Pearl – Big Drum Thump

New Pearl Limited-Edition Mahogany Shell Pack

BDT — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 21:57:00 +0000

Ah, just in time to take advantage of recession-era economics, Pearl has unveiled a limited-edition shell pack that retails for $3,399—or about 1,100 extra-value meals at McDonald’s. But, hey, who needs food when you can score a sweet 4-piece in African mahogany? The available drums, all finished in a red mahogany fade, include a 22″ x 18″ bass drum, 10″ x 8″ and 12″ x 9″ toms, and a 16″ x 16″ floor tom. The toms feature chrome super hoops, aluminum optimount tom holders, and Remo clear ambassador heads. Only 30 of the shell packs will be available in the U.S., so start tightening your belt.

Buy Bobby Jarzombek’s Drums

BDT — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:59:49 +0000

If you’ve always wanted to own a little piece of metal drumming history, now’s your chance. Bobby Jarzombek is selling the Pearl Masters kit he used on a couple of Halford albums and tours. Here are the details straight from Bobby and his MySpace page:

Well, the time has come to “thin out the herd” so to speak. With my move back to San Antonio I was trying to figure out what to take with me and what to leave out in Cali. One thing I have decided to part with is my PEARL Masters Custom Maple drumset (comes with the Pearl Icon rack system) even though I have a strong sentimental attachment to it due to the memorable music that I created on it.

The reason I am now selling the kit—other than lack of space—is because I changed drum companies a couple of years ago (I am with DW/PDP now and no longer endorse Pearl) and I haven’t been using it much at all since. I’m thinking of putting it on eBay but before I do that I figured I’d let a Halford fan or drum enthusiast among my MySpace friends have first crack at it.

There is quite a bit of metal history connected to this kit: I recorded HALFORD – ‘Live Insurrection’ (various tracks), HALFORD – ‘Crucible’, and ROB ROCK – ‘Holy Hell’ with it and used it live with HALFORD touring in the US, Canada, and South America on the ‘Resurrection’ and ‘Crucible’ tours, including the 2000/2001 tour with Iron Maiden and Queensryche and the ‘Rock In Rio’ show in Brazil that’s about it be released on DVD. It can also be seen in the ‘Betrayal’ video.

This is a great sounding kit and still in very good condition (I got it in 2000) except for the standard “wear and tear” from being on the road. No major war wounds though. I have posted a number of photos of the drumset so click here to take a closer look.

Drums:
(2) 24″ Bass Drums
10″ Mounted Tom
12″ Mounted Tom
14″ Mounted Tom
16″ Floor Tom
14″ Snare Drum

* The drum color is ‘black mist’
* All Pearl drums have serial numbers
* The (3) rack toms are suspended using the Pearl OptiMount Suspension System
* The rack toms and floor tom are equipped with Pearl MasterCast Die-Cast Hoops
* The snare drum is a 5 x 14 Remo MasterEdge snare drum which I used as my main backup snare
* All drums are fitted with brand new Evans drumheads

Hardware:
The extended rack system includes:
* (8) leg assemblies w/ stabilizer feet, (4) long front and side mounting bars, (2) medium mounting bars for back cymbals + (1) very short front middle mounting bar
* (13) pipe clamps for an easy setup and locking of the tom arms and cymbal booms
* (3) tom arms featuring the Pearl Uni-Lock System
* (10) cymbal booms (6 long and 4 short) allowing for multiple configurations and angles for mounting cymbals (cymbals not included)
(2) Pearl Eliminator Pedals
Pearl snare stand
Pearl hi-hat stand

The kit is currently in storage in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles; I would prefer to find a buyer in the area who can pick it up as I’d rather not ship it.

If you are located outside of SoCal and can’t pick up the kit in person shipping costs would obviously have to be added to the selling price.
I am asking $3,500 for the complete drumset and drum rack system. Interested parties please contact me at bobbyspearlkit@yahoo.com.

Pearl Unveils MCX Shell Packs

BDT — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 02:45:53 +0000

Ah, don’t you just love the idea of a shell pack? No hardware, no snare, but no big price tag, eh? Well, not quite. The reason manufacturers sell high-end shells without all the shiny stands is precisely because the sticker shock is already, umm, shocking. For example, Pearl’s 4-piece MCX shell packs retail for $2,499 each, which means you can probably grab one for around $1,500 at your local drumming supercenter….but that’s still four digits for only four drums. Looks like we’re just going to have to make do with our beat-to-hell Slingys for a while longer. But for all you large-livin’ Cheddy Johnstons out there, here’s the MCX breakdown:

6-ply maple shells
Masters bridge lugs
MasterCast die-cast hoops on toms
Maple bass drum hoops
OptiMount tom holders
Molded rubber gaskets
A choice of six finishes

Pearl’s Redline Reference Kits

BDT — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 05:02:13 +0000

The ads have been plastered in all the latest drum mags, and now we’ve finally got a price point for Pearl’s limited-edition hotness. Note the phrase “limited edition”: only 50 kits will be made in each color set…which means the Redline = $$$.

The White-on-White Redline shell pack includes a 13″ x 9″ rack tom, 16″ x 16″ and 18″ x 16″ floor toms, and a big ole 24″ x 18″ kick. The Black-on-Black shell pack features a 12″ x 8″ rack, 14″ x 14″ and 16″ x 16″ floor toms, and a 22″ x 20″ bass drum. Matching 20-ply snares are available for each set.

Price List
Black-on-Black shell pack without snare: $4,999
Black-on-Black matching 14″ x 5″ snare: $1,059
White-on-White shell pack without snare: $5,299
White-on-White matching 14″ x 6.5″ snare: $1,159

Real Kick Pedal Mod for Rock Band

BDT — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 04:34:36 +0000

Finally, finally, finally, it has been done—a bona fide kick mod for Rock Band. It’s called the Omega pedal, and it’ll be manufactured by Steradian Technologies, a company heretofore known for “professional grade” laser tag gear. $74.95 gets you what looks to be a tricked out Pearl P-120P (which in its original incarnation can be had from Amazon for 50 bucks). The website says the e-stomper is scheduled for a March release, so assuming Pearl’s lawyers don’t get involved, we got only two weeks to go.

[Update: The site is also peddling the Twin Rocker ($24.95), an attachment that allows for Rock Band double kicking. Full review after we’ve had time to change our shorts.]

[Update 2022: We never got around to reviewing this thing, but Ars Technica did way back in 2008.]