I need advice on buying a drum kit?

Question

I need to buy a drum kit for my 15 year old son for Christmas can anyone tell me which make I should go for and a good cheap website would be helpful thanks, also what I should look for ? I dont want to ask my son as it is supposed to be a surprise!

Answer 1

Drum kits can be very expensive, as you will also have to pay for a soundproof room for him to play in (unless you have a garage or understanding neighbours).

Can you not think of something more practical to buy him?

Answer 2

Unfortunately Cheap and good sound don't go together. You can buy complete kits new from as little as £165.00 (see www.gear4music.com or www.djmmusic.com ) but expect the cymbals to sound like saucepan lids. If your son is likely to continue playing for a long while, it would be better to splash out on a more well known make such as a Tama Swingstar kit or a Ludwig Accent, or Yamaha Rydeen. These make good starter kits with reasonable sound and construction and can be picked up on ebay for quite good prices. A typical kit would comprise of a 22" x 18" bass drum, 16"x 16" floor tom, 9" x 122 tom, 10" x 13" tom, 14" x 5" snare drum, plus hardware and cymbals (usually 14" hi-hats and 20" crash/ride.

Following that you'll need earplugs!!!

Answer 3

If your son is just getting started, you should probably stick with an "entry-level" or "student-level" set.

Typically, they are 5-piece kits that include a bass drum, two tom-toms, a floor-tom and a snare. Also included in these kits are a basic set of "sheet cymbals" (hi-hats, ride and crash), and the necessary hardware (i.e. cymbal stands, pedals, etc.). With exception of sticks and sometimes a throne (the drummers seat), these kits are complete.

You can typically get these sets for about $400, give or take $100. Almost all of the "big" guys make lower end kits. So, if he is looking for a name brand, more than likely they will have entry-level kits. (see Ludwig:Accent, Tama:Imperialstar/Stagestar, DW:Pacific, Pearl:Forum, Yamah Rydeen).

Check out www.musiciansfriend.com for the best prices. You can see almost everything they sell at a Guitar Center if you have one nearby. They may even give you a similar price.

It is true that these kits are not the best, but someone just learning does not need the best. He just needs something on which he can learn and practice.

If drums turn out to be his thing, he can begin to upgrade the set in the following way:

1. Upgrade the cymbals to set of profressional "cast-bronze" cymbals. This will provide a marked improvement in the overall sound of the kit. Cost: About $600 for a set of 3 or 4 professional cymbals (see Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste). These can also be done one at a time.

2. Upgrade the heads on the drums to professional heads. The heads that come with beginner sets are often the low-end heads. A good set of heads with a proper tuning can make most any drum sound good. Since heads are "wear and tear" item, if he plays alot, these will need to be replaced eventually anyway. Cost: $150 to $200 for new batter and resonant heads (see Remo, Evans, Aquarian).

3. A new snare drum. The snare drum is the most important drum in the kit. It will define the kit's sound more than any other one drum. Cost: $200 and up.

4. A new shell kit (toms and bass). Unlike student-level kits, when buying higher end drums, cymbals are rarely included and only sometimes include snares and hardware. Therefore, the previous upgrades will not go to waste. Cost: depends on the make and model as well as the number and size of the pieces (see Tama, Ludwig, Pearl, DW, Mapex).

5. Hardware. If the professional level hardware is not included with the new shell kit, it can be purchased one piece at a time to replace the aging hardware that come with the beginner set. Cost: depends on the piece. Professional cymbal stands can go for as little as $50 a piece and high-end drum pedals can cost $500. (see Tama, Pearl, DW for the best hardware).

The point is, don't spend much money on the initial set. As you can see a "pro-level" set can cost thousands. It would stink to spend all of that money only to have him get bored with it in six months. Selling them used will probably get you less than 50% of the cost.

If it turns out he's really into it he can upgrade as layed out here. Also, he can finance some of the upgrades by trading in or selling the older stuff.

Hope that helps. Good Luck.

Answer 4

I have bought drum kits on Ebay. I bought a CB drum kit. It came with bass drum, floor tom, two regular toms, snare, high hat and the hardware to put it together. It is a full size set and is very nice. The thing is, if you want decent cymbals, you're going to have to buy them seperately. Ziljian or Paiste are good cymbals. Also try looking at Guitar Center or other music stores. Guitar Center usually has good deals this time of year. Other good drums are Tama, Yamaha, Ludwig, Sonor.

Answer 5

The best prices I've found online are at:

www.musiciansfriend.com

The best prices I've found at a brick-and-mortar are at the Guitar Center chain of stores, you may have one in your local area. hat assumes, of course, that you intend to purchase a new drum kit. While that will certainly have its advantages, you may want to also consider purchasing used, from www.craigslist.org, your local classifieds, etc.

Generally, most of the major name brands (Tama, Ludwig, Sonor, Yamaha, Pearl, and there are others) will have starter kits with very good quality for the price.

They'll typically include kick & snare drums and three toms. You'll also want to make sure the kit includes a hi-hat (two smaller cymbals mounted together with a pedal), and two or three other cymbals (crash, ride, etc), and hardware for all of this - stands for the cymbals, a stand for the snare drum, a throne (seat), a pedal for the kick drum, some drumsticks.

Around the holidays, websites like www.musiciansfriend.com and music specialty stores like Guitar Center will have package deals with everything I've listed above (and more, like a bag to hold drumsticks) in one package price - and generally these represent a very good deal.

The advantages of buying used, of course, is possibly more value for the money...but this presupposes you or someone you can drag along knows what to look for, knows what typical damage looks like, knows what to avoid, etc.

Hope this helps. I'm a professional musician and have helped lots of families out with similar questions for purchases and gifts.

Answer 6

i got my drum kit from a website called www.thomann.de , they offer very good kits at a cheap price.

Answer 7

Guitar Center.com Pacifics by DW and some ear plugs for both of you.

Answer 8

Sam Ash or Guitar center/musicians friend are good places to look.

what kind of music is he into?

Answer 9

get whatever Dave Grohl plays, becauses he's the greatest hence playing with his kit would be playing the best

Answer 10

guitar center.com or musicians friend.com