$1000 to spend - What kit am I after?

[Art Vandelay]

Hey I'm new here, looks like a sick forum

Been drumming off and on for about 5-6 yrs (I'm 23) and am finally having a lot of fun learning and playing in a band.

I have a musical instruments distributor near me in Toronto that is clearing out Taye canada products. I can get a 5-piece Studio Maple in golden amber w/ all hardware for $1000.

My current kit is pure vintage, late 80's Pearl Pro DX Series (mahogany/birch) bought about 5 yrs ago for $400 with hardware. I have a 13x5 Pearl Masters Series Maple snare which I love.

Does 1000 bucks seem like a sensible move to upgrade to some higher end maple drums? Can you give me a quick rundown of the different woods and their corresponding sound categories (ie. birch/basswood vs. maple etc.)?
Most of the reading I've done on Taye seems to be positive, although the hardware is less than stellar, I'm not too worried about that. Any recommendations or comparable kits in the $700-$1000 range would be appreciated, thanks - cheers

[Numberonefan]

That sounds like a good price. You could not get into Sonor 3007’s or a Mapex M Pro for the kind of money. If you really want to upgrade buy a used star classic or master’s kit.

[bojangleman]

that Taye kit will do you well...

Taye makes good stuff...especially their higher end stuff..

and, the Studio maples sound amazing IMO..and you get hardware with it, thats a very good price..i would jump on that...

Alex

[DrewTheShoe]

That's a great deal you have there.

You might also be able to snag a real nice, used Tama Starclassic for that price (as someone has previously stated).
The Starclassic Birch/Bubinga has received rave reviews from pretty much everyone that I've seen own one, from legit magazines to fellow Drummerworld-ers.

[Aggressivec]

Thats about my budget this year but I am pushing it $300 and buying a 5-Peice Mapex Saturn from Massmusic.net. They have great deals. The thing is, I am not buying a "set", but just drums. I am buying a 22x18 kick, 10x8 and 12x9 rack toms and a 16x16 floor tom. The whole thing is exactly 1300 bucks. I will then add another 18x16 floor tom when I have the cash. I think its a great deal to get a pro kit. You should also check out Ludwig Vistalites and Tama Starclassics. Hope this helps!

-Connor

[trkdrmr]

Thats about my budget this year but I am pushing it $300 and buying a 5-Peice Mapex Saturn from Massmusic.net. They have great deals. The thing is, I am not buying a "set", but just drums. I am buying a 22x18 kick, 10x8 and 12x9 rack toms and a 16x16 floor tom. The whole thing is exactly 1300 bucks. I will then add another 18x16 floor tom when I have the cash. I think its a great deal to get a pro kit. You should also check out Ludwig Vistalites and Tama Starclassics. Hope this helps!

-Connor

Massmusic/Rupps drums had some blowout specials on 6-pc kits with discontinued finishes. The twilight stardust (blue/white fade) and mango burst were selling for $1450 for a 6-pc KIT.

That's about 50% off. The saturn drums are superb, and I like the Twlight stardust color. It's a great deal!

[RyanL]

I got a Sonor 3007 6 piece for $950 and its amazing. Although it didn't come with hardware I'd definitely recommend it. Awesome drums dude.

[jeffreyfeliciano]

My advice i saw the tama hyperdrive in 5 piece it really has an awesome look and sound and its about 950 the wood is a combination of birch and basswood, also can get a mapex pro m for 900 this one sounds better because of the wood is all maple.more simple go to musiciansfriend.com click on drums then click on the part of amount of money you wanna spend, thats how i do and you'll know the market prices of the drum kits and read to know each one"s features.

[nhzoso]

Hey Art, how's the import/export business?

My advice is if you already have a kit and dont need the hardware then why not look at a few nice intermediate to high end shell pack only kits. Go hit a bunch of different kits, (maple,birch, blended woods etc.) and see which one you like then take it from there.

[diosdude]

Here's my oversimplified explanation, please anyone else chime in with your own explanation and observations:

maple: probably the most popular shell type. A warm tone, meaning very balanced across the entire audio spectrum, medium sustain.

Birch: brighter attack, meaning accented high frequencies. Very short decay and sustain, they don't resonate as long as maple.

Mahogany/ Basswood: 2 differnet woods but similar characteristics: accented low end frequencies, giving a boomier response. Suppressed highs and longer decay.

Poplar: a softer wood, naturally dampens frequencies. Good articulation at lower dynamic levels but becomes a wash at higher decibels.

Ash: a naturally eq'ed wood. Brighter attack on the high end with more of a rolloff for lower frequencies. More highly figured wood grain makes it desireable in clear/ lacquered finishes

Those are realistically your options for under a grand.

For bang for the buck all of the kits mentioned are great options. Also throw in for your consideration:

RMV (no longer available in the US, but you might find some new old stock somewhere)
Amazing sound, equal to kits 3x the price. Hardware and finishes are cheesy but if it's pure sound you're after, they are better than anything in this price range>

Pearl Vision series. I'm new to the forum and my observation is that there are a disproportinately low number of Pearl fans/ endorsees in here (probably because their forum is as big as drummerworld's and they all hang out there). IMO, pearl makes the best hardware, rock solid, user friendly. When was the last time you heard a complaint about it? Pearl is now using the same maple and birch shells on their vision series as they do their masters mcx and masters premium lines. The finishes are wonderful too for a semi-pro kit. Most sites are doing the 6 piece kit for about a grand.

