Pearl Masters Maple Complete

88
| JUNE 2017 WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM
GEAR REVIEW
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elebrating 25 years of the famous
Pearl Masters, the company has
decided to combine the best of all
previous incarnations into the new
Maple Complete.
Build
The Maple Complete is currently available
in four kit confi gurations with a choice of
fi ve super-high gloss and matte lacquer
fi nishes. These are Inferno Red Sparkle,
Burnished Bronze Sparkle, Satin Natural
Burst and Black Caviar Matte (as pictured).
The fi fth, available only on special order, is
Matte Natural.
In terms of confi guration, there are three
snare-less four-piece shell packs available, and
one three-piece. Price-wise, each of the
four-pieces are £1,415 and the three-piece is
£1,211. All of the larger setups use 10"x7" and
12"x8" rack toms with either a 14"x12" or
16"x14" fl oor tom. Kicks include 20"x14" and
22"x18". The smaller kit features the biggest
available diameters with a 13"x9" rack, 16"x14"
fl oor tom and 24"x14" bass drum. Despite the
lack of included snare drum, there are two 14"
models available separately in the Maple
Complete family – one is 5½" deep and the
other 6½" (£263 and £275 respectively). For
review, we have been sent a four-piece kit,
made up of a 22"x18" bass drum, 10"x7" and
12"x8" rack toms and 16"x14" fl oor tom. If none
of these confi gurations quite tickle your fancy a
generous range of individual add-on sizes are
also available. The rack toms (all complete with
Pearl’s Omni-Mount suspension system) start
at 8"x7" and continue to a mighty 16"x14". Floor
toms go up to 18"x16" and the bass drum
selection ranges from 18"x14" to 24"x18". It is
worth pointing out that both drilled and
un-drilled bass drums are available when
ordering individual shells.
The ‘EvenPly’ shells are constructed from
reduced-thickness (5.4mm), cross-laminated
six-ply North American maple, and are
apparently 28 percent thinner than any
previous Masters specifi cation. They also sport
a 45° bearing edge and are designed to
produce “the tonal purity and increased
resonance of Pearl’s legendary Masters MMX,
£ 1 , 4 1 5 Pearl sticks to tradition with
its reworked, all-maple Masters
PEARL MASTERS
MAPLE COMPLETE
WORDS: TOM BRADLEY
while projecting with the vibrant power of the
thicker MRX series”.
The new shells are fi nished with 2.3mm
triple-fl anged SuperHoop II hoops and chrome
bridge-style CL lugs, which offer reduced shell
contact and aim to provide improved shell
performance. Aesthetically, in a break from the
norm, the small section of the lug that receives
the tuning-rod is fi nished in gold rather than
chrome. This is a subtle but sharp touch. It
works particularly well with the matte black of
our review kit.
The bass drum boasts heavy duty SP30
spurs and insulated die-cast claws, while the
fl oor tom uses the heavily cushioned LB40
THE KIT IS TUNED LOW OUT OF THE
BOX WHICH COMPLEMENTS THE TONE
OF THE SUPPLIED CLEAR PINSTRIPE
HEADS ON THE TOMS, PRODUCING A
FAT, POWERFUL TONE
legs, complete with lightweight memory locks.
The kit is supplied with Chinese-made Remo UT
Clear Pinstripes on the tom batters and
Ambassador equivalents on the bottoms. The
bass drum, which also comes with an included
mini-muffl er pillow, uses a UT Powerstroke 3
batter and a pre-ported, white textured reso.
Hands On
Removing the fi rst drum from the box and
peeling away the wrapping, it’s clear to see
that the fi nish is a thing of beauty. On one
hand, it’s a kind of no-frills affair, but on the
other it’s a sleek and simple matte black that
is enhanced by the sparkling chrome of the
1
PEARL SESSION
STUDIO CLASSIC
We say: “Pearl offers a
decent amount of bang
for your buck with the
SSC. With a highly
versatile tuning range
and a crisp attack, this
kit promises to be a
strong contender in the
mid-range market. ”
2
GRETSCH
RENOWN MAPLE
2016
We say: “ The 2016
Gretsch Renown hits its
target market bang-on.
An absolute triumph. A
tonal chameleon with
stunning looks, at a
great price although
some may prefer an
undrilled bass drum. ”
SHELLS
The new 6-ply shells
are designed to be
super resonant
MAPLE
As the name suggests,
the shells are made from
100 percent maple
RHY268.gear_pearl.indd 88 4/20/17 5:39 PM