Roland vs Pintech vs Hart

[Kravin]

I am just starting off in drumming and I need some advice on different pads since I think I am just going to start off piecing an edrum kit together. My question is in regards to different pads which ones do you prefer and why?

I know 3 of the most common ones are Roland Mesh, Pintech's ConcertCast, and Hart Acupad TE3.2.

What are the pro's and con's of each and why do you prefer one over the other? Also, what are the feel and sound of the Pintech and Hart pads compared to the rolands? Reason I ask is because I have only had the chance to try the roland pads out at a local store since I have not been able to find the others local.

One last question, What are some good sites where I might be able to get a good deal on said gear?


Thanks

[Picksorsticks]

Kravin,

welcome to the group...I pieced my kit together, I started with a TD-3 and gradually replaced things until it didn't make any more sense, then I replaced the cymbals, module and rack.

I went with all Pintech drums/cymbals. I got all my Pintech gear from Brian at Hope Drums, GREAT guy/prices.

I've had good luck with all my Pintech gear, it works very well and was quite a bit less than the Roland equivalents. The mesh snare and tom were a nice step up from the small TD-3 snare and rubber pads. Mesh versus rubber kick is personal preference.

[V(ader)DRUMMER]

I have not been able to find the others local.

You won't find Hart or Pintech gear at the local Guitar Center, but that doesn't mean they aren't quality alternatives to Roland. You'll find plenty of people here who use all three of these brands. Choosing between them is really more a matter of personal preference and available budget.

I might suggest that you use your profile here to identify the city where you are located. You might find someone here who is in your city and using some of the brands that you aren't able to test drive in the stores. Then you can beg them to let you test out their kit.

I wasn't able to try out a Hart kit until I found someone who was selling one on Craigslist. I tried it out and liked it so much, I bought it.

[pasta]

I have Hart and Pintech and I've tried Roland and Yamaha. I love what I have and am glad I didn't go with a Yamaha which, initially, I considered. I had a friend with a Pro Hart, so I was fortunate to be able to try before I bought. As for Roland I have a Roland module and an SPDS.
Places for gear: RMC Audio, [email protected], BPM
If I were buying new today (with the benefit of over two years on this forum), I would look into Jobeky drums in the UK; They get great reviews and are very inexpensive, relatively speaking. I would stick with my Hart hats and EpedalII and Pintech 3-zone ride. Crashes--don't think brand is such a big deal; pricewise, I'd like to try some Kit Toys or try Pintech Visulites. I have the polymer Harts so would get the new metal ones if I stuck with Harts. I definitely would want at least dual zone.
With all the choices out there, mixing and matching is great but how many people get to try all the brands/models? I feel extremely fortunate to have such great equipment that is extremely comfortable for me and my playing style.

[KevH]

I love my Hart kit, with a couple of reservations about the hi-hat pedal which has gone wrong now, and isn't that responsive anyway. Build wise the drums are excellent, the mesh heads are great, and they trigger beautifully. Much better value than Roland too.
The Hart EC II Cymbals rule.

['lectric drumma]

I used to be a satisfied Roland user who prefered the look of the Hart Dynamics and made the switch, just based on reviews I had read. Instead of a satisfied Roland user, I now am a very satisfied Hart Dynamics user. I bought my kit from Simon Fergusson (Flurbs on the forum) and got a great service.


Stijn

[grog]

UTFSE.

And read the above comments. They are a start. This question has been asked numerous times in here. There's plenty of info on all three brands.

Roland and Pintech pads are bouncier than Harts. If you like bouncy, or perhaps bouncy on certain pads, they'll give you that.

www.myspace.com/rubberuniverse

[spanner]

Got to disagree about Roland pads being bouncier. Just not true.
The mesh heads of the Harts are much bouncier I have used a number of them and the guys who use my kits all state the same.

I think that the massive piece of foam may add to some stiffnes with the Hart pads sometimes. Plus the Hart mesh heads seem to stretch a lot.

