Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

I've been wanting to install these trigger assemblies--jack, wired 
piezo(s), foam, and adhesive dots--in my snare and toms for a long 
time. I honestly wish that I had done it sooner. In my situation, 
they represent a significant upgrade from Pintech's earlier method of 
triggering mesh heads. My impressions are based on use exclusively 
with a ddrum4 module at this point. 

First of all, not everyone with Pintech toms and snares needs this 
upgrade. Mine date back, in at least one case, to 2001 and encompass 
both styles of 10" ConcertCasts--those with the metal grill across 
the bottom and those with the single bar. Any that feature the foam 
trapezoid with the piezo either embedded within it or lying beneath 
it directly on the rail qualify for the new version. What's different 
is mainly the replacement of the foam trapezoid with a specially 
fabricated foam cylinder or pillar. (After all, a piezo is a piezo is 
a piezo, and jacks, wires, and solder are, to a certain degree in 
this game, pretty unspectacular.)  In the single-zone ConcertCast, 
the piezo should sit on the bottom plate with the pillar on top of 
it. Pintech supplies the necessary adhesives. The dual-zone adds a 
second piezo that fastens on the inside of the shell with adhesive as 
well as a metal fastener that folds over the shell's edge. As the 
head tightens, it tamps down on the pillar, thereby stabilizing it 
and ensuring good communication between the mesh and the piezo. If 
the heads aren't tight enough, the foam will create a little bump at 
the center of the playing surface. If they're too tight, the stress 
on the tension rods might be too great. Let moderation, as my father 
and Aristotle used to say, be your guide. I placed an inch-long strip 
of two-sided tape at the top of the pillar, just in case it had a 
mind to wander beneath the head.

The AX14S presents a slightly different setting from the 
ConcertCasts. Inside the original snare were a few layers of foam 
resting on the bottom head, which served as a foundation for the foam 
trapezoid. The head piezo was stuck on the underside of a small metal 
plate between the trapezoid and the foundation. The two positive and 
negative wires from the jack went up through the foam base to the 
piezo. Replacing the trapezoid with the new pillar allows a little 
flexibility about how exactly to situate the piezo--for instance, 
above or below the metal plate that holds the pillar. I 
chose "below." 

Cutting to the chase, the difference, pure and simple, is better 
coverage across the head. As for the hot spot issue, it would be hard 
to argue that it is totally absent, given the center position of the 
piezo/column, but with a ddrum module, which depends on such center 
placement for some of its effects, it simply isn't an issue. I'd like 
to try these triggers with a Yamaha module, too. I can't tell from 
the ddrum's reaction whether they would have any affect on the 
dynamic range of Pintech pads with the DTXPU and other Yamaha 
modules. 

The other benefit of the new triggers is improved definition of 
individual strokes. I didn't notice the extent to which my original 
triggers (on the ConcertCasts, not the AX14S) did not always 
differentiate fully between closely spaced hits, like flams, until I 
installed the new ones. There's no doubt that my drums play better. 

I'd be interested in what other members who've been able to compare 
both old and new triggers through various modules have to say. 

Ed