| Author | Message | ||
| byoung
Senior Member Username: byoung Post Number: 1267 Registered: 12-2004 |
My son, bless him, is looking to play the drums. I would like to buy him a set of drums that might, conceivably, last a while. I am attracted to the sonic advantages of an electronic set, but not wedded to it. I would say that what I'm looking for isn't cheap, but good value. Bradley | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 1295 Registered: 5-2009 |
I have been checking them out as well. A few drummers that I have played with over the years tell me that Roland is the one to get . I am thinking of getting this one with multi-zone cymbals as substitutions. http://www.roland.com/products/en/TD-4KX/ | ||
| richbass939
Senior Member Username: richbass939 Post Number: 1114 Registered: 11-2004 |
6 weeks ago we bought a set of drums for our 13 year old. He's been talking about drums for a year and a half. We looked for awhile and saw a lot of expensive toy sets. We saw some good sets at high prices. Then...... My guitar player had a set belonging to his brother. It's a set full set of Pearls with Zildjians all the way around. They are about 10 years old and have been gigged with. But they were well cared for and are in great shape. Long story short -- The brother and I worked out a really good deal for my son. He couldn't be happier. Metallica on the iPod and he's in metal heaven. I know we got really lucky but deals can be found. Good luck to you in your search. Rich | ||
| byoung
Senior Member Username: byoung Post Number: 1268 Registered: 12-2004 |
Yeah, I've heard that the Roland drums are the ticket. Anyone care to comment on acoustic drums? Any hints gratefully accepted. | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 777 Registered: 10-2006 |
When my youngest decided he wanted to be a drummer, I got him a Pearl Export kit w/Zildgians (this was in 4th grade, & a few years after his Strat - damn I wish my dad was as cool as his!) If you don't want to drop the coin for Sonar, you can't do better than Pearl. He's several years out of college now & still plays all of them. Peter (who thinks the best part of it all was learning 1 1/2 hours of drummer jokes to abuse him with) | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 778 Registered: 10-2006 |
When my youngest decided he wanted to be a drummer, I got him a Pearl Export kit w/Zildgians (this was in 4th grade, & a few years after his Strat - damn I wish my dad was as cool as his!) If you don't want to drop the coin for Sonar, you can't do better than Pearl. He's several years out of college now & still plays all of them. Peter (who thinks the best part of it all was learning 1 1/2 hours of drummer jokes to abuse him with) | ||
| edwin
Senior Member Username: edwin Post Number: 729 Registered: 5-2002 |
I'd say look into a used kit. I found a Tama 6 piece kit minus cymbals and stands for $250. Getting the rest wasn't too bad, although these days I have my great aunt's old kit. It's a hodge-podge of early 60s Ludwig, Kent and Slingerland. It's fine for basement jams and rehearsals. She was pretty awesome. She lived in New York, her husband was Leon Russianoff, the clarinet teacher (who she towered over, being 6'3" to his 5'2") and she got invited to play gigs at CBGBs with punk bands but I don't think she ever made it down there. But I digress, it's wonderful to have her kit. | ||
| mike1762
Senior Member Username: mike1762 Post Number: 639 Registered: 1-2008 |
I have a set of Yamaha DTXtreme electronic drums that have acoustic heads, thus they "feel" like acoustic drums. If you want to hear them, click my profile and hit the link for my Homepage/Ilike profile. I would stay away from an electronic kit with rubber pads. My acoustic kit is also the Pearl Export. Although the Export is Pearl's economy line, EVERY drummer who has ever played them has commented on how good they sound (and most say they sound BETTER than their much more expensive set)... that's because I spent the money on good heads and took the time to tune them properly. What you CAN'T skimp on is cymbals... cheap cymbals sound AWFUL. | ||
| mario_farufyno
