New series is here: Momentum! Beech, Birch and Maple shell options!

[krusher74]

What do you all think of the name?

If you asked me, "A drum company is bringing out a new drum line, it's called Momentum, is it a budget, mid or top-end line?" I would say it sounds like a budget name/line.
The word momentum is not a word I associate with anything in the drumming world. "Wow, that was a great drummer in that band tonight, he sure had momentum!" nope! I would have voted NO! in that business meeting.

[Jules]

What do you all think of the name?

If you asked me, "A drum company is bringing out a new drum line, it's called Momentum, is it a budget, mid or top-end line?" I would say it sounds like a budget name/line.
The word momentum is not a word I associate with anything in the drumming world. "Wow, that was a great drummer in that band tonight, he sure had momentum!" nope! I would have voted NO! in that business meeting.

I would be interested to know where the idea originated and what the motivation was. Maybe in Germany, the German counterpart to that word has a different 'feel' to it. Maybe they used it as a nod to the fact they expect the whole line to build more momentum under the younger leadership. Who's to say?

[krusher74]

They are all no mount. The MT is part of the model number and apparently stands for momentum. It’s on all the drums including toms, floor toms and snares.

Wait...so you're saying that NO bass drums have a tom mount? Seriously?

"Interesting" decision.

I guess it keeps the price of the bass drum down and then people just buy these

[Jules]

They are all no mount. The MT is part of the model number and apparently stands for momentum. It’s on all the drums including toms, floor toms and snares.

Wait...so you're saying that NO bass drums have a tom mount? Seriously?

"Interesting" decision.

I guess it keeps the price of the bass drum down and then people just buy these sonor stand.jpg

I don't think that's it. Many companies have moved away from bass drum tom mounts and it seems to be the "in" thing. Plus, you can add one, but you can't uninstall one without it looking like hell. To double the number of bass drum models for the sake of have both options available would weigh things down. I went into it towards the end of my recent video, though I didn't speak directly to the mount/no mount issues.

[krusher74]

What do you all think of the name?

If you asked me, "A drum company is bringing out a new drum line, it's called Momentum, is it a budget, mid or top-end line?" I would say it sounds like a budget name/line.
The word momentum is not a word I associate with anything in the drumming world. "Wow, that was a great drummer in that band tonight, he sure had momentum!" nope! I would have voted NO! in that business meeting.

I would be interested to know where the idea originated and what the motivation was. Maybe in Germany, the German counterpart to that word has a different 'feel' to it. Maybe they used it as a nod to the fact they expect the whole line to build more momentum under the younger leadership. Who's to say?

In marketing if anybody has to think about what it means that hard it's missed the mark.

[tcbetka]

I don't think that's it. Many companies have moved away from bass drum tom mounts and it seems to be the "in" thing. Plus, you can add one, but you can't uninstall one without it looking like hell. To double the number of bass drum models for the sake of have both options available would weigh things down. I went into it towards the end of my recent video, though I didn't speak directly to the mount/no mount issues.

Yet that's exactly what they did with the Vintage series kick drums, right? They make them both with and without a mount. I do agree though about it looking like crap when you remove one, lol...

Personally, I've never been a big fan of tom mounts on a bass drum. But for like 25 years (??) that's pretty much all we could get. But I find it much more desirable to mount the toms from a rack bar or something like that (clamps from stands, etc). I love the ability to adjust the position of the kick without messing with the tom(s) location(s).

That said, there are times when having a tom(s) mounted on the bass drum is simply more convenient. Gigs on a small stage, for instance. I've done hundreds of those in my early playing days here in northern Wisconsin--where every little tavern has a tiny stage in some dark corner, and I always get shoved into the very back of it. Having a rack bar isn't really practical in such a situation, because it would take up more space on the stage. Either you'd have two large vertical supports on either side of the front bar, or (at the very least) you would have to run the bar between two BEEFY cymbal stands--which themselves would need to be spread out a little bit more, simply to position the rack bar in a convenient position.

So while I prefer a bass drum without a mount these days (same with toms--I don't like mounts on shells), I can definitely see a need for both options. And since the Vintage series is offered that way, I just found it interesting that the new Momentum line...is not.

[krusher74]

This pic seems to be of most use for this series.

[tcbetka]

sizes.png This pic seems to be of most use for this series.

Umm... I'll take one of each please. Birch would be great, thanks. And oh...please make them in the same Burl finish.

Thank you!

[DaveInNZ]

It's an interesting exercise listening to all the comments, both here and elsewhere. There's a lot of knocking of some of the decisions, and the name, as well as a lot of comments about not understanding what makes Sonor drums what they are. Hand in hand with that, some finger pointing at the young team at Sonor.

I understand all of these comments, but at the same time, wonder whether 'we' as the bunch of grumpy old blokes we are, are not the main target market. By that I mean, we're all programmed to be looking backwards at all the historic amazing kits, rather than forwards at what they can be doing in the future. The only flaw in that theory I can see is that it generally takes being old to afford these kits!

I've personally been looking at these kits through a different lens - imagine you'd never seen Vintage Series, Prolite or SQ1 and then saw these? They're still German made, they're the best of SQ2 and the most popular choices of SQ2, and they give you a way to mix woods within one kit in a way no one else does outside of full custom kits. And there is NO way at all that they can sound bad. When you look at it like that, these things are epic!

[Jules]

It's an interesting exercise listening to all the comments, both here and elsewhere. There's a lot of knocking of some of the decisions, and the name, as well as a lot of comments about not understanding what makes Sonor drums what they are. Hand in hand with that, some finger pointing at the young team at Sonor.

I understand all of these comments, but at the same time, wonder whether 'we' as the bunch of grumpy old blokes we are, are not the main target market. By that I mean, we're all programmed to be looking backwards at all the historic amazing kits, rather than forwards at what they can be doing in the future. The only flaw in that theory I can see is that it generally takes being old to afford these kits!

I've personally been looking at these kits through a different lens - imagine you'd never seen Vintage Series, Prolite or SQ1 and then saw these? They're still German made, they're the best of SQ2 and the most popular choices of SQ2, and they give you a way to mix woods within one kit in a way no one else does outside of full custom kits. And there is NO way at all that they can sound bad. When you look at it like that, these things are epic!

I REALLY think you have hit the nail on the head. If some people had their way Sonor would still be cranking out Horst Link Signatures. We don't represent the bulk of the drum market, anymore. Lucky for me, I REALLY like what Sonor is up to and I am frickin' lovin' my Vintage Series!