Pearl Joey Jordison Signature Review

Overall Rating

I bought this kit, the Signature 8 peice Joey Jordison Pearl Export kit, expecting it to be mainly hype, and money lost to a famous name with no real quality - but i was mistaken.

I paid $2499 (aud) for it, and was pleasantly surprised by the performance, especially of the Pearl P120P pedals. Being single chain and a fairly old model, i didn't expect them to be as smooth or adjustable as they are, although, the springs are kind of painful to tighten at times.

The 13"x6,5" Jordison Signature snare is obviously the talk of the kit in most reviews, although i have heard better, i agree that it's decent. Tuned just right it can be made to sound like anything from a Chris Adler style snare, to a George Kollias style snare, to a Jordison style snare - moreso on the "All Hope Is Gone" album, even a "St. Anger" style snare, if you're into that kinda thing, but that can be done with almost any household appliance.

The 10"x08", 12"x09", and 13"x10" toms haven't disappointed me, they have a very clear, deep sound, even with the mediocre heads that come with the kit. I also especially have a certain fondness for the 14"x14" and 16"x16" floor toms, also clear, and even deeper, with a very nice resonance.

The 22"x18" bass drums are also satisfactory, the size definitely seems like it counts towards the quality, but it can be a hassle moving them around, especially for gigs.

I am however, disappointed with the suspension system, namely - the TH70I tom arms, of which there are three. The toms can be tightened in place as much as you want, and shortly after, can move completely out of place from standard everyday use.

The tom that's causing me the most trouble is the 13"x10 tom, which rotates almost 90 degrees when hit a few times if it's not tightened as much as humanly possible, which can get very annoying.

The bass drum legs Also have tightness issues, whether they're insanely tight, or not too tight, after enough use (anywhere from 1 to 2 hours) the legs seem to loosen themselves and give way, requiring constant tightening, not good if you're trying to play a concert or something.

I was disappointed that no cymbals came with the set, requiring me to fork out an extra $1000 or so dollars to get the ones i wanted, but i am happy with the B70W boom cymbal stands, and the C70W standard cymbal stand. The snare stand is also easily adjustable and quick to get into a comfortable position.

The H72W hi-hat stand is average, but is also something i really like about this kit, mainly due to the bad quality of the last hi-hat stand i had. guess the value for money couldn't be too great, or it wouldn't be worth making in the first place.

Personally, i think the kit should have come with a drum rack, cymbals, and even a slightly newer model of pearl pedal. The P2002 might be asking a bit much though :P

Overall, i'm happy with the kit, the pros outweigh the cons, but only just. I suggest at least considering a drum rack, cymbals (Paiste black alpha perhaps? :P), and possibly new heads.