I got my replacement drums...

[Genfuyung]

Just got my replacement drums in today....and they are the exact same model number as the ones i had before. The red and green drum pads are very loose compared to the yellow and blue ones. I tested the red one out though (which was my problem pad on the last one) and it works a lot better but im wondering how long it will last. Also the replacement drum sticks they sent are plain...no designs...no logo...nothing...lame. So when u get a replacement part does ur warranty start over for another 60 days or not? Because when this one inevitably craps out, seeing as how its the same model as the last, Ill be wanting another one.

[DaMan12]

what model # is it? It will at least be good to know what model HMX/EA think is functioning properly

[Stevenam81]

and they are awesome. I am finally getting 5 stars on everything. I knew it wasn't me lol. I just got a 220 note streak. On my first set I was lucky to get to 80-100. I only have one concern. The red drum doesn't like fast drum rolls. My other 3 work flawlessly, even when hit hard. On my first set the yellow and blue would miss at least a few times in every song. I haven't seen them miss once so far. When I go into practice mode I can pound on the blue, yellow, and green and they respond 100%. My red one acts similar to the one in the youtube video by deepbluevibes. This set is way better than my first one, but I feel that the red pad should be better so they are not perfect.

One big thing I can confirm. We can't even go by the model number to know which set we have. My last one and my new one have the exact same label on the back of the red drum down to every last number. They both read model 822149, with the P/N showing 822149-301. The connections are different. I took the pad off of my red drum the other night and it doesn't have the white connector. I haven't taken the red drum pad off of my new set but I can see the white connector without even taking the pad off. I'm thinking about taking it off to see if disconnecting and reconnecting the white connector will help like it did for a few others. I'm assuming this one is the newer design. Taking the pad off is a lot harder on the new design. On my old set, the rubber feet came to a point and were very easy to push up through the drum. On my new set the rubber feet are flat and I started to take the pad off before typing this up, but decided to just mess with it later since it doesn't just come right off.

They sent me an entire new set, but I kept my original stand and bass pedal. I wish I could somehow keep the new pedal as well for a spare in case mine breaks or to use as a double bass. One more thing to note, the sticks that came with my original set have the Rock Band and Ludwig logos on them. The sticks that shipped with my new set are plain with no logo. These are all the differences I can think of. This is not important but it was very hard to get my new drums onto my old stand. It was a much tighter fit and I really had to force them in there to get the piping all the way to the end where it meets the drums themselves. I'm not going to bother messing with the new stand to see if it is thinner. I'm glad it fit tight. I'd rather my stand be really tight than loose and wobbly.

Oh I just thought of something else. On my first set there were just 2 pieces of cardboard shaped like a rectangle folded in half and folded again near the end to make an L shape. They were placed between the pad and drum of the red and green pads. I'm not just going from memory, I still have my original box with all the packing materials inside it. On my new set there were three pieces of cardboard in a U shape placed between all the drums. As in Red/Yellow, Yellow/Blue, and Blue/Green.

I know this is long but I figured you can never have too much info of this. Back to playing....

[netshark]

my drum sticks that came in the bundle were the lame kind with no logo

[healimonster]

Thanks for the informative post.
Can you tell us more about the whole return procedure?
You called tech support... they shipped you a box to send your drums box?
How long were you drumless?

[tbradshaw]

Merged two nearly identical starter threads about replacement drums.

[LZ_Reborn]

my drum sticks that came in the bundle were the lame kind with no logo

At what time did HMX promised that the drum sticks would have any kind of logo or design?

[netshark]

At what time did I say that I expected them to come with a logo?

[Stevenam81]

I was never drumless. The process was honestly the quickest and easiest return prcoess I have ever dealt with. Granted I haven't sent back my original drums yet. So I guess once they receive those the process will be complete. I called them Saturday. I made sure to talk to an actual person. She was very nice and explained my options. I chose to let them put a pending charge of $100 on my credit card for collateral. They shipped the drums 2nd day air through UPS. I didn't have to pay extra or anything. That is just how they ship the replacements. I received my package today. They sent me the full drumset. The exact same box that came in the bundle complete with bass pedal, sticks, drums, and stand. As long as I send back a complete set I can keep any combination of parts I want. They also sent me a return label. All I have to do is send my original drums back to them in the same box using the return label. When they receive my original set, they take the pending charge off of my card. I have 28 days to get it to them. A+ service as far as I'm concerned. I have heard that others called a week ago and still haven't got their though. So I can't speak for them. Maybe they didn't choose the credit card option. I don't know. All I know is the service went smooth for me and I'm happy.