Is there much of a price difference?
The Hart snare definately wins on looks

[Kravin]

Thank you all for the info on the different pads and the difference between them. To be honest, I am not sure if you all have made my decision easier or harder. I am glad to see a lot of people are enjoying the harts and pintechs because I was starting to lean that way due to price.

Also grog, I did UTFSE. In fact I did multiple searches for info and while it came up every once and awhile on a thread or so, it was tough searching through all the info in each thread to look for opinions on the feel, sound, bounce of each pad. Thus the reason for creating this thread here, to consolidate the useful opinions of others to make an informed decision on which pads to purchase. Again thanks everyone for your opinions on these items.

[3Cup Candy]

My question is in regards to different pads which ones do you prefer and why?

I know 3 of the most common ones are Roland Mesh, Pintech's ConcertCast, and Hart Acupad TE3.2.

What are the pro's and con's of each and why do you prefer one over the other? Also, what are the feel and sound of the Pintech and Hart pads compared to the rolands? Reason I ask is because I have only had the chance to try the roland pads out at a local store since I have not been able to find the others local

I've been able to play on just Roland and Hart sets, and play on both brands now a lot though the Hart more than the Roland. I assume you're talking about the mesh pads. A couple things come to mind about your questions. I like the feel of both brands. Though they're a bit different and I think the Hart ones feel more like acoustic heads when they are tightened right I don't think you could go wrong with either one. I've heard good things about the Pintech ones too but never played them. What I gather is that much more depends on the mesh heads being properly tightened and the condition of the drumsticks so they don't damage them and and your playing style.
The big difference though is the cymbal pads. The Rolands and Pintech ones are usually rubberized finish but the Hart ones are solid materials with a rubber strip on them. If you play on the part that isn't rubber cover then you have a lot of acoustic strike noise and that's been talked about here a lot.

One last thing that I'm glad was pointed out to me and I didn't realize at first when I compared prices was that you have to pay attention unless it's some kind of dealer's bundle or package is that when you see sets advertised by Roland and by Pintech they'll will include the module but the Hart sets do not. Like I said, that's if you're looking at the factory format of advertisement on their own brand's sites. So you might look at a Pintech or Roland set on the manufacturer's website or the retailer's site and that one includes the module, but a Hart set on a site probably won't unless the retailer has added it. Just keep that in mind and pay attention when you look at advertised prices 'cause the comparison might not be quite the same for that reason.

[evil1rox]

I wish Hart had a better distribution system in place... hard to sell something like e drums sight unseen.

There are MANY folks that love the Hart Pads and Pintech as well. I was considering Pintech myself at one point, but got a good deal on my Roland kit so it made Pintech a moot point.

E

[grog]

Back to bouncy.

I've had all three mesh pads. I've mixed and matched heads (Roland, Pintech, Hart) to include the newer Hart mesh. The Roland and Pintech pads are bouncier when compared to the Hart Acupads. I suppose this will go down as another "individual feel" issues. All I know is that when I use a Pintech Concertcast or a Roland PD-100(5) with a Roland (or Pintech) head as a snare, then use one of my Acupads as a snare, the bounce difference is quite noticeable.

The Hart heads do stretch more. Particularly the older ones. And the Hart "rubber" on the tom/snare rims is a harder plastic and thus, has a louder stick noise. That's my biggest beef with Hart's toms/snares. OTOH, both Roland and Pintech have nice rubber to dampen rim noise (although it used to be with Pintech, you had to purchase that extra, a silly approach imnsho).

Cost can be an issue. Again, there's tons of info on cost vs "value" in here. Roland is definitely at the high end, Hart in the middle, Pintech at the low end. I have no special affinity for any of the three brands per se. My Pintech Concercast is fine although that foam column is a bit high and unless it's affixed to the mesh head, it'll lean hard on you. The Acupads have been tanks for years now. And Roland mesh heads last for, well, forever. Bottom line is that if you purchase something like a Concercast or a Hart Acupad, you'll be fine with either.

Kravin: The way to create a consolidated thread is to go thru all the others, find the useful bits, and plop them into one post. Otherwise, all you're doing is creating yet another "here are 456.98 opinions" thread.

