On drums...

There are some of us (maybe a minority, I don't know, but I suspect we are a larger group than polling would admit) who buy drums based upon the way they look. I always have, and I always will. A great looking drum that sounds bad is out. A bad looking drum that sounds good is a sorrowful reality. A beautiful drum that sounds great is always a candidate. So, while I cannot speak for other drummers, I can assuredly speak for the drummer who responds the way I do. In that light, there are two issues (couched in logorrhea) in a quote from Scott Loggsdon, fresh from junket to SONOR, that speak eloquently to the point:

1] The first quote is offensive to notions of Truth and Integrity. It implies that anyone who still believes in those outdated concepts is wet behind the ears ["kids"], and the new breed of tougher individual (in this case, one who can safely hide behind the folds of the corporate mantel) bravely dares to smash the old moral values in favor of hard realities that now rule the world. But, hey, that story is as old as the hills. Germany herself has added considerably to the sum of human knowledge on the manifestations and consequences of that attitude.

2] The second is obviously untrue, and intentionally deceptive. "We're just some local guys making great sounding drums; it never occurred to us that people bought our drums because they looked good." Yeah, and that's why Sonor (and every other drum company worth its salt) has brought so much energy to bear on visuals, even to the extent (in Sonor's case, at any rate) of losing sonic characteristics in order to bolster aesthetics. But here we are being told that we are superficial for our aesthetic drive, and should honor the purity of their dedication to tonal characteristics. Oh, the poor misjudged lambs!

Of course, this is all just spin, and who didn't know that would come back from Germany? But even spin has to make sense - it must be governed by an internal logic, if you will. The trouble here is that there are two decidedly different approaches, so about the time you've settled on one, the other pokes its annoying head into the mix: So which is it? Victors or Victims?

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Gregory

Awesome Greg. Very very well put.

Confirms my opinion on a forum owned by a product "employee". Mold those people, "kids", into your thoughts and agenda and thus you have a forum that is no longer a forum.

The larger part of the problem here for me is the avenue in which the supposed facts or information is being presented.

Hear hear

A perfect reply Gregory. Right on the spot.

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Goki - short from Goran

Let the good drums roll!!!

Did anyone else notice that the all expenses paid trip to Musikmesse was announced right after a certain thread was closed? Now THAT's a payoff!

Brian

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Drums and No Money will get Me through Hard Times better than Money and No Drums!
-A Recovering Drum Addict

Good Point; The supposed facts or information, (cost of real veneer vs fake veneer and why Sonor is justified to bullshit their customer base) isn't really presented as an official explanation attributable to a named company source. The supposed facts or information reads like a hastily constructed excuse.
I can see the sheeple now outnumber the passionate drummers over there. I'm thankful to those here who established this forum.

Brian

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Drums and No Money will get Me through Hard Times better than Money and No Drums!
-A Recovering Drum Addict

They should really take care of this, it's becoming a serious problem.
American walnut is still a nice finish, even though anyone who has seen a piece of walnut knows it's not the real deal.

I really think all this hoopla is going to bring duco back,at least I am hoping so.Maybe Ludwig will step in, their product has changed drastically in the past few years to an amazing product.

I wonder what else they have been pulling over on the consumer.....

SQ3's

Perhaps, but perhaps not. There are so many things I love that are disappearing, and the world doesn't seem to care. While ersatz wood is not for me, I am not opposed to any number of other approaches. Paint, duco...Heck, I have no problem with Sonor deciding to become 'environmentally conscious,' but I would expect any company making that kind of decision to speak it beforehand rather than disrespecting the prospective customer by declaiming it after the fact.

There was an analogous situation at Mercedes about ten years ago. Driven by competition from the Japanese carmakers, Mercedes forswore their tried and true ability to make wonderful mechanical devices and instead festooned their cars with electronic components - which were not durable. Engines were fine, but windows would go down and never go up again, sunroofs stayed open in the rain, and all manner of small luxury devices quit on a regular basis. Thousands of Mercedes owners were furious, but the editor of the Mercedes Benz Club magazine, supported in some measure by the factory (huge advertising revenues, junkets to Duetschland and the like) refused to print any of the fiery letters decrying the situation. That lasted for about three years, until somebody at Mercedes woke up and realized that they had a full scale problem on their hands, announced that they knew about it and were going to fix it. By that time, a large percentage of their historic customer base had got rid of their cars and wouldn't buy new ones, going over to Lexus instead.

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Gregory

Looking how things are moving at the moment, I think SONOR will suffer the same faith, unfortunately...

I LOVE their drums, and will probably be a company faithful, but I never learned to lie, and don't see the point in "twisting or avoiding the truth". Sure, time heals sometimes, but this won't be the case...


And Brian - You're absolutely right about the payoff... Sure seems like one to me, too...

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Goki - short from Goran

Let the good drums roll!!!

Definition: Fauxrum - a meeting place where the answer is already known but where the public learns the correct posture to assume when posing the question.

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Gregory