Yamaha Stage Custom -VS- Pearl Vision 

I have a Yamaha Stage Custom set and love it. For the money you really can't go wrong. I think at a certain point most people will never be able to tell the difference in what drums are used as they get compressed to .mp3 format and lose much of the clarity.

I preferred the sound of the snare from the Pearl kit, but I preferred the sound of the toms from the Yamaha kit. For kicks, it's a draw for me. Owning a Stage Custom from 2012, I have the same feeling for my kit. So I guess the next upgrade will be the snare 😃

The Pearl Vision's floor tom has a lengthy decay, while the Yamaha's floor tom doesn't and sounds fuller. Noticed some shaking of the toms on the Pearl Vision, rock solid toms on the Yamaha. Good video.

I play a dw collectors, it’s a gorgeous kit and I gig it all the time fully close mic’d. I often wonder why we are so obsessed with hugely expensive drums when the stuff at this end of the market sounds and looks as good as these 2 kits. Great video. 👍👍👍

Great video and great playing. I agree with prior comments in that I like the Yamaha toms and the pearl snare. Just bought a used seven piece Yamaha stage custom with a a full set of stands and Sabian and Zidjian cymbals for $550 and it cleaned up like new. I put Remo Emporer heads on all the Toms and replaced the snare with a Ludwig supraphonic. For some reason, I just could not get the tone I wanted from the Yamaha snare. The kit sounds amazing. Really resonant and tonal. I would put it up against any drums costing two to three times as much at retail pricing.

I always prefer the Yamaha kit. It’s what I played when I played. I played Remo CS blacks with white dots. I really loved the triple head thickness, durability, and tones with dead-ringers. Oh the good old days.

The Vision has a special place in my heart, it was my first All Birch drums I used at Church.... I have a Yamaha Stage Custom now at home. Its really the one I wanted but the difference in price is why I had recommended it at Church. No regrets though. I love them both. ^_^

Excellent playing and comparison. I think both are great for the price but I do prefer SC. They have a brighter resonance here. I am biased but have owned both kits in different configs tho. Currently gigging the SC bop and they absolutely sing when cranked up tight. I would tune the kit in this vid (almost) same way even for funk and R&B(a tad loose in this vid for me). Had the VBX briefly in 20,10,12,14,14SN in around 2004. The Pearl Sensitone snare that comes with this kit is killer. Kept it for two decades and still love it Every bit as good as a steel Ludwig Supraphonic for about $100 and change separately. I have never felt a need to buy a more expensive steel snare. Well built ( heavy/solid) with excellent throw off(no thin hoops 2.3mm). Best bargain for steel snare imo.

Both are equally good, and a great price. Even though I'm partial to Yamaha because I own a new RC, to my ears, the Pearl is just a little tighter, punchier than Yamaha. Can't go wrong with either one. :)

The Yamaha SC sounds much better… the Tom’s have much better controlled / even sound .. the Pearls sound less polished, not bad just not as good as the Yamahas

I just purchased a Yamaha Honey Amber Stage Custom a few months ago and I love it. Both of these sets sound really good. Thank you for the very fair and thoughtful comparison.

My friend has an early model vision birch kit with thick shells. We put clear remo ambassadors on toms and man they sound hifi! Many times I’ve tested different Vision kits with worn double ply heads tuned low and clunky. And because of this drummers often value these kits lower than they actually are capable. Just my thoughts.

I have a Pearl VLX and a Yamaha Birch Custom Absolute . I've had the occasion of playing a Stage Custom in a few back lines . The Stage Customs have a very short sustain and all the 12's have been hard to tune because they tent to sound chocked when you put them on the mount . I noticed the same thing on the kit in this video . I like the Pearls because the note hangs there just a bit longer . I've never been a fan of that dead boxy sound . That Pearl floor tom just has more thunder than the Yamaha . A friend bought me a Yamaha Stage Custom 16 inch floor tom . I had been looking for a BCA floor tom . The biggest tom on my kit is the 14" hanging tom . It matches the kit in looks but it sounds real boxy or thuddy . Not much of a note . The Pearl has lots of thunder and much more range . Needless to say I don't use the Yamaha Stage Custom floor tom . I really appreciate all the hard work you put in making this video . Thank you !

