Pearl RF904XP Reference 4 Piece Shell Pack (Vintage Marine Pearl) - Special Order Overview
What if each drum in your drum set was engineered as an instrument unto itself? What if each tom was designed to respond perfectly within the confines of its respective frequency without compromise over any other areas of your kit? This is the mission behind Reference Series: A complete set of individually engineered, incredible sounding drums. So forget what you think you know about drums and take a look at Reference Series, the most acoustically advanced drums in the world.To fully understand these drums you must accept that the desired tonal characteristics of a rack tom are completely different than that of a bass drum, and to make these drums with the same composition would result in a compromise.
This is the mission behind Reference Series and Reference Pure: To create a perfect sounding drum set where every drum is optimally engineered to produce the best sound possible within its respective tonal range and diameter... drum by drum by drum.
Forget what you think you know about drums and take a closer look at Pearl's Reference Recipe and the synergy of its three task-specific components.
Pearl Reference Series shells are also available as special order in a wealth of other shell and hardware finishes. See the swatch image at the bottom of this for all options to create your dream kit.
Please call our dedicated sales team on 01273 665410 for more information on special order kits.
Call GAK now for product info, advice and the Best Prices - 01273 665400
- 20x18in Bass Drum
- 10x8in Rack Tom
- 12x9in Rack Tom
- 14x14in Floor Tom
- "Best of Masterworks" Shell Material
- BRL Bridge Lugs w/ Swivel Function
- LB-200 Bridge FT Leg Brackets
- LG-200 Floor Tom Legs
- SP-300 Spurs
- MasterCast Die Cast Hoops
- Aluminium OptiMount Suspension System
- Stainless Steel Tension Rods
- Moulded Rubber Gaskets
- Remo Clear Emperor Tom Batters
- Remo Clear Powerstroke3 BD Batter
- Remo "Window" Snare Batter Head
- Super High Gloss
- Lacquer/Lacquer Sparkles
- Choice of Chrome (C), Gold Plated (G), or Black Chrome Plated (B) Drum Hardware (special order)
- Reference Series drums use a combination of task specific bearing edges and 3 time proven woods: Birch, Maple, and African Mahogany. Using Maple as a sole material has long been the traditional choice for shells and for good reason. Maple provides smooth, well balanced tone that is perfect for a 12" tom. Subsequently, all Reference Series 12in toms are composed of 6 plies of Maple. The only single wood shell in the series. Our 10in and 8in toms receive 4 plies of Maple with 2 inner plies of Birch for cut and attack. And for maximum response, all 13in and smaller toms have a rounded 45° bearing edge. Beginning with our 13in tom and larger, Mahogany is added to the inner plies to increase the lower frequencies and accentuate the warmth of the Maple. The 14in toms and larger begin using our fully rounded bearing edge for even more shell contact. Our 18in and 20in bass drums use 4 inner plies of Mahogany with 2 outer plies of Maple. As the size of the bass drums increase, so does the amount of Mahogany. Our 22in and 24in bass drums incorporate an amazing 6 inner plies of Mahogany surrounded by 2 outer plies of Maple for the ultimate in solid responsive bass frequencies. With Reference Series, it's not about compromise, it's about every drum in your kit performing at its optimal capacity.
- Maple is a fine grain wood with a smooth even texture. This highly respected wood offers a very wide dynamic range with extremely well balanced acoustic properties. Rich lustrous lows, with an even balance of mid tones and high frequencies, have made this the all around accepted premium shell material for years in the acoustic drum industry. This mix of creamy warm resonant mid to high frequencies, balanced with the propensity for powerful bass response, makes it the logical choice for our 12in toms, which also happens to be the only single wood shell in the series.
- Birch. A straight grained wood with a fine, even texture, Birch is known for its strength and resilience. It provides a lively interior springboard for sound waves, which in turn creates a noticeable increase in the higher frequencies. This makes it the perfect interior for smaller tom-toms. Birch's tightly bound network of cells also promotes a perfect balance of mid-range frequencies, with a smooth transition from the lower register to middle register. The 8in and 10in toms incorporate 2 inner plies of Birch for cutting attack and high frequency presence.
- African Mahogany is a relatively "soft" hardwood that offers a dramatic boost in lower frequencies. This bass boost effect is most likely due to its loosely packed cellulose network, which creates a natural resonator effect in the lower frequencies. This predisposition for powerful lows makes it the logical choice for the interior of 13in and larger toms. All Reference Series bass drums utilize 4 to 6 inner plies of Mahogany to produce a noticeably present bass response, as well as a naturally smooth sonic transition into the mid-range frequencies.
- Pearl's Superior Shell Technology utilizes a proprietary technique for achieving the ultimate air chamber. It begins with select woods chosen for their unique acoustic attributes, milled to precise thickness with overlapping scarf joint seams, for a perfect air-tight fit. The wood plies are saturated with Pearl's proprietary "AcoustiGlue" that permeates every pore and dries to the exact consistency of the wood for optimum resonance. Finally, the plies are formed in high-temperature molds with 1000 PSI of hydraulic pressure to produce perfect drum shells that exhibit superior tone, optimal resonance and extreme strength.
- The 45 degree bearing edge on Reference snare shells brings all 20 plies into play by promoting a tightly focused shell contact area for extreme sensitivity and maximum volume. The six inner plies of Birch provide a resilient crack, which is balanced and warmed by the 14 outer plies of Maple. The ultimate balance of power, projection and resonance, Reference Snare Drums are unlike anything you have ever experienced.
- The rounded 45 degree bearing edge featured on our 8in through 13in Toms offer cutting attack and projection, all balanced with a solid punch. This edge promotes a finely balanced interaction between the individual wood plies that allow the smaller toms to sing with amazing clarity, without premature delay. The journey of the energy from the head to the shell is given a much more direct path with the rounded edge.
- The fully rounded bearing edge provides the ultimate solid punch and resonance by raising the overall contact area of the head to the shell. This allows maximum kinetic energy transfer from the head to the shell, resulting in maximum shell resonance. This is the logic for using the fully rounded edge on 14in through 18in toms, for absolutely thunderous tom fills. Our 18in to 24in bass drums utilize also utilize this edge for a deep solid punch, creating sound pressure levels that are felt just as much as they are heard.
- Lower frequencies require greater energy to equal the projection of the higher frequencies, requiring the larger diameter drums to be thicker than the smaller drums. Reference drumsets feature two very different shell thicknesses: 6 plies on rack toms and 8 plies on bass drums and floor toms, for incredibly balanced sound. The Reference Snare Drum has an alarmingly thick 20-ply shell, giving it incredible projection and cut, perfect for higher volume musical settings.
