jazz festival vs pioneer

[mike s]

just wondering as im not an owner of ether drum but other than the extra 2 lugs are there any key differences between the two drums ?
why do jazz festivals command such a higher price ?
are pioneers more difficult to tune/ or keep in tune?
were there significantly more pioneer models made?

thanks.

[mcjnic]

There is a thread on here: Ludwig Pioneer and JazzFest Shells - that covered this a bit. Search it out and give it a read. It helped me quite a bit.

[leray1]

I can't find an article that compares the two. I did find one that has been archived and won't show up on a search. But it compares the Jazz Fest to the Super Ludwig.

Here is the archived article:
http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/archive/index.php/t-336.html

There is a little trick I use to search forums.

Google this
"whatever you want to search for" site:http://www.vintagedrumforum.com (or whatever other site you want to search on)

If someone can find the thread that mcjnic is referring to, please post a link.

[caddywumpus]

I can't find the other thread either...

So, to sum up what it probably said, the Pioneer was a "student" model. They used the same shells, but the Pioneer had less hardware, so it cost less. I've owned a few of each of them, and I can say from experience that the Jazzfests do, in fact, tune much easier and sound a lot better.

[lucky]

Go to search and type in " ludwig jazzfest and pioneer shells " and you will find it. Sounding better or worse is in the ear of the drummer. I would not say a jazzfest sounds better, just different. My pioneer has a broad tunning range. I can get it snappy and crisp, open and woody, ringy etc. I think it comes down to which head you choose.

[O-Lugs]

In short, it is my opinion that the Pioneer is the better sounding drum. Of course, the JazzFest is more valuable. Also, the Pioneer was never included with a drum set, as far as I know. The JazzFest was an option on some kits.

[Ludwig-dude]

I think they did offer the Pioneer with the club date series and some of the early budget lines that they offered before the standard series came out......

[troutstudio]

I am working from a handicap here - I own a Pioneer, but not a Festival. The pioneer has had so many compliments and is easy to play and tune. The lack of a lot of hardware makes it a very open sound. The Festival is very expensive and I have yet to hear rave reviews. But I'd like to - anyone?

[caddywumpus]

The Pioneer is a very "open" drum. It really sings, but I have never been able to tune the singing out of it. The JazzFest is nice because I am able to tune it to an open sound AND a drier "crack-y" sound. I guess you could toss some moongels or muffling rings on the Pioneer to achieve this, but I don't like to use that stuff because it takes some of the character out of the drum. Maybe some die cast hoops would do it too? Hmm...

[Ludwig-dude]

I am working from a handicap here - I own a Pioneer, but not a Festival. The pioneer has had so many compliments and is easy to play and tune. The lack of a lot of hardware makes it a very open sound. The Festival is very expensive and I have yet to hear rave reviews. But I'd like to - anyone?

Rave reviews on a Jazzfest? Um.....ask Ringo, I'm sure he'll give you a rave review.....can't get any more positive than that..... Yes Sir