Rare Pearl Vision Drums-Part I -Ken Loomer
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- Pearl made Vision Drums from 2007 to 2014. This is my review of a rare all maple Pearl Vision drumset. Most Pearl Vision drums were made in China with Birch shells. Pearl made a few all maple Vision drums in Taiwan in the Red Sparkle Glass Lacquer for their elite dealers to promote Vision drums made with maple shells. This is the only complete shell package( 8x7 tom,10x8 tom,12x9 tom, 14x14 floor tom ,16x16 floor tom,18x22 inch bass drum,and 5.5x14 snare) that I know of with this rare red sparkle glass lacquer finish. The drums were made in the same factory as the Master Pearl drums so they used the same all maple shell,and Master hardware for the drums.The drums were made only in 2009 and 2010.You had to special these Vision drums if you wanted the red or silver glass lacquer finish. Pearl Vision went back to only making Birch shells in their last few years of production.I think of these drums as Modern Vintage drums since Vision drums are no longer made. I bought these drums new in 2012 at a great price since they were new old stock and of course these drums were no longer made. One of the Pearl elite dealers had this set and needed to sell it. I replaced all the heads and these drums with the maple shell sounded great.Pearl drums is the largest drum company in the world now.So many of the top drummers today like Dennis Chambers,Ian Paice,Joey Jordison,Marvin"Smitty" Smith,Tommy Lee,Will Kennedy,Omar Hakim,Eric Singer and many other top drummers use Pearl.I have posted many video`s of me playing these Vision drums at my jazz gigs and they sound great. Go to Part II on these Pearl Vision Drums to hear me give a sound check and good workout on these drums. For my bio,go to kenloomer.com.
I have a very rare Pearl vision drum kit with an undrilled bass drum & short stack toms
It’s even rarer now, that I swapped out all the black chrome hardware for chrome.
The finish is cobalt fade I believe
Truly wonderful drums 👍
That is very interesting you have a Pearl Vision bass drum with no tom mount. Plus the short depth toms. That is rare for sure. Are your Vision drums made in China? All were made in China except my Vision drums that were made in Taiwan at the same factory Pearl makes it`s Masters drum. That is why I have the rare red sparkle lacquer finish and I have Pearl Masters parts on this Pearl Vision kit. If you look at the 2:01 mark, the Vision catalog shows your finish as Black Fade. Thanks for letting me know about your rare Vision drums.
@@KenLoomer
Thanks for the reply
Mine is a Pearl vision birch, don’t think they made the maple version in a special edition run?
They did start to produce the ‘vx’ (I think it was called? In a manor of different ltd editions
The nice thing about the one I own is it’s the ‘original recipe’ shell construction & not a wrap (as some of the others became..)
I seem to remember they did my colour (Concorde fade) & also a red fade in the same special edition sizes..
Because mine was a stock finish I later was able to purchase ‘regular’ sized toms & floor drum, but kept hold of the bass drum as is
I’ll see if I can post a link in the comments buddy 👍
@@mrtc29 The Pearl Vision drums you have with the birth shells were made in China. I have the Pearl 2011 catalog which list your drums as the VBL, Vision-Birch-Lacquer No.235 Concord Fade with Black hardware. Lots of tom sizes you could special order I see in the catalog. Also you could special order without BB-300 bracket for the bass drum and have C/chrome or B/black hardware. Did you buy your Vision drums new at a music store? Vision drums were very well made.
@@KenLoomer
Great info! Thank you
I found mine on eBay, couldn’t believe it when I saw them, I’ve had 4 or 5 over the years, but to see one like this was pretty rare (in the UK at least) so I purchased it 👍
I see this finish every now & again, but they’re getting less common now it’s been a few years
The last thing I did was ‘updated’ the badges to the newest version, which looks like todays badges on the other series of pearl drums
That was one thing I really didn’t like about the older models, was the badge..
I have a nice 7 piece set of Black Birch Vision drums- I love them.
The Pearl Vision drums were very well made and of course with the right tuning,they sounded great. Glad you were very happy with your Vision drums.
Ken, i just purchased a 4 pc , Bass 2 toms 1 flr tom. Same color . I was lucky to see them on ebay! Thanks for your info on these FINE DRUMS.
You bought a great set of Pearl Vision drums which were the best model of the Vision Series that Pearl made.The all maple shell is excellent and that red sparkle lacquer finish looks wonderful.Enjoy your new drums Chris!
@@KenLoomer Thanks. Chris
Ken I have owned several pearl kits in my lifetime. I presently own a 6 piece reference kit in beautiful #100 wine red lacquer. To this day,I believe pearl to be great drums.The shells are made perfect,the bearing edge ,like butter.,the hardware is first class,and there 31 step finish looks like glass.I sold a brx kit,and a mrx kit that I wished I still owned.For the new players or people on a budget can buy the new session studio at a very affordable price tag.Pearl does it right,that's for sure.
