hey there... got another one for you!
I currently play quite an old (and now pretty beat up) Pearl export, nothing flashy just a real basic kit, and i'm looking to splash out on something that'll give me the sound i want but not hurt my pockets too much. i play a similar setup to the one you show on your website... any reccomencations for nice sounding kits that don't cost too much?

That's a real vague question... ahh well, good luck!

Yeah, that is a tough one bro.....

The good thing is that you're already playing Pearl drums ! They are an awesome, quality drum company who sell their kit's for great prices. If you're buying new ...go out and get a Pearl Session SBX series drumkit. They are priced really well and sound great. It's made out of Birch wood which I find to be the most versatile sounding wood. Sound engineers love birch for the naturally equalized sound that the wood gives off. This would be a great studio kit (especially if it is tuned up well) and it would sound awesome live as well.....

Don't forget, there are some awesome deals to be had for used drumsets ! You'd be amazed at what you can find in your local newspaper, just make sure to do your research on a kit your going to buy before you buy it ! Know what your getting and make sure it's in the condition they say it is in the paper. Always sit down and play the fucker before you buy !

Hope that helps you out.... I'd say get into a Birch wood drumkit, for your next step. I love them for Live and Studio. I've got some amazing drum sounds out of my Birch Pearl BLX kit which I've had for years and years. Have fun.....

Pearl drums RULE!!

My drumkit it's a Pearl Master Studio BRX and I totally love it!

Birch IMO it's a great wood. Sometimes I don't understand why a lot of drummers choose maple... I like maple snare drums, but for toms and bass drums birch is the shit!!

you did it again dude! thanks a lot. hate to sound cheesy for a minute, but it is AWESOME that you give this kind of dedication to the fans and admirers, i DEFINITELY owe you a beer if we ever meet!

you did it again dude! thanks a lot. hate to sound cheesy for a minute, but it is AWESOME that you give this kind of dedication to the fans and admirers, i DEFINITELY owe you a beer if we ever meet!

Anytime bro, I answer questions for any fan whenever I can.....it's a pleasure. Thank you for all the support, It's much appreciated. I'll take ya' up on a beer if we meet on the road.....I LOVE BEER (Stella Artois) You should'nt have said that ! LOL !

well man, next time you're in england and you're travelling from Birmingham to London (or vice versa) and you fancy a stop off for a beer halfway, just come right on over to Milton Keynes, i could chow you guys the sights... we got...ummm, some roundabouts... and some concrete cows... and... well thats about it, but we DO got stella!

My drummer has a nice pearl kit. I love the black hardware, makes his kit look damn cool.

When I play acoustic drums, to me Pearl is second to none. Even the cheaper series have VERY sturdy hardware too, and they sound just awesome!

While we're at it Ryan, what's your idea on having "bells and whistles" on you setup (you know, the "exotic" stuff, anything varying from windchimes to gongtoms) and using it effectively? I recently bought an icebell and it really works in terms of adding possibilities...

When I play acoustic drums, to me Pearl is second to none. Even the cheaper series have VERY sturdy hardware too, and they sound just awesome!

While we're at it Ryan, what's your idea on having "bells and whistles" on you setup (you know, the "exotic" stuff, anything varying from windchimes to gongtoms) and using it effectively? I recently bought an icebell and it really works in terms of adding possibilities...

Yeah, I love Gongtoms and splashes and bells...stuff like that. I really like how Tim Alexander from Primus adapts these cymbals and tom's to his playing and the song's he play's....

I take the same approach. I don't own a Gongtom but I've always wanted to, they can be used as an awesome accent drum or even used for a cool tom beat or two. As far as splashes and bells go....i got 'em and i love to use them if the project is right. I'm currently getting ready to lay down the drum tracks for a band called Non-Human Level with Christofer Malmstrom (Darkane guitarist) and Gustaf Hielm (ex-Meshuggah bassist). I'm using ton's of cool splash and bell work in this project to really bring out certain parts of the song's. I did the same thing with Viven Lalu's "Oniric Metal" album that's being released on March 25th, lot's of cool splash and bell work on tha album.

I find it's a fine line where you can add the "Specialty" cymbals, it all depends on the music. For example, I don't bring one splash or Bell into my DTB drumkit setup, Dev likes a more solid foundation with no specialty cymbal sound's for all the DTB stuff, the furthest we go is with China Cymbals. Although, if he asked me to add some of that Splash and Bell stuff in....I would have no problem finding some very cool places in his music to do it !

Well there it is bro, hope that answered your question....

...answered in just over an hour... thanks for that!

Sure does answer the question, I sometimes tend to overuse that stuff, gotta work on that. Got a bit "out of hand" since I first heard Herb Alexander (GREAT drummer!) The whole point remains to find the right balance between your own creativity and what the music demands, something I'll always be keeping an eye on.

Thanks once again!