Yamaha 7:48 Single 9:15 Groove Pearl 10:33 Single 11:49 Groove

Thanks for doing this video! Great job working around the kits and showing what they can do. I own a Pearl Vision set with double bass drums and I use Evans EC2S clears on the toms, Evans EMAD2 clear on the kick and Evans 500 clear reso/ Power Center/ Reverse dot batter on the snare. I noticed the comment about the toms moving around, I haven't ever had mine move on me. Pearl equipment holds very tight and secure. Even when I'm beating the hell out of the skins playing speed metal type rhythms. I absolutely love playing my kit, but must say the Yamaha is the trend-setter. It has been around forever and sounds great. Hope to see you doing more videos soon. Thank you again for the great comparison video!!

Can't go wrong with either one. Both even have outstanding hardware. Even the old stuff! But me being a 💯 percent Yamaha fan, I always lean Yamaha. My first Stage Custom shell pk, was the best $600 I ever spent! And it Recorded extremely well.

Purchasing a video for my recording studio and you've helped me select my kit and mics. Thank you. I'd say if you have not made a video yet, you should make one showing how to properly mic up a drum set. Bets of luck!!

Yamaha sounds great! Awesome playing!

Thanks for sharing and nice playing! I bought a Pearl Vision kit back in 2010 for $650. Used it on a few studio sessions and many gigs. Very happy with it! That said, I dig the Stage Custom too and from all the demos I've heard, I suspect I'd be happy playing one of them too.

I have the Pearl vision VLX and honestly can not get the 12” to cooperate when it comes to tuning. Snare and kick sound pretty close to perfection to be honest. Kinda feel that Pearl discontinued the vision series because they sounded as good as any of the other higher price kits, reference series and above, and the hardware is too. Also looking to add a 10” Tom if anyone has one they no longer need! Thanks for the video it was a surprise to see my drum kit in a recent video!

The Pearl Vision Series is my choice. The overall sound is a little more controlled than the Yamaha Stage Custom. Too bad the Vision Series Kits are discontinued.

I bought a used vision bop kit 3 years ago. Didn’t look close enough. 1.6mm top 12”rim warped from i.s.s. Tom mount. I chose VBL over stage custom because I wanted 18” kick. The stage custom 18” kick has 6 lugs, VBL is 8 lug. Thing is, I’m wishing I’d bought stage customs. Why? It’s a long running series Yamaha seems dedicated in keeping. Add-on drums are easily available. I figure if Stage custom 18” kick was 8 lug Yamaha would corner the bop kit market, but they’d do so with some sales margin loss on their higher end kits. Beautiful drumming, Adrian. Excellent video, Thank you!

Pearls have a bit more projection and attack. Thicker shells. Stage customs have the typical birch shell sound that everyone has heard. Like em both. Both have a use. Would use pearls for heavier stuff. Yamaha for everything else really.

“I’m not a fancy guy,” then proceeds to tear it up. Awesome 😎

I use both of these setups and love them very much. Even after purchasing the Pearl master, I still love these kits and often use them at concerts.

I have the stage Custom. I love it. I like them both.

Wow! fantastic playing! And I can't believe I'm gonna say this, cuz I really like my Stage Custom's, but I think the Pearl Vision's toms just had a little something that the Yamaha's didn't. It was really noticeable on the 12 inch toms between the two. Just a touch more sustain and bite. Thanks for the great vid!

I think overall I prefer the sound of the stage customs. However, in this demo I did think the Pearl floor tom had more 'rumble' than the Yamaha's. Thanks for the video.

Yo, Adrian. At that price point I didn't think anything could sound as good as the Stage Custom but the Vision really held its own. Thanks for this.

