Pearl ICON / DR-500 Drum Rack Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI purchased this drum rack from Roli Garcia, Jr. at www.roligarciajr.com. He's endorsed by Pearl and is always selling Pearl drums, hardware and accessories on eBay and on his website. Currently, he can be found on eBay under the user name drdesi31@hotmail.com. He sells everything at 50% off list price (pretty hard to beat since normal dealer cost is 50% off list).
This isn't my first Pearl drumrack. I purchased my first Pearl rack back in the mid-80's to clean up the look of my kit and to get rid of all those stands.
In 1988, I bought a DDrum 2 electric kit and gave an Ultimate Support Systems drumrack a whirl. It seemed like the "in" thing to do. What a mistake. It was junk. I then purchased a Pearl DR-110 drumrack to use with my DDrum 2 kit and was extremely pleased.
I recently updated my electronics with a DDrum 4 kit. My DDrum 4 kit came with a Gibraltar rack, but I didn't like it. It wasn't as bad as the USS rack, but the problem was the same: Round tubing (I'll get this this below). I needed something better and the obvious choice for me was Pearl's new ICON rack. I could have used my DR-110 rack, but the look of my new DDrum pads went much better with Pearl's newer ICON rack.
Just a general comment: I've been using Pearl acoustic drums and hardware since 1984 and have been extremely pleased with the quality and durability of Pearl's drums and hardware. As I mentioned, prior to purchasing my ICON rack, I owned a Pearl DR-110 rack. Actually, I owned two Pearl DR-110 drumracks. My original DR-110 rack didn't get placed into my band's equipment truck as we packed up our gear one evening and was never seen again. My DDrum 2 kit has been retired and my DR-110 rack is still in use with my Pearl acoustic kit.
I paid approximately $250 for the rack and approximately $13 for each extra pipe clamp.
Rock Solid! Rock Solid! Rock Solid! Pearl uses square tubing for all horizontal bars which completely eliminates the possibility of slippage which occurs with all other brands (Yamaha, Gibraltar, Tama, etc.). The other brands out there use round tubing for vertical and horizontal bars and is much more likely to slip. The Independent Control (ICON) feature allows you to adjust the height of each side of the rack. Previously, all three side of Pearl racks were fixed at the same height.
I have a few dislikes, but only one of them is unique to Pearl.
First, you only get 4 pipe clamps with the rack. If you're looking to mount more than 4 items on the rack, you'll need to get more pipeclamps. Of course, this is not unique to Pearl. All other racks come with a limited number of hardware clamps. You'll need to purchase extra clamps with any rack.
Second, the footprint of the Pearl's ICON rack is greater than the footprint of my old Pearl DR-110 rack. The vertical tubes on my DR-110 rack are round from top to bottom. The vertical tubes on the Pearl ICON / DR-500 rack are round from top to bottom as well, but the bottom vertical tubes now bolt into a rectangular foot. I'm not able to get the exact positioning I could with my DR-110 rack. Again, this is not unique to Pearl. All other racks out there have a similar base, but this is new to Pearl. I find that the foot, which was probably added for greater stability, is more of a nuisance than a benefit.
Third (and this is unique to Pearl), the horizontal bars are only available in one length. I wish I could get a slightly longer center bar, but none is available.
Fourth, transportation is a bit of a headache. You'll need a trap case to carry all the parts if you disassemble the rack for transport. If you have the room in your trailer, car or van, you could just fold the three sides of the rack and carry it like that. Of course, it will get more "beat up" this way (this is how I do it). Again, this is not unique to Pearl. You'll have a similar difficulty with any rack.
The square, horizontal tubes are made from aluminum. I believe the vertical tubes are made from chromed steel. I belive the pipe clamps are also made from steel. All components are rock solid.
The bottom line is this: If you've got a Pearl drumkit and you're looking to get rid of all those floor stands and clean up the look of your kit, this rack is the way to go. It's definitely WAY better than the generic alternative (Gibraltar). I'm using it for an electric kit at the present time and it is working out extremely well. My DDrum kit came with a Gibraltar rack with an arched front tube and it sucked. It was difficult to setup and it slipped several times at each and every gig. If you're using Yamaha drums, I'd stick with a Yamaha rack. If you're using Tama drums, stick with a Tama rack. Nobody likes a bastard drumkit! If you want to contact me, feel free to drop me a line at jgthatsme@aol.com.
John G. rated this unit
on
2002-03-27.
