Is Prolite Discontinued?

[Wayne]

I saw some rumors online that the entire Prolite line might be discontinued. Does anyone have any info on this? Any idea what will replace it?

[Jules]

Here's what I know, which you may already know, as well. The ProLite shell sets haven't been imported into the US for several years, while they have still be in Germany.

I was told in late 2023 that the ProLite snare drums (still available in US) were being phased out. Despite the fact that was a solid 18 months ago, it looks like inventory is still trickling into the US.

That's all I've got. I HOPE that they release a new line of metal snare drums similar to the ProLites. The ProLite brass is a phenomenal snare drum, and what is the same or basically the same drum has been available over the years within different series.

As much as I like the Kompressor line, I HOPE they aren't going to nix the metal shell snares altogether with the Dual Glide System and Hella hoops. Surely, something new is coming around the bend.

If anyone has immediate knowledge; were the ProLite shell set sales weak? The ProLites sound GREAT! If they were weak, what attributed to that?

[Scott_M]

As much as I like the Kompressor line, I HOPE they aren't going to nix the metal shell snares altogether with the Dual Glide System and Hella hoops. Surely, something new is coming around the bend.

I have a 5x14 Steel Prolite with the triple-flanged hoops, not the die-cast. I'm generally not a fan of most steel shell drums, as they tend to sound too harsh and brittle to me, but the more I experimented with different heads and tunings on this Prolite, the more I've come to like and appreciate it for what it is and almost wish it came in a 6" or 6.5" deep version.

And though the sound is a little crisper and brighter, it sounds strikingly similar to my D-456 from my Performer kit...

If you're wondering, out of all the head combinations I tried (12 batters, 5 snare sides), it really seems to like Remo's Renaissance Ambassador heads the best.