Face lift for my setup. Help?

[Vbs]

I'm considering a face lift for my drums. Right now what I have is mostly what I've originally bought a year and a half ago: only one (broken) generic crash, worn-out batter heads for toms and snare, generic hi-hats and an el-cheapo hi-hat stand.

As for my kicks, I have a Gibraltar Prowler Twin Kick and EMAD2 batter for my bassdrum.

For cymbals, I was thinking of either a set of Planet Z's or Paiste 101s. Friends recommend that I go for the 101s but its a little more expensive. According to them, the 101s are quite a durable set. I don't know about Planet Z though.

Sadly, there aren't any Stagg distributors around here.

I thought of the Headliners, but I've seen plenty, and I mean PLENTY of broken ones in jamming studios. And they're also more expensive too?

As for Wuhans, I don't know just how cheap they can be since I've got no time on my hands to actually check out the prices. Do they sell set cymbals?

For heads, I absolutely know nothing about them besides the kickhead. What I need is a new set of heads for my toms and snare as well. From what I've checked, comparatively, individual Aquarian heads are cheaper than Evans (correct me if I'm wrong). The set heads that Evans have to offer is quite a deal, but it comes with a basshead, something which I already have. I don't know about Remos though.

Can anyone suggest a few heads on what I should look into for every brand? Just batter heads will do.

I play metal by the way so perhaps something with more attack (double-ply?) that'll suit my taste? But nothing that's too dry or dead. I don't see what's the point of having really dead heads if the drums doesn't resonate enough.

I'm tight on budget so I might only consider to buy what I've stated above. But I need some help on deciding which should I get though.

There's a year end sale going on and I need to make a decision before the year ends. Any help will be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

ps. Planning to get a Vic Firth Isolation Headphones (non-electronic). Are they any good? Plan to use it along with my earphones...like you know, putting the headphones over while I'm using my earphones at the same time.

[razorx]

I'm considering a face lift for my drums. Right now what I have is mostly what I've originally bought a year and a half ago: only one (broken) generic crash, worn-out batter heads for toms and snare, generic hi-hats and an el-cheapo hi-hat stand.

As for my kicks, I have a Gibraltar Prowler Twin Kick and EMAD2 batter for my bassdrum.

For cymbals, I was thinking of either a set of Planet Z's or Paiste 101s. Friends recommend that I go for the 101s but its a little more expensive. According to them, the 101s are quite a durable set. I don't know about Planet Z though.

Sadly, there aren't any Stagg distributors around here.

I thought of the Headliners, but I've seen plenty, and I mean PLENTY of broken ones in jamming studios. And they're also more expensive too?

As for Wuhans, I don't know just how cheap they can be since I've got no time on my hands to actually check out the prices. Do they sell set cymbals?

For heads, I absolutely know nothing about them besides the kickhead. What I need is a new set of heads for my toms and snare as well. From what I've checked, comparatively, individual Aquarian heads are cheaper than Evans (correct me if I'm wrong). The set heads that Evans have to offer is quite a deal, but it comes with a basshead, something which I already have. I don't know about Remos though.

Can anyone suggest a few heads on what I should look into for every brand? Just batter heads will do.

I play metal by the way so perhaps something with more attack (double-ply?) that'll suit my taste? But nothing that's too dry or dead. I don't see what's the point of having really dead heads if the drums doesn't resonate enough.

I'm tight on budget so I might only consider to buy what I've stated above. But I need some help on deciding which should I get though.

There's a year end sale going on and I need to make a decision before the year ends. Any help will be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

ps. Planning to get a Vic Firth Isolation Headphones (non-electronic). Are they any good? Plan to use it along with my earphones...like you know, putting the headphones over while I'm using my earphones at the same time.

as for cymbals you should stay away from all of those beginner sets. Most of them are junk. If you want aquarian heads and are looking for that dead metal sound you should get performace 2's. How much can you spend?

[Vbs]

Not much. Really tight on budget. I'm not looking into any high entry cymbals, since I'll be playing it at home anyway. Anything which sounds 'okay' and lasts long enough will suffice.

Are the Performance2 really dead?

What should I get for the snare? Looking for a coated head. I want something bright, solid and defined.

[razorx]

Yes they are so dead. You barley even have to tune them with a key to get the sound out of them that is meant to come out of them. A good snare head is the Aquarian Hi energy. I dont think that it is coated though. I think that it has a white film . It also has a power dot on it. It is a very durrable snare head and its one i have never broken. The Remo Emporor x is also a very good snare head. As far as cymbals go you should really look used or look on ebay. I had to buy all new cymbals because the used market around ware i live is lousy. What is your overall budget and what are you interested in getting cymbal wise?

[ermghoti]

The Wuhan S series are traditional set cymbals, and get decent word-of-mouth. The other cymbals you have listed are pure horror.

[metal overlord]

Planet-Z is AWFUL!

Paiste 101 isn't bad, but I suggest spend a little more and get some decent cymbals. As far as heads go, IMO Remo makes the best. They invented the modern skins, so they'd be the best, wouldn't they?

Remo Powerstroke 3 for the bass drums, and whatever suits you for toms and snare. They make great skins, so definetly check them out.

[Vbs]

The Performance2 are comparable to.......?

I'm from a different country so the currency here differs to that of your's. I can only spend somewhere around the price range of a 101s to perhaps a higher entry of Headliners.

Just found out that they don't sell Wuhans here.

What other heads would you recommend? My knowledge on heads are pretty shallow. I still don't know what I want to get.

[zambizzi]

I'll chime in....

The cymbals you mention, per my experience, are just not very good....not in sound or durability.

You could take the couple hundred bucks you're going to spend and get one or two decent used cymbals on eBay - Paiste 2oo2's are always a good bet...and they sound great. I play and enjoy Zildjian A and K customs but I've owned 2oo2's and for the price, you definitely can't beat 'em.

As for heads...anything Evans makes will last forever and sound great....particularly the G2 batter heads. EMAD isn't a bad kick head...I prefer a Remo Powerstroke 3 and haven't found anything that thumps quite like it, so far.

[konaboy]

Yeah I'd rather have 1 or two quality cymbals than cheaper ones. In the long run you will spend less upgrading your cymbals. The higher end ones should last longer as well because of the material and the way they are made, also technique will help preserve them as well. Just my .02

[Vbs]

I'm an Evans fan myself so I'm thinking of getting the G2s for my toms. As for the snare, I'm considering either the HD/HD Dry or Genera/Genera Dry head. Aforementioned, I'm a metal fan and I like something solid and defined but has a body. Is the HD Dry my best bet?

My other options are the Remo Pinstripes(heard that they're the same as the EC2s) for toms and either the Coated Ambassadors (with Black Dot) or the PowerstrokeX for my snare.

Lots of choices there. I know =/

[GRUNTERSDAD]

I have the exact Evans you are thinking of and don't think you can go wrong with those. G2 and Genera HD For a coated head it is still sensitive.

[crazyhorse]

Anyone worried about durability of cymbals needs to play them better... lol I've played on many a cheap cymbal and not destroyed it.

BUY USED GEAR!!

Get some used wuhans or something... build up your collection slowly. The wuhans are at least B20 bronze I believe which is better than you'll find in most "beginner" cymbals for sure. They're a little trashy for my tastes but better than you'd expect. I picked up a cheapo Argent crash for 20 bucks that surprised the hell out of me, and I play mostly Paiste signatures