This time we've tested a drum kit that can be classified as “entry level,” mainly because of its price: 699 €. Keeping that figure in mind from the start forces a constant comparison between the quality on offer and what you pay for it, and we can't help passing judgment up front (the undoubted origin of the word “prejudice,” which has since picked up other meanings that don't concern us here). You'll soon understand why this is a kit that stays in the mind of whoever buys it.
This is the Forum FZ model, built from poplar and consisting of a 22x18” bass drum; 10x8”, 12x9” and 14x14” toms with a 14x5.5” snare; bass drum pedal and hi-hat pedal, two cymbal stands, a throne, and the holders and legs needed for the mounted toms and the floor tom. It also comes with a basic cymbal set: 14” hi-hats, a 22” ride and a 16” crash, all Pearl brand.
This particular model has the finish called Zenith Gold, but other colors are available in the range, such as Red Wine or Jet Black. You can find a sample online.
It comes standard with clear single-ply heads from Pearl, the Protone Drum Heads line, on the batter side of the toms, and plain Pearl on the resonant side. On the snare there is a coated white head as the batter and a thin clear single-ply Pearl as the snare-side head.
Finally, the bass drum is equipped with a clear single-ply batter head and a black resonant head decorated with the brand's logo. Both have a wide inner ring of thick single-ply film to absorb any excess overtones.
What You Notice During Setup
To begin with, I find a bass drum pedal with a flat base and non-slip rubber pads, with no anchoring spikes. It's the P-120P model and has a solid base to rest your foot on, firmly attached with a solid hinge and with practically no play. It has a single chain, a beater with two striking surfaces, and a spring to adjust tension.
At first glance it seems like a good pedal, although the fact that it's entry level makes me think the construction materials can't be the best, especially the black body that gives it its shape. If treated with care, it should be durable enough.
The hi-hat stand has slim hardware, which makes sense, but the wing nuts are solid and the legs have a double last section, finished with wide rubber feet. It shares a solid, comfortable base with the bass drum pedal, though this one has two rods instead of the flat base and is adjusted with an anchoring screw. The rubber feet are thick and solid and the whole thing sits securely on the floor without any sign of instability.
All the hardware is tightened with wing nuts that are interesting because of their exclusive design. They're wide and comfortable, being ergonomic, so you can grip them with your sticks to apply force if necessary. A curious system that may well get you out of a jam more than once.
As for the cymbal stands, both share everything with the hi-hat stand, from the style of the legs to the quality of the rubber feet. Special mention goes to the fact that the straight stand has three extendable sections, which always increases the positions where you can place the cymbals.
The snare stand looks the same, with the notable feature of a double thread for finding the tilt of the snare, a very solid system. The throne is simple, rather hard, and has a memory lock to set the height.
The toms are attached to the bass drum with two twin bars. The tubing here is indeed thick, as it had to be at such a key point. As on the snare stand, the tilt angle of the tom is set with the same double-thread system, and it also has good wing nuts and memory locks to fix both the height and the position of the tom.
And now comes the moment to mount the floating tom suspension system, called ISS, which is a very noteworthy feature on a kit at this price, since it shows a clear interest in respecting the acoustic capability of each tom. The system fits onto the hoop with no difficulty and is secured with two square-head screws. Once the ISS is mounted, it stands out for fitting perfectly, like the rest of the kit's components, offering truly remarkable reliability and solidity.
When it's time to put the heads on the bass drum and floor tom (the factory ships with the mounted toms' heads already installed), the construction of the shells on the inside catches the eye. You can clearly see how the poplar plies are joined, and a final sanding of the seams would have been welcome. The wood is light in tone and its sound could recall birch in tone and body.
A key point is how the hoops fit with the head, and here we find that they have some play, which is a problem when it comes to holding the tuning afterward. The gold finish on this model clearly shows the vinyl seam, and a bit more aesthetic care is missing in finishing the assembly.
Let's turn now to the cymbal set that comes with the kit. As expected, they are mass-produced models, not hand-hammered. They are very light cymbals, which shows that the metal alloy used in making them is not the most cutting-edge.
The package is rounded out with a pair of Vic Firth 5A sticks, a drum key and an instructional DVD showing how to assemble and tune the kit, tips for getting started, the brand's most prestigious series, and a few more clips of renowned musicians who use Pearl, such as Omar Hakim and Dennis Chambers. Good for a pleasant afternoon in front of the TV.
The Sound
The toms have a sound that is fairly balanced between overtones and low tones, with notable definition in the strokes. They work better with high tunings, since low tunings increase the risk of unwanted excess overtones.
On the bass drum you can hear the effect of the inner ring on the heads, which gives a powerful hit rich in overtones. The thing to do is spend the time needed to find the balance, since it has a bit too much of them, but with a little absorbent help inside you get the desired result.
The snare adapts well to all kinds of tunings, but it's advisable to give it some time for the heads to settle properly. We recommend tuning the drums high and playing for a while before gradually lowering the pitch. That way the tunings will last longer and the sound will be more reliable. This is a very common trait of entry-level kits, whether because of mass production or the use of more affordable materials.
The cymbals fall behind in comparison with the volume the rest of the kit puts out. That was to be expected. They also fall short in brightness, which won't matter much for the first steps in this world.
Conclusions
This is a complete kit designed for a musician to take their first steps, and as such it deserves a positive assessment. The experience behind its manufacture shows in many places, always to the brand's credit. The use of acoustically respected woods, solid hardware, and a sound of appreciable quality make it a serious option for getting started and for falling in love with its many details.
I suspect that anyone who starts playing on this kit will become a loyal customer of the brand.
