Sonor AQ2 Bop Kit and HS LT 2000 Hardware Set

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| JUNE 2018 WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM
GEAR REVIEW
out to a second mounted tom it’s easy to
replace the cymbal holder with a second
tom bracket. Which brings us to another cool
aspect of the new series. On top of the fi ve
AQ2 shell-pack confi gurations Sonor is
making available any of the individual drums
– toms, kicks and snares – to buy singly as
add-ons or to confi gure your own kit.
Hands On
Before setting up the whole kit the 14"x6"
snare beckons. It’s quite a heavy drum, with
its 10 lugs and 2.3mm super-hoops. The
strainer and butt – previously employed on
Also try…
What’s the idea behind the new AQ ranges?
“A lot of our customers loved the compactness
of the old SSE sets, but were asking for more
professional sonic qualities, as these kits were
made from poplar wood. Furthermore, these
kits weren’t expandable with add-on drums and
the toms had no suspension system. So we
came up with the idea to upgrade these kits
signifi cantly and combined them with our
regular Stage and Studio confi gurations within
one series, to offer the most fl exible drum
series in this price range. Not only are all fi ve
confi gurations (Martini, Safari, Bop, Studio and
Stage) available in the same fi nishes, but also
every drum size in the AQ2 series is available as
an individual add-on drum.”
The image has moved up-market, too.
“The whole look of the new AQ2 series,
including the badge design, is close now to the
expensive SQ1, ProLite and SQ2 series. Part of
the concept is also that we offer all kits as pure
shell-sets, so customers are open to combine
these with one of our different hardware lines.”
Frank Boestfl eisch
Frank Boestfl eisch is the Product
Manager for Drums and Marching
at Sonor in Germany
They say…
YOU LOSE THE ULTRA-TIGHT BONK
OF THE JUNGLE/DRUM ’N’ BASS 16",
BUT DON’T QUITE ACHIEVE THE
FULL-FAT ROUNDNESS OF A 20"
the Force series – are Sonor’s basic models,
but much stouter than most. These are all
good signs since many budget snares are
fl imsy, the tell-tale cost-conscious
component in cheaper kits. This one though
has the feel of a drum twice the price. And
thankfully so does the sound, with its
luxurious, almost chocolatey tone, and
snare-rich scrunch.
At six inches it’s a little deeper than you
expect with a small-sized kit, but it makes for
a warm contrast with the edgy immediacy of
the other drums. Sonor has applied carefully
graduated and cut snare beds with accurate
45° bearing edges, ensuring the drum is
focused and easy to adjust.
Likewise the accompanying toms. With
classic dimensions of 12"x8" and 14"x13" they
suit the bright presence typical of maple.
The sound is pure and modern with the
single-ply coated heads affording good
sustain and punch.
The defi ning constituent is, of course, the
18"x14" bass drum. It’s a diameter made
popular by small group jazz greats like Elvin
Jones and Roy Haynes, yet the 18" diameter
kick didn’t enter the catalogues until the late
1960s. So the early bebop classics were
mostly cut on 20s, and 18" has only since
become a go-to for small group jazzers. It
does not have to mean jazz exclusively
though. Sonor artist Bernard Purdie famously
played an 18" kick on numerous soul/R&B
hits, while Tim ‘Herb’ Alexander has played
18" bass drums with Primus. So it’s an
interesting intermediate diameter.
1
LUDWIG CLUB
DATE SPECIAL
EDITION KIT
We say: “With rounded
bearing edges and
shells of cherry and
gumwood the Club Date
Jazzette is a successful
vintage reissue with
18"x14" bass drum. ”
INDIVIDUAL DRUMS
Sonor is making any of the
individual drums available
to buy singly as add-ons
SHELLS
Shells are three plies of Chinese maple
enclosed on the inside and outside by
two plies of Canadian maple
BASS DRUM HOOPS
Kick drums have classy
lacquered maple hoops
RHY281.gear_sonor.indd 86 4/19/18 1:37 PM