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Drums
- Thread starter Kurtmon
- Start date
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gretsch-Drums-Catalina-Club-Mod-4Piece-Shell-Pack?sku=445677
Or he could go the custom route and build a kit
Or he could go the custom route and build a kit
- Feb 21, 2007
- 1,853
- 7
- Disclosures
- Endorser:Fender User:Rotosound, LaBella, Ashdown, Lindy Fralin
I know one of my old drummers used to buy used Tama kits on eBay for cheap. They sounded pretty good and, with less than 5 grand, allowed him to build a 360 degree drum set up. Not that he needed it...
This is really hard to answer if we're not even given a budget figure.
For used and cheap, you're prolly gonna want something that you can readily get parts for too... try Pearl Export, Tama Rockstar or swingstar, Yamaha ProV's, Pacific, Mapex. Don't really care for Ddrum. Thos older "musicyo.com" Singerland Tre Cool Signature kits were cheap money (like 350 new?) for good sounding drums too.
I LOVE that Catalina kit...I've been wanting that for a long while now... I liked the white pearl better tho.
For used and cheap, you're prolly gonna want something that you can readily get parts for too... try Pearl Export, Tama Rockstar or swingstar, Yamaha ProV's, Pacific, Mapex. Don't really care for Ddrum. Thos older "musicyo.com" Singerland Tre Cool Signature kits were cheap money (like 350 new?) for good sounding drums too.
I LOVE that Catalina kit...I've been wanting that for a long while now... I liked the white pearl better tho.
My drummer's kit is only a Pearl Export kit, but he's pieced together everything very carefully over the years and it's now nothing to scoff at. But he keeps his gear clean and cased, he doesn't reuse broken gear or stripped out cymbal stands, and we tune everything carefully every once in a while. And he got QUALITY drum heads so he doesn't need to put pillows in his bass drums, or duck tape and foam on his tom heads.
Mediocre gear can sound good if you're a good drummer and understand the mechanics and maintenance of drum hardware.
Mediocre gear can sound good if you're a good drummer and understand the mechanics and maintenance of drum hardware.
True that. Simply having the bearing edges recut on my decent budget kit made a world of difference.
A bearing edge is the angled inner cut and the relief cut on the top and bottom of the shell that the head rides on. A "witness point" if you will. I have a small drum shop 15 minutes from me that cut the edges for cheap money.
AAAHH. Didn't know that had a specific name. Same as the saddles of a guitar. If there's burrs, they'll cut into the string and consistently snap at the saddle. Drum heads getting cuts at the shell and ripping inwards... gotcha. Totally understood.
I redid a 30-year old Ludwig snare that belonged to my drummer's older brother, and I did a lot of sanding and smoothing to the bearing edge. You're right, it helps immensely.
Really, it's kinda like buying a wimpy MIM Fender, and pimping it out into a monster player. Even a budget drumset can be pimped and turned into a serious workhorse, if you know the tricks, right?
For the best bang for your buck, I'd suggest Mapex's Pro-M line. The shells are 100% maple, and you can get a full set for under $1,000. You don't see that happen very often.
Other than those, Pearl's Export line has only gotten better over the years. The shells are 100% poplar, which isn't regarded as highly as maple as a shell wood, but at the end of the day, it's the bearing edges that make the difference. Same goes with Tama's Rockstar line (which may have had its name changed to Superstar, I'm not sure). I had a Rockstar kit years ago, and would recommend it to anyone looking for an intermediate kit (Tama's hardware, patricularly the RoadPro line, is hard to beat to, IMO).
I say go with on of those, which ever one you get a better deal for. If you are shopping at store fronts, and not online, that'll give you the opportunity to take the heads off and inspect the edges (I highly recommend doing so, just like there's hit-n-misses with basses, there are with drums).
There's also a small chance that you may happen across of a kit of RMVs. If you do, get those. 100% brazilian maple shells, top-notch pro-quality drums, for $800 or so. Also, they use some sort of carbon-composite for their hardware, which makes them the lightest drums around, as well (which is a big plus if you gig often, which I suppose is obvious). They were, for a time, the single best-kept secret in drums. Unfortunately, RMV has pulled out of the North American market (for the time being), so the numbers of available kits are shrinking daily. They were also only sold at 5-star drums shops, so the weren't easy to find to begin with.
Other than those, Pearl's Export line has only gotten better over the years. The shells are 100% poplar, which isn't regarded as highly as maple as a shell wood, but at the end of the day, it's the bearing edges that make the difference. Same goes with Tama's Rockstar line (which may have had its name changed to Superstar, I'm not sure). I had a Rockstar kit years ago, and would recommend it to anyone looking for an intermediate kit (Tama's hardware, patricularly the RoadPro line, is hard to beat to, IMO).
I say go with on of those, which ever one you get a better deal for. If you are shopping at store fronts, and not online, that'll give you the opportunity to take the heads off and inspect the edges (I highly recommend doing so, just like there's hit-n-misses with basses, there are with drums).
There's also a small chance that you may happen across of a kit of RMVs. If you do, get those. 100% brazilian maple shells, top-notch pro-quality drums, for $800 or so. Also, they use some sort of carbon-composite for their hardware, which makes them the lightest drums around, as well (which is a big plus if you gig often, which I suppose is obvious). They were, for a time, the single best-kept secret in drums. Unfortunately, RMV has pulled out of the North American market (for the time being), so the numbers of available kits are shrinking daily. They were also only sold at 5-star drums shops, so the weren't easy to find to begin with.
