Sonor Vintage Series... 10 years in the catalog...

[Jules]

Preface: I am a guy that likes to buy and try and then sell. I am not a fan of buying older gear, which is just a personal thing. About 20 years ago, I had a set of Sonor Signatures that then were about 20 years old, and having been there and done that, I just like new gear.

PLUS, being a Sonor enthusiast and having a strong appreciation for what the company is doing now, I like to be supportive and use the current product line even if not buying it all brand new. Where that can put me in a pickle is when I have had my gear long enough to want to try new things, and Sonor doesn't have any. I recently sold my Vintage kit (I still have the snare) since I have all of my preferred sizes in the SQ1s. There was certainly nothing wrong with the Vintage kit, and had I been able to get an 18" floor tomorrow for it, I would have likely flipped the SQ1s. Vintage 18's in Silver Glitter have been out of stock for as long as I have been looking for one. Enough about me...

The Vintage series kit is a throwback to days of old in the Sonor world, with some modernization and great workmanship. The line came out 15 years ago, and while many lines seem to run their course in that time; I am not sure the Vintage Series is losing any steam. It amazes me how many people play them, actually. From endorsers to us local folks. Considering Tal Bergman's heavy hitting style and choices of touring rigs, he seems like the least likely of drummers to have such a kit, but that and the Artist Bronze snare have been staples in his studio and he posts videos playing it daily.

Here are a few videos from over the years about the Vintage Series. Do you have one now? Have you owned one? Is it on your shopping list?

[DaveInNZ]

I originally looked at a Vintage Series purely because I was fancying a vintage style kit, couldn't stand the idea of maintaining an old Ludwig (woeful build quality) and started looking around. I paid attention to it because Sonor made it, but I was by no means wed to buying a Sonor kit. And then a guy local to me was selling a 12/13/16/22 and 6.5 snare for a great price and it couldn't miss it.

And then I played it...

It's the first, and only kit that I've ever sat behind where the entire thing sounds like it's designed as one instrument, not 5 drums put together. I'd decided I was going to keep it within about 30mins. After a few months of playing on it, I'd decided it was my forever kit and started to plot to get more of the shell bank. Local dealer informed me my finish was ending (black slate) and I ordered the lot. The delivery is roughly 4-6 weeks away currently. So that will be 8-14" rack toms, 14-18" floor toms, and 18-24" bass drums. I stuck with just the one snare as I like it but don't love it.

I personally don't understand how anything could be significantly better, different sure, but better? I think you'd be hard pushed.

[Jack]

I originally looked at a Vintage Series purely because I was fancying a vintage style kit, couldn't stand the idea of maintaining an old Ludwig (woeful build quality) and started looking around. I paid attention to it because Sonor made it, but I was by no means wed to buying a Sonor kit. And then a guy local to me was selling a 12/13/16/22 and 6.5 snare for a great price and it couldn't miss it.

And then I played it...

It's the first, and only kit that I've ever sat behind where the entire thing sounds like it's designed as one instrument, not 5 drums put together. I'd decided I was going to keep it within about 30mins. After a few months of playing on it, I'd decided it was my forever kit and started to plot to get more of the shell bank. Local dealer informed me my finish was ending (black slate) and I ordered the lot. The delivery is roughly 4-6 weeks away currently. So that will be 8-14" rack toms, 14-18" floor toms, and 18-24" bass drums. I stuck with just the one snare as I like it but don't love it.

I personally don't understand how anything could be significantly better, different sure, but better? I think you'd be hard pushed.

That's awesome having the bank, that's a lot of drums, and fair play jumping before the finish goes out. I have a pool of drums, not as extensive as yours, but a couple BD's, selection of toms and snare. Started out as the Three20 pack in 2016. Have gigged it extensively and has been superb on all fronts.

[DaveInNZ]

That's awesome having the bank, that's a lot of drums, and fair play jumping before the finish goes out. I have a pool of drums, not as extensive as yours, but a couple BD's, selection of toms and snare. Started out as the Three20 pack in 2016. Have gigged it extensively and has been superb on all fronts.

I'll be honest, the thinking there was largely driven by the experience with my father's Hilite. As we all know, every spare, or every add-on drum is a mission in itself. If it weren't for the Sonor community owning a kit like that would be almost impossible. So as pricey as it is, I figure buying it all now, while it's in production is far preferable than deciding I want that short-run 14x9" rack tom they did for a few years and then trying to find one decades from now...