Beginner Drums

rhopper · #1 03-13-2011, 09:24 AM

Can anybody recommend a good drum kit for a 9 year old? Should I go electronic or a scaled down kit? I really have no idea at this point.

T-Bird · #2 03-13-2011, 09:33 AM

Hi.

What's Your budget?

Are You (+ your family) tolerant to bad, loud drumming?

I recently sold my beginners e-drum kit to my sis, to get my nephews away from the pots, pans, table-tops... anything and everything that makes a sound

.

They don't "play" that much, but the soft clicking of the drumsticks against the rubber pads doesn't bother anyone when they do.

The feel of the low-end e-drums is pretty bad compared with acoustic skins, but around $1000 new/ $500 used You should get decent feel as well. A good acoustic set will set You back roughly the same.

So my vote will go to e-drums.

Regards
Sam

rhopper · #3 03-13-2011, 09:46 AM

Thanks,

I will probably be willing to shell out $500. The e drums sound like a good option as long as they still provide a beginner a fun and realistic way to learn.

Is there a particular kit you would recommend? I ask this because none of my drum buddies play e drums (older guys).

Thanks!

T-Bird · #4 03-13-2011, 10:02 AM

Hi.

An used Alesis or Roland set will fit into that budget.

The dummer I played with before I moved here, bought a mid-level Roland set shortly after I moved and he's been very happy with it. He has an Alesis 19" rack controller as well to be used with the kit.

The key IME/IMHO is to get a set that has a separate controller/module/brain that accepts almost any kind of pad that connects with 1/4" phone jacks. That way it's easy to upgrade or replace the pads if the need arises. Alesis controllers are probably the most widely used, at least over here.

Regards
Sam

rhopper · #5 03-13-2011, 10:08 AM

Thanks for the info!

Roundwound · #6 03-13-2011, 10:18 AM

Here's a search of acoustic and e-drum drum kits up to $500 on my site: Compare prices for Drums / Percussion products

ack · #7 03-13-2011, 10:24 AM

We bought my son (now 12) the Tama Swingstar (entry level - roughly $600) back about 5 years ago. That line has been replaced by the ImperialStar. He still has them, and is starting to gig with them. They were adequate to start with and have held up well. My other son's band uses them to gig with every once in a while.

As for the kit itself, we've had to upgrade most of the stock cymbals (the included Tama Ride is actually OK). Tama hardware is good stuff, even on the budget sets. The shells are also fine for what they're being used for. We also upgraded to a better pedal as he started to improve.

We've thought about upgrading to something like a mid-level Mapex or Yamaha set (like the one he uses at his lessons), but he still likes the feel of his Tama set. That's OK with me. I've also researched e-sets as well. For me, they all sound like toys until you start breaking the $1,500 barrier.

You can pickup a used Tama acoustic set from about $300-400 online. Another $100 for a good used pedal and pickup cymbals one-by-one, and you can get a reliable set for under $600.

Good luck.

MisterFabulous · #8 03-13-2011, 10:30 AM

A nine year-old will have no problem playing a full-size kit IMHO. (That's a 22-inch diameter bass drum, 10 and 12 inch rack toms, 14-to-16 inch floor tom(s) and a 14-inch snare) This is the setup my son has been taking lessons with since he was five.

This way you do not have to buy another set if he keeps on drumming into his teens.

At home we have a smaller drumset (16" bass, 10" rack tom, 13" floor tom, 12" snare) which fits in his room and is QUIETER than a full-size setup. It's a quality drumset.

Good used drumsets are all over Craigslist in my area. Parents cleaning out or kids who upgraded just want them gone.

Good ones are some of the Pearl Export sets and basically any of the Pearl, Tama, or Yamaha sets made in Japan (nearly all beginner sets are made in China now).

pbass337 · #9 03-13-2011, 10:38 AM

my first set was a sound percussion kit. it was like >100. it taught me how to play and once my parents saw that i was serious about drums and i had grown out of the sound percussion kit (it didnt sound that nice) i got a used yamaha stage custom ($500)

Jason P Bass · #10 03-13-2011, 11:59 AM

Also consider - a 9 year old may enjoy having a variety of drum sounds to practice with on an electronic kit.

