If you’ve been paying attention to our channel, you already know that we are huge fans of Noble & Cooley Drums. They have been making drums since the civil war and are located just over the border in Massachusetts. Their solid shell and Alloy Classic snare drums are studio staples, and their drum sets (especially of late) are among the finest boutique kits on the market. In our latest shootout video, we compared two very attractive Noble and Cooley Kits head to head - CD Maples vs. Horizon Series.
The Similarities
At first glance, these two kits are very similar looking. Both feature incredible sparkle lacquer paint jobs. The CD Maple is in “Hematite Sparkle” and the Horizon Series kit is the most remarkable Blue Sparkle we’ve ever seen. Both kits are the same sizes: 22x16, 10x8, 12x9, 16x16. Both kits sport the same hardware, symmetrical venting, nodal point mounting, and the incredibly easy-to-use "Cool Mount".
The Differences
What makes these kits different is the shell composition. The CD Maple series has been a mainstay of the Noble & Cooley line continuously since 1983. Among the first modern, high quality all-maple drums sets, these kits have been used by countless players in virtually every type of musical style. The number of plies used for each shell depends on its size, in order to obtain maximum resonance. These drums have just the right amount of volume, resonance and attack. They ooze smooth, round tone that is the ideal Maple drum kit sound.
The Horizon Series were originally introduced in the 1980s and used to create the samples for Vintage Superior Drummer. The Horizon Series is the original modern hybrid shell design. Unlike traditional cross plies, the horizontal orientation allows the shell to resonate more uniformly, like a steam bent shell. The softer inner ply of mahogany adds a dark tonal quality creating a vintage tone. This kit would be an audio engineers dream in a studio environment!