TigerBill's DrumBeat Community Forums for Free Expert Advice on Drums and Percussion.

I have a SOnor Jungle 3003 kit, in which they still added layers of basswood between maple plys (16 kick, 10 and 13 toms, 10 snare). I read that now the new 3005s are entirely maple. For the most part, I have used them for practice in an apartment, so unfortunately, I have had to cover the drums with pads. I really began to appreciate them when I started taking them out for gigs and practice sessions around town. A big plus is their portability. I do not have a car, so I transport my kit, cymbals, and hardware on my bicycle. Well actually, I use a bike trailer, but if you can imagine trying to pull a drumset behind you on your bike in rush hour city traffic with confidance then you are either nuts or have a very portable kit! The Jungle sounds pretty darn good! I admit that I haven't replaced the el cheapass factory heads, and that they will probably sound way better when I do. I have put a self adhering 'feminin napkin' on the batter bass side for muffling, but I bet an Aquarian super kick would be great. The trick is that I will need to special order it because most shops do not carry 16" bass heads. The 10" mounted tom and 13" floor tom really sing and complement the bass drum. The 10"x2" snare is quite unusual. To my ears, it really mimics a hand clap. The downsides to it are that it obviously doesn't have much body or roundness although rimshots sound quite pleasant. I believe that one could add (I did) 13" or 12" snare to produce a great little bop kit. I am in a band with a standup bass player, guitar, sax, percussionist, and singer who want to create more of an "acoustic" sound (kind of a smooth latin lounge sound). This kit is perfect for this type of scenario, and would equally complement a piano or would be ideal in a small setting where space dictated that the drums would not be overpowering. Not that you can't get some projection, it's just that the smaller bass doesn't have the big punch of a big kick drum. In my opinion, it sounds great and stays more in the equalibrium in relation to the sound of the other drums because there are less dramatic size increments between them. I haven't yet dared, but this would also be the kit to busk in town square on a sunny summer afternoon with your buds. I also must say that the white sparkle laquer finish is very nice, and I am glad that I bought it!