What should I look for in a good complete drum set?

Question

I have a budget set at a maximum of ~$700
for a complete drum set (including cymbals),
but I would prefer to spend closer to $500 un-
less that $200 extra is going to make a worth-
while difference on the drum set investment.

The less I spend on the drums, the more I can
spend on the recording gear (which I want to
sepnd < $500). As you've probably figured out
by now, $1,200 for the drum set and recording
gear is my total budget. Thanks in advance for
any experienced help. Specific brand/model
recommendations are fine too.

I am a beginning drummer who wants the best
sound for the money and I will be practicing
many time per week, so duribility and reliability
ave very important as well.

Answer 1

I strongly suggest Tama drums. they are built very well. A few years ago, I bought a Rockstar Custom. I'm real happy with it, there are never any gear issues during playing. It has ball joint hardware and a system that holds the toms by the top ring (the drum vibrates well and there's no need for holes in the toms). The Rockstar is a lot like the Rockstar Custom, and closer to $500.

For stands, try buying used. Just check all the joints to make sure they don't slip. You really don't need monster sized stands. At the most, maybe one monster stand for your ride cymbal, especially if your putting it on a boom stand. If your buying just straight stands, there is no need for a big heavy stand.

I like Paiste brand cymbals for the price. Sabian makes a affordable starter package set that's good for the money. Check to see if Paiste has a similar package set. If they are the same price, I strongly suggest the Paiste. The Sabian's will do just fine though.

Get a decent bass pedal. The real cheap ones fall apart. Any brand is OK just look to see how it's made. Check out the spring system. If it looks too toyish, go with a stronger made pedal.

I think that the equipment I've suggested is probably closer to $700 dollars, it's going to be hard to put a whole new set together for $500, instruments aren't cheap. If you need to, buy a whole used set from a local store or newspaper. Test the set out. Don't be embarrassed to because your new. Also, make sure that the set is in good WORKING condition. For $500 bucks, your probably going to have to buy an old scratched up set, that's OK. As long as you can play it without issues. I stared on an old junker, it looked like it should have been in the dump years ago, but it played well, and sounded pretty good. For $500, don't be to concerned how it looks, think about how it is to play.

A low priced recording device is a Tascam 4 Track recorder. You caninput and mix 4 seperate instruments/mics. Radioshack has cheap mics.

Answer 2

Ah, Yes. I Remember My First Drum Set.

If You Want to Spend more $$$ On Recording Aquipment, I Suggest you search eBay for drums, cymbals, bells, ect. And then buy your Recording Aquipment the best you can. I got Mine from eBay, surprisingly cheap, and basically new. I Got The Bass Drum, Pedals, Snare, Quads and about 13 Cymbals and a cow Bell (Don't ask... =P LOL) All for about, Eh... I Think it was ranged from about $3,500 to $5,000.... That's a bit out of your range, Eh? But I Do Think you should Search eBay for Drums and Cymbals Mainly anywho, Then get the accessories at your favorite Music store or whatever... Hope This Made at least a TEENY bit of sense... LOL...

Answer 3

I went online and searched for drum sets and came up with a place called musicians friend.com. I bought a Tama Swingstar 5 piece drum set with cymbals for $650 complete and no shipping costs.Tama is a great brand, but they also sell Pearl, Mapex, Panther, PDP, Catalina, Yamaha, and Ludwig at great prices. Plus they also sell recording equipment, guitars, mics, electronic drums, keyboards and numerous miscellanous. Give it a look, I highly recommend it. My set came in about 1-2 weeks and it's been great!!!

Answer 4

check out used stuff ....usually good deals posted on pegboards or something at the entrance to music stores....
whatever you do dont get a set with combo tom and cymbal rack...its a huge pain in the *** to move around

Answer 5

I GOT MY DRUMSET AT SAM ASH MUSIC PLACE , ITS A 5 PIECE DRUMSET AND I GOT IT FOR LESS THAN $500 , ITS NOT A WELL KNOWN DRUM NAME BUT ITS AWESOME !