[Stevenam81]

Ok, so I took a look at the new stand and pedal. There are actually small differences to everything. Every difference I saw seemed to be an improvement so I decided to go ahead and use all the new stuff. The poles have a more metal color to them. My original poles look more dull. On the black fastener on my old stand you could see the metal rod holding the latch. The new one looks cleaner and you can't see the metal rod. The poles are also slightly thicker on the new set. The actual metal, not the pole itself. The part of the pole where the drums attach is not as big around but seems thicker as well. I had hell getting my new drums on my old poles. I also had a hard time getting them off. The drums went on the new poles very easily, yet the poles seem more sturdy. There are some other small cosmetic differences but nothing major. I just wanted to point out that every single piece of the newer set is different from my first one.

One last thing I forgot to mention in my first post. The buttons on the drum console seem better. On my first set the button pushed into the console pretty far. Like to the point where it was below the surface of the console. The buttons on the new set feel better and push just like the official Microsoft controller. The d-pad feels better as well.

[mastergamer1231]

Ok, so I took a look at the new stand and pedal. There are actually small differences to everything. Every difference I saw seemed to be an improvement so I decided to go ahead and use all the new stuff. The poles have a more metal color to them. My original poles look more dull. On the black fastener on my old stand you could see the metal rod holding the latch. The new one looks cleaner and you can't see the metal rod. The poles are also slightly thicker on the new set. The actual metal, not the pole itself. The part of the pole where the drums attach is not as big around but seems thicker as well. I had hell getting my new drums on my old poles. I also had a hard time getting them off. The drums went on the new poles very easily, yet the poles seem more sturdy. There are some other small cosmetic differences but nothing major. I just wanted to point out that every single piece of the newer set is different from my first one.

One last thing I forgot to mention in my first post. The buttons on the drum console seem better. On my first set the button pushed into the console pretty far. Like to the point where it was below the surface of the console. The buttons on the new set feel better and push just like the official Microsoft controller. The d-pad feels better as well.
How is the bass pedal diffrent?

[fatal.end]

Thanks for the post man. Been waiting to hear something detailed like this about the returns, sounds pretty good to me.

[Stevenam81]

How is the bass pedal diffrent?

Well, the bass pedal isn't much different really. It still operates the same. I was just being technical. The orange piece seems slightly thicker. Well, I just decided to take a closer look. It looks like the new pedal is designed a little better. The rubber feet are a little bigger with a different pattern that grips better. The oranage piece now has a part that extends out a little further and you can see the magnet underneath. The magnet is not visible in the old one. If you put your ear close to the pedal and push down and release you will hear a clicking sound. I believe that is the switch being turned off and on. On the new pedal, the pedal does not have to be pushed as far down to make that happen. On the old pedal when turned upside down there is a hole where the spring is. When you look through it, you are looking through the spring and at the bottom of the pedal. On the underside of the part where you put your foot, there are walls of plastic that cross each other to make the pedal stronger. On the newer pedal it follows the same design but has two additional walls running parallel with it. Sorry, I couldn't think of a better way to explain it other than "walls" lol. So yeah, All in all, every piece of it is an improvement.

I just wish my red drum wasn't giving me trouble. It is fine on any single hit no matter how hard I hit it. My other three drums all work perfect. But on the red one, fast hits only work with a light touch. It's almost too sensitive. I have a feeling what is happening is when I hit it fast and hard its still vibrating from the last hit so the switch hasn't returned back to it's off state in order to be hit again. I noticed there is a plate with 2 screws on the middle of the underside of the pad. I took it off to examine it. It's completely different from my first one, which had a weird disc looking part that looked to be taped over with a band-aid looking piece of tape. Anyway, I wonder if loosening or tightening the screws will adjust the sensitivity. Maybe if I make it a hair tighter it will take more to vibrate it. That would be similar to taping it down. It's just a thought. But I really hate to mess with that. I could make it worse lol.

