Historically, in the world of drums, as with many other instruments, certain companies, or simply certain models, have become must-haves on the market for a variety of reasons (sound, price, finish, looks and so on), often by blending all of these factors.
They have tried to create different formulas for different purposes, since you have to keep in mind that not everyone who buys a drum kit does so on the same general criteria, nor do their needs have to be the same. In the best case, it could even be a process in which you keep experimenting and demanding different qualities depending on your path with the instrument, which is when you've entered this world, as they say, to stay.
In short, what I'm trying to express are some of the reasons why DW, and specifically its Collector's series, is one of the most sought-after drum kits and constantly on the rise. Drum Workshop, despite being a young company (about 30 years old), has introduced important innovations and advances to the market. For example, its pedals enjoy one of the best reputations around, and its flagship series, the Collector's, is almost what we could define as the paradigm of the drum kit of the moment. It was originally conceived following traditional American construction standards: thin maple shells with “reinforcing hoops,” which are small rings of extra plies at the inner ends of each shell.
Distinctive Features
The thin shell gives the instrument a greater and better abundance of low end, a quality that adds extra sweetness to the sound and the possibility of creating broader frequency balances in the response, what we commonly call a “fat” sound, and the reinforcing hoop works on the consistency of the shell, generating more volume and attack and projecting those qualities, which gives us that extraordinary “punch” and “low end” characteristic of Collector's bass drums, and the peculiar sweetness and attack of its snares. Then there's a new concept introduced in the Collector's, “timbre matching,” which is based on creating sound intervals between the shells of a single kit. That is, the kits come configured with different shells that have been previously selected for their acoustic relationship, where each is assigned a note and the most suitable cadence among the different sizes is sought in order to optimize the chosen set as much as possible. The result is that each drum in a set has its own identity and creates space around the others, sounding full and free, unlike a standard production kit, even a high-end one, where, despite tuning the drums to different notes, the resonance and fundamental tone are the same in all of them. This gives us that special contrast within a single kit, those wide, open-sounding toms characteristic of Collector's. In recent years, however, DW has expanded its production and also offers, within the Collector's line, the option of choosing among various alternatives within the same quality standard, such as birch shells, or the same thin-shell policy (6/7 plies) but without reinforcing hoops, depending on market demand.
Another special attraction of the Collector's is its finishes, among which there are different options such as “finishply,” which is a plastic layer covering the shell; “satin oil,” which is the shell itself painted and coated with a satin oil; “lacquer,” which is painted and lacquered, with a polished gloss finish in different variants such as custom or special; and “exotic,” which, as the name suggests, are finishes over exotic woods. There are also different options for lugs (the tension-rod casings on the shells) and hoops, which can be chrome (standard), gold or black, and it's worth noting that the tuning rods come with the “True Pitch” system, which uses a finer thread than standard for greater precision when adjusting head tension. Finally, on top of everything above, the Collector's offers a range of sizes in both diameter and depth capable of satisfying even the most demanding creativity.
Conclusions
All in all, in my view, the Collector's is a benchmark in the concept of building drum kits, and not for nothing one of the most sought-after models, not only by drummers but by professionals across the music world.
