I really did a lot of homework before buying. Thanks to all of the drum techs at Thomann for answering all my questions. Going down to an 18" kick drum made sense in my very space challenged apartment. It really makes a big difference when carting this kit around as well. Just getting it in and out of the front car seat was worth downsizing from a 20". I was a bit concerned if the 18" kick would all of my diverse musical tastes, but it handles all. Rock, funk, jazz, blues, freedom jams. Slapped a Evans Emad 2 on the kick and it is plenty thick and thumpy for the heavier stuff and sounds great in recordings. The mahogany shells are nice and light (noticeably lighter than the shells of my Gretsch Renown Maple kit) and give nice warm tones all around. Still fidgeting with the snare drum to get the nice and tight Stewart Copeland sound I love. All in all, a great purchase and I am glad I chose Piano Black. It is a great look that never goes out of style. I hope to add additional pieces to the kit and any color will go great with classic black. Beautiful lacquer finish! The hardware is a 4 out of 5, but I do not anticipate having any issues. Great bang for the buck, and happy, happy, happy, just like the headline says!
