Pearl President Series Review

Pearl introduced their president series back in 1966, with the main selling point being their hermetically pressurized phenolic shells. This revolutionary design was said to increase clarity and allow sound to cut through the mix. As part of Pearl’s 75th anniversary, they’ve reintroduced the set as limited edition. In this article we will talk cover a few topics, starting with our verdict; should you buy this drum kit?

Table of Contents:

Should you buy the Pearl President Series

The Peal President Series is a good quality kit with great shells, good hardware and some interesting tones. The previously mentioned phenolic shell design in combination with lauan mahogany wood allows the President Series drum set to produce rich, warm, mellow tones without sounding muddy or unclear. If you’re into softer rock, smooth jazz, or other styles that work well with warmer tones, the President Series drum kit might be a great fit for you.

However, the kit does come with a pretty steep price tag for an intermediate level drum set. If this specific sound isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, there are definitely kits on the market that offer better bang for your buck. The Pearl Roadshow, for example, is a great quality kit for a lot cheaper (though it is more of a beginner kit). Additionally, this list has some great mid-level options if the President Series doesn’t sound like the right fit for you.

Pros

Cons

  • High quality manufacturing

  • Warm, balanced tone good for jazz and softer rock

  • Limited edition

  • Only comes with 3 drums (Bass & 2 Toms)

  • Pricey if you're not in love with the sound (there are definitely better value kits out there)

CHECK AMAZON PRICE Check Guitar Center Price

Kit Specs & Quality

Shells

Pearl is one of the biggest names in drum manufacturing, so it’s no surprise that they have the know how and equipment to make some amazing sounding kits. The drum kit comes with 6 ply lauan shells, which are made by combining precisely milled 2 ply panels with Pearls signature “AcoustiGlue” before finally being formed in high temperature molds at 1,000 PSI. If that sounds like a bunch of nonsense to you, the main takeaway is that the shells for this kit are high quality, and Pearl delivers on their claim that the phenolic shells produce a nice clear sound. Lauan is a highly porous wood, great for producing balanced, warm tones with lower attack. Overall, the drum quality of this kit is quite high.

Hardware

The Pearl President Series deluxe shell pack includes classic pearl battleship lugs and Gullwing spurs, along with triple flanged “SuperHoop” hoops. These are all decent quality and most likely won’t cause you and problems. Typically this is the case with big name drum manufacturers, so we won’t spend too much time here.

Shell Pack Includes:

  • 22″ x 14″ Bass Drum (includes cymbal holder)
  • 16″ x 16″ Floor Tom
  • 13″ x 9″ Rack Tom
  • Need a snare drum to go along with the kit? Check out this list of the best value snares on the market

Kit Sound

As we said before, the kit has a very warm yet clear sound courtesy of the shell design and lauan wood used. The tones from each drum blend together nicely, so nothing stands out or sounds too punchy. The kit sounds comprehensive and full. Here’s a breakdown of each drum:

Bass Drum

The bass drum sound is low, tight, and quick. It sounds good and doesn’t really stand out. If you’re looking for a huge booming bass drum this is not the kit for you. The kick doesn’t have a lot of thud to it, so if you like clean even bass then you will probably like this kit.

Toms

The toms are warm (I know I keep using that word but its true) and have a short sustain (something I think sounds really nice with toms). They have a pretty versatile sound, I could see them sounding good for different types of jazz, rock, and fusion.

Quick Summary / Conclusion

  • Good quality kit from the world’s largest drum company (or at least one of them)
  • A bit pricy if you’re not in love with the warm, balanced, not too flashy sound
  • Only comes with 3 drums, so you’ll end up spending a lot more on hardware, cymbals, and a snare drum
  • It’s a limited edition release due to Pearl’s 75th anniversary

Hopefully this was helpful! We do our best to keep up with the latest releases, you can check out the drums section of the home page to see what recent articles have been published.

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