I will say this up front: if you're happy with the RB2 drum set but you would like to get the new Pro Cymbals because of the 10 degree slant and the circumferential rubber treatment, then just buy the cymbals separately.
However, if you're like me, then you might have had some quality issues with the drum pads warping for no explicable reason on the Rock Band 2 (RB2) set; the original RB2 drum set we have is only 6 months old with maybe 2x nights usage every month.
Our neighbor had similar issues with their RB2 drum set until they got the Beatles drum set, which has held up well over a year.
The sturdier drum pad construction that seems to be evident in the Beatles set is also present on the Rock Band 3 set (except for color) and is a welcome, although subtle, modification over the RB2 set. Side by side with our original RB2 set, you can tell that the rubber surface on the drum pad has a subtle quality improvement to it, including a slight hairline-width circumferential depression around the centermost portion of the drum pad. The foot pedal remains unchanged and still offers a little too much resistance to make for a comfortable pedalling experience; I wish that they would move away from the spring loaded system to more of a geared, chain pedal which is so much easier on the foot. But I digress.
As for assembly...maybe it's me, but it also seems like this set was easier to put together compared to the old RB2 set, ESPECIALLY THE CYMBALS which drove me nuts the 1st time around. This time around, the cymbals were an absolute breeze.
Don't get me wrong if your RB2 set works fine, then keep it and opt for the Pro Cymbals which also seem to be better quality all-around and feature the new (and quite welcome) 10 degree slant.
We, however, needed a replacement set and this one seems to fit the bill quite nicely and some of the subtle quality modifications have us more than confident that this set will last us awhile. My wife--who regularly drums on the game now--has reported that the "hits feel better" for her and likes the new 10-degree tilt that comes with the cymbals (also available separetely as noted Rock Band 3 PRO-Cymbals Expansion Kit).
Now, if you're jumping into Rock Band 3 for the first time, then GET THIS SET. The RB2 set, in my opinion, is inferior in quality and the perceived cost saving does not equate to a better deal for me in terms of overall life cycle cost. True, we've only had the drums for a couple of weeks, but it's holding up so much better than the first RB2 set that I feel compelled to throw in my wholehearted recommendation into it.
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I have been very excited about receiving my new Rock Band 3 Drums with the bundled cymbals. As soon as I received the package, I immediately began setup. The drum kit was easy, as it was basically the same as the Rock Band 2 drums. I had no experience with the cymbals, and it took me longer to set those up, due to the poor instructions. I didn't think it would be hard, but those brackets can be turned lots of different ways.I don't see much improvement in the 4 basic pads over the RB2 set. These are nice, but there is just not a lot of differences between the two. I also don't see any difference in the pedal. Most of this review focuses on the 3 cymbals that came bundled with the kit. I had put off buying the cymbal expansion set previously because of the numerous reviews and problems people have experienced with double hits. I expected that the new cymbals included with this set would not have the same problems, but it seems the problems weren't fixed. Last night, when the kit was fully setup, I started playing, and much to my dismay, the yellow cymbal immediately began registering double hits. I have tried some of the suggestions other reviewers have posted, but it still hasn't fixed my problem. I will update this review if I find any other solutions that help, and by doing so increase my rating of the product. I don't know if I'd say not to buy this product, since you have to have cymbals to do Pro-mode in RB3, but it might not be a bad idea to continue to use your old set a little longer and to see if other reviewers have the same problems as me, or if mine is just defective.
In summary: Although the hardware works and is fun, 2 stars because I don't see much improvement over the previous set. Unless you need a new set, you may be better off sticking with your old one for now.
***EDIT 11/15/2010***
I contacted Mad Catz by email, and after a 2 to 3 week delay, a customer service associate finally responded. Once contact had been made, the process seems to be going quickly. Two of my three cymbals were defective, and after trying a popular online fix using coins(which even Mad Catz suggested trying), the cymbals still were difficult to use. Mad Catz has promised to send two replacement cymbals, and once those are received, use the prepaid shipping label and envelope to return the defective ones. I will update my review once I get them and test them out, and might have to upgrade the number of stars given to the drumset in general.
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I've had the drum set now for almost a month now and I think it's great. The setup was easy to do (about 10 minutes from box to drum set). I did notice that the high hat cymbal tends to slip downwards with use, but nothing a little duct tape didn't fix. The overall quality of the set is much better than the older drums. I give this product a 4.5 out of 5 stars.Honest reviews on Rock Band 3 Wireless Pro-Drum and Pro-Cymbals Kit for PlayStation 3
I have had my drums for 3 months now and they are ready for the rubbish heap.One of the drum pads is bubbling up and lost its sensitivity. All the cymbals are double tapping so you cant score streaks. one of the symbals has cracked plastic under the rubber and all of them have started to open up at the edges. This product is not fit for the intended use. This company has such a bad track record. Check out how many people created how to fix videos and instructions for this product. its seriously appalling. Don't waste you money.
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I've had these for a couple years now. I beat the heck out of them almost every weekend with the family. They've held up quite well.
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