New Drum Kit??

[gilbert46]

Im looking to get started drumming and was wondering if anyone knows any killer deals on complete drum kits. Im shooting for $250-$300 OTD.

Free shipping from drums anywhere?

[JTbass]

+1!

[Bard2dbone]

I'm currently impressed with the quality-for-money ratio of some PDP sets I've seen. But take an experienced drummer and have him/her check the set out. Some are bad examples. Some are good. Consistency is not a typical feature at that price point.

And really REALLY don't go cheap on the cymbals.

[JMX]

Moved to drums...eh, misc.

[srxplayer]

I would recommend against the cheap sets. Save up a little longer and purchase something you can keep a little while.

Biggest problems with the $300.00 sets are out of round toms, very poor bearing edges, and the finish quality is usually quite poor. If the drum has a wrap on it plan on it starting to peel off in a year. Also many of them have 5-lug toms to cut cost. Having five lugs make them very difficult to tune correctly because you just can't get even tension on the head.

Check out Taye, Mapex, Yamaha, and Pacific. They have good quality sets available in the entry level range that will last you a long time and you could even gig with them. They will start out in the $600.00 range, not including cymbles and the related hardware.

Also looking at used is a good option.

[msquared]

I'm a drummer so I get asked this a lot.

-Get cymbals that are, if not great, at least decent. You will regret it otherwise, no matter how easy it is on the pocketbook. The best way to go about this is to buy them individually. Used is generally to be avoided with cymbals. Sabian is your best bet for all around good bang for the buck. Take a friend to the store. Listen to some music on the way over that reflects a good cymbal sound. Do blind listening tests on all the good cymbals and compare notes afterward. Then talk to the store owner and tell them what you liked and see what kind of deals you can make.

-Some good/cheap snare drums are: Premier Genista, Ludwig Acrolite, Ludwig Supraphonic, anything by Taye, Mapex Black Panther, any metal Slingerland/Musicyo. Aside from cymbals, a decent snare drum is second in line for quality.

-Used is a great way to go. Use ebay. Doing a little bit of research goes a very long way here of course, but I've bought (and sold) some great gear at incredible prices on the bay. Pawn shops are hit and miss but if you have someone who knows what they're doing along for the ride you should be okay.

-Skimp on hardware. Chances are you aren't going to be bashing the hell out of the drums or taking them out of the house inside of a year, and hardware is a modular thing. You can replace it piecemeal as you decide you want beefier stuff.

-Skimp on toms and kick, and don't worry about the sizes. If you get good on drums you will become anal about drum size preference, and at that point you can get what you really want. Most of drumming is kick and snare and cymbals, and the beginner won't notice the difference in drum tone as much as they will notice the difference in head tone and how it's tuned. Even a crappy used CB700 kit is going to be useful for learning the drums and will sound adequate with a new set of heads with proper tuning.

-After you have a kit, spend the time/money going to a drum shop and learning how to tune properly.

-You are in trouble if there is a drumset in your basement and no earplugs to be found anywhere. A big complaint with drummers is the inability to play softly, and that's because playing softly isn't a beginner skill. Make sure you protect your ears while you are working on this skill!

Above all, remember that you're buying drums for a reason. If you get something crappy just for the sake of having a drumset, you'll just end up selling it later in frustration. Be mindful of what you can skimp on in the beginning and what can be upgraded, and try to buy with resale value in mind.

Oh, and feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[jive1]

As a guy who started drumming last year, and dealt with the buying and upgrading, here's what I learned:

- Good cymbals can make a cheap drum set sound great. Cheap cymbals can make a great drumset sound awful.

- Listen to your cymbals before you buy. Even if they are the same model, by the same company, each cymbal sounds differently. Also, listen to your cymbals together so that that sound good together. One may be too loud, another too dark, etc.

- Learn how to tune your drums. A great drumset can sound awful if it's not properly tuned.

- If you have to skimp on the drums, get decent heads. Get a drummer friend to help you out since there are numerous options in heads that you can buy. Get an idea of what kind of sound you want, and then pick out some good heads. Good heads will improve the sound of a crappy drum set.

- Cheap drum sets depreciate faster than cheap basses. Cheap drum sets are harder to sell, so their value diminishes. They are difficult to ship, and not everyone has the space for a crappy drum set in their house.

- If you're gonna build your drumset modularly, begin with a decent snare and hihat. Those are the drums you will play the most (especially in the beginning). A kick drum is essential to begin with, but in terms of tone, the snare and hihat will be more noticeable.


Beware!! Drum GAS can be every bit as dangerous as Bass GAS (if not more).

[purfektstranger]

Some excellent advice. I began playing drums some twenty or so years ago. At that time, new drumsets (even lower end) came with pretty decent shells and hardware that could withstand some wear and tear. I can honestly say that all of the entry level sets I have seen lately are pure garbage. Pressed wood with cheap covering on the toms, stands that look like they'd crack if you sneezed on them and the apitomy of cheapness......plastic rims on the bass drum. Save your money and buy a decent mid range set. Yamaha stage customs are excellent drums that won't set you back alot of money. Pearl, Tama, DW Pacific (to name a few) all manufacturer decent mid range kits that you can pick up used (with cymbals) for around 500-700. So yourself a favour and don't get stuck with a set that sounds (and in a couple of years) looks like junk.

[gilbert46]

I ended up picking up a complete set of pearl forums from a moving sale - drums throne hardware cybals. they are sabian B8 cybals that need to be replacing. Im not a pro, and not even good. with that in mind, should I replace them with another 4 peice set of B8's or some Zildjian planet z4? other?

In an unfortunate turn of events my bands drummer had his car stolen from his front yard after a gig and he didnt unload. Bye Bye drums. I think everything happens for a reason. its funny, our band play on. Even if the heads and cymbals suck

[fatbassjazzer]

I got a 5 peice Gretsch set with 4 Zildjian cymbals for $100. I'd say thats a pretty good deal.