For many drummers, playing an acoustic kit isn’t a realistic option. The harsh reality of our instrument is that it isn’t conducive to sharing walls with others. Fortunately, electronic drums offer a solution to this predicament.
What some drummers experience when making the transition from acoustic to lower-priced electronic kits is the tangible difference in feel and sound. Realistically, in order to achieve the MOST “natural” sound and feel, you have to invest in a high-end e-drum set.
For years, there were basically 2 options when it came to a “realistic experience” behind a set of e-drums - Yamaha and Roland. Today, we carry several brands that we can recommend as “the next best thing” to an acoustic set up. The newest on the block is GEWA, and their top-tier G9 Series electronic drums.
New To The Game (But Not Really)
While GEWA is a fresh name regarding the electronic drum scene, the German-based company has been known in Europe for many years as a well-known distributor of musical instruments. Due to the size and longevity of GEWA, it’s a safe bet that their entry into the electronic drums market isn’t a short-term project for them. The amount of R&D they’ve put into the G9 module alone is a good indication that they are sparing no expense to go toe to toe with the Roland TD-50KVX.
The G9 Module
At first glance, the G9 Module is unlike any we’ve seen from its competition. The colorful, 10-Inch Touchscreen Interface is a more vibrant and less intimidating display than what we’re used to seeing. The user experience of this interface is definitely more intuitive, as most of us are accustomed to our cell phones and tablets.
We appreciate the slick interface, because it’s easier to drill down into the granular control of the G9 module. There is serious power under the hood, along with the ability to customize nearly every aspect of the sound, triggering and routing you could possibly imagine. The performance out of the box is great, but when you start to dig deeper into the ultimate control you are given, THAT’S where this module shines as a true “workstation”.
Another notable feature of this module is that it is Wi-Fi enabled. This is extremely useful because it enables the user to directly update the G9 whenever they become available. We’ve already noticed a dramatic quality of life improvement from the launch of the G9 to the time of this review, so this feature provides additional piece of mind when spending this much money on an e-kit. Its Wi-Fi capability also allows direct sample downloads from GEWA, which we find convenient.
The G9 boasts a massive 128gB of internal storage, which is a benefit on several fronts. More storage space means GEWA is able to use larger file sizes for its samples. Generally speaking, larger files translate to higher quality sounds. GEWA doesn’t choke its G9 with a tremendous amount of pre-loaded kits, opting to focus on quality over quantity (something that we can appreciate.) If you decide to purchase a GEWA from The Drum Center of Portsmouth, you’ll gain EXCLUSIVE access to the DCP sample library for FREE when you purchase from us! The library is an ever growing catalog of some of the greatest drum sounds out there.
Any module labeled as, “high-end”, needs to offer plenty of in’s and out’s, along with room to expand. The G9 certainly fits the bill in this regard with:
- 14x 6.3mm Trigger Inputs
- 2x 6.3mm Monitor Outputs
- Master Out: Balanced XLR
- 8x 6.3mm Direct Outputs
- 6.3mm Mix Input, 6,3mm Headphones
- Traditional MIDI (IN/OUT/THROUGH)
G9 Hardware
Having a great sounding electronic drum kit is only half of the equation. The goal of choosing to spend your money on a high-end kit is to have it FEEL as close to an acoustic kit as possible. While we have yet to encounter an e-kit that is able to replicate the feel of “real drums”, the G9 is as good as it gets.
Cymbals
The cymbals on Gewa’s flagship drum set don’t feel like any other we’ve played before. They have a slightly weightier feel to them, which is by design. Their cymbal pads are intended to have the same mass as Paiste’s 2002 series cymbals. While this may seem like a gimmick, we found that after getting accustomed to their unique response, they felt great.
The 18” ride cymbal and 14” crashes feature 3-zones (edge, bow and bell), which is relatively standard at this price point. The hi-hats are ALSO 3 zones, which is not typical. The ability to trigger the hi-hat bell is a nice touch, and a unique feature.
Pads & Triggers
The pads on the G9 don’t feel significantly different from other kits in this price range. The mesh heads are designed for GEWA by Remo USA to give you the feel of Coated Ambassadors. They feel slightly less “springy” than a typical mesh head as a result.
The triggering system was designed and manufactured in Germany. It feels responsive, and coupled with its high-quality samples, provides the user with a confident, realistic feel overall. The 14x5 snare drum is 3-zone. The 10x7 and 12x8 rack toms, along with the 14x12 floor toms are 2-zone, allowing the user to route whatever samples they wish to those zones.
Mounting Hardware
One of our favorite features is the custom-designed hardware pack for the G9 by Gibraltar. Most notable about this hardware pack is the fact that it isn’t your typical rack set up. You get 2 heavy-duty tom stands (with the option of a single, double-tom stand), 3 rugged cymbal stands, a solid hi-hat stand and a unique stand for the module itself. When you add this traditional hardware to the acoustic-sized drums of the G9, you FEEL like you’re sitting behind an acoustic set of drums. We like this a lot.
Our Verdict
The Gewa G9 flagship line of e-drums was a gutsy venture for the journeyman German distributors. They jumped into the deep end with the likes of Roland as a direct competitor in a market they’ve had cornered for some time. When the G9 first launched, they experienced some expected growing pains, which made them hard to recommend against the TD-50. However, the recent updates have addressed the initial concerns we once had.
The overall quality of GEWA e-drums easily puts them in the upper echelon of high-end gear. The unique, powerful module with its intuitive interface is a welcome innovation, and we can see the rest of the market following its lead in the future. The look, performance, and most importantly, the FEEL of these drums is as close as you can get to an acoustic set up.
Yes, the sizable price of the GEWA G9 is right up there with its competition. This is heavy-duty equipment for the serious drummer. If you look at it as an investment that will give back year after year, we would consider it money well-spent.