Most Liked Positive Review

Great foundation for a lifetime of enjoyment.

The amazing kit I play right now started life as this very solid PDP Encore set, which became the foundation for much more. I'm an experienced musician, but I had never owned my own drum kit. I found this kit used, and it had hardly been played. But it had also been stored improperly, probably in the sunlight, because the black sparkle wrap was wrinkling. The cymbals were also unplayable (off-center inconsistent-thickness hats, lackluster crash – I think the included cymbals are hit-and-miss with these new kits). But everything else was awesome. Batter and resonant heads were all in great condition. The hardware was great and sounded pretty good after I tuned it. It felt like a diamond in the rough. So I turned it into a project and gave the set a complete makeover. The multi-ply poplar shells were great. So a replaced the sparkle wrap with a layer of real maple veneer. I gave it a thick, durable, natural satin, brush-on lacquer finish. The bearing edges were not in bad shape, but I gave them some additional TLC, leveling, resurfacing, then sealing with beeswax. I sealed the interior of every shell with two coats of lacquer for stability. I changed out the hoops on the kick for solid maple, put an Evans adjustable damper inside, and cut a 4" port in the resonant head (also painted it flat white – IMO looks nicer with the natural maple finish). I picked up some used Sabian SBR hats, crash, and ride cymbals for a fraction of what they'd cost new. The whole thing was a leisurely, fun project stretched out over a couple of months. Not including my time, the cost of the makeover plus the purchase price is about what you'd pay for the Encore kit new. But if I were to try and buy a new kit comparable to what my Encore kit is now, I'd be paying two or three times that. And the kit sounds absolutely amazing. My point is, this basic kit has good bones. Duh...it's DW/PDP. They make great drums. Buy it new – or used – add some nice cymbals, and you've got the makings of something you can have fun with for a long time. ****You'll see in the pics, I found a used Pearl M-80 10" snare here on the Guitar Center site, and I wrapped it to match. I use it as a side snare, or I hang it off the floor tom for a "cocktail kit." (Inverted the cam of an inexpensive kick pedal to strike the floor tom from below.)****