[JackBNimble]

Do you guys really care about a logo on the drumsticks?I'm just happy that I don't have to go and buy them seperately.

[Qweets]

if at all possible co uld you maybe snap some pics of the new bass pedal? I want to see these "walls" and see how it stacks up against my current bass pedal. Please please

[Stevenam81]

if at all possible co uld you maybe snap some pics of the new bass pedal? I want to see these "walls" and see how it stacks up against my current bass pedal. Please please

Ok, give me a minute. I just finished packing up my old set so I won't be taking any comparison pics, but I'll take a pic of the new pedal for you. There is a good chance you might have the same one though. I believed some bundles shipped with this design. I remember someone talking about a magnet on the pedal a while back and I was wondering what the hell they were talking about because it wasn't visible on mine lol.

[Stevenam81]

http://www20.brinkster.com/stevenam/images/DSCF0045.jpg

There you can see the extra reenforement

http://www20.brinkster.com/stevenam/images/DSCF0046.jpg

To the left you can see the bigger better patterned rubber feet. And on my old pedal there was a hole in that round area the arrow is pointing at.

http://www20.brinkster.com/stevenam/images/DSCF0047.jpg

The part I have circled wasn't present on my first pedal. The orange piece just stopped where the right side of my circle is. You can see the round magnet between the orange piece and the top of the pedal.

Sorry they are sort of blurry. But you can get an idea of the differences. This one has better chances at holding up in my opinion.

[smith5879]

Well hopefully those two walls will be enough to keep the new pedals from breaking.

[Stevenam81]

damn, i have to find a better site to host those images. geocities is already telling me bandwidth exceeded in less than 5 minutes lol

[Stevenam81]

Ok, they are back up.

[Frederf]

If you send them to me I'll host 'em for you.

[AdamBomb629]

Ok, they are back up.

gone already?

[omg10avalanches]

So I don't think I have had any problems with my drum kit, at least I think... But with the lack of sensitivity thing I am thinking I may have that problem but I am not sure. Sometimes I swear I am hitting the notes and then other times it is working fine. The only question is do I want to be without my drums for a week? And will I end up having the same problem? Can anyone offer any help?

PS - I really love this game.

[Huskie]

...

I just wish my red drum wasn't giving me trouble. It is fine on any single hit no matter how hard I hit it. My other three drums all work perfect. But on the red one, fast hits only work with a light touch. It's almost too sensitive. I have a feeling what is happening is when I hit it fast and hard its still vibrating from the last hit so the switch hasn't returned back to it's off state in order to be hit again. I noticed there is a plate with 2 screws on the middle of the underside of the pad. I took it off to examine it. It's completely different from my first one, which had a weird disc looking part that looked to be taped over with a band-aid looking piece of tape. Anyway, I wonder if loosening or tightening the screws will adjust the sensitivity. Maybe if I make it a hair tighter it will take more to vibrate it. That would be similar to taping it down. It's just a thought. But I really hate to mess with that. I could make it worse lol.
Have you seen this post (http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?p=155246#post155246)? The poster talks about those screws and tightening them fixed his problem.

[Stevenam81]

I just taped my red drum pad down and now it functions 100%. There has to be another, cleaner looking, way to do this. If we can find out exactly why taping it down works I think we can figure out a better way. First of all, how do the pads register a hit? I see a spring in the middle, but I dont know if the drum is activated by pushing the pad down or by vibration. If it's vibration we can put something on the spring to reduce the sensitivity. If it works by just pushing the spring down until a button is exposed maybe we could tape something like a piece of a notecard or a folded piece of paper to the center on the inside. That would be the same as taping down the pad but from the inside. I'm just throwing out ideas, but I really hate using tape on a brand new drumset.

[Stevenam81]

Have you seen this post (http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?p=155246#post155246)? The poster talks about those screws and tightening them fixed his problem.

Nice, I am going to try that right now. Thanks.

[Stevenam81]

Well, my screws were as tight as they would get. One of them barely turned, but not much at all. Barely 1/8 a turn. While I had the pad off, I also took a piece of cardboard and taped it to the inside of the drum, under the spring. Neither thing I tried made a different. I put the tape back on it and again it works perfect. I hope someone figures out a better way. Even if it is stuffing the drum with cotton balls lol. Anything, as long as it's on the inside.

