about the A Custom line-up is their versatile sound, being very modern sounding but traditional enough for more than just rock. The 18" Fast Crash is no exception, as it has a very shimmery modern sound, and is mellow enough to be utilized in a wide variety of gigs. Its a good cymbal for guys who play in different types of bands and need a good "go-to" cymbal for different styles.
The 18" Fast Crash has a great sustain thats not wimpy (unlike the 16" version) so it can be played like crash/ride. It has the density to stand up to it and not flop around like a fish. And, like the name implies; the crash is "fast" so its sounds more punchy and punctuated than most 18" crashes. All of these characteristics blend together perfectly, in my opinion, and this cymbal is explosive and punctuated, dark, modern and shimmery, and with great sustain, and its still versatile enough to play this in a modern rock band all the way down to jazz. Its not as complex as some players might demand, but it does have great musicality and sensitivity to pull off different styles well.
This is one of my favorite crashes ever, other than a few that Paiste has to offer. Its not bad for the price considering the use you would get out of it. It wouldnt replace my standard 18" crash in my setup, but it would pair up with it as a replacement for my 16". Thats how "fast" of a crash it is, you can replace your 16" with it for a fuller sound but not give up the punctuation or explosiveness you expect from a smaller crash!

You will love this cymbal.

I did not use this cymbal long, as it just didn't jive with my tastes and expectations. It might for you, though. The 16" Fast Crash is pretty typical and in line with the rest of the A Custom series, but this particular cymbal is just not of use to how I play and what I prefer in a crash cymbal.

What I liked about this cymbal is its shimmery blast of sound that hits you in milliseconds of hitting the cymbal. They didn't call it a Fast Crash for nothing.

What I did NOT like about it was that I found it a bit thin and anemic sounding for a 16" cymbal. It had the sustain of a 16" or larger, but the wimpiness of a 14" or 15" crash. It lacked fullness. Even its sustain was just the tone lingering, and not a full reverberation of the cymbal. It is probably due to the thin-ness of the cymbal, its fairly lightweight. It seems like to achieve the "fast" crash that this cymbal is named for, it had to lose any fullness or deep sustain that it could have otherwise had had it been a more substantial cymbal. Its a trade-off for sure, and a trade-off I'd rather not make.

So in my opinion, I would never use this cymbal in a rock band, even though much of the A Custom line-up is perfect for everything from mellow rock to aggressive rock music. I would maybe check out the 14" or 15" Fast Crashes as a more splashy cymbal in the future but the 16" has no place on my kit. I could reccomend trying out this cymbal to anyone who plays more modern jazz or fusion type playing. They might appreciate the mellow sustain and punctuated "fast" crash sound of this cymbal.

I've used this cymbal off and on for a while now. Everything from the K Custom series are well-made cymbals and sound wise are a cut above your average cymbal, but the K Custom Dry Ride stands out as a great choice (if it fits your prejudices in a ride cymbal). What I like most about it is its complexity, like a fine wine. This is probably the best dry ride I've ever played, because most dry rides are too dry and bland but not this one. This cymbal IS pretty dry, but it still has some "sizzle" too it, which give it a smoky sound and dark overtones. Its mellow but not wimpy, with a very defined "ping" and a subtle shimmer underneath it. Being a dry ride, of course, it has minimal sustain but riding it hard to try and build up some "wash" and "shimmer" underneath will leave you pleasantly suprised. Its all in how you play this cymbal.
I doubt that I would play this cymbal in a very agressive rock band, but I suppose you could if you wanted to. Being a dry ride and as dark as it is, I doubt I would use it in a jazz or fusion setting either. I think the perfect situation for using this cymbal would be a progressive rock band, or a more mellower rock band where you demand some complexity in the tone of your cymbals, and still want it to cut through.
Everything in the K Custom line is going to cost you some green, but if you are looking in this price range for cymbals then you must be discriminating enough to pay K Custom prices. I doubt you would be disapointed. I don't think Sabian or even my beloved Paiste makes a dry ride to compete with this one.