Pearl Signature Snares

GEARREVIEWS
SEPTEMBER 2005 RHYTHM 099
P
earl’s Reference Series might have
grabbed the headlines following
its launch at the NAMM show this
January, but a couple of other newies
made a real impression too. Nestling
among the mountains of kits, metalwork
and miscellaneous noisemakers were
a brace of signature snares created in
conjunction with two of the company’s
biggest current endorsees.
Joey Jordison and Virgil Donati could
hardly be more different in terms of
playing style. And that difference is
refl ected in the construction and
appearance of the two players’ respective
signature drums. Joey has gone for a
13"x6
1
/2" steel shell belter fi nished all in
black with the Slipknot ‘S’ logo engraved
around the shell. Virgil, on the other hand,
has opted to go for a 14"x5" maple and
birch mix with die-cast hoops and a
Smoke Flake fi nish.
It’s a case of horses for courses with
these two then. Let’s fi nd out then, if
we are dealing with thoroughbreds or
just old nags…
From £295 | Two recent additions to Pearl’s roster get their own snares.
Jordan McLachlan spends time with the fruit of Joey and Virgil’s labours.
Different strokes
To expand on the specs of each, Joey’s
JJ-1365 snare has a 1mm thick steel shell
and black tripled-fl anged hoops as
opposed to the die-cast type that appear
on Virge’s. And where the Aussie whizz
has opted for traditional-looking tube
lugs, the ’Knot man prefers Masters-style
bridge lugs. They have little in common,
except the strainer, the SR-107 ‘vertical
pull’ variety, that crops up on both.
It’s the difference between the shells
that clearly sets the two drums apart
of course. And Virgil’s is an interesting
eight-ply combination of maple and birch.
Four plies of birch are used for the inner
section of the snare with the same
number of maple plies used for the
exterior. Brightness of tone is obviously a
high priority in the case of the VG-1450,
but so is instant usability – Pearl suggest
that the rounded bearing edges
employed here will allow most players
to use the drum “wide open, without any
muffl ing”. A case of best of both worlds in
terms of tone and usefulness? We’ll see.
ESSENTIALS
PRICES
Virgil Donati
VG-1450 £437
Joey Jordison
JJ-1365 £295
CONTACT
Pearl UK
11 Presley Way
Milton Keynes
MK8 0ES
Telephone
01908 260055
Website
www.pearldrum.com
Pearl
Signature Snares
Finish factor
As far as construction is concerned,
there’s really nothing to fi nd fault with in
the case of either of these two. In fact
they’re perfect examples of just how far
Far Eastern drum manufacture has
come. The sparkle fi nish on the Donati
drum is beautiful, and the choice of
hardware on each complements the
character of the instruments perfectly.
The tube lugs on the VG-1450 and all
black nature of Joey’s are well-judged
additions, and the tattoo-like ‘S’ markings
are exceptionally clean and mark the
drum as something special indeed.
Highly tuned
Just as they look at odds with each other,
there’s little sonic ground shared by this
pair. Joey has arguably one of the most
distinctive recorded drum sounds in
recent metal history, and although
nothing short of Rick Rubin, and a stack
of studio processing gear will duplicate
his whipcrack backbeat tone, the little 13"
gets right in the ballpark. Over the course
Tattoo-like ‘S’ markings
mean Joey’s snare stands
out as something very
special indeed.
The sparkle fi nish
adds character to the Donati
drum, which is complemented
by the choice of hardware.
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