I also have a set of Pearl Session Elites that I got around 94-95. A white eight piece, single bass with double pedals and later added a rack. This kit has logged quite a few shows around Nashville and road. I much prefer the older kits with the power toms, as I am “still stuck in the 80’s”. Through the years I have had other kits and also have worked at Pearl. Pearl has always been my choice of drums. I still have my Sessions kit and a black nine piece, double bass Pearl Export DLX kit with rack, 14 matched Paiste cymbals, including three splash, a China and a Zildjian ping ride, blue jam block and chimes. Hopefully these Drums will be around longer than I will, as I do not plan on getting rid of them. The ladies can have their diamonds, I’ll keep my Pearls. Lol.
I picked up this color/model 10x10/10x12/14X16(LB-30 added!) with a 16x24 bass for a steal mostly as I wanted the blue bass drum for my Bavarian Band, but I just rocked it for a community band winter concert yesterday.
Session Elite SLX kit still cuts it in 2024 for sure. I bought a new Session Elite SLX in black in 1993, still own it to this day and will never part with it. I bought it after I heard one of me drumming heroes Jeff Porcaro of Toto passed away unexpectedly. I had been playing a white Yamaha before that. I recall walking into my local drum store here in Perth Western Australia and speaking with my guy who owned the place saying I wanted a Pearl kit and he pointed the Session Elite (blue one like this video) and said "this is spectacular and you wont be disappointed". He proceeded to play it for me and that was that, I ordered a set immediately. There were no other colours left in the country other than black, so black I got. I also purchased the Pearl Jeff Porcaro signature rack for it which I also still have. This kit has travelled the globe with me and saw some studio work and a lot of stage work where it never failed to get great comments on how awesome it sounds. Whilst living in the UK from 1996-2004 the kit was used by my band and as the backline for a heap of top flight UK bands like Captain sensible, The Vibrators, 999, UK Subs, Stiff Little Fingers etc etc. Every drummer from those bands came to me after the gig and said that was the nicest sounding kit they have ever played and offered to buy it from me. The only difference I can see between mine and the blue kit in this video is, mine doesn't have the tom hangers. Mine just have the hardware going into the hole in the side of the toms. I still have the chrome steel snare drum as in this video, but I bought a lovely Pearl Masters Premium Birch SST snare some 10 years ago which is gorgeous. Love the Session Elite, awesome kit and I advise any drum lover to buy a set if they can find them.
Thanks for sharing your story! And you even reminded me, when I bought this kit, I also bought the Pearl rack! It was black, the legs were rounded but the rack itself was squared off. I lugged that thing around for a bit, but it was pretty bulky as I recall!
@@pokeyondrumsyeah mate, the Pearl Jeff Porcaro rack is exactly that, round legs, square top rails where the square cymbal and Tom hangers bolted onto. Pearl even placed a gold Jeff Porcaro metal placard on it to match the gold Pearl placard on the SLX kit. I hung everything off the rack, 10, 12 and 13” toms and all the cymbal hardware. Only thing not hanging off the rack are the floor Tom, snare and bass drum. Great rack, it never moved and looked great. Bugger to drag around from gig to gig but, like the SLX kit, I’ll never part with it. Thank you mate for posting your video, it took me back to all the things I love about the SLX kit and Pearl drums in general. Wish there was a way for me to post a pic of my kit. Is there a way? I do have videos on TH-cam of me playing it with The Cigarettes in the UK circa 1999 at travellers rest, Lincoln UK 😎
Pearl unfortunately stopped making some of their best sounding kits, because I think they felt they were a little TOO good of a value. I had the older Session Select that were maple/Mahogany, and it was one of the best sounding, best looking kits I’ve ever head. Something about the maple mahogany blend that is spectacular, and warm. And, they recorded incredibly well. Now that blend is a special order (regardless of company. Although, Mapex’s Saturn series is amazing as well. It’s a shame you couldn’t really hear the Session Studio Select kit real well. But, that gorgeous blue Prestige Session came through really nice. Very punch. I’ve been waiting for this comparison for a LONG time now. Nice! I envy you.