I have a pearl vision birch with the black oval badge which i use for small gigs and it sounds awesome

Overall (In my opinion only) The Pearl Has an better sound Overall. I like the Tom sizes of the Yamaha better. Okay In the studio It's the yamaha - However for live Playing It's the pearl .

Great playing and video! They both sounded really good to my old ears!

Stage Custom sounds more open, a lot more depth in the toms, brilliant kit for the money.

I'd go with the Pearl snare with the Yamaha stage custom shells actually tuned.

I’d like to pearl however I like the Yamaha snare better swap those two out and you’d have a great kit

I have a stage custom kit and love it! Both kits sounded great ! Guess it comes down to personal preference. Don't think you could go wrong with either kit

I was going to pick up one of these kits. I play TAMA and Sonor, but I wanted a beater kit. Pearl sounds earthier, grittier. The Yamaha, true to its usual tone, sounds clean and clinical. I think I’ll roll with the Pearl.

YAMAHA 💯the best Drums and Hardware on the Planet $4$.

No complaints with either both have unique sound nice set up!

They both sound like top of the line kits

In this video, I heard the Pearl carrying a more consistent tone when listening to the individual strikes. Meaning, from strike to decay. Might have been the tuning. Definately liked the tuning of the Pearl snare over the Yamaha. When the kits were played during groove, I preferred the overall sound of the Yamaha. Although, the pearl sounded more precise in the transition from one drum to the next. Had a more focused note. At least to my ear. I prefer the Yamaha hardware over Pearl.

MY FRIEND TRULY I LOVE THE PEARL….THEY ALMOST SOUND ALIKE BUT THE PEARL GAVE ME MORE SOUND IF I COULD PUT IT INTO VOICES…. THE PEARL WERE SOPRANOS AND YAMAHA WERE ALTOS…. BOTH WERE REALLY GREAT BUT PEARL IS MY CHOICE 💜💜💜

For me: Snare - Pearl Kick - Pearl 10" - Yamaha 12" - Pearl 16" - pearl Pearl takes the win for hardware. They are just built beefier. Lugs are thicker and heavier vs yamaha. Bass drum claws on Pearls much better quality. Spurs on pearls thicker too. Chrome on pearls are just thicker too. Yamaha hardware have cracked on me as if the metal quality is inferior.

I have both kits too, although my Pearl vision is special edition (vbx) with undrilled kick & shorter toms. It looks way more expensive than it is (Concorde fade) My stage custom is natural finish & looks very classy I just choose which kit depending on the gig, but mainly use my Stage Custom Also, their steel stage custom snare drums are excellent for the price Much better than the steel sensitone equivalent 👍

Honestly they both sound good and the ppl listening “audience “ wouldn’t have a clue in any slight difference nor would they care. And very nice playing btw

The 12" tom on the Yamaha sounds dead and I've heard that same complaint on other reviews of that same set. I think the Yamaha floor tom had more clarity. Overall I'd have to say the Pearl set had a more consistent resonant sound and the Pearl snare had more clarity.

I've played Yamaha for over 35 years, but I do have to say although I like the Stage Customs, the Vision maybe sounded a little bit warmer to me ....either way, I'm still a Yamaha guy, but the Pearl wasn't bad at all

I’m 2 months in to drumming at an older age lol. I just bought a 7 pc Tama SuperStar classic. And believe me- the Yammie was a close second. Is the Vision discontinued? The 2 comparative are the decade and export. Any way--- in my newness to drumming I’m thinking a double pedal would be great to just get the left foot going as I start out the gate. And as I consider that- I’m thinking ya know what… at that price I could just add an entire extra kit, but mixed. I think birch plus my maple would be excellent. Anyone want to chime in on that? The only other thought is I might as well get just a 3pc with 24” kick. That for size difference also less duplicating the toms and snare. Anyone to chime in would be great. Great video man. Rock on!

Yamaha sounds better imo. The stage customs record well, too.

