Soooo, you like what they did with Gretsch, but not so much with what they are doing with their own dw drums, got it.Coffee Break2

That pretty much sums up my opinion. However, I admire their marketing success. The uninformed person might think that DW is the only brand of drums from what they see on television. I have a pretty fair notion about the endorsing artist lure of many brands of musical instruments. It's kinda difficult to see that a trumpet or saxophone player is promoting a particular brand. But, guitar players, bass players, keyboard players, and drummers are musical billboards for the brands they play. Some of our members are endorsing artists. I'm willing to bet money that no two of them with the same brand of endorsement have the same deal.

I'm curious what you don't like about dw drums?

Radio king 1 ply shell snares and the educational and marching market. That’s the ticket.

DW drums have never appealed to me. I know they are highly thought of but I don't like the look of the lugs and I guess I was just so indoctrinated by the big four (Ludwig, Gretsch, Rogers, Slingerland) that I don't have room in my heart for DW or any of the imports (was not really aware of Camco back in the day so that might play a part as well).

In fact I was once given a set of new DW drums and I swapped them even up for a Slingerland set.

If they are your favorite then that's great, everyone has an opinion, and this is just mine. Despite this I think this Slingerland deal is a good thing. That trademark was going to be sold to someone at some point. It is a business asset with value and Gibson or their receivers would get as much of that value out of it as possible. It could have just as easily ended up in the hands of some Chinese conglomerate. Imagine seeing First Act grade drums wearing Slingerland badges at your local Walmart. That well could have happened.

I was initially skeptical about DW drums until one day, I was in a Sam Ash and tried them out. That's all it took and I was hooked. They reminded me very much of the first Rogers set I owned. The toms sounded very similar, and the bass drum was a cannon. Eventually, through my contacts in the publishing and music business, I became acquainted with the people at DW and tried for an endorsement deal. John Good explained to me that it was late in the year and they had their quota of endorsees, and to contact them after January 1, which I did. Prior to that, they were nice enough to sell me a set at artist pricing, which I appreciated, but I eventually got my endorsement and have been there ever since. I love DW drums and I love my vintage drums too. I've got plenty of room in my life for all my drums.

Throughout the years, DW has treated me equally as well as they do their big names. They're good people. I'm extremely fortunate to be associated with DW, as I am with the other brands I endorse, and I have no intention of changing anything. That doesn't mean I don't like other types of modern drums; Pearl drums are gorgeous. I like the way they look and sound, for instance, but I won't play them.

One of the reasons I'm not on DFO anymore is due to the negative and continuous harassment that I and others got about using DW's. It got to the point where I felt it all boiled down to jealousy in many cases; let's tear down the drums we can't afford.

I was asked what I don't like about DW drums. I readily admit that my dislike for the brand is purely visceral. It's a gut feeling. Why? In the mid-1960's I fell in love with the beauty of the Camco drums. The round lugged works of art were being manufactured at 92nd Street in Oak Lawn, Illinois--a south suburb of Chicago. I had lived my entire life at 169th street in Hammond, Indiana. The street numbering system crossed the state line a half mile from my house. I ordered a Camco set from the smallest music store in my home town. The other American-made drum lines were carried by the bigger stores.

My Camco drums served me well. They tuned up easily to the tensionings that I preferred. A lot of my drum preference is related to the way the drums feel when I strike the drum heads with my sticks. Rogers drums felt great to me. So did Slingerland. Ludwig and Gretsch never did feel "right" to me. Playing my Camcos felt very much like playing my Rogers or Slingerland drums. Plus, they had those gorgeous Art Deco lugs.

I still had good thoughts about Camco when the brand was sold to people who moved production to Chanute, Kansas. However, when the brand was sold again and moved to Los Angeles, the Camco magic was gone (for me). Then, the Tama involvement was a complete turn off--especially when they jacked with the design of the lugs.

In my many years of selling to music stores I've had ample opportunity to try out a lot of drums. I never got the comfortable feeling when playing DW drums. Although I don't like DW drums for me, I admire their business acumen and their marketing success. I also think that they have provided the impetus that Gretsch drums needed in much the same way Fender has lifted up the Gretsch guitar company through a very good working relationship with Fred and Dinah Gretsch.

That's a very long-winded answer to the question of what I don't like about DW drums. That answer boils down to my great respect for the company with no affinity for the way their drums and I connect. I have great hopes that one of my all-time favorite drum brands--Slingerland--will be resurrected in a form that is familiar and comfortable for me. But, I'm not their target demographic because I'm an older guy, who no longer gigs, and prefers vintage drums to new drums.

:2Cents:Never played them never thought much of them just the fact there called dw was it I’m just spoiled old school Ludwig guy always will be

I have two DW Performance snares that I like to play (6.5x14 and 5x14), and I share them across my vintage sets. Wednesday afternoon, I had an opportunity to trade for a DM performance kit. I'm in the process of replacing the heads, and learning to tune it.

I don't gig, partly because I didn't want to drag the vintage sets out where they could be damaged. But the DW could fill that role. I'll give it a shot with an open mind... worst case I'll sell it!

Sadly, non-founder company ownership is the way of the world. Family-owned businesses are becoming incredibly rare and a lot of the iconic brands we know are owned by other conglomerates, sometimes in completely unrelated fields. For example:

Pepsi owns Starbucks

The Walt Disney Co. owns ABC, Marvel, LucasFilms and ESPN

Anheuser-Busch owns Beck’s Beer

VW owns Lamborghini and Bentley

Amazon owns Whole Foods (and soon, the whole world)

When I look at the DW takeover of the Slingerland brand, I think it’s pretty great that it’s been acquired by an independently-owned American drum company and not some holding company that will ultimately flip or destroy it. And the fact that they are an innovative and quality-focused company, now with a portfolio of some of the greatest drum brands ever…all the better. It's a huge responsibility to own Gretsch and Slingerland in addition to DW. I suspect they know it and will treat all with respect.