[Huskie]

Well, my screws were as tight as they would get. One of them barely turned, but not much at all. Barely 1/8 a turn. While I had the pad off, I also took a piece of cardboard and taped it to the inside of the drum, under the spring. Neither thing I tried made a different. I put the tape back on it and again it works perfect. I hope someone figures out a better way. Even if it is stuffing the drum with cotton balls lol. Anything, as long as it's on the inside.

Thanks for trying it out.
I'm getting more concerned now that replacement parts are being reported as failing. :(

[Stevenam81]

Thanks for trying it out.
I'm getting more concerned now that replacement parts are being reported as failing. :(

Well, it's definately an improvement over my original set. I actually don't get frustrated playing the drums anymore. It seemed like every time the songs got to it's easiest part. The "basic beat" with the red, yellow, and kick I would loose my combo every other measure lol. I would still get around 95% notes hit, but only 3 - 4 stars. So far I've gotten 5 stars on all the songs I have re-done with my new kit. The only thing I can't do now is the fast snare hits. At least those aren't as common. And hey, tape works. I might request a new set once I start hearing a bunch of success stories, but until then I'll be content with this one.

[Physic4lGr4fiti]

What is the taping method? I don't care how the drums look at all so if it helps with the red drum not sucking, that would rule. Where do I put the tape?

[Stevenam81]

What is the taping method? I don't care how the drums look at all so if it helps with the red drum not sucking, that would rule. Where do I put the tape?

I just took shipping tape and started under the drum and went across to the other side. Then under that side. I made an X with the tape. Just use two strips. The goal is just to reduce the space between the base and the pad. You can practically tape it down completely. Good luck.

[xCHRISx]

Perhaps a combination of taping down the drum, and then applying the 'drum quieting' techniques that are going around with the felt pads would make a nice combination of usability and looks!

[parasite]

I'm glad that you had such a pleasant experience. I still cannot get through to a live person at the EA support line. I keep getting disconnected after only 2 rings!? WTF?

[Genfuyung]

It took me 4 days to get my new drums and the red is beginning to have the same problem. The model number is 822149. I hope they extend the warranty on these things. This is ridiculous

[Genfuyung]

In my new set i just took the new drumpads and left everything else in the box. But steves post is making me want to go back and take all the new stuf out lol. But i honestly didnt notice any differences. The bass pedal had the same spring in the same spot and it was a bit stiffer than mine but thats to be expected seeing as how it is new. The sticks were plain so i had no interest in them. And the poles never presented a problem for me so i didnt bother taking them out. My red and green pad in my new set are much looser that on the old set. U can actually grab one side of the drum pad and shake it up and down...dont know if thats an improvement or not. To test ur drums just go to practice and choose anysong with a big rock ending and go to town on ur pads. Thats how i figured out my red was taking a dive. My return process was great. I reported the problem on saturday and got them today. I am dissapointed that they sent the same model to me though...that is ridiculous. Im really interested in hearing a statement from them about extending the warranty. One guy int he tech support forum said that he had a case opened for him and was told his warranty would be extended until this problem is permanently fixed. For the price of this thing we should all be given the opportunity to get working equipment.

[Stevenam81]

I'm glad that you had such a pleasant experience. I still cannot get through to a live person at the EA support line. I keep getting disconnected after only 2 rings!? WTF?

Strange. When I called Saturday as soon as I pressed 1 to talk to customer service person I didn't even wait 10 seconds. Then when I called on Monday to double check that they had the right address, same thing. Then today after I got my package I called to ask them a question about sending my original drums to them and a guy answered once again in about 10 - 20 seconds. It felt like immediately compared to most customer service lines. Are you dialing 650-628-1001? It could also depend on what you are having problems with and what you are choosing. I chose 1 for Rock Band, then 2 for Hardware, then 2 for drums, then 2 for pads not responding, then it asks if plugging them directly into the console helps, I chose 2 again for no. Then it says press 1 to talk to someone so I do that and get someone every time right away. That is from memory but Im pretty sure it's right.