The Pearl Vision kit sounds more refined and a bit richer with controlled decay on the mount toms. The floor sounds a bit less controlled than the Yams. The Yams tones sound not as round and full. The Pearl snare sounds much better (in terms of presence and vibrant energy) and attck. The winner for me is.... The Pearl Vision Kit. Kudos to you for having done your homework (over years) to refine your drum miking technique, sound and flavor. I likes! Continued success with your music career and now product endorsement.

I’m a huge Pearl guy now but my very first official kit growing up was a Yamaha stage custom late 90’s model it was in raven black I think it’s just preference at this point depending on what type of music you play and sound your looking for head choice is also a massive part of sound obviously I wouldn’t mind adding a stage custom for my collection but then again I already have 20 kits consuming my living room space drum on people 🥁🥁

Yamaha sound have more defined and clear tone for my ears. Yamaha is my choice! SC fan!

Both amazing value, but I love my Stage Customs, especially with Remo Emperor Black Suede batters. Amazing! Good video, thank you.

I’m thinking of getting the stage custom, and your vids on this kit have been very useful. Love your grooves too. The Yamaha sounds slightly better to me, but I could be biased

The Pearls sound lower n fatter but if they have 2 plys that's why. I don't usually buy midgrade kits but I bought a Stage Custom.

They both sound good. I just like the Yamaha mounting system better. I'd just go with whichever is for the better deal. I have a 1998 stage custom and it sounds so good, and I have a 1st gen stage custom birch. I like the older stage custom sound more but the looks of the newer one more. The best drum set is the one you got a deal on.

Yamaha Rocks...I have a stage Custom and bought a bunch of Saluda Cymbals.

Both are equally good/bad when playing live. If you have a sober FOH-engineer, those drums will sound very good. If I have to choose, I’ll take Yamahas, because my first kit at 1987 was their 5000-series. Nowadays I’ve been playing Visions VBX- kit since 2008 (if I remember right) and they still sound very good and solid heavy metal instrument.

Love how you put kick drum into your fills! Would love to see a breakdown.

The Yamahas sound great, and there is not a better quality and value ratio in my opinion. I have had a set for 20 years, but I want new drums. Been looking at more expensive sets ,but I may just get new Stage customs

Good video. I like the fact that you didn't favor one kit over the other one, you let it up to the viewers.

I was also a piano tuner…. Grand pianos come in many sizes from 5 feet long to almost ten feet long… while the largest ..the “ 9’ concert grand pianos” do produce a little more bottom end … that’s not really the point.. each of those pianos was built to fill rich sound in their size matched rooms…. While the piano can be identified as a 5’6”… or a 6… or a seven… etc..they are also identified by the functional names… the “Concert Grand” is meant to fill a concert hall and be able to keep up with orchestral volumes while producing rich tones in all pitch ranges…. Big fat bottom and pretty and not shrill top end… while filling a big room ..And the Convervatory… same idea… slightly smaller venue… and the Studio Grand… with a smaller airspace…you can have a smaller piano and STILL transmit and fill THAT space without sounding thin…or too heavy…match the piano to the room… (/by the way the Steinway pianos are, from smallest to largest… the S, A, M, L, B and D… Small, A little bigger, Medium, Large, Big and Damn Big… I may have messed that up but you get the idea.. there’s also an O and they are built to satisfy the needs of a room… not match the color of your Mercedes… Here’s the moral…. These “non five thousand dollar drum kits”….CAN…SOUND…GREAT…and can be very accurately tuned ( that’s huge)… but what we might not get as much of… is the flexibility of tuning range while maintaining GREAT tone…and /or Great Tone at great volume range… BUT…if you can get a GREAT TONE… from YOUR drums that that YOU LOVE…great … pic up some sm 57s and a Beta 52… and now you have tone and volume.. also you might be shocked …TWO mics on the bass drum really can add pretty tone. Even a 52 and a 57..

Thanks for the video! I’m a Pearl guy and have recently been building a larger kit with Vision VBL toms. I fell in love with them, also considering the price. This may sound a little funny and am hoping I will get other Yamaha and Pearl fans agreeing…I honestly found individually, the Yamaha toms sounded nicer than the pearls, however when playing the kit as a whole, I enjoyed the sound of the Pearls. I am not sure why, and listened a few times. So my two cents are that Yamaha sings better individually, however, the Pearls sing better as a kit.

