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Minimum contact lugs are used all over the kit.

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The premise of the Reference Series line is that different woods are used for the construction of various shell types. In other words, instead of bass drums, snares and toms all being made from 100 percent maple, birch, or what-have-you, the Reference drums sport different materials depending on application.

This situation arises from what Pearl describe as an understanding that "the desired tonal characteristics of a 10" tom are completely different than those of a 22" bass drum". As such, all Reference Series 12" toms are crafted from six-ply maple (and are the only single-wood shell in the line-up), while 8" and 10" toms have four plies of maple teamed with two inner plies of birch.

And it's not just the shell material that varies from drum to drum - bearing edges are different too, with rounded 45-degree edges used for toms smaller than 13" and fully rounded bearing edges used for drums 14" or more in diameter. It all sounds terribly intriguing on paper, but the proof of the approach will be in the playing...

Recipe for success?

The kit for review here comprises a 22"x18" bass drum, 10"x8", 12"x9" and 14"x14" toms (all hanging), and a 14"x5" snare. The construction of the 10" and 12" toms has already been mentioned, and as far as the rest of the kit is concerned, things run as follows; the 22" kick has six inner mahogany plies and two outer plies of maple, while the 14" tom is also a mahogany/maple mix.

However, it's the snare that's the most interesting of all the Reference drums here.

Available in 14"x61/2" and 13"x61/2" as well as the 14"x5" that we have here, each of the snares features a thick, 20-ply shell comprising six inner birch plies and 14 maple plies. The snares also have a 45-degree bearing edge and Pearl reckons the combo of thick shell and edge promotes "response and crack" with "all energy focused on making sound waves". The thickness of the snare shell means it's a hefty instrument - something that it has in common with the rest of the kit.

Pearl has gone to town on the engineering of the Reference Series and features such as the Optimount tom mounts, die-cast rims (which appear on everything except the bass drum), muscular bass drum legs and clever snare throw-off and snare tensioner all add up to a heavyweight kit, in all senses of the word. But it's all good stuff, not just metalwork for metalwork's sake.

The Optimounts are well proven as super-solid and easy to live with, while the snare lever/ tensioner are great additions. These two conspire to ensure that both snare on/off selection and tension remain locked once set - the throw-off has a little button at one end of the lever that clicks into place to secure the 'snare on' position and the locking tension wheel requires you to press down on a locking collar to increase/ decrease the strain on the snare wires.

These are little details, but add a distinct air of professionalism to proceedings.