Sonor has been very good so far in influencing the world of drums. Every product they produce is made with the best features. The company has been at the forefront of making a high-end drum kit for many years and has built a reputation in this.
Many of those who have reviewed Sonor drums have mentioned a lot of positive views than negative ones. Most importantly, they insist on the high-quality of these drums.
What makes Sonor drums good?
If you have used a German machine or any product made here, you already know the quality of quality we are talking about here. It is the same with their drums too. Sometimes they seem to exaggerate in this, but that is just how they make consumers happy.
The Sonor’s Essential Force is one of the best drum set you will find out there. And but beginner, it does not mean they are any worse.
Sonor has retained many of the things that give them a great reputation. Their approach to constructing superbly crafted drums remains unmatched, only getting better.
This series does not say any less. They come well-built, with beautiful finishes and incredible sounds.
Let’s look at some of the solutions you will get.
Overview
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Sonor seems to focus on only getting better with virtually every product they make. And their reputation is clearly displayed in the Essential Force S-Drive Kit.
The Force series generally has been a healthy-line from Sonor for many years. And now, they have introduced you to an even wider choice of drums.
You will find significant upgrades and numerical suffixes that have come to define the brand. This move helps them clear up things about where the kids come from and the manufacturer’s year.
Many of Sonor’s kits are made in Germany, but some of the components on today’s drums come from China. This has always confused many users who may have wanted to confirm where Sonor came from.
The Select was pitched at the top end of the series to offer a choice for the mid-range market. It was formerly known as 3007, but the name has since changed.
These drums are constructed from maple, while the counterparts, the Essential Force (formerly 2007), is made from birch.
On the lower end are the Smart Force kits, formerly known as the 507, which give beginners a good performance. You will also find the Xtend, which is a set of starter cymbals, and an extra cymbal stand with these kits. Each of the drums is made from poplar, which makes them cheaper than the others.
This kit not different in this sense. You can always be sure of a drum set that will serve you for a long time while delivering admirable tones.
Sonor Essential Force Stage S
In this review, we will focus mostly on the Sonor’s Essential S-Drive Force drums kit. This is a six-piece drum set containing a unique combination of a 14 by 6 ½-inch snare drum, a 12 by 7-inch rack toms, 14 by 12-inch and 16 b 14-inch floor toms, and a 22 by 20-inch bass drum.
This kit comes with great double-braced hardware bearing the famous half-moon nuts and bulbous rubber feet apart from the drums. You will get stands for the hi-hat and the snare, two boom-type cymbal stands, and an SP473 bass drum pedal with a dual beater. As if that not enough, a set of resin ball-type mounts with multi-clamps for each rack tom.
In terms of quantity, this is the largest setup from the Force Family.
It comes with more drums, a setup of five pre-configured kits from the brand. But you can also choose from a variety of 15 additional individual drums and hardware in case you want to expand your kit. You can take your kit to any size you want as long as you need to expand.
Each kit and individual drums come that come in a choice of six finishes. Hence, you can pick from the Brown Fade, Amber Fade, Green Fade, Blue Fade, Birch, and Piano Black. But you may have to dig a bit deeper in your pockets to get the pleasure of reveling in the virtual delights.
It is the beautiful appearances of these drums that also make many people want to have one. At first glance, you will be attached to its beauty before you even start playing.
Even though it’s not a professional quality kit, it will still make you feel like you are working on a professional piece.
The Construction
The Sonor’s Essential S is configured with a comparatively huge and undrilled bass drum. It is among the biggest bass drums you will find on any kit. There is even no comparison for this bass drum from any manufacturer.
But that is just one of the things that make Sonor stand out; they make sure everything you get is well designed to meet all your needs.
The toms come in ‘quick’ variety with a huge depth, just like those found on the Tama Superstar Hyper-Drive kits. Here, the reduction between the batter and the resonant heads usually delivers a more immediate response on the stick.
This also decreases the overall total weight of the kit, allowing for the addition of more ergonomics. This would be a great deal for those who love a lower setup.
Every shell is built from six plies of one birch using a process called CLTF (Cross Laminated Tension Free), which Sonor says will ensure maximum strength and perfect roundness.
The shells have been taken carefully through machining to reach a fairly standard 45-degree bearing edge. And there is also a small counter-cut at the far outer edges of the shell, which gives the bearing edge a sharp-picked edge.
The series comes with many upgrades, among them the rubber gaskets on the bass drum claws, memory locks on the kick drum spurs, and a metal badge. You will also notice that the new metal snare mechanism gives it a rather sharp appearance.
However, these may not seem like important upgrades since you will find them in many other similar products.
But the unique and typically Sonor-Esque lugs are the biggest upgrade. They come with a cunning bridge-style design, which reduces the footprint and keeps them from being heavy. Hence, you are looking at one of the most light-weight drum sets you can have.
Each of the lugs is made with Sonor’s anti-detuning TuneSafe system that keeps the drums is set. The tension rod is kept around the lower portion of the thread internally using a nylon insert.
Another great feature here is Sonor’s suspended tom mounting system TAR. This Total Acoustic Resonance System comes with a T-shaped, 3-mm thick steel plate attached at the top using burly grommets around two of the lugs. This mounting system makes it easy to attach the snare, letting you put up your gear in place with great ease.
If you look at the lower side of this bracket, you will notice that it’s attached through a single fixing boll, which keeps the whole setup sturdy in place.
This is a very remarkable approach from the company, taking that most manufacturers just suspend their mounts from the upper side of the RIMS mounts.
The suspended toms feature the same type of hinged clumps, which keep everything in place, ensuring you get the best angle setup with ease.
Sonor has been very effective in using these aspects since the floor toms legs don’t give knurling. They use the superior grip of these clamps, which are able to maintain their shapes.
For many years, the company has proved effective in coming up with new ideas for making drumming more fun. And this is one of the ways they have proved this. It is not only in offering the best features that they excel but also in ensuring the highest quality in every product.
If you have never used Sonor’s product before, this could be the best time to get Sonor’s Essential Force S.
Sound and Feel
Now to the most important aspect of any drum setup, the drum sound. Sonor does not only make their drums to last long, but to perform great as well.
The bass drum and the largest of the toms on this kit do not come pre-assembled, but the rest do. The TuneSafe system, however, makes it easy to get the kick in the right position. It could be very hard getting this with fingers alone, which is why this feature is crucial.
Apart from tuning the bass drum, the rest of the kit was easy to work with. It only needed a tap and a tweak using a standard drum key tune with each drum pitching quickly and with ease.
Straight from the box, these drums looked amazing, and they could get anyone salivating.
The mere detail on the suspended toms was unlike anything you might have ever seen. But we were not expecting anything less from any Sonor drum.
The sound they produced was just as pleasing as the drums looked. The smaller tom gave a birch bite, cutting nicely through the bass that came from the kick.
The kick did not disappoint either. Although it began with a rapid response, we tensioned both heads some more just to give it that feeling of a perfect drum kit.
Unfortunately, the kit is supplied with inferior Chinese heads. But it still sounded great.
Much of the overall sound comes from the drum head and the sharp bearing edge.
Sonor Essential Force Birch Review
Sonor Essential Force Birch comes with the same configuration as the S-Drive above. However, it is made from birch, which makes it a bit more superior.
The sound is not bad either, even though the shells are supplied from China still.
You could find some issues identifying that sweet spot, but that should be a big problem.
Verdict
If you are looking for a unique kit, this drum set should be good. It may not have good quality shells on the drums, but their tonic features are remarkable.
