What
if each drum in your drum set was engineered as an instrument
unto itself. Each tom designed to respond perfectly within
the confines of its respective frequency without compromise
over any other area of your kit. This is the mission behind
Reference Series. A complete set of individually engineered,
incredible sounding drums.
In
1999, Pearl began its most ambitious undertaking, The Masterworks
Series, the world’s first truly custom drums. Designed
for the player by the player. Every aspect of the manufacturing
process was custom made, from the number of wood plies, the
wood selection, to the final finish. Over the last 5 years,
through arduous listening tests, Masterworks has taught us
a great deal about drums and what makes the perfect shell.
So forget what you think you know about drums and take a close
look at Reference Series, the most acoustically advanced drums
in the world. To fully understand the Reference Series you
must understand that the desired tonal characteristics of
a 10½ tom are completely different than that of a 22½ bass
drum. Thus to use the same material in both drums would result
in a compromise.
Reference
Series drums use a combination of task specific bearing edges
and 3 time proven woods, Birch, Maple, and African Mahogany.
Using Maple as a sole material has long been the traditional
choice for shells and for good reason. Maple provides smooth,
well balanced tone that is perfect for a 12½ tom. Subsequently,
all Reference Series 12½ toms are composed of 6 plies of Maple.
The only single wood shell in the series. Our 10½ and 8½ toms
receive 4 plies of Maple with 2 inner plies of Birch for cut
and attack. And for maximum response, all 13½ and smaller
toms have a rounded 45° bearing edge.
Beginning
with our 13½ tom and larger, Mahogany is added to the inner
plies to increase the lower frequencies and accentuate the
warmth of the Maple. The 14½ toms and larger begin using our
fully rounded bearing edge for even more shell contact. Our
18½ and 20½ bass drums use 4 inner plies of Mahogany with
2 outer plies of Maple. As the size of the bass drums increase,
so does the amount of Mahogany. Our 22½ and 24½ bass drums
incorporate an amazing 6 inner plies of Mahogany surrounded
by 2 outer plies of Maple for the ultimate in solid responsive
bass frequencies.
With
Reference Series, it’s not about compromise, it’s
about every drum in your kit performing at its optimal capacity.
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