Initially, IMO the most important thing is to keep the young musician practicing on a consistent basis, and the variety of sounds might make that task more fun.

Most electronic kits will have at least 16 different "kits".

ugly_bassplayer · #11 03-13-2011, 12:06 PM

I would never start a kid on an electronic drum set, they should learn on a acoustic one. Making a real drum sound good is way harder, I say that from experience.

Bought a V-drum because I live in an apartment, learned on that, once you go on acoustic drums you sound like garbage.

The feel of pads , even the most expensive ones are nothing like real drum skins IMO.
Don't even get me started on the kick & hihat of electronic drums...

superdick2112 · #12 03-13-2011, 12:44 PM

For YOUR sanity, go electronic - there's nothing worse than listening to acoustic drums played loudly, for hours (and days, weeks, months, etc.), by someone just starting to learn. If he sticks with it for a year or more, then upgrade to some real drums.

Beware of drum GAS though - it can quickly get out of hand...

I play drums as a second instrument because I got tired of programming a drum machine for hours on end, just to get one 4-minute drum track. I figured if I was going to spend that kind of time, I may as well learn how to play real drums. I started on a used Yamaha electronic kit (paid about $600 for it), and after a year, I knew I was going to stick with drumming, so I bought a used 5-piece DW kit. Seven years (and many thousands of dollars) later, my kit is now 10-pieces, with a dozen Zildjian cymbals, 2 sets of wind chimes, a bell tree, temple blocks, 2 auxillary snare drums, 4 cowbells.... Doh!

BTW, Pacific makes great drums for the money - they sound almost as good as my DWs do.

RosieB · #13 03-13-2011, 08:28 PM

We got my 12yr old daughter, who is small for her age, a Tama Imperialstar set last year. A little adjustment was necessary then for her to play easily but she has grown over the past year and the set is fitting her well this year. If you prefer a smaller set, get a jazz set with a smaller bass drum (20 in as opposed to 22 in) but I wouldn't suggest getting a scaled down set. He will outgrow it very quickly. My daughter outgrew hers at 10 yrs old. Also, plan on upgrading the cymbals that come with whatever set you buy. You have to listen to them - it's worth the extra money!

I don't mind listening to her play (I darn well better hear her playing!) but if you'd prefer not to (nothing wrong with that), then edrums would be the way to go. The headphone jack is nice. Plus he'll have fun messing around with the different sounds. But, IMHO, it's just not the same, or as satisfying overall, as playing an acoustic kit.

Good luck and happy shopping!

drummer5359 · #14 03-16-2011, 02:40 AM

Finally a question on TB that I have a lot of background in! lol

The electronic kits have advantages as far as less noise, but do not play like real drums. The feel of the pads is nothing like the feel of a real kit and it will hurt the quality of their playing down the road. I've students who learned on electronic kits get very discouraged when they tried to switch to an acoustic set. A full sized kit makes more sense in the long run. I've had students as young as 6 or 7 playing on my full sized kits with a little adjustment. They seem to grow out of the scaled down kits very quickly. Also, the full sized kits are much easier to resell down the road if you need to.

A used acoustic kit from any of the major companies would be a good bet. Craigslist in my area seems to have something decent at least once per week. Cymbal and drum mutes will help when noise is a concern.

Good luck and send me a message if you need any more specific advice.

NewLaw83 · #15 03-16-2011, 06:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drummer5359

Finally a question on TB that I have a lot of background in! lol

The electronic kits have advantages as far as less noise, but do not play like real drums. The feel of the pads is nothing like the feel of a real kit and it will hurt the quality of their playing down the road. I've students who learned on electronic kits get very discouraged when they tried to switch to an acoustic set. A full sized kit makes more sense in the long run. I've had students as young as 6 or 7 playing on my full sized kits with a little adjustment. They seem to grow out of the scaled down kits very quickly. Also, the full sized kits are much easier to resell down the road if you need to.

A used acoustic kit from any of the major companies would be a good bet. Craigslist in my area seems to have something decent at least once per week. Cymbal and drum mutes will help when noise is a concern.

Good luck and send me a message if you need any more specific advice.

I completely agree with this. I would totally recommend acoustic drums because of feel. Also I think a someone learning to play the drums should also learn how to tune them.