Pearl makes some of the best drums in the world today.I just special ordered a new Pearl Masters a few months ago and have used them on some of my Big Band concerts that I have done. Here is a new video I posted of these new Pearl Masters drums czcams.com/video/Tr2xayJLaoE/video.html The Pearl Vision drums I have on this video are very well made and with the all maple shell,have a warm but big open sound to them. You David have the wonderful Pearl Reference drums which my friend has and I know they are just great drums. All my best to you David.Keep playing those Pearl Reference drums!
Hi Ken i seen this drum set before when i went to Berklee college of music in one of the band rooms. Its a beautiful sounding kit and not even a huge crazy fan of Pearl.
These Pearl Red Sparkle Lacquer Vision drums were only made with all maple shell and are rare drums. You are right that these drums have a great sound.Maybe Berklee still has these Vision drums.
I have a vision sst all birch shell in gun metal sparkle with the custom aloy sensitone steel snare which i bought all new in May. The hardware of the kit is from the 900 series and is heavy as a rock. The kit was in a store's storage room and have never been played. I like it very much even though i am not a drummer. I am going to change the head's because i believe that the generic ones are crap.
That is a great find Alex to get a Pearl Vision Birch drum set that is new old stock.Those drums have excellent shells and like you said, the hardware from the 900 series is very good. Good idea to change the heads and put on maybe some Remo drums heads that will make those Pearl Vision drums sound great. Since you are not a drummer, what will you with the drums? Thanks Alex for your comment.
@@KenLoomer yes i think it is a good discovery. I liked the drums since i was a kid but i couldn't have a drum set and play in the house. So my parents bought me a guitar instead. Now i have a rehearsal space and the previous kit belonged to a former drummer of my band. He left it in my studio for nearly a decade, it was a Ludwig accent combo but he wanted it back. I couldn't leave my studio without drums so i bought these. I play a little now, but the basic stuff. The kit has a very good sound especially the kick and the snare which is a steel sensitone and it was sealed in its original packaging! I am going to put new Evans black chrome heads to all toms and plastic washers to all the tuning srews to increase the resonanse of the shells. I think that the set will go to another level! Thank you!
Nooo
This kit is unique...in her type....is.a treasure...old school
As you know,Pearl no longer makes the Vision drums. This one of a kind Vision drums made with all maple shells and the rare red sparkle lacquer finish does have that old school look and sound. Very easy to tune and they project the sound very well.
@@KenLoomer oh..thanks.
.mr.ken...for the video...paradise for the eyes.....from the true drummers....i have the export from 1993...
And no change..for other.jejej...is wood antique...polplar and mahogany...i like it..
The Vision series were a Great set of drums.
I agree with you Chris that the Pearl Vision Series drums were excellent. I`m sure glad I was able to find this new old stock set of the rare Vision drums with the all maple shell and lacquer red sparkle finish.Most important is the big open drum sound I could get out of these drums.Thanks Chris for your comment.
I knew something was up with these when i would look online about my kit and not be able to find much/a lot of misaligned info
There is currently a used 5 piece in silver sparkle lacquer for sale at my local drum shop for $550 CAN dollars. Great deal..
I used to have a VSX kit in Red Strata with Chrome HW. The snare was phenomenal! It is on my list of regretable sales/trades.
These Pearl Vision drums were very well made and a great buy for the drummer. I`m very happy with my all maple Pearl Vision drums that I bought. They tune up very well and have a great look to them in the red sparkle glass lacquer finish. Don`t know why Pearl stoped making the Vision drums.
I think Pearl have a life time warranty, from memory.
They do its for life so these drums are still covered
I have this kit the red sparkle VMX just as yours ...its as good if not better than the masters drums ! A phenomenal drum kit , pearl stoped making them because they were to good ! And out selling the masters kit , i have the red sparkle laquer ...you can hear them on my channel , exact same drum kit you have there..i have 10 12 14 16 and 22 bass... there absolutely Amazing drums and i will never ever sell them ever ! Best sounding kit i ever heard and i have played them all .
Wonderful you have this Pearl Vision all maple drum shell set with the rare red sparkle lacquer finish. All of the Pearl Vision drums were made in China except these Pearl drums with the all maple shell and red sparkle finish which were made in the Taiwan factory,the same as the Masters drums.Of course these Pearl Vision drums use a lot of the same parts as the Masters drums and it was the only factory that could do the lacquer finish. Great Billy you are using these drums and they have the best sound for you. Thanks for your comment.
@@KenLoomer I use them yes but I take exceptional care of them, always hard cases, always polished after a gig etc..Anyone who isluck enough to have these drums should hold on to them! one of the best drum kits ever made . Like I said all the videos on my channel feature this drum kit, every sound man I work with loves them ! The best part is i only paid 500 bucks brand new lol...years ago, they must be worth more now..I have never wanted for another drum kit since, they are that good ! enjoy yours !
