The Ludwig NeuSonic is a High tier intermediate level drum set at a great price. The drums themselves are manufactured in the US using the same high quality American maple found in Ludwig’s more expensive classic maple kits. This set’s durability and overall build is phenomenal given the price range. The 3 piece shell pack comes with a floor tom, rack tom, and bass drum. The kit has a bright, open sound created by it’s thin cherry/maple 6 ply shells. Overall, this highly durable and compact drum kit is great for traveling musicians and anyone who prefers quality over quantity when it comes to number of drums.
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Shell Pack Description
The NeuSonic features Ludwig’s cross over shell design with a thin 6-layer shell made up of three outer layers of American maple and three inner layers of cherry wood. According to representatives from Ludwig, the maple acts as the base and body of the drums tone, while the cherry helps to emphasize the mid range and attack. They also confirmed that the NeuSonic uses the same American maple as the more expensive Ludwig kits. The bearing edges are precision cut at 45 degrees with minimal notches and a neat finish. Finally, the shells are produced using Ludwig’s RFST molding technique to ensure an even cure across the surface of each shell.
Available in different monochrome wraps including black velvet, satin wood and skyline blue, the kit embodies the traditional Ludwig aesthetics coupled with a brand new sound.
The drums come in different sizes:
- Bass Drum – ranges from 20″ to 24″
- Floor Tom – ranges from 14″ to 16″
- Rack Tom – ranges from 12″ to 13″
In general, smaller drums are punchier and require less energy to reach maximum volume. This can make dynamic control a bit easier. On the other hand, larger drums tend to shift the overall sound frequencies down, and will produce a more booming, full sound if enough energy is put into them. Check out this article for more info on how drum size affects sound.
Drum Sound
The 20″ bass drum produces bright, punchy bass tones. If you’re looking for something a bit deeper, we suggest going with the 24″. The toms have great attack, and function well at both higher tunings for a tight and bright sound or at lower tunings for deeper and muddier thuds. Overall, the kit is great for jazzier styles, but due to it’s versatility could also cover rock, punk, reggae, and other styles quite well. Again, opting for the larger drum sizes will help shift the overall frequency and tone of the drums downward, and provide a bit more boom at the cost of some of the higher, punchier frequencies.
What We Liked
The value you get with this kit in terms of manufacturing quality and overall sound for the price you pay is hands down it’s best feature. While the set clearly excels at higher an brighter jazz oriented tones, we appreciated the versatility that the kit offered. With a little tuning the drums handled deeper sounds quite well. We also like the color varieties and options when choosing the shell sizes to really customize the kit’s sound. The kit is extremely durable and easily transportable due to it’s compact size.
What We Didn’t Like
Our only complaint is that the shell pack only comes with three drums. If you are someone who likes to sit behind a massive kit, or are looking to purchase a complete drum kit with cymbals and a snare included, this probably isn’t the set for you.
Note that if you are looking to buy certain pieces separately, we have guides for snare snare drums and cymbals alike! Be sure to check these out if you are having trouble finding a good deal on either.
Ludwig Company Background
Few drum aficionados wouldn’t have Ludwig drums near the top of their “industry’s best in class” list for drum manufacturers. While Ludwig has been making drums in the Far East lately (like most others), it’s nice to see the company simultaneously increase drum production in America in recent years. Featuring three exciting finishes, NeuSonic captures the traditional Ludwig aesthetic combined with a completely new sound that complements a wide range of performance settings. Jamie Corrie of Active Music, Ludwig’s longtime UK distributor, explains: “NeuSonic is the first American Ludwig kit to sell for less than $2,000″. A price drop of this magnitude has been unheard of until now. The NeuSonic series drums boasts a killer sonic palette, combining classic maple tones with enhanced lows and mids courtesy of the Ludwig cross over shell design.
Conclusion
If you are looking for USA drums crafted at excellent quality, you won’t find many better options than the Ludwig NeuSonic. If you liked the NeuSonic but want a kit with a slightly more balanced, warmer sound, check out the Pearl President Series Delux kit. If this wasn’t quite what you were looking for, check out this list of great intermediate drum sets for adults.