I am biased - I own a Stage Custom Birch - but based solely on this review (were that all I knew), the choice is clear - the Yamaha kit. (I have played RCs for decades, and honestly, the current SCB kit holds its own at that level, IMHO - that my "I'm biased" caveat ;) ). The Pearl sounds good (and the snare stands out in that kit, but the floor tom, yuk) but overall, it doesn't have the musicality inherent in the Yamaha kit. Again, IMHO. (and, you can address the metal vs wood snare issue if you add a Stage Custom steel snare - which I also have - because it's awesome :) )

For me, it's the Yamaha Stage Custom. These drums are great recording drums.

I liked how you used the equipment that you had, while still giving a comparison video. I have a Pearl Vision kit, and no not biased as Mapex is my favorite drum company at the moment. Both kits are a solid investment in sound and durability I think. I can't complain. Any drums=good drums. (as long as they are not a "toy")

I preferred the Stage Custom. Especially the toms.

Chops and feel is is nice. I’ve always been a big Pearl drums and percussion fan. Dennis Chambers turned me on to Pearl back in the day. But the more I hear and play Yamaha kits I gotta give them credit cause they sound solid. Love the resonance of the Pearl kit tho.

The Yamahas had more sustain but had less attack, the pearls were just a little choked sounding probably because of their thicker shell construction but the pearls were not as loud but had clearer/ more consistent /focused notes with no pitch bend , the Yamahas had a higher fundamental pitch and the shells seemed to have a lot more resonance, I would say rock metal players should chose the vision for the punchy attack weareas funk. , jazz gospel folk players would be better served with the yammers, but like many things it’s subjective but what would I know 😢 I might even suggest that 90 percent of the sound of a drum is Bering edge and type of drum head don’t get me wrong you can hear wood in wood drums but type and all of that really doesn’t make a big difference, now the energy that the shells give back is another story you’re never gonna hear it you’re only gonna “ feel “ it

Hi Adrian. Zuerst einmal finde ich es krass wieviel Arbeit du dir gemacht hast mit diesem Video. Hut ab!!!! Ein Vergleich anzustellen mit fast gleichwertigen Drums finde ich extrem schwierig. Für mich klingen beide Set's sehr gut . Ich habe mich vor Jahren für das Yamaha entschieden und nicht bereut.

That’s tough, but I think the pearl vision has punchier toms. The Yamahas have a more “open” sound. You make them both sound good! I have an idea for a video. I would love to see a dw performance series video, full sizes (22 10 12 16) but with three tunings (low mid high).

Yamaha: 7:48 Kick 8:04 Snare 8:20 High Tom 8:33 Mid Tom 8:47 Low Tom 9:16 Groove Pearl: 10:34 Kick 10:52 Snare 11:04 High Tom 11:17 Mid Tom 11:30 Low Tom 11:49 Groove

I am playing a Mapex m kit with power Tom’s and I am switching to a Yamaha stage custom kit because the Tom’s are not as deep as power Tom’s so you get more response out of the Tom’s plus there made out of birch

Real assessment. I like the Yamaha. Not a professional by any means or standard….just a music fan and a fan of the drum. I wish the mic’s could have been exactly the same…but the bass drum…the Toms except the floor Tom sound to me “better” or more to my musical taste. I want to get into drumming…just trying to figure out if I want an acoustic or a e drum set. Any suggestions from the floor will be welcome. Budget…1000 to 1500.

This would be a much better comparison if they were also tuned the same, with the same heads and treatment However, with the current set up, I would choose the Pearl. The toms have a fuller tone and resonant sound

I don’t know about the kits, one being any better, or whatever… but I know I Dig your beats and chops a lot!!! Smooth sailing around those kits, Broseph!!! Big Props on the Chops!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

My first drum set is a 5 pc Pearl Vision! Love it! P.S. My profile pic. Thank you! But I'm going to get the Yamaha Stage Custom as my 2nd. drum set thank you!

