Review

DrumCraft Series 8 Acrylic Kit

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The clear attraction of DrumCraft's Series 8 Acrylic drums will not go unnoticed

Brian Frasier Moore was recently seen sporting a rather elaborately designed DrumCraft Series 8 Acrylic kit on Madonna's tour. That kind of endorsement and exposure can only add to the growing confidence of the German company with its innovative designs and radical looking drums, as it gains further footholds in what is a hugely competitive market.

Hazy Reputation
Previously, Acrylic drums had tended to be less dexterous than wood shell kits, though over the years they have absolved themselves of the reputation that the drums gained back in the '70s when shells could split, shatter, seams would come apart and tonal qualities were never quite as expansive when compared to those found in wood shells. How things can change!

Full Transparency
Luckily, in 2013 the world of drum making has advanced several notches, as has design and technology, and the clever people at DrumCraft have sourced a fabulous 7mm seamless acrylic shell that not only looks great, but sounds damn fine too.

Both rack toms benefit from DC's Zero Gravity tom mounts that buffer and support the toms, allowing for greater resonance with reduced shell contact and feature a hinged memory lock that is an integral part of the tom bracket itself.

There's more too…

DrumCraft Series 8 Acrylic Kit Review

See Right Through It
The snare drum benefits from the inclusion of a polycarbonate Nickelworks throw off, alongside 2.5mm projection hoops, said to enhance tuning stability. And all drums feature stainless steel tuning rods. The kick drum's die cast claws are backed with hoop protecting nylon inserts that tension evenly whilst protecting the hoop's finish. Kick drums are un-drilled thereby letting the shell remain uncluttered and stress free, allowing it to perform to its optimum potential.

Conclusion
Establishing a comfortable set-up with the two rack toms and single floor tom was made all the simpler by mounting the rack toms onto DC's Series 8 hardware via multi-clamps and single tom arms.

Once set, the sound you get as you thunder - intentionally or unintentionally - around the drums is really very inspiring, with low fat thick and loud rock beats exciting your ears. Tuning was very simple too, though the drums sounded great right out of the box (no, really - honest!). Clear Remo Ambassadors sit top and bottom of all toms, the meaty and very woody sounding snare gets a coated CS head and the mighty 22 x 20" kick gets a Powerstroke III suit. The head/shell combination is spot on, resulting in a fabulous overall sound that anyone could enjoy.

DC's hardware is well designed, road rugged and well thought out with many practical advantages too - just like the drums then.

Tech Spec

Series 8 Acrylic

7mm Extruded Seamless shells

Satin Chrome or Black Nickel hardware

Set Ups

Progressive

22 x 20" kick

10 x 8" rack

12 x 9" rack

16 x 14" floor tom

14 x 5.5" snare