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The 22"X18" bass drum’s fat dimensions ensure that it produces a deep, powerful note

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Pacific Drums and Percussion, or PDP as it is more snappily known, is an offshoot company of Californian drum wizards DW. Since its inception at the turn of the millennium, PDP has established a solid reputation for producing reasonably priced drums that incorporate DW's expertise and flair.

This X7 kit finds PDP attempting to have the last word in the 'how big a kit of quality can you find on a budget?' debate. The kit boasts seven drums - three toms, two floor toms, a snare and a bass drum - comes with a complete hardware pack and is available in a choice of six sparkle lacquers, yet retails at little more than a mid-range five-piece kit. On paper, it's an impressive feat.

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Seven is a number that crops up all over the place - did we mention days of the week or James Bond? - and there is something oddly familiar about the prospect of a seven-piece kit, even to those of us who have never actually owned that many drums. The X7 kit consists of a 22"x18" bass drum and 14"x5" snare, along with 8"x7", 10"x8" and 12"x9" toms, and 14"x12" and 16"x14" floor toms.

The drums are manufactured almost entirely from poplar, with only a single outer layer of birch ply on each drum preventing complete poplar homogeny. Poplar is an abundant hardwood that is relatively inexpensive. It has been used widely in the past as a part of composite wood shells, but it is only fairly recently that drum makers have begun using poplar as a primary ingredient for shells.

The affordability of poplar doubtless influenced PDP's choice as this kit was, from the off, intended to be ultra-competitive. The decision to outsource the construction of the kit to PDP's Chinese partnership was reached via the same criteria and, again, it has ensured that the kit has come in on-price.

The drums themselves are of the usual Pacific standard, with only the country of manufacture (which is, inevitably, stamped on the boxes) giving any hint of their origin.

Particularly impressive is the fact that all the toms, including the floor toms, are FAST-sized ('Fundamentally Accurate Sized Toms', so shorter in depth than regular drums), so they share the same proportions as toms costing many times more.

The three rack toms are also equipped with STM mounts - DW's RIMS-type non-penetrative tom mounts, again a pro feature that is a sign of a welcome emphasis on quality. The lugs are PDP's now familiar oval models, which echo the round turrets found on DW drums.

With a set of drums this big occupying the price point it does, you'd be forgiven for expecting the finish to take the form of a wrap or plain lacquer at most. Instead, PDP has somehow managed to offer a variety of dazzling look-at-me sparkle lacquers.