I like the Yamaha 💗

Nice drumming. I like Pearl always will but I love Yamaha!

Good sound best on.pearl vision is good snare is not like tge yamaha stage custom nice fills

They are both very good sounding set for their price. Unfortunately, the Pearl vision is discontinued . The Yamaha SC can and used as a professional drum set any day of the week. Great value for money 🤙 A great up to date comparison will be Yamaha SC vs. Sonor AQ1

Great comparison! here's my take kick: pearl vision rack toms:both are good floor toms: stage custom snare: both are good can you do a video on a sonor aq2 or a tama superstar classic?

Those Pyle Mics while not bad are very "dry" sounding. If anything surprised at their sound quality. Playing and tuning were just fine. I think the Pearl are a bit more musical sounding. And I think that has to do with an all new construction process Pearl started using with the Vision line of drums, that were to replace the venerable entry level Export series drums. Yeah, Pearl kinda messed up with the marketing on that and should have just kept the "Export" name. Which they did return to With the Decade Maple being the replacement for the Vision line I guess today. Anyway, Pearl. Mine sound pretty decent with Evans EC2's on them, and EMAD for the bass drum. Have the Pearl Eliminator pedals (even though I'm more of a single bass head guy I do the double bass thing so I'm "cool") and various Zildjian K and Sabian AAX cymbals. Truth be told, it's more about the cymbals for any "good" drum set guys and gals! (an interesting trick you can try if your floor toms are a bit too resonant, do the same with the floor tom as your bass drum. Cut a small hole on the bottom head of your floor tom while keeping the mic on the top batter head. and if that isn't enough, take one of your tom's floor legs, and turn it upside down. think outside the box if you want your drums to NOT sound like everyone else's. in a good way naturally. lol. like trying different jewelry instead of the moon gels).Cool video thanks! "Life without drums would be a mistake".

Hey dude! Thanks for making this video. I have played Pearl and owned Pearl. They're great. Now I own the stage custom. In this video, I think the stage custom sounds a little more punchy and dynamic. Rock on! Just out of curiosity, could you do a video on the pearl vision compared to the pearl export?

The pearl snare sounds much better to me, don't know why I didn't like the Yamaha snare overtones/ring. Both kits sound good. I have a Yamaha tour custom snare but I don't like it gonna replace it with a birch or steel snare soon. I play a vintage sonor teardrop beech kit but their snare drums are too expensive for me.

great video man!! TKS

I am going for the Yamaha sc Pure white

Yamaha is superior all the way down the line in all categories across all price ranges compared to the pearl until you start getting into high end and boutique. Then it's pearl by a landslide.

I liked more pearl sound but I love more the Yamaha hardware

Pearl all the way

Great video, awesome drumming! I like both kits, and have both kits! How about comparison of Pearl Maple decade against Yamaha's Tour Custom, which are both maple kits, very close price points.

I like the depth of the Yamaha toms and the Yamaha bass. It's a good thing I still have a liking for the Pearls (correct me if I'm wrong but, regardless of differences in shells, Pearl Exports are the same level as Yamaha Stage Custom?) because I paid attention to how well the toms ring. The Pearl snare sounds like it's tuned a little higher.

The Yamaha’s sound better. The Pearl’s sound dryer. Yamaha snare has nice tone and overtone sustain .The kick on the Yamaha sounds better punch wise.

If a top player as Dave Wekle uses the Yamaha Stage Custom live, that says a lot.

I like the pearls

YAMAHA NO 1

Love This IF You Don't Like This Something Wrong With You Even The Color's Are Nice Both Sound Good TO ME

Great video, but the tuning of both kits were not good. You got great chops though, man. Keep it up...Yamaha is my choice.

Comparing a drum kit that has metal tubes for the tom mounts vs a drum kit that doesn't......Stage Custom wins, just looking at these it's obvious.

Yamaha !!!