DW s flagship line the Collector s Series are the original US-made custom drums. For years drum makers have preferred maple for its resonant tonal qualities. Maple is a traditional shell material that provides low-end punch warmth and attack. This DW Shell Pack features North American maple shells with 3-ply reinforcement hoops. Toms 8-13 are 6-ply while 14 and bigger (including bass drums) are 7-ply. This shell pack features rack toms with Vertical Low Timbre (VLT) - a DW special feature which involves arranging grain patterns of shell plies so the outermost and innermost plies run vertically versus the traditional horizontal. This provides less tension on the shell for greater resonance. In addition the floor tom includes X Shell construction which complements VLT technology through a revolutionary full vertical shell cross-lamination on the innerplies. The result of these two advancements is a tonally massive drum sound and lowered pitch. Rounding out and refining the low-end of this kit is a kick drum featuring Vertical Low Timbre/Diagonal grain shells (VLX). These shells are the lowest grain orientation available from the DW Custom Shop. It also features DW s patented STM (suspension tom mount) system which allows drums to vibrate independently allowing maximum resonance while securely holding the drum in place. Because there are no washers or grommets inhibiting the lug rod receiver choking is reduced and tuning is as easy as ever. To give drummers even more control over their sound DW created its patented True-Pitch rod system. The rods feature 5mm threads rather than the 12/24 that s standard on most other drums. To compare there is 1 thread every 0.8mm on True-Pitch rods (about 20% more threads) versus 1 thread every 1.05mm on most other drums. The result is a more exacting tuning process. Snare drum cymbals and hardware sold separately.