The Ultimate USA Drum Set Comparison - Noble Cooley / Ludwig / Gretsch / DW

Sooooo nobody else heard the “corn hub” intro but me?😂

I think this video just goes to show that tuning is the most important part of having a great sounding kit. They all sounded awesome and in a live context doubt you’d hear too much of the nuances that differentiate them

Nothing like drum workshop they have such an explosive range

Gretsch… hands down…

What ever happened to the Rogers drumset , and why do DW, Ludwig*, Gretsch, and Nobel Cooley drumsets have the same leggs?

I’ve used most of that lineup over the years but right now I have to say the Ludwig’s have the tightest sound with nice notes and little overtones 👊🤘

I play Gretsch USA, Tama B/B. The Ludwig kit is very difficult to beat…

For me, Ludwig drums have a certain resonance that I really like.

That Gretsch finish is just so awesome!

Literally they all sound great and pretty much 98% same. As a sound engineer I know that in music this goes pretty much up to 100%. You wouldn't be able to tell at all if nicely edited together in a balanced track. Player, tuning, room acoustics, heads and stick dimensions covers lots of grounds standing next to a kit. Rest is descent miking and mixing. Buy the one that fits the bill and to your visual liking.

N&C won the day for me. Excellent vid.

Hard to beat the gretsch rack tom sound I just love how they sing

I think they all sound great! And if you ever need to unload one, I'd be happy to oblige you!

Addendum, the Noble and Cooley AND Ludwig are absolutely top drawer as well, of course, if I was going to make a custom special order it'd be either of the Gretsch, Noble and Cooley or DW.

Go USA! I'm from the UK and I'm proud of Premier drum's and the older non operational drum companies from here, and of course the newer one's, like BDC, Liberty and Cambridge drums, I think highwood are still in business too?!

The manufacturing and level of drum's on show in this video are absolutely mind blowing good! My favourites are DW and Gretsch, the others are amazing of course but the Gretsch and DW sonically and aesthetically are absolutely perfect, IMO, one day I'll place an order, not dissimilar to Shane's recent DW drum set home filler! 😅

Great video's DCP Thanks 👍

great video.... tuning and performing....thank you!!!

Excellent demo you guys laid it all out and made it a little easier to pick which drums people would consider to buy. I've never heard such a better demonstration of drum sets. Thank you. My personal choice is definitely Gretsch USA custom. To me, they sound more open and with a clean tone, not that the other drums sounded bad, but everybody is born with slightly different eardrums.

I thought that the Gretsch had the most personality and resonance of the bunch. I also liked the N&C a lot. I felt like the Ludwig was muffled, as if something was keeping it from reaching its full resonance. As for the DW, it just sounded generic. I liked all of the snares except for the DW Purpleheart. It did indeed have a metallic quality. If I want a metal sound, I'll get a metal drum. I do appreciate these videos, so thanks for making them!

Gretsch & Ludwig.

They all sounded great, but with those mic's & processing, any kit would sound great! lol. Seriously though, I think overall the Noble & Cooley drums sounded best. It'd be nice however to take take the best sounding of each brand & build a custom set, as some drum sizes sounded better than others.

during the head to head, you could tell that the DW resonated more, followed closely by Ludwig, Gretsch, then NC.

The Gretsch kit sounded the best to me, but that DW snare sounded amazing!

You don’t know how much I’m in love with DW, it just looks gorgeous, sounds good. I personally go for it cause I’ve always been a huge fan of DW, I still and always dream about it, so” i will give it a shout out for DW, 🎉John Good🎉 you’re a perfect example of a DW community, U just Rock and thank you for being showing your hard work, were just drum Families, so thank and God bless U. ❤❤❤

Gretsch and DW sounded as nearly the same as you can get. Blind test over and over they nearly indistinguishable. Both to me is what I listen for that both hit the mark..

These all sound amazing. If i have to choose, it's Ludwig, DW, Noble and Cooley, Gretsch

GRETCH 🎉

This is one of my favorite videos you guys have done, 4 exceptional kits from some of the most iconic brands ever. It makes it really hard to choose a favorite because of how nice they look and sound!! Side note- I'd love to see a full video from your time at the Gretsch factory!!

Hello! Very nice work. Question, what are the bottom heads, the same that comes with the drums?

Your videos are very well done, and informative. The Ludwigs really stood out to me in this comparison. All the brands sounded great as you would expect, but the Ludwigs were just a bit sweeter to me.

I wish I could see Remo 🥁

Would you be willing to share your tunebot settings?

Awsome job guys, thank you! Now I want a Noble&Cooly kit with a Ludwig bass drum and the DW snare :)

For me the Gretshc USA Customs took the cake. what stood out to me was that they had the most true clean and full sound especially in the rack toms. The other toms you can hear more of the stick attack than the actual tone of the shell. They sound so round but also have tons of punch, thats really hard to find these days.

In truth it is the heads that make the sound , the wood Is mostly just an adornment, if I had to pick a winner it would be the Gretsch but they all sound extremely good , I would be happy to play any of these kits , having said that , a great drummer can make an old and dilapidated kit , fitted with top end heads sound as good as anything whatever the price.

Why do they use cheap mics? If you have to just once rent some serious microphones and mic pre amps you’ll sell more drums

Thanks guys! I liked the DW's, but the Gretch snare.
All of these sounded great tho. I'm wondering if they're all around the same price??

Once I heard the N&C I knew that was going to win without hearing the rest. Those drums just smack you upside the head.

This may sound silly, but I think most drums sound like ground beef while Ludwig drums sound like steak (bones, gristle, fat, and all).

Yeah, i agree. Noble & Cooley are still the best drums you can buy.

Pleases... Introduce us to the cymbals.
They are so inseparable from this instrument...!!
Please...
Your videos sint moments of happiness in this world of noise and Tracking

Toms: N&C, Kick: Ludwig, Full kit: Gretsch. That dude in glasses looks like a doctor man😂 until he picks the drum sticks😄 you guys are good as dope😉

I liked the overtones and sustain of the N&C, but I thought the DW had the fullest and warmest sound. Not sure I’m a huge fan of that DW Purple Heart snare though. I guess for certain situations, but I’d never use it as my everyday all-around snare. All kits sounded really good.

Noble>Ludwig>Gretsch

Fav snare was Copper Ludwig

Amazing videos as always

To me, it's Noble & Cooley and DW.

I like the sound of Gretsch most and followed by Ludwig

Ill still take my Tama Starclassic maples over any of these, but really appreciate the comparison video!

Ludwig toms sounded the best.

Ur missing out not featuring Rogers! Their (kind of) new covington series sounds absolutely mesmerizing!!

I think a 24" kick would put the Gretch in the win column for me.

Beats