Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

Thanks for your input.  I definitely didn't give the "small business" 
thing enough leeway.  

Having said that, I did get my cymbals Saturday.  I played them about 
3 hours Saturday and 2 hours Sunday and I have to say that I am very 
happy with em.  I did very little tweaking to my TD10 inputs and they 
trigger and sound great.  I definitely think they swing better than 
the VCymbals and from the bit of playing I have done I think they are 
the way I'm going from here on.  

I have always played Pearls and Zildjians.  I got the VDrums a couple 
of years ago since it was easier to move around and do digital 
recordings at home (my wife plays keyboards).  I have always been a 
bit unhappy with the electronic cymbal sounds but I was also missing 
the swing and the visual cues that real cymbals give.  The Vcymbals 
are fine and have better feel than pads but the Visu-lites swing 
better and now I can have a splash that looks like a splash .  I know 
that doesn't seem like a big deal to a lot of drummers specially the 
ones that have played electric a lot but after playing accoustic 
drums for 30+ years having all your cymbals look alike is kind of 
irritating.  The other huge advantage is that the Visu-lites are much 
cheaper so I can afford to buy a few more for my set without breaking 
the bank.

I still have 3 Vcymbals crashes, 1 VRide and the VHihat.  I will 
probably keep the Vride cause from what I understand the Visu-lite 
ride takes up 2 inputs and I don't have an extra one to spare.  I 
will likely sell my 3 crashes and I haven't decided about the VHiHat 
yet.

Anyway, liberatusvirus was a big help in understanding the Visu-lite 
process.  I promised a review once I'd had a chance to play them so 
here it is.  Hope this helps anyone considering the Visu-lites.

-oldnslowdrummer 


--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "Skirby56" <skirby@i...> wrote:
> Hi ONSlow / ED;
> 
> I ordered my 1655 crash through Drumbalaya/Charlotte Morin 2 months 
> ago - order was fwd to VL the next day. I heard nothing from VL / 
Tom 
> until it shipped on 5/27 - (4 wks later)
> 
> "Hi, Your cymbal just went out today.  We were out of the switches 
> and they are custom made.  Sorry for the delay. Thanks - Tom"
> 
> I definitely got the impression they are a small /family business. 
> That being said, it was worth the wait since I was in no great 
hurry 
> and really love the feel / high-quality of the cymbal.
> 
> I'm a home-based small business owner myself, so probably quicker 
to 
> forgive than some, but If you have the time/patience I think you'll 
> really be happy with their product.
> 
> Good luck ~ Steve K.
> 
> --- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "liberatusvirus" 
> <liberatusvirus@y...> wrote:
> > Hi OldnSlow,
> > 
> > A lot of the good press about Visu-lite has come from me, since 
> I've 
> > dealt with the company not only as a user but also as a 
> collaborator 
> > in the production of the Yamaha version hi hat. The company is 
> > definitely a cottage industry, involving only a few people. 
> > Sometimes Tom Pickard, the owner and designer, is "away from the 
> > phone," as well as the web. He's one of those people with a lot 
of 
> > musical vocations (he plays, handles live sound, records, 
invents, 
> > and god knows what else.) Once you get Tom, he's helpful, but 
> > sometimes reaching him is tough. I'll try to contact him for you. 
> > Why don't you email me so that I can give Tom a name to check on 
> the 
> > order. 
> > 
> > Ed
> > --- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "oldnslowdrummer" 
> > <oldnslowdrumr@g...> wrote:
> > >  
> > > 
> > > I have been thinking about trying some other types of ecymbals 
> and 
> > > after reading lots of posts and reviews (some on this board), I 
> > > decided to give the Visu-lites a try. 
> > > 
> > > The problem that I am having is that the support there seems to 
> be 
> > > nil which is exactly the opposite of what I have read. I placed 
> an 
> > > order, waited 5 or 6 days and had seen no feedback. I checked 
> > online 
> > > and it said the order was unshipped. I sent an email to see 
what 
> > was 
> > > up and was told by reply that they would ship that day. 3 days 
> > later 
> > > and I still haven't seen any confirmation, the online status 
> still 
> > > says unshipped and my credit card hasn't been charged. I sent 
> > > another email and got no reply so I called the number listed on 
> > their 
> > > website. I got some kind of generic recording that just 
> > said "leave 
> > > a message" so I'm not even sure if that was them or if the 
number 
> > may 
> > > have changed. I may be a little excited to get my new cymbals 
but 
> > > this seems pretty slack compared to other drummer's experiences 
> > with 
> > > them that I have read.
> > > 
> > > Any of you guys or gals bought anything from them direct 
lately? 
> > Is 
> > > this typical of their approach to dealing with customers? If so 
> > > maybe I beter cancel and try some harts or something.
> > > 
> > > Thanks
> > > oldnslowdrummer