Senior Member Username: mario_farufyno Post Number: 534 Registered: 9-2008 |
I have a Pearl Session and, IMHO, they sound as they were more expensive drum set than it really is. Very good cost/benefit rating... | ||
| mario_farufyno
Senior Member Username: mario_farufyno Post Number: 535 Registered: 9-2008 |
Wow, I went into Guitar Center's site and they sell some used stuff really cheap... | ||
| edwin
Senior Member Username: edwin Post Number: 730 Registered: 5-2002 |
What Mike says is true: cheap cymbals do sound wretched. Drums can be tuned and tweaked to sound at least funky in a good way, but bad cymbals can make the whole kit sound wrong. | ||
| cozmik_cowboy
Senior Member Username: cozmik_cowboy Post Number: 779 Registered: 10-2006 |
+1 on the heads and tuning - & there is a reason the t-shirt says "Zildjian: the Only Serious Choice." Peter | ||
| hydrargyrum
Senior Member Username: hydrargyrum Post Number: 842 Registered: 3-2004 |
We had a drummer for a while who played a cheap pawn shop Rogers set. It sounded darn right decent, because he replaced the heads with quality parts, and tuned them well. And of course, he played with Ziljians.  | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 4579 Registered: 7-2004 |
Bradley: You might want to check out the Pearl Rhythm Traveler kit. It's compact and stores easily. Comes with both regular heads and silent mesh heads that still feel like the real thing. Also comes with rubber pad to place on the cymbals for silent practice. The kick and toms are only about 6" wide. For actual use, the set would be fine for a jazz trio or smaller venue, but probably wouldn't be sufficient for a full on rock band. Great learning set. Less than $500. Bill, tgo | ||
| crobbins
Senior Member Username: crobbins Post Number: 683 Registered: 6-2004 |
I put a drumset together for my studio. The shells are 1968 Ludwigs(which were given to me)blue sparkle, the hardware is DW, and cymbals are Zildjian A Customs.....Between the cymbals, and the hardware I ended up spending around $1,500.00 But they sound real nice... | ||
| afrobeat_fool
Advanced Member Username: afrobeat_fool Post Number: 251 Registered: 7-2009 |
Brand names on drums are the only expensive part of the drum(acoustic). I have several sets and I can tell you, after building my own set's, the only way to go is get Whatever is cheap. Here is how I see it. ALL SHELLS ARE MADE IN 2 LOCATIONS. New Keller shells run from $10.00 to $100.00 depending on size. Hardware is cheap $2-12 per lug. single mount, double mount. bushing mounted, whatever. Make sure the bearing edge is clean and sharp. Aquarian heads are the best for the buck, and you can find packs of heads at Guitar Center for cheap. The real sound of the drum is in the heads. Any mounts attached to the drum is bad. It breaks up the resonance. I put mine on stands. Rims mounts are good too! Buying new shells is preferred because you can stain and finish them any way you want. I prefer many coats of hand applied oil, using fine steel wool to sand between coats. I prefer cast rims, like old Gretsch. Here is a link to Billy's Fast and reliable. http://billyblastdrums.easystorecreator.com/items/Keller~Drum-Shells/list.htm | ||
| crobbins
Senior Member Username: crobbins Post Number: 684 Registered: 6-2004 |
The hardware I'm talking about is the kickdrum pedal, hihat stand, snare stand and cymbal stands.. | ||
| mario_farufyno
Senior Member Username: mario_farufyno Post Number: 536 Registered: 9-2008 |
Paste makes the only decent B8 Cymbals... | ||
| pace
Senior Member Username: pace Post Number: 617 Registered: 4-2004 |
If you have the time, keep your eye on your local Craigslist, Brad.... Roland and Yamaha are the way to go re: electric sets, last time I sat down & A/B'd them the Yamaha had the more realistic hi-hat travel and samples. You never know what you'll find out there, and it's all dependent on your son's tastes. You could find a '50s Ludwig set for $50, spend $200 getting it in shape, and while it might be the holy grail to everyone else, your son might still think it's a p.o.s...... If you go acoustic, listen to what your son listens to, and approximate what size shells those drummers are using. |
