DW (Drum Workshop) is an American drums company located in Oxnard, California. It has been in existence for about five decades now, and they manufacture high-quality drums. It is among the best drum manufacturing companies on the planet.
This article aims at giving you the best review of the DW Collectors series vs. Design series. We shall make a direct comparison, giving you the best details that you need to know. Some people might be blank when it comes to DW drums.
I will take you through drums’ build quality, cost, design, and sound useful in determining the winner pack. It is a beautiful idea to educate our drummers to get the best out of their drum heads.
DW is a famous Company renowned for the production of high-quality drums worldwide. They are known as the pinnacle of drum manufacturing because of their outstanding and exceptional manufacturing. They are improving their products every day.
I was so impressed when I heard that DW had launched a new, more affordable line of drums known as the Design series. I knew that it had all the features that modern drummers are looking for in a drum.
Thus, let us go through this comparison of the legendary DW Collectors series vs. Design Series. You can make your final decision after going through this article.
What is the difference between DW performance and Collector?
DW Company manufactures these two high-quality products. They are both fantastic, but we need to know the better one. Every drummer needs the best, which can only be achieved once you know these fantastic drums features.
DW is known as the ‘Ferrari of Drums’ because they have created some of the most fantastic drums and innovations in the percussion industry. It has continued to expand its territories by introducing a new series of DW kits. I have broken down the features of the DW performance series and Collector’s series to help you get your desired type.
DW Collector’s Series
The Collector’s series has much to do with having a custom kit. Its hardware, shell ply configuration, sizes, and finish make it a drum that every drummer yawns to have. It comes in a specific production of colors, but you can have yours customized.
This drum is made of exotic woods and comes in different sizes that you can pick from. The size of the drum is a vital aspect when making your decision. You are the one who knows the type of sound that is required in your music genre.
The shell configuration is another thing that determines the exact sound that you are going to get from your drum. We know that you might love to have high-pitched tom toms but very low-pitched floor toms; thus, we got you covered.
The Collector’s series has every drum pitch matched to be in the DW kit. We always assume that 12 inches tom is automatically deeper than 10 inches in pitch, but that is not true.
All wood is different, and thus DW selects each snare for your custom kit and records the pitch of the shell before making any other adjustments. This makes the drums in their natural state descend in terms of the pitch as the sizes become bigger. This feature is crucial in making that classic DW sound and giving you a perfect product, a customized kit you always yawn to have.
DW Performance Series
My friends usually want to know the difference between the Collectors’ Series and the Performance Series. My answer is always the same, ‘Nothing.’ This answer shows that the DW Performance Series drums are North American Maple.
These series are made and assembled well in the same factory by the same people as the Collector’s series, just not made to be a custom drum. It is made in generous sizes and colors, offering unlimited options for you, unlike the Collector’s Series. The good thing is that quality is not compromised at all.
The Performance Series is made with a unique shell configuration known as HVX. This technology makes the pitch of the drums descend as the sizes increases. This eliminates the person-hours of handpicking shells like the Collector’s Series.
The cost of this kit is much affordable, but this does not sacrifice the drum’s quality. The quality and sound of this fantastic product are exceptional. This is a high-end kit with a fantastic look, feel, and sound at a smaller price than its predecessors.
What is DW Design Series?
DW Design Series is designed to offer the DW sound at a price point above a nice PDP kit. This kit is made of North American Maple (crucial for the quality of sound) and assembled in Taiwan. The labor costs are significantly reduced, but they could deliver a fantastic drum set at an affordable price.
The design series is available in different colors and a handful of configurations. The most renowned drummers in the world use this kit. I have seen it several times being played at international acts by the great drummer, Jacob Gunter.
You will never go astray with this Design Series, whether you are a beginner, a professional, a gigging musician, church who needs quality without affecting the budget. I am a proud owner of three DW kits; thus, I speak from experience that these kits’ sound and feel can never be found elsewhere.
Are DW drums the best?
There has been a great improvement to DW drums over the years. This company is now among the highly ranked drum manufacturers around the globe. They produce quality sound that every drummer would like to have in his/her band.
I have been using these kits from DW, and I can assure you, I have no regrets. The kit has been working correctly for the whole decade. One kit was stolen some years ago because someone enjoyed the fantastic performance I offered and needed more.
Other renowned musicians in the world are using the DW kits on international stages. The kit takes your career to the next level. You can get yours today and enjoy the best sounds that will make you want to play every time.
Why are DW drums so expensive?
These kits are quite expensive, but they deliver quality sounds that give value to your money. There is no need to have a cheap product that does not meet the required standards. The DW drums are durable; thus, you will not revisit the shops once you have them.
DW design series vs. collectors Series
We now want to compare the best of the DW Company. If you do not have either of these products, I do not know what you are waiting for. Nevertheless, let us look at the difference between these two competitive drums. This will help you decide which one to buy.
Sizes, customization, and finishes
There are limited ranges of finishes and drum set configurations available for the DW Design Series. This is understandable because DW aimed at reducing the price tag significantly by streamlining the manufacturing process.
However, the available configurations and finishes of the Design Series are stunning. The series has five attractive finishes, namely;
- Cherry Stain Lacquer
- Gloss White
- Tobacco Burst
- Black Satin
- Clear Acrylic
On the other hand, the Collector’s Series is the ultimate customer experience. Your drum kit can be any finish and has a set of configurations that you can imagine. You can buy Collector’s series with any finish or drum set configurations and choose your woods, shell depths, hardware, and more.
With the Collector’s series, you can choose one among many finish options: hard, exotic, lacquer, satin, and finish ply choices. However, the prices of the Collector’s series are a bit higher than the design series.
Build quality and features
DW did a fantastic thing by taking most of the Collectors series’ high-end features and putting them into the Design Series. However, the price was kept affordable despite the addition of new features.
The DW Design Series has a thicker North American Maple shell that produces warm and rounded tones. This drum can deliver killer sound because of the newly designed mini Turret lugs, STM suspension mounts, True-Pitch tuning rods, and the Remo heads.
Sound and performance
This is now the most critical section that every drummer has been waiting for. It is challenging to compare the sounds collector’s series vs. design series with similar drum set configurations. Both sound full and have a pronounced low end and responsiveness.
The Design Series gives an excellent tonal balance, projection attack, sustain, and warmth. This makes these drums perfect as expected from a top-of-the-range flagship drum set.
The Design Series drum set, on the other hand, packs a punch. They are responsive and precise and produce a warm sound. However, my take is that the Collector’s Series sound more full and produce a smoother tone overall across the kit.
Price
This is where the real difference exists. As said before, to produce the design series and sell it at a lower price, DW had to streamline the manufacturing procedure by providing a small selection of finishes and making the drums in Taiwan.
However, this does not make them inferior in quality, sound, design, or looks. The Design Series drum set is a professional quality kit.
You will pay three times more for a collector’s series drum set than a Design Series with the same setup configuration.
