with all the new drum models coming out (catalinas, 3001) and new brands coming in (pdp, dw) its good to be a drummer today
my mall for today is sm southmall. as you guys know, i regularly visit and do music shop rounds. there was a sale and i saw this fernando kit on display at jb. man I WAS FLOORED! i couldnt believe the quality of the kit, its top notch! i was able to inspect it closely since it was not setup.
the shells: squeaky clean...white with goodness birch. no defects. no dark spots (as is common on sonor drums). really well made. edges are perfect. inside of the shells are unfinished but smooth (same as all the other more expensive brands).
hardware: all toms with suspension mounts. decent pedal and hihat stand. im very sure its better than pdp on the chrome plating and actual casting of the lugs.
finish: although they only come in wraps, the blue pearl on display is awesome. they have some cheesy wraps too but finishes are subjective to the customer any way. i just love the blue pearl they had
sizes: the one i inspected were a fusion kit, 10, 12, 14 toms. all hanging, no floor tom with legs. get this, 20" bass drum!
the bottom line : price is 18k.. dude .... ssaawwweett
i've heard a fernando kit live (played by jb of the dawn at the levi's clinic) and sounded ok on stock heads. i can only imagine the sound potential if it had better heads on it.
if you try to line up all the locally available drums inside a room. remove their badges and just straight away examine sound, construction and aesthetics...
the fernando can stand against sonors, catalinas, pdp and the questionable dw. i just could not find any fault on the display kit.
im very OC when it comes to gear and im very proud to say that i dont care what brand you put in front of me, if i like what i hear and see then thats it. now im convinced this the new kit im going to buy, i can channel my other funds for other new toys
sorry no pics, maybe i should use part of my funds to get me a new digicam or a fancy cell with cam...hmmmm
bubwit out
ps: you may or might not agree with me but this is my personal opinion only and from what i personally examined, you might not have the same exhilirating experience when you visit a different store with a different display kit. its a base to base casis ok (grabe may case of GAS din ang drummers, buti na lang wala pa kong pera ngayon kung hindi e di laking pagsisisi ko kung nabili ko kaagad yung pdp
)