Pearl Reference Drums use a combination of task-specific bearing edges and three time-proven woods: birch, maple, and African mahogany. Using maple as a sole material has long been the traditional choice for shells and for good reason. Maple provides smooth, well-balanced tone that is perfect for a12" tom. Subsequently, all Reference 12" tom drums are composed of six plies of maple; this is the only single wood shell in the series. Pearl Reference 8" and 10" toms receive four plies of maple with two inner plies of birch for cut and attack. And for maximum response, all Pearl 13" Reference toms and smaller toms have a rounded 45° bearing edge, a more focused area for head-to-shell contact to boost mid- to higher-range frequencies.

Beginning with Pearl's 13" tom and larger, African mahogany is added to the inner plies to increase the lower frequencies and accentuate the warmth of the maple. Pearl Reference 14" tom drums and larger toms begin using Pearl's fully-rounded bearing edge for even more shell contact for a boost in mid to low range frequencies.

Pearl Reference 18" and 20" bass drums use four inner plies of African mahogany with two outer plies of maple. As the sizes of the bass drums increase, so do the amounts of mahogany. Pearl Reference 22" and 24" bass drums incorporate an amazing six inner plies of mahogany surrounded by two outer plies of maple for the ultimate in solid responsive bass frequencies.

With Pearl Reference Series, it's not about compromise, it's about every drum in your kit performing at its optimal capacity.