Phenolics already had a place in the tech community for use in circuit boards, and were seen as a viable alternative to the standard plywood shells of the day for their consistent, non-warping properties. A hermetically pressurized process formed each shell under extreme heat from an alternating combination of thin paper and thermoplastic resin layers. Once formed, each thermoset shell acted like a single solid rather than a layered/ply shell. 

Pearl's original synthetic shells were said to require "...approximately 30% less effort" from the player due to their volume at reduced impact. These drums were only in production a short time, and are highly collectible in the Vintage Drum community.