Pearl Export Series Review

The Pearl Export Series drum set is the best selling drum kit of all time. It is the drum set that Pearl claims to have spawned “a thousand drumming legends” and this is a fact!

These drums have truly set the bar high for a top quality entry level drum set. The Pearl Export Series is still the name every drummer knows. Everything is fantastic about these drums, and of course they produce an amazing sound for the price point.

You really can’t go wrong with the Pearl Export Series drum set. It was in fact my first ‘real’ drum set! I played it for 8 years and I loved it. It was incredibly well built, and sounded excellent. It really helped to fuel my creativity and inspired me to play more!

In this Pearl Export Series Review I’m going to take a look at the new Pearl Export EXX model in a Pure White finish in more detail. Read on to find out more!

Pearl Export EXX Drum Set Gallery

Contents

Pearl Export EXX Drum Set Ratings

Sounds

4.6

4.6/5

Hardware

4.8

4.8/5

Build Quality

5

5/5

Playability

4.5

4.5/5

Value

4.6

4.6/5

Sounds

My initial impression of the Pearl Export EXX is that these drums sound wonderful. The Pearl Export Series drums have always had a great reputation for excellent build quality and sounds. But these new Pearl Export drums are even better than before.

The new Pearl Export kit takes advantage of top-of-the-range inspired drum shells, combining Poplar wood with inner plies of Asian Mahogany for strong volume, deep resonance and awesome tonal clarity.

These drum shells are phenomenal for a beginner level drum set. Pearl utilizes a unique construction process called Superior Shell Technology (SST) that uses extreme heat and hydraulic pressure to create the ultimate acoustic drum shell.

The result is a really great sounding drum set, with powerful and punchy tones across the kit. The drums come equipped with Remo UT Chinese made drum heads that sound good right out of the box. The drums tune up very easily

I’ve always been impressed with the sound of the Pearl Export drums. They possess a nice warm character with a great initial attack, and they have a relatively short sustain too which I like.

Kicking off this Pearl Export Series review, I’m able to say it’s a great sounding drum set and it’s incredibly versatile. No matter what style of music you play, it’s always got you covered.

Hardware

Pearl is one of the best drum brands that is also praised for its exceptional quality drum hardware. The Pearl Export EXX 5-piece drum set comes with Pearl’s 830 Series hardware and P-930 bass drum pedal.

The included 830 Series hardware with the Pearl Export Series is very sturdy and feels really high quality. Everything feels super strong and this is what sets the Pearl Export drum set apart massively from the rest of the competition.

Included is substantial hardware package that features: a cymbal stand, boom stand, hi hat stand, snare stand, kick drum pedal, tom arms, tom mount and floor tom legs.

The hardware is certainly very functional; in particular the Opti-Loc system for mounting the rack toms is impressive. It’s really easy to adjust and it’s also very secure – holding the toms perfectly in place.

The included drum hardware is without a doubt some of the most robust hardware to be offered on a drum kit at this price range. Everything operates smoothly and holds up really well.

Build Quality

The build quality of this 5-piece Pearl EXX is way above what you could expect from a kit of this price point. The build quality is outstanding, and it becomes very apparent as to why the Pearl Export is the world’s best selling drum set.

Throughout the years, Pearl has always maintained a high level of quality for their drums and hardware. They create the strongest drum shells in the business, and they offer a lifetime guarantee on their drums.

I have no faults at all with the build quality of the new Pearl Export EXX drum set, nor my original Pearl ELX Export drum set I owned many years ago. The craftsmanship is excellent, with perfectly rounded shells and smooth bearing edges.

The hardware adorned onto the drums is heavy-duty, including the chrome hoops, lugs and tension rods. The newly designed low mass lugs feel high quality and offer enhanced shell resonance.

Everything feels sturdy and looks great with the Pearl Export Series drums. The Pure White finish on the Pearl EXX model is attractive, with the matching wood hoops. But the EXL lacquer finishes are even more impressive.

Playability

Sitting behind a Pearl Export drum set you truly get to experience what a joy it is to play. It really is a quality, first-rate musical instrument. Everything feels great to play, and of course the drums sound tremendous.

These drums are super easy to tune, and even with the stock heads the drums have a lot of attack, resonance and tonal clarity. They are also very responsive and can project loud if desired, and they can speak with a soft voice too.

The snare drum is a winner in my eyes. It sounds awesome. It has a lot of articulation and warmth, with a really great tone. It has a smooth character and it’s super versatile too.

The kick drum also has a pleasant sound. It’s not particularly boomy – it has a rather neutral sound. But much like the snare drum, the kick is also easy to tune to a desired sound. It blends in well for lots of styles of music and provides a solid punchy kick sound.

The rack toms are delightful to play. I really love how they sound, they have a clean tone and a short sustain, which I prefer. They offer a really crisp note with a lively character and they also project very well. I found the floor tom produced a strong low-end tone but was a little more difficult to tune.

Overall the poplar and mahogany drum shells prove to be a winning combination. The drums have a really full sounding tone and the drums all complement each other well.

This is the world’s most popular drum set and for good reason. It’s SO fun and enjoyable to play! It’s the drum set that inspired millions of drummers around the world, and you can’t argue with that!

Value

The Pearl Export drum set has always offered unbeatable value for money. The drums and hardware are both incredibly functional, and offer amazing performance at a highly competitive price.

You can expect to pay several thousands for a complete drum set. But the Pearl Export Series drum set is significantly more affordable. It’s not quite up to the standard of a fully-fledged professional drum set, but it’s not far off either.

These drums feature some of the highest quality drum shells in the industry, and at the beginner or intermediate drum set price point you can be confident that you receive a lot of bang for your buck.

Verdict

The Pearl Export EXX brings quality and value into a remarkable package and it’s a seriously impressive drum set that will fuel the flame of passion for future drumming icons around the world!

Everything included has a totally professional quality feel, and this is what sets it apart from other cheaper drum sets on the market. The Pearl Export Series drum set delivers on all fronts and it is a magnificent musical instrument.

I can summarize the Pearl Export Series Review by concluding that there really is no better drum set for the money- and for that reason it’s the best selling drum set of all time!