Which clearly I'm contributing to.

www.myspace.com/rubberuniverse

[Kravin]

Again, thanks everyone for your opinions. Grog yours has been most helpful as well, thank you. Grog, when I said consolidate I did not mean it in the sense that a business would go along doing mergers or acquisitions of many smaller companies into much larger ones. I simply meant consolidation from multiple sources into a centralized location, in which case those multiple sources being multiple peoples opinions on this specific issue and the centralized location being this thread.

Like I said before though, I already searched through many threads on this subject and while I did find a few peoples opinions on this subject most of the info was buried under other replies that had nothing to do with the subject posed in the topic of this thread, thus the reason for creating the thread. Again , thanks for the help ... and the warm welcome.

[spanner]

First off let me preface this post with the comment that I have had a christmas drink and therefore any comments I make may be regretted later.

Always liked grog and his posts and respect his opinion, but.. quote from my band .. i know what you're saying.. but you're wrong.

Absolutely hart are more bouncy. Checked and double checked and using latest fancy hart magnums.
I am sure that it is down to personal opinion.
However, I sometimes feel that people who move to Hart just want to justify their purchase.
Discuss.

[grog]

However, I sometimes feel that people who move to Hart just want to justify their purchase.

That qualifies as a comment you *should* regret later.

The days (in here) of brand flame-wars is, thankfully, long over. I don't think anybody here who "moves" to Hart, or Pintech or DIY or who feels comfortable in the warm bosum of Roland Corp's fine products, needs to justify squat. I didn't "move" anywhere, I started with many of the brands I use. Oi vey.

Back to bounce. For the last 4 years, here and over at edrumming, anybody's who's had experience with both have concluded that the Rolands and Pintechs are bouncier. I'm not saying you're wrong, far from it. Just that your experience is outside of most.

Upon reflection, my experience, and those of others that I'm remembering, are with older Hart triggering systems and Hart heads. The Magnum heads and the 3.2 triggering system could feel different. That I can't comment on. Oh wait, I can to a limited extent. My Acupad kick, it's a 3.2 triggering system with a Magnum head *is* bouncy. However, it's been forever since I played with a KD-85 so I can't make any kind of opinionated statement comparing the two. I can't imagine a KD-85 being any bouncier. But then I'm talking kick drums whereas my direct experience in this regard has been with snare/toms.

Kravin, back to your question. Assume for a minute that all three brands have essentially the same feel and essentially the same triggering characteristics--where you apparently are right now, for all purposes, each mesh pad *will* be the same. Assume you want a mesh snare to start out with and don't want a stand-alone big one like many drummers prefer. You'll want a 2-zone pad. A quick retail price guide:

Pintech Concertcast (10", Dual Zone Black): $188.00
Hart Acupad (10", Double Trigger, TE3.2): $199 (price from Drum World in Pittsburgh, one of the few places you can demo Hart stuff)
Roland PD-105 (10", Dual Trigger): $325.

Keep in mind that if you're patient, willing to go ebay or buy used, you can reduce the cost of any of the above to a certain degree.

I know from experience that the Pintech heads do wear out. Hart heads also had a reputation for wearing out faster than was liked until the Magnum heads. Even so, there are a few reports of Magnum heads wearing out faster than was expected. Roland heads last for decades.

Now, suppose the next thing you want to flesh out the kit is a mesh kick.

Pintech Gig (8"): $141.60
Hart Acupad (8"): $189
Roland KD-85 (8"): $345

And yes, with the possible exception of any given HH rig, people here who've "moved" to Hart or Pintech for their tom/snare/kick needs have been pretty satisfied. HH solutions still seem to be very hardware-module dependent and individual "feel" dependent. And while I'm at it, don't forget to look at *all* cymbal makes, Roland, Hart, Pintech, Yamaha and Kit Toys (when he's communicating with the outside world).

For somebody who told you to UTFSE, I'm doing way too much work on this.

www.myspace.com/rubberuniverse