Pearl Session Studio Select

A HIGHER CALLING
The revived Session Studio
Select series brings with it
features and details sourced
from top-end Pearl ranges
92
| MARCH 2019 WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM
GEAR REVIEW
T
hanks to the perennial success
of its Export kit – a category of
its own as much as a product
name – Pearl is a brand name
familiar to non-drummers (and even
non-musicians) across the world. Away
from the company’s dominance of the
entry-level, Pearl caters for every
conceivable price point, right up to its
bespoke Masterworks series. The Session
Studio Select kit on review here pitches
head fi rst into the mid-range moshpit
with intent.
First launched in 1992, the Session
Studio Select series went through various
incarnations before being discontinued in
2000. Now, after two years of R&D,
including input from Pearl endorsees, the
series has been revived. Slotting between
the Masters Maple Complete and Crystal
Beat series in Pearl’s line-up, the
revamped range replaces the Session
Studio Classic line.
Build
Four shellpacks are available with bass
drum diameters ranging from the petite
(18") through to the heavyweight (24") and
a wide selection of individual drums can
also be ordered. The review kit is a
four-piece comprising an undrilled 20"x14"
bass drum, 10"x7" and 12"x8" toms and
a 14"x14" fl oor tom. The matching
14"x5½" snare also included is one of
three models offered.
The shells return to the original hybrid
of birch and mahogany found on the fi rst
Session Studio Select kits (by the time of
its discontinuation the formula had been
dropped for alternative woods). They’re
thin – 5.4mm and 6-ply – and are made up
of fi ve outer plies of Masters-grade birch
and a single inner ply of African
mahogany. The blend of woods is intended
to maximise the clarity of the birch and
bottom-end capabilities of the mahogany.
Allied to this (and utilising Pearl’s
Masterworks knowledge and resources)
the bearing edges are cut at 60 degrees
From £215 Pearl revives an old series, bringing in hybrid
shells and up to the minute sizing with impressive results
PEARL SESSION
STUDIO SELECT
WORDS: ADAM JONES
Also try…
2
LUDWIG
NEUSONIC
SERIES KIT
We say: “An admirably
simple kit to own and
play; lightweight,
quick to respond
with a fully open and
satisfying tone.”
1
MAPEX SATURN V
TOUR EDITION
We say: “Stunning
fi nishes, sturdy build
and bags of low-end;
the Tour Edition is a
welcome addition to the
Mapex family.”
RHY291.gear_PEARL.indd 92 25/01/2019 12:34