i man!, thanks for do this... i always have an idea to " upgrade" the " oldies" kit.. and you have all you need to do.. put the optimount to the session elite toms, and put the tom brakets with clamps or the tom mounting from the new one ( so you can mounting the bass drum better ), and for the floor tom, put the rubbers from de studio select so it can " sing better"... all this crazy thing will work so well changing the heads obviously.. i recomend you 1 ply heads on both sides ( top and bottom) to have more full body sound ( the resonant heads has less sing pitch in low tunings) and for the bass drum, EMAD 1 or Remo P3 to batter side and Remo Fiberskyn P3 to the front.... i can be sure the prestige session ellite from 1994 will be your first choice!!!, Greetings from Buenos AIres
It's never been a better time to be a drummer. What you get now for $1000 is what high end drums were 30 years ago. Cheap drums have never been better or better sounding. That being said I also love the old long lug pearls lol
I do love these drums, which is why I haven’t been able to bring myself to get rid of them in 30 years! Long lugs are cool, but man those SLXs are heavier than the STSs!
@@pokeyondrums agree, I had a blx kit around that time and they were just super solid. The single lug design to me anyway is just more eye catching then the current top end kit lugs they use for the reference kits these days
Totally agree! I have way more experience with the older kit and am just getting to know the new one, but from what I’ve seen so far I really like the new one - the fit and finish, the shell construction, the look of the inner mahogany plies, the only real downsides were the non-US heads and I’d love hinging floor tom brackets to come back lol. Otherwise I’m super pumped to get more time behind the new kit!
your tuning skill is top notch
I also have a set of Pearl Session Elites that I got around 94-95. A white eight piece, single bass with double pedals and later added a rack. This kit has logged quite a few shows around Nashville and road. I much prefer the older kits with the power toms, as I am “still stuck in the 80’s”. Through the years I have had other kits and also have worked at Pearl. Pearl has always been my choice of drums. I still have my Sessions kit and a black nine piece, double bass Pearl Export DLX kit with rack, 14 matched Paiste cymbals, including three splash, a China and a Zildjian ping ride, blue jam block and chimes. Hopefully these Drums will be around longer than I will, as I do not plan on getting rid of them. The ladies can have their diamonds, I’ll keep my Pearls. Lol.
Ha! Yeah, I can’t bring myself to get rid of these either!
both kits are cool!
I have an SLX as well,same color but double bass. Sounds amazing!!
Nice! Are the bass drums the same size?
In 94 i bought a export. Still have it .also have a session maple custom . Slx mlx and czx i drool over
I picked up this color/model 10x10/10x12/14X16(LB-30 added!) with a 16x24 bass for a steal mostly as I wanted the blue bass drum for my Bavarian Band, but I just rocked it for a community band winter concert yesterday.
Session Elite SLX kit still cuts it in 2024 for sure. I bought a new Session Elite SLX in black in 1993, still own it to this day and will never part with it. I bought it after I heard one of me drumming heroes Jeff Porcaro of Toto passed away unexpectedly. I had been playing a white Yamaha before that. I recall walking into my local drum store here in Perth Western Australia and speaking with my guy who owned the place saying I wanted a Pearl kit and he pointed the Session Elite (blue one like this video) and said "this is spectacular and you wont be disappointed". He proceeded to play it for me and that was that, I ordered a set immediately. There were no other colours left in the country other than black, so black I got. I also purchased the Pearl Jeff Porcaro signature rack for it which I also still have. This kit has travelled the globe with me and saw some studio work and a lot of stage work where it never failed to get great comments on how awesome it sounds. Whilst living in the UK from 1996-2004 the kit was used by my band and as the backline for a heap of top flight UK bands like Captain sensible, The Vibrators, 999, UK Subs, Stiff Little Fingers etc etc. Every drummer from those bands came to me after the gig and said that was the nicest sounding kit they have ever played and offered to buy it from me. The only difference I can see between mine and the blue kit in this video is, mine doesn't have the tom hangers. Mine just have the hardware going into the hole in the side of the toms. I still have the chrome steel snare drum as in this video, but I bought a lovely Pearl Masters Premium Birch SST snare some 10 years ago which is gorgeous. Love the Session Elite, awesome kit and I advise any drum lover to buy a set if they can find them.
