Pearl Midtown Kit

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| OCTOBER 2016 WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM

GEAR REVIEW

mong a plethora of new gear

released for 2016, Pearl has

brought us a brand new

Eliminator pedal, a second

Dennis Chambers signature snare and the

revamped Session Studio Classic (all reviewed

by yours truly). The latest recent addition that

we’ve managed to get our mitts on is Pearl’s

second contribution to the mini-kit market

after the Rhythm Traveler, the Pearl Midtown.

Build

Unlike Pearl’s Rhythm Traveler (which had

wider but extremely shallow dimensions),

the Midtown has been developed as more of

a bop-style kit with small diameter drums

but more regular depths. Dubbed “the big kit

with the small footprint”, it claims to offer a

sound to rival that of a normal sized kit

despite its compact nature.

True to the style of these bop-cum-jungle

kits is the obligatory 16"x14" bass drum. The

drum comes supplied with good quality spurs

and a riser to allow the drum enough

clearance for positioning the bass drum

pedal. Unlike the chrome of the other

hardware (included is a single tom mount for

the drilled bass drum and legs for the ﬂ oor

tom), the long pole and triangular base of the

riser piece are ﬁ nished in black. The bottom

of the bass drum features a drilled hole

(identical to the one on the top which

accommodates the tom arm) that allows the

base to be held in place using a standard

wing-nut. The batter-side hoop also has a

deep, semi-circular cut-out to allow the beater

stem plenty of room to manoeuvre, ensuring

a square contact to the head.

The rest of the four-piece shell pack

comprises a 10"x7" rack tom, complete with

Pearl’s OptiLoc suspension system for added

resonance, a 13"x12" ﬂ oor tom and a

£407 Pearl re-enters the mini-kit world with

the release of the Midtown

PEARL

MIDTOWN KIT

WORDS: TOM BRADLEY

matching 13"x5½" snare drum which plays

host to Pearl’s proprietary 16-strand snare

wires and throw-off/butt plate. This is

currently the only conﬁ guration available for

the Midtown kit, with no foreseeable plans for

any more. A compact two-piece carry-case

set is available for the kit but unfortunately

only in the US right now. We should see that

make an appearance over here at some point.

The Chinese-built shells are constructed

from 6-ply, 7.5mm poplar and come in a

choice of two sparkle wrap ﬁ nishes. As you

can see from the photos, our review kit is a

rather fetching Black Cherry Glitter, with Black

Gold Sparkle being the other option. Each

drum is supplied with 1.6mm steel triple-

ﬂ anged hoops except for the bass drum,

which is treated to matching wood hoops.

Chinese made Remo UT heads are supplied

with the kit; clear Ambassador equivalents for

the toms (top and bottom), with a coated for

the snare batter. The kick drum sports a clear

Powerstroke batter and a white coated head

complete with a black Pearl logo on the front.

With the Midtown coming in at the lower

end of the spectrum in terms of price, it is

perhaps expected that there might be a few

minor issues in the build department.

Referring speciﬁ cally to the quite visible

overlaps of not only the sparkle wrap but,

more obviously, the inside of the shells and

the wood hoops of the bass drum. On the

ﬂ ip-side though, this kit surprises us with little

touches like rubber gaskets on the bass drum

claws, sturdy, locking telescopic bass drum

spurs and the aforementioned OptiLoc

suspension system for the un-drilled rack

tom. Chrome memory locks are also provided

for the tom arm and bass drum lift. They are

also interlocking which not only allows you to

ﬁ nd the correct height but also ensures that

you also get exactly the same angle as before.

EACH DRUM IS SUPPLIED WITH 1.6MM

STEEL TRIPLE-FLANGED HOOPS EXCEPT

FOR THE BASS DRUM, WHICH IS

TREATED TO MATCHING WOOD HOOPS

BASS DRUM LIFT

The 16" bass drum features a

black riser with a triangular base

to ensure the correct height for a

bass drum pedal

RHY260.gear_pearl.indd 86 9/7/16 6:14 PM

Summary of content (4 pages)

PAGE 1
GEAR REVIEW PEARL MIDTOWN KIT £407 Pearl re-enters the mini-kit world with the release of the Midtown WORDS: TOM BRADLEY A mong a plethora of new gear released for 2016, Pearl has brought us a brand new Eliminator pedal, a second Dennis Chambers signature snare and the revamped Session Studio Classic (all reviewed by yours truly). The latest recent addition that we’ve managed to get our mitts on is Pearl’s second contribution to the mini-kit market after the Rhythm Traveler, the Pearl Midtown.
PAGE 2
MATCHING SNARE The Midtown has a matching 13"x5½" snare drum which exceeds expectations for the price Essential spec PRICES £407 SHELL MATERIAL Poplar wood CONSTRUCTION METHOD Ply NUMBER OF PLIES 6 plies BEARING EDGES 45° FINISHES AVAILABLE Black Gold Sparkle; Black Cherry Glitter (as pictured) HOOPS 1.
PAGE 3
GEAR REVIEW They say… Jeroen Breider European Branding Manager for Pearl Europe SHELLS What was the inspiration for Pearl’s new Midtown kit? “We have the gigging drummer in mind, who demands gear that can rise above the noise without getting in the way.” Chinese-built shells are constructed from 6-ply, 7.5mm poplar Are there more finishes or configurations on the way? “As we newly introduced this Midtown kit, we have chosen to keep it simple and not to make the choices too difficult.
PAGE 4
CLEAR HEADS The kit is supplied with Remo UT clear single-ply heads SPARKLE WRAP HOOP CUT-OUT The hoop on the batter side has a cut-out which allows the beater stem room to manoeuvre first, in a small pub with a very dry acoustic. From the off it was clear that the kick drum alone was not going to keep up with the seven-piece funk and soul band.