Updated on March 12th, 2022
Choosing a drum kit is an important part of the process of perfecting the craft. It can be difficult to choose the right drum kit. This Pearl Roadshow 5 Piece review is going to help the decision making process a whole lot easier.
The first thing every drummer asks when they start out is “should I buy used?” or “should I buy new?” the answer is very simple if you can afford new you should always buy new.
That is point number one when you are looking at the Pearl Roadshow 5 Piece is that the affordability jumps right out at you.
The Pearl Roadshow 5 piece is an affordable kit. It can easily fit into most budgets.
A Word About Pearl
Knowing who you are doing business with is very important. Pearl has been in the drum business for a long time and it is a trusted company.
Pearl Musical Instrument company is headquartered in Japan but has offices globally. This musical instrument giant manufacturers several brands like Adams. Pearl got its humble start in the 1940’s manufacturing music stands.
By 1953 the company officially became Pearl Musical Instrument Company (it was previously known as Pearl Industry Ltd) and began making percussion instruments like drum kits, timpani’s and Latin instruments. They also made the original musical stands that they started the company off with and cymbals.
Until the 1960’s Pearl also constructed shells for other musical instrument companies that made drums. For a period of time Pearl was distributed in the US under the Norlin name the parent company of Gibson guitars which forever associated the two.
Of course Gibson was such a well-known brand in the US that the Pearl brand also became well-known because it was associated with Gibson Guitar.
Pearl has been a leader in the drumming community for years and have made their share of innovative contributions to percussion instruments over the years.
They designed a line of drums that had composite shells that they termed as phenolic. They dubbed the line of drums as the Vari Pitch line that sold very well.
They use a SST (superior shell technology) that they designed to craft their drums. The process entails boiling each ply of the shell so that the glue boils through and the shell can form a very tight seal.
This process was designed by Pearl and is patented. The result of the process is a seamless seal. Pearl is famous for their Humvee on top of the Tom drum to show how powerful the seal is.
Today Pearl is internationally known and has a global presence with a 140,000 sq. ft. facility in Nashville TN in the US and other manufacturing plants worldwide. Most of the drums from Pearl are made
There are three main arms of the Pearl Musical Instrument Company. Pearl Drums USA, Pearl Drums Brazil and Pearl Music Europe. All three fall under the umbrella of Pearl Musical Instrument Company headquartered in Japan.
What Does the Pearl Roadshow 5 Piece Offer?
Now that you know that Pearl is a trusted company we can get down to the nuts and bolts of the kit. The kit offers some great quality and it shows.
One look at the Pearl Roadshow 5 Piece is all it takes to know that this is a quality kit. It is available in four different colors; jet black, wine red, charcoal and bronze metallic.
This 5-piece kit comes complete with:
- 22x16" bass drum
- a 16x16" floor tom
- 12x9" and 10x8" toms
- 5" snare drum
- All the hardware
- Cymbal package
Basically you pull it out of the box and you are ready to play. This is a quality drum kit that has a full 9 ply poplar shell system with 1.2 mm triple flanged hoops.
Click Here for Pricing, Pictures and Reviews on Amazon.com
It comes fully equipped with the drum heads and double braced hardware. You 2 cymbals, one 14” high hats and one 16” brass crash.
You also get the cymbal stands, throne, high hat stands, bass drum pedal and snare stand. The kit comes with maple sticks and a pro stick bag, it is a truly complete kit. Right out of the box it is ready to rock and roll.
Everything that you need comes in one box. Takes a few minutes to assemble everything that needs to be assembled but you will be on your way to playing in a very short period of time.
Are They Worth Buying?
The cost is affordable for an entire kit, the quality is there and so is the sound. The short answer is yes they are worth buying the long answer is a little more involved.
If there is one thing that it seems that everyone that has used them is complaining about it is the larger “crash” cymbal.
There have been some complaints that it is “too thin”. After checking it out, it does seem a little on the thin side but it really does not affect the sound.
It maybe that there has been an upgrade recently to the kit and the cymbal was changed out as part of the upgrade/update but the cymbal seems to be okay. If you find that it is too thin you can always replace it with something more to your liking.
Overall the kit works great. It is durable, the finish is nice and the sound is there.
Benefits of Owing the Pearl Roadshow 5 Piece Kit
The kit is shipped with a drum key to tighten and make any adjustments to the heads. The heads arrive at just the right tension but using the drum key to make the adjustments to your liking is a very easy solution.
Some manufacturers do not include the drum key so you have to purchase one separately. The key is shipped with the kit in a separate envelope so it is not banging around the box and damaging the drums. This is a well thought out kit right down the drum key.
It is easy to assemble which is a huge bonus. You do not have to spend hours and hours trying to get the stands together and tighten heads down. You open the box and in less than an hour ready to play!
Pearl is the largest manufacturer of drums in the world so you know that the quality is there. The shells are 9 ply which means that they are tough as nails and can easily take a pounding.
The shells are highly lacquered to give them an excellent look as well as for performance. The shells are built for great tonal ability. This kit brings excellent sound to the table.
The seamless design serves the purpose of giving the kit THAT look that you want and people love AND the shells never impede the sound.
As a matter of fact, the seamless shells enhance the sound. This kit is the standard of high quality practice kits.
The shells are only half the story the heads are Remo classics that are designed so that each drum works together but is designed as a separate instrument to give a unique sound. Of course you have the reliable Pearl hardware that holds it all together nicely.
When you buy a Pearl kit you are buying a classic kit that will endure many years of practice sessions. Let’s also not forget that these kits are affordable.
Room for Improvement?
The sound is there, the quality is there and it is complete. Of course you can always upgrade the sticks if you are so inclined but there is no need to it would purely be a personal choice.
Since there has been some talk about the cymbal if it does not suit you, you can easily purchase one that you find more suitable.
At this price point it would be very difficult to find a drum kit by a manufacturer that is as well-known as Pearl.
There really is nothing that needs to be done to this kit to improve it, it is ideal as is. Any changes that you would make would be for your own personal preference.
Overall
If you have the budget to buy new you should. Buying used may be tempting but you may be buying someone’s headache. Typically, people do not get rid of a drum set unless they are having issues with it like faulty hardware or worn heads.
Getting off on the right foot is very important when you play any instrument and is also true of drumming. This is a good kit that is highly rated by users and is a good investment.
Pearl is a very well-known name in the drumming community among professionals and amateurs alike. You cannot go wrong with a Pearl drum kit and the Pearl Roadshow 5 Piece is a great example of what Pearl has to offer.
You have everything you need in one kit. The price point is ideal, the kit is complete and even comes with a special bag for your sticks!
Click Here for Pricing, Pictures and Reviews on Amazon.com
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