Pearl Masters Maple Complete

89
WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM JUNE 2017 |
PRICE
Four-piece: £1,415;
Three-piece: £1,211
SHELL MATERIAL
100 percent North
American Maple
CONSTRUCTION
METHOD
Ply
NUMBER OF
PLIES
6-ply (5.4mm)
BEARING EDGES
45°
FINISHES
AVAILABLE
Inferno Red Sparkle;
Burnished Bronze
Sparkle; Matte Caviar
Black; Satin Natural
Burst; Matte Natural
(special order only)
HOOPS
SuperHoop II
SHELL
AVAILABILITY
Shell packs: 20"x14",
10"x7", 12"x8", 14"x12";
22"x18", 10"x7", 12"x8",
16"x14"; 22"x18", 10"x7",
12"x8", 14"x12";
20"x14", 13"x9",
16"x14"; many individual
sizes also available
SUPPLIED HEADS
Tom batters: Remo UT
Pinstripe; tom resos:
Remo UT Ambassador;
bass drum batter: Remo
UT Powerstroke 3;
bass drum reso: Remo
UT textured with port
NUMBER OF
LUGS PER DRUM
Bass drum: 10; toms: 12;
fl oor tom: 16
TOM MOUNTS
Not included
CONTACT
00800 8424 9328
www.pearleurope.com
salesuk@pearleurope.
com
Essential spec
individual bridge-style lugs and SuperHoop
rims. It is, however, the kind of fi nish that
quickly ends up caked in grubby fi ngerprints,
as I soon discover!
Setting up is a doddle and everything feels
securely in place, with no give or wobble from
the sturdy Omni-Mount tom suspension
system, despite the lighter weight of the
shells. The heavy-duty SP30 spurs are a
particular joy to use, slotting straight into
place with minimal fuss and anchoring the kit
fi rmly. The kit is tuned low out of the box,
which complements the tone of the supplied
Pinstripes on the toms, producing a fat,
powerful tone that would be equally at home
in rock or metal as it would in gospel or r’n’b.
With a small amount of tuning adjustment,
the toms are singing wonderfully together;
ranging from the purer hum of the 10" rack
tom to the mid-range thump of the 12", down
to the low grumble of the 16" fl oor tom.
Tuning the toms up further also yields
pleasing results, sounding equally at home in
more tuneful funk territories. The fl oor tom
especially fi nds its sweet spot at this point and
gives off a more sustained yet clean note.
Thanks to the enhanced resonance, the
bass drum sounds very open and the small
muffl er pillow seems to do very little. The
bass drum is able to deliver a wide range of
VERDICT: The new Pearl Masters Maple
Complete lives up to expectation and
succeeds in offering enhanced
resonance in its new shells, combined
with a powerful tone; all wrapped up in
a sleek choice of lacquer fi nishes.
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
RATING
tones, but most importantly, a brilliantly deep
boom which I am able to control by adding a
slightly larger dampening pillow.
FINISHES
The kit is available in fi ve new
fi nishes, including Black Caviar
Matte (pictured)
HARDWARE
The shells are supplied
with SuperHoop IIs and
chrome CL lugs
SNARES
Shell packs do not
include snare drums but
two models are available
separately
RHY268.gear_pearl.indd 89 4/20/17 5:39 PM