Pacific Drums & Percussion CX Series snare drum

Ensenada-era Pacific Drums & Percussion snare drum impresses at a low price point.

By Darin Soll

Even though I recently restored a 1959 Slingerland Super Gene Krupa solid maple snare drum wrapped in black diamond pearl for my Stone Custom Drum black diamond pearl kit, I was intrigued when I saw an Ensenada-era PDP snare drum in black diamond pearl on Reverb.  It was listed for $69, so I decided to pick it up.

Seller image of the new-to-me Pacific CX snare drum
prior to upgrades

Long-time readers know I am a fan of Pacific Drums & Percussion, later rebranded as PDP Drums.  Established by Drum Workshop, or DW Drums, in 1999, PDP provides a more affordable line of drums and percussion gear.  I owned 2010-era PDP X7 and FS kits.  Both included pro features such as suspension mounts, Tru-Pitch tuning rods, and attractive shell finish options.  While I found the build quality and bearing edges to be excellent, these kits were built in Taiwan using softer Asian grades of maple and birch.  While I gigged and did some light recording with my X7 and FS kits without issue, they didn't quite deliver the tone that puts a grin on your face.

But there is an even more interesting chapter in PDP's history...in the early 2000s, Pacific Drums & Percussion built drums in Mexico, using the same North American hard rock maple shells as parent company DW Drums in Oxnard, California.  The Pacific factory south of the border occupied space leased from the Fender production facilities in Ensenada, Baja California.

Multiple sources citing conversations with DW factory reps claim that Ensenada-made LX, CX, and MX (lacquer, wrap, and matte-finish, respectively) drums were essentially DW Design series drums with PDP hardware and badges.  When DW first began to produce their own drum shells they ordered two sets of shell presses, one set for Oxnard, CA, and another set for Ensenada.  The rest of the story is that the wood truck would stop in Oxnard, where DW would get first dibs, and then the truck would cross the border and head down to Ensenada with the remaining stock.  Assuming these sources are accurate, Ensenada-era Pacific shells were produced using the same wood supplier and shell presses that the DW Design series drums are made from, but without re-rings, and without DW's grain orientation technology, such as the HVLT used in DW Design series drums.

CX 7-ply maple snare shell without hardware;
Look for badges with "Made in Ensenada"

Beginning in 2008, Ensenada drums were rebranded as PDP's Platinum series, and production of PDP's "standard" lines moved to Taiwan.  I own a 2008 solid maple Platinum snare, and it is one of my favorite snares.  The Ensenada era appears to have ended in 2011 when the Platinum series was discontinued.  Did the Platinums not sell as well as expected, or were they cannibalizing too many DW sales?  That's a question for John Good at DW.

While I find the history interesting, it's not really the point.  The point is that for a period of time in the early 2000s, shells used in Pacific Drums & Percussion drum sets and snares shared a lot more DNA with DW Drums than they do today.  Pacific CX, LX, and MX Series drums sell quickly on Reverb and eBay, and drummers rave about their sound.

So, does my new-to-me Ensenada-era snare drum live up to the hype?  In a word:  yes.  Out of the box, the 5x14 7-ply maple snare tunes up easily and has an impressive voice.  I usually start with a 3g tuning and determine where to go from there.  3g suits this snare well, and I didn't notice any choke at higher or lower tunings.

PDP Concept lugs offer a sleeker look
than the stock PDP oval lugs

However, I did notice a few shortcomings with the stock CX drum...

First, the hoops.  Non-Platinum Pacific/PDP drums are typically equipped with 1.6mm hoops, which in my opinion are not meaty enough, particularly on the batter side of snare drums.

Second, the Pacific/PDP oval lugs.  I have never liked the look of PDP's standard lugs.  I'm sure their design is a nod to DW's turret lugs, but to me, the big ovals just aren't appealing to the eye.

Third, the stock PDP throw.  It is solid and functional, but a bit on the klunky side.

Fortunately my friends at drumfactorydirect.com were able to hook me up with a new 2.3mm batter hoop, PDP Concept double-ended lugs, and a DW MAG throw.  I already had spare Evans heads, Genera dry vented for the batter side and Hazy 300 for the snare side, as well as a set of 16-strand Puresound snare wires to complete the upgrades to this drum.

Upgraded drum with 2.3mm batter hoop
PDP Concept lugs, and DW MAG throw

While I replaced the stock batter hoop with my new 2.3mm hoop, I decided to leave the 1.6mm hoop on the snare side.  This mixed hoop setup reminds a bit of Stewart Copeland's Pearl and Tama snares. 

Tension lug drill spacing is 1-3/8" for both the stock PDP oval lugs and the PDP Concept lugs, but the new Concept lugs were a very tight fit.  To keep undesirable tension off the shell, I drilled the holes 1/32" larger.  The new lugs dropped right into the slightly enlarged holes.  The DW MAG throw fit perfectly using the stock throw's mounting holes.

The upgraded drum sounds even better, particularly with rimshots.  The PDP Concept lugs give the drum a sleeker look, and the DW MAG throw is hard to beat for its smooth operation.  The Evans Genera dry vented batter is particularly well-suited to this drum--as long as the lugs are in tune with each other, the Genera dry eliminates high-frequency overtones.

The bottom line?  After two weeks, my vintage solid maple Slingerland snare is still in its case!  I am really enjoying the tone of the Pacific CX.  If you are in the market for a great-sounding maple snare on a budget, Ensenada-era Pacific Drums & Percussion CX, LX, and MX snares are an excellent option.

Tune-bot tuning:  I tuned the drum up to 3g (196Hz) using Tune-bot.  To achieve this, I first tuned each snare lug to 400Hz and then each batter lug to 290Hz.

--Darin