Drum kit recommendations
 

I'm looking to buy a drum kit - my 10 year old son is looking to learn. I wouldn't mind picking it up myself and have a kit in my jam room so my drummer friends don't need to bring theirs. I want something decent that I could gig with if that opportunity ever came around. Quality wise, the drum equipment version of a good American Fender bass - not high end, but not entry level either. Will be buying used. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

I'd get on Craigslist. There should be approximately 50 drum sets for sale at any given time. Look for names you recognize and expect to pay out the wazoo for good cymbals. I found a perfectly good Tama set in a dumpster once.

A few months ago, I traded a bass to a guy for a complete Pearl Export set, dw7000 Double kick pedal, and all Paiste Alpha cymbals...

Good deals can be had! You just have to wait for a good one to pop up.

So I'd definitely recommend a pearl export kit if you can find one. They are good kits.

pearl export and ludwig accent are pretty good, just get some nicer cymbals down the road

Pearl Export.
Premier mid priced stuff.
Mapex makes some really great mid priced stuff too.
I heard a great player with some cheaper Taye kit and it sounded great.

I agree with going used, especially for cymbals. The important thing about cymbals is getting a set that sounds good together. I particularly like Sabian Hand Hammered ($$) and AAX stuff, however I did pick up really nice used Zildian K Ride recently.

Sabian has a cool cymbal builder feature on their website so you can hear them all side by side. Find a cymbal you like and start building around that. Then you can search for specific models used in your area.

Great - I did check out CL before posting and there were tons of options, which is why I was hoping to get some guidance. There were some Pearl Exports up there - I'll keep looking around

i've gotten zildjian avedis crash and rides pretty cheap used on ebay, don't discount the pearl rhythm traveler with good heads they sound pretty darn good

I want a Sabian HHX ride. However, I would definitely jump on a Zildjian K ride if I saw one.

Thanks all for the advice - ended up going with a PDP FS Series kit and a Zildjian combo pack for the cymbals. Should be good for a while - we can upgrade components as we go. Hope he sticks with it (no pun intended)!

Even if doesn't, no doubt you'll make good use of them. Drums are very addictive.