[Stevenam81]

It took me 4 days to get my new drums and the red is beginning to have the same problem. The model number is 822149. I hope they extend the warranty on these things. This is ridiculous

Sadly, I have figured out that the model number means nothing. Both of my drums had the exact same label. Every digit the same. They were both 822149-301. But....what did your actual box say? My first one said 1591199-201EL. My new one said 1591199-201QL I think. I already boxed it up but I am 100% positive the first letter was Q. It could have been QS. Anyway, my point is every piece of my new set has at least some minor difference from the first one. I have taken the red pad off of each one. The design is completely different. Not just a little, but like they completely scrapped one idea and started over using the same shell. So apparently model numbers mean nothing and there is no way to know what you have until you open it up and know what to look for.

[Genfuyung]

I didnt pay any attention to any numbers other than the model number.

[Stevenam81]

In my new set i just took the new drumpads and left everything else in the box. But steves post is making me want to go back and take all the new stuf out lol. But i honestly didnt notice any differences. The bass pedal had the same spring in the same spot and it was a bit stiffer than mine but thats to be expected seeing as how it is new. The sticks were plain so i had no interest in them. And the poles never presented a problem for me so i didnt bother taking them out. My red and green pad in my new set are much looser that on the old set. U can actually grab one side of the drum pad and shake it up and down...dont know if thats an improvement or not. To test ur drums just go to practice and choose anysong with a big rock ending and go to town on ur pads. Thats how i figured out my red was taking a dive. My return process was great. I reported the problem on saturday and got them today. I am dissapointed that they sent the same model to me though...that is ridiculous. Im really interested in hearing a statement from them about extending the warranty. One guy int he tech support forum said that he had a case opened for him and was told his warranty would be extended until this problem is permanently fixed. For the price of this thing we should all be given the opportunity to get working equipment.

Yeah, at first I was going to do the same. I just wanted my pads to work. But after taking a look at the rest of the parts, I decided to use it all. I didn't look to see if those pics I posted still work. It seems like both sites I've used have some kind of hourly bandwidth cap. With all the traffic this forum gets, they last like 5 minutes lol. But if you look at the pics I took of the new pedal, there are some differences that I see as being improvements. I have to send them back a complete set. I figure I should get the best possible configuration. The only thing I'm sending back that is new is the drumsticks. When I called and asked, they said I couldn't keep them as backups so I'm sending back their plain, rough sticks.

My guitar has not given me any trouble but I've been really gently with it and I haven't played it a whole lot. I think once I get my first pending charge removed I'll request a new guitar. I saw that pic of the new design and it looks pretty solid.

Oh and about the extension. I'm not saying this is official but when talking to support today I asked the guy if I was only covered for 60 days from the date of purchase and he told me that if my drums or guitar or anything craps out in the next 4 or 5 months to call them and they will take care of it. I hope that is true. I mean they should at least give us until Feb 25, 2 months from Christmas. Many stores allow longer exchange periods due to things being gifts.

[Physic4lGr4fiti]

I just took shipping tape and started under the drum and went across to the other side. Then under that side. I made an X with the tape. Just use two strips. The goal is just to reduce the space between the base and the pad. You can practically tape it down completely. Good luck.

So essential you made a big X on the bottom of the drums? How is that a problem as far as appearance goes, if you cant even really see the tape anyways? or maybe im misunderstanding your explanation

[Stevenam81]

You want to use heavy tape. I used some Scotch Strapping tape. It's 2 inches wide. It doesn't look terrible. Anyone who sees my drums will instantly be drawn to the tape and say, "you broke your drums already?" It's an eyesore and I shouldn't have to put tape on brand new replacement drums right out of the box in order for them function as they are supposed to.

[Physic4lGr4fiti]

While I agree completely, still, i'd rather be able to pass songs on expert that have rolls then wait until they make a drumset that works. I have some tape thats about two inches or so thick, im just not clear on where the hell you guys are putting the actual tape in a way that it would remotely help

[Stevenam81]

It's very simple. I started at the top right where the red drum connects to the yellow one. Start under the drum. Come up over the drum and across the pad to the other side. Then down that side and under just like how you started. Then do the same thing again from left to right. They cross in the middle. It forms an X. Make sure you are pushing the drum down. Not all the way down but close to it. The point of the tape is to keep the drum held down to this point. I really don't know what else I can tell you or any easier way to explain it.