Hi ken, i had a pearl vision strata red with black hardware,i bought them in 2009 and i think my vision is one of limited edition too
The Pearl Vision drums were excellent drums for that price range. Very well made and I always liked that red strats finish. Never saw the black hardware before so that must of been limited edition for that set. I`m sure you used those drums a lot. All my best to you.
i have the VSX, in orange sparkle and i like them,BUT, the bad thing with Visions is the thin hoops and the ISS mount system.I spent extra money for 2.3mm superhoops and optimount mounting system.So i think i sould have bought the Tama superstar or even better the Sonor 3005 which is way supreme.Only the VMX was made in Taiwan and it was maple,all the others VLX,VSX,VX where made in china
The good news is the drummer of today can buy whatever drum set best fits his or her needs. I thought these all maple shell Vision Pearl drums were very well made for the money at that time and the lacquer red sparkle finish looked great. Most important I was able to put the heads I wanted and tune them up for the sound that I was looking for in a drum set. Thanks for your comment.
There's a shell kit for sale in my area $500 aud.
It's made it china but the colour is rare. Like a black stripey onyx colour.
My wife may get upset again 😂😂
Like it!
These Pearl all maple shell Vision drums were only made for a short time and I still use them all the time. Great drums that were well made that I could tune for that big open warm sound that projected so well.Thanks Ivan for your comment.
I've got a 5 piece in that color and with the same badges. Justgot it used for $250
You bought an excellent set of Pearl Vision Drums with that red sparkle lacquer finish. That all maple shell sounds great with the right tuning.All my best to you Robert with your drumming.
Hello i own a 5 drum set in VMX in silver sparkle. I found on pearls website a 2008 catalog that shows the VMX line. They came in 5 colors No 266 terracotta, No 280 vintage wine, No 309 glacier white, No 360 silver sparkle laquer, No 362 red sparkle. With that being said i'm not sure what would make the red and silver that you mentioned to be rare. They really dont provide much other information.
All of the Pearl Vision Drums were made in China except the VMX Silver Sparkle Lacquer and VMX Red Sparkle Lacquer which were made in the Taiwan Pearl Factory. This is the same factory that makes the Pearl Masters drums. The reason is only the Taiwan factory can do the lacquer sparkle finish. You will see on your silver sparkle lacquer Pearl Vision badge Made In Taiwan. Plus your Vision drums has some of the same parts of the Masters Pearl drums like the bass spurs and floor tom bracket. What made my Pearl Red Sparkle Lacquer Vision set so rare was that it came as a shell package of 5 toms, the 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 inch size. Did your Pearl Vision Silver Sparkle set come with all of these toms? They only made this shell package for only a few of the elite Pearl dealers back in 2009. You own an excellent Pearl VMX Vision drum set Jesse that was only made for a short time. Thanks for your comment.
If these are as rare as you say, why would you drill extra holes in the kick to add cymbal arms?
For the simple reason I don`t buy drums just to look at them,but play them.I always put on cymbal arms on all of the drums I own.This is the set-up I always use and works best for me.
Hey Ken! This is a shot in the Dark but I have this same kit with only the 10x8 12x9 and 16 toms. I cannot find a matching 8x7 rack tom ANYWHERE Is there any chance you are trying to sell yours, or know some one who has one?
That is a rare size drum to find in the red sparkle finish in the Pearl Vision series.At this time I don`t want to sell my 8x7 inch tom.What you can do and I see one Pearl 8x7 inch Vision Tom for sale on e-bay is to redo the finish with a red sparkle wrap. I have seen seen another drummer with that 8x7 inch Vision tom with the red sparkle finish.
The search still goes on please let me no if you ever change your mind 😂.
Vision Maple Lacquer (VML)
The Pearl Vision Maple Lacquer drums were excellent drums for the money.My friend had a set and I really liked the sound and looks of those drums.These all maple shell Vision drums with the Red Sparkle Lacquer finish in my video were a great buy.Very well made and I enjoy playing them very much.
Hi Ken, may I know how much you bought this set for?
I bought these drums back in 2012 when they were New Old Stock for $675 from a Pearl drum dealer. They are so well built with the all maple shell. Most important these drums tune up great for the sound I like best which is full and open. Plus the lacquer red sparkle finish looks so great on these drums. I keep them in new shape and I play them all the time at my house.
Hi Ken, so this pack only consist of the Toms? Or is it the whole shell pack with the bass and the snare which includes the stands? Im a little bit confused because at 4:18 only the toms sizes were mentioned. Thanks for your reply earlier on and also in advance.
@@n9obs_win237 As I wrote in my description of this video that you can read above,all the toms,the bass drum,and the snare drum were part of the shell pack. This was new old stock that I bought from a drum dealer. It was a great buy for me and these Pearl Vision drums were so well made with the all maple shell and rare red sparkle lacquer finish. Most Vision drums were made in China,but these were made at the Taiwan factory like the Masters drums.
@@KenLoomer ok thanks!
a pity that they discontinued the vision and launched the decade that incidentally does not compare in sound
I agree with you the Pearl Vision drums were excellent sounding drums. I`m very happy with these maple shell Vision drums and they were very well made for the money.
Is that the Pearl Sensitone Custom Alloy snare, Ken.
I guess you did not see the entire video since I showed that this Pearl Vision drumset came with a special 6 ply maple shell snare drum in the rare red sparkle glass finish.