Pete Randall tests the latest kit from Premier - the Royale APK. Can it dent the Japanese drum invasion?

Rumour had it a short while ago that the Premier Drum Co. was about to either go under or sell out to the Japs. Despite the rumours, Premier have been rescued by a management buy-out, and all has been saved. The present situation is that Premier are very much alive and well, and are looking forward to a prosperous and healthy future as the only large British drum manufacturer.

Some years ago (while working for another magazine), I had the honour of spending a day at the Premier factory in Leicester, and - as veteran of drum factory tours - I was very impressed by the care and personal interest taken by the management and employees towards the product and service. The only criticism or observation I have to make generally is that Premier do seem a little slow to react to new ideas and improvements, even when faced with criticism from dealers and players alike. Premier will do it - eventually - but in their own time. This is a shame, because I, for one, would love to see a British product give the Orientals, Germans and Americans a good hiding in market position, sales and quality! ('Rule Britannia', 'Falklands Spirit', 'Sir Peter Randall', etc...Ed)

I sometimes think that drums are a bit like cars, and if you take the Premier Royale APK as an example, it really is the Ford Escort of the drum world. If you want the Capri Ghia, buy their Black Shadow - the Royale is the no-nonsense, affordable, practical kit for the player who is just getting started in a serious sense and doesn't want inferior drums and stands that will fall to bits after the first gig. The Premier Royale will stand up to extensive gigging and hard playing, and, if past experience of Premier is anything to go by, will still be in good shape ten years from now.

The sizes of the drums are as follows: 22x14 bass drum [Errata from next issue: It's actually 22x16.], 12x12 and 13x13 hanging toms, and 16x16 floor tom. The snare is a 6 1/2" metal shell with a standard throw-off mechanism. The stands are either Tristar or Tridents, depending on which you prefer or can afford; Tristars being the more expensive and, in my opinion, better choice. The difference in hard cash is about £50.

The Royale series shells are made from a wood called luan, which is Oriental redwood similar to mahogany, three plies thick. But they don't appear to be the thin shells you might expect - the plys are fairly substantial, and the outer ply measures 6mm. As is usual these days, the plys are crossed against each other to eliminate the need for glue rings, and to keep the shell from going out of shape.

Those of you who visit drum shops on a regular basis will notice the lack of internal dampers on modern kits - there are very good reasons for this, which I'll briefly explain. In the not-so-distant past, the choice of heads was limited to plain white smooth or rough coated, and practically all drum companies fitted internal dampers. I keep finding drummers asking why their new Gretsch, Premier, Ludwig or whatever has none. Somehow they feel cheated, and a lot of players - to my horror - still insist on internal dampers.

Fact one: Internal dampers do nothing for the sound of a drum. In fact, when in the 'on' position they actually distort the sound, and don't allow the head to vibrate freely.

Fact two: When in the 'off' position they often vibrate, causing buzzing noises (usually from loose springs, washers etc.).

Fact three: With dampers fitted the head is pushed up at the edge of the drum and will give different pitches and sounds depending on where you hit it, making good tuning impossible.

Fact four: The technology of head design has advanced so much now that, if you want a dead sound to your drums, go and buy a double-ply or oil-filled head, which is designed to give you a dampened sound without any external or internal devices.

Lastly, if all else fails use gaffa tape. It may not look pretty on your nice new kit, but it can work very well, especially on the underside of the playing head.

Well, having got that off my chest, Premier Royales do not have internal dampers - but if you really can't face life without them, buy the 638 Premier external damper, and fit it so that it's just touching the head and not pushing down too much.

The small toms on the Royale APK have six of the new-design nut boxes each side, and the floor tom has eight per side. Triple flanged hoops are standard, as well as square tension rods.

The only thing that bugs me a little about this kit is that the bass drum is a standard 22x14 - i.e., not a power bass drum. Nevertheless, it sounds very authoritative, with a nice, punchy tone. The counter hoops are inlaid with the same finish as the rest of the drums, and have the usual 16 nut boxes and T-handle tensioners. All feel smooth and even when turned. Several drum companies have realised that, when you're playing and want to tension the bass drum playing head while sitting at the kit, T-handles are impractical on the bottom side, because you can't turn them all the way round without lifting up the drum. The other companies in question have therefore designed the bottom tensioners to be adjusted with a drum key via a square headed tension rod the same as the snare/toms. Sadly, Premier are still behind the times in this respect. Now, though, the good news! The front head is pre-cut out, so no more accidents with Stanley knives, and no more tatty-looking holes in the front done with a blunt pair of scissors last used for trimming the dog!

The 1005 snare drum is a budget-priced drum with triple flanged hoops, 16 strand snare, adjustable internal spring damper and the usual side action snare mechanism. Nothing new here, no revelations, no surprises and a rather boring little drum really, but it sounds okay and appears to be well made.

The accessories on the sample APK I reviewed were Premier's Tristar, which are more than good enough for a kit in this price range, the alternative being Trident, which are cheaper but, in my view, not up to the quality of the rest of the kit. The Tristar stands are very similar to Trilock, Premier's top of the range, but I actually prefer the Tristar because the double-braced legs are easier on the old andy-pandies, and don't have rough edges like the Trilock tubular type legs. I once got a nasty steel splinter from one of these stands, which took me three days to extract!

The 251 bass drum pedal has two twin adjustable springs each side. A cast two-piece foot plate with horizontal foot grips, two spiked spurs hold the pedal in place, and the pedal comes with the normal felt beater. The hi-hat has the same style foot plate, and a twin post metal link pulley mechanism. The one thing missing on both pedals, though, is a toe stop, which is the one flaw in what is otherwise good basic hardware. The need for a toestop isn't just for playing comfort, but also for keeping good shoes in new condition if you play the kind of gigs that demand smart dress. Without the stop, the toe tends to creep up the pedal and ram itself into the link mechanism - so beware, all you hotel/cabaret drummers!

Heads on the kit are the Premier doughnut type, a sort of copy of Remo CS Clear which, when tuned properly, sounded good on all the drums. The sound was well-rounded and punchy, if (to me, at least) a little unremarkable.

Lastly, the tom tom holders and spurs, which are the traditional Premier type as used on the more expensive kits - something I'm sure you're all familiar with by now. I expect to see some new developments in this area at this year's Frankfurt Trade Fair, but more than that I can't divulge!

The finishes on the Royale APK are black, silver, white, rosewood, walnut, and - for the adventurous - snakeskin, which isn't as tacky as it sounds! If you're looking for a good, well-made kit at a budget price, this could well be for you - and compared to its nearest rival, the Pearl Export, I'd be hard pressed to choose between them. In some ways I personally prefer the Pearl hardware, but I think the Premier drums have the edge on finish and general quality. Overall, this new kit looks like being a very sensible buy!

RRP £499

More details from Premier Percussion Ltd., (Contact Details).