"It has a slight trashy, grittiness to its sound, and even at lower tunings it finds a good combination of crisp response and full-bodied overtones" It has a slight trashy, grittiness to its sound, and even at lower tunings it finds a good combination of crisp response and full-bodied overtones. Questlove's definition of 'break-able' is best applied here. The only solution is to clamp the pedal back tightly to prevent this, but there is the threat of it happening mid-gig.įor what could be considered a rather pedestrian choice of dimensions, the Breakbeats snare holds a lot of character. The only other negative relates to the riser - after an hour or so, the pedal had crept forward enough that the chain was catching on the bass drum hoop. This can be used to your advantage, but if you're a 'pedal undertaker', you'll want to address your technique. Burying the beater has a large effect on the sound of this kick, muffling notes for a rather plastic attack, and even bending the pitch if you dig in. It's a versatile little monster, coping with different tuning ranges well while maintaining a clear fundamental. Upping the tension on the batter head gave more attack and punch, without becoming too 'open', and tightening the resonant head resulted in a clean sustained note. Ours arrived with the heads barely tightened, and applying slight tension to both sides resulted in a fairly dead thump, with a surprising amount of low-end. Okay, so it's unlikely to replace a larger kick in a conventional rock set-up, but given the shell construction and size, this thing is capable of acting like a small cannon. If you've only ever stuck to 22" kicks, set your preconceptions to 'shattered'. The most intriguing part of the kit is the bass drum. If you've only ever stuck to 22" kicks, set your preconceptions to 'shattered'" "The most intriguing part of the kit is the bass drum. It's a sticker, which looks like it could easily wear or peel off over time, and along with the adequate yet spindly-looking feet on the floor tom legs, gives away the kit's pricetag. Less impressive is the Ludwig/Questlove badge. The wrap is applied with neat seams across the whole kit. The chromed hardware feels solid, with a weighty tom-holder, quality, smooth hoops and the sturdy riser. Taking the kit out of its bags, we were impressed with the quality of the kit's build. With no taxi to hand, we comfortably transported our review shell pack to a rehearsal studio in the passenger seat/foot-well of a tiny car. We were rather cynical about Questlove's claim that you can fit this kit in a cab. These function as basic, non-padded gig bags, but they've also been 'designed' to be used as a set of mutes for practice/quieter performance. There are a couple of touches that go above and beyond here too: Remo Pinstripes are fitted to the two toms as standard, plus the drums come with their own velvet bags. The bearing edges are cut at 45°, and the whole thing comes wrapped in a Blue Azure finish, adding a touch of vintage class to the Breakbeats set. The shells are all seven-ply poplar, which on paper, is a slight disappointment - Tama's Silverstar Metro Jam is made from birch, Gretsch's Catalina Street is mahogany, and both are available for a similar street price.
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