Thanks for sharing your story! And you even reminded me, when I bought this kit, I also bought the Pearl rack! It was black, the legs were rounded but the rack itself was squared off. I lugged that thing around for a bit, but it was pretty bulky as I recall!
@@pokeyondrumsyeah mate, the Pearl Jeff Porcaro rack is exactly that, round legs, square top rails where the square cymbal and Tom hangers bolted onto. Pearl even placed a gold Jeff Porcaro metal placard on it to match the gold Pearl placard on the SLX kit. I hung everything off the rack, 10, 12 and 13” toms and all the cymbal hardware. Only thing not hanging off the rack are the floor Tom, snare and bass drum. Great rack, it never moved and looked great. Bugger to drag around from gig to gig but, like the SLX kit, I’ll never part with it. Thank you mate for posting your video, it took me back to all the things I love about the SLX kit and Pearl drums in general. Wish there was a way for me to post a pic of my kit. Is there a way? I do have videos on TH-cam of me playing it with The Cigarettes in the UK circa 1999 at travellers rest, Lincoln UK 😎
Pearl unfortunately stopped making some of their best sounding kits, because I think they felt they were a little TOO good of a value. I had the older Session Select that were maple/Mahogany, and it was one of the best sounding, best looking kits I’ve ever head. Something about the maple mahogany blend that is spectacular, and warm. And, they recorded incredibly well. Now that blend is a special order (regardless of company. Although, Mapex’s Saturn series is amazing as well. It’s a shame you couldn’t really hear the Session Studio Select kit real well. But, that gorgeous blue Prestige Session came through really nice. Very punch. I’ve been waiting for this comparison for a LONG time now. Nice! I envy you.
i man!, thanks for do this... i always have an idea to " upgrade" the " oldies" kit.. and you have all you need to do.. put the optimount to the session elite toms, and put the tom brakets with clamps or the tom mounting from the new one ( so you can mounting the bass drum better ), and for the floor tom, put the rubbers from de studio select so it can " sing better"... all this crazy thing will work so well changing the heads obviously.. i recomend you 1 ply heads on both sides ( top and bottom) to have more full body sound ( the resonant heads has less sing pitch in low tunings) and for the bass drum, EMAD 1 or Remo P3 to batter side and Remo Fiberskyn P3 to the front.... i can be sure the prestige session ellite from 1994 will be your first choice!!!, Greetings from Buenos AIres
Visually, I think the newer Prestige drums are gorgeous.
Edie’s deummer was Matt Chamberlin with cobalt blue Yamaha tour customs birch/Mahogony.
I love the power tom/long lug era of pearl drums, much better quality and value for money compared to a lot of what’s going around these days
It's never been a better time to be a drummer. What you get now for $1000 is what high end drums were 30 years ago. Cheap drums have never been better or better sounding.
That being said I also love the old long lug pearls lol
I do love these drums, which is why I haven’t been able to bring myself to get rid of them in 30 years! Long lugs are cool, but man those SLXs are heavier than the STSs!
@@pokeyondrums agree, I had a blx kit around that time and they were just super solid. The single lug design to me anyway is just more eye catching then the current top end kit lugs they use for the reference kits these days
@@robd3529 same, I don’t really care for the look of the rounded Reference lugs
They just look too generic I think
Long live Long Lugs
The sound might be a matter of taste and tuning, but the general features are much better for the latter version.
Totally agree! I have way more experience with the older kit and am just getting to know the new one, but from what I’ve seen so far I really like the new one - the fit and finish, the shell construction, the look of the inner mahogany plies, the only real downsides were the non-US heads and I’d love hinging floor tom brackets to come back lol. Otherwise I’m super pumped to get more time behind the new kit!
At the moment I think that Pearl session studio select is best ratio price for quality on market
@@dragobotica agreed, part of the reason I got mine was the deal I got!
Nothing screams 80s more then square sized power toms
I prefer the 1994 Pearl Prestige Session Elites. B Much beefier than the newer kit.
I own a 1988 Pearl World Series WLX so I'm likely biased.