DDrum Dominion. Ash or Maple. These kits are expertly designed and tuned, the dominion kits come with suspension isolation mounts, virgin bass drums, die cast rims standard. The snare even have snare beds. Precision bearing edges and innovative drum sizes all make for an incredible sounding kit. Stock heads are garbage but when replaced with quality heads, they have the sound of kits 3x the price. The lacquer finishes are downright breathtaking. For a company that has been in the acoustic drum business for only 3 years, they are doing an incredible job. You can easily find a 5 pc online for about 800 smackers

[Art Vandelay]

Awesome, thanks for all the help and suggestions so far. Check out my thread at drumforum and join in if you like: http://www.drumforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=39136

I will definitely take a look at RMV and ddrum.

I will look at a shell pack and piece together hardware over the months after i buy the kit. the reason i wouldn't mind hardware in the kit that i buy now is because i will be selling my old kit with hardware to my brother, so it would be sick if we had 2 kits with full hardware. but thats not a priority right now so i'll check out some nice shell packs, if i can get a used maple shell pack for well under a grand then i'm laughin

thanks for all your suggestions so far, i'll keep you posted with my options and seek your guys' input over the next couple weeks

[Ironcobra]

Grab that Studio Maple now!

Or I will, where is it in Toronto?

[Art Vandelay]

Grab that Studio Maple now!

Or I will, where is it in Toronto?

Here's what a Just Drums salesperson had to say:

I’d stay away from the Taye line as they don’t seem to have any real

stability in the market. Parts and service have been a real issue. 1100 could be better spent on another brand for sure.



Cheers,

Just Drums

416 226 1211


Surely that's most likely because they'd like my business instead of someone else, but still, I have heard some gripes about the hardware and with Taye Canada out of business it could be a real hassle for me to get any replacement parts down the road.

I'm eyeing some piano black gretsch renown maples, only a couple yrs old and under my budget.

Does anyone have any comments regarding the 30 degree bearing edge on the Renowns? Thanks

[Michael G]

With $1000, you could go top of the line if buy used.

Look around on ebay and craigslist, it won't be too hard to find a nice score of a Classic maple Ludwig or a Tama Starclassic, but if you look enough, pretty much every brand makes itself available. Right now I see a Yamaha Recording custom bop kit for $900 on ebay.

[Matty G.]

Hey Art. You're in latex manufacturing, right?

How many drums you want? Nothing wrong with combing eBay and putting together a good little mismatch set. Sometimes people are unloading single drums for good prices, like an extra floor, or rack, or kick.

[Ironcobra]

It's at Just Drums eh?

Don't listen to that email, buy them, and if you don't like them, you can make a profit off them on ebay.

[jeffreyfeliciano]

It's at Just Drums eh?

Don't listen to that email, buy them, and if you don't like them, you can make a profit off them on ebay.

my friend just bought one taye kit and the construction is definetly not the best, he used it one time and returned it, the toms doesnt have good resonance even changing heads it was like too dry sound, crappy kit. sorry friend not agreed, i wll not buy something with the name taye on it.

[trkdrmr]

my friend just bought one taye kit and the construction is definetly not the best, he used it one time and returned it, the toms doesnt have good resonance even changing heads it was like too dry sound, crappy kit. sorry friend not agreed, i wll not buy something with the name taye on it.

Taye to Ayotte are almost like PDP to DW. The taye are imported and still have some issues. I can't say that I can put taye in the same tier as sonor force.

[bojangleman]

It's at Just Drums eh?

Don't listen to that email, buy them, and if you don't like them, you can make a profit off them on ebay.

im not saying your wrong, but Shane is going to know what he's talking about..he deals with Taye quite abit..

im not being bias...cause ive played a studio maple, and i liked it quite well..but ive only seen 1 taye in my life..lol..

Alex

[zambizzi]

Hey I'm new here, looks like a sick forum

Yeah...we're all sick...in the head.

$1000 will get you a nice used kit on eBay...shipped. That's the best bang for your buck, honestly.

[Art Vandelay]

For sure, I'm going to go with ebay or craigslist in the end i'm sure.

The Taye kit wasn't from Just Drums, for the record. And I wouldn't buy from a store unless they were clearing out rock bottom prices (which rarely happens) on high end kits.

I think buying used privately is the best way to go, then ebay as a close second. Shipping to Ontario is always a hassle tho, but luckily i've come across some decent options thus far:

-Gretsch Renown Maple 2yrs old 5pc w/hardware $800 neg.
-Taye Studio Maple brand new 1000
-Mapex Birch 4 pc. no hardware 500

of which i'm leaning towards the Renowns right now, seems like pretty much a steal to me.

[zambizzi]

For sure, I'm going to go with ebay or craigslist in the end i'm sure.

The Taye kit wasn't from Just Drums, for the record. And I wouldn't buy from a store unless they were clearing out rock bottom prices (which rarely happens) on high end kits.

I think buying used privately is the best way to go, then ebay as a close second. Shipping to Ontario is always a hassle tho, but luckily i've come across some decent options thus far:

-Gretsch Renown Maple 2yrs old 5pc w/hardware $800 neg.
-Taye Studio Maple brand new 1000
-Mapex Birch 4 pc. no hardware 500

of which i'm leaning towards the Renowns right now, seems like pretty much a steal to me.

The Gretsch is the best out of the three, with the price being right down the middle. Can't go wrong there.

[GRUNTERSDAD]

I had a TAYE Pro X kit and I own a Studio Maple snare. For 1000.00 with hardware that is a great deal. Go for it.

[DrewTheShoe]

I'm eyeing some piano black gretsch renown maples, only a couple yrs old and under my budget.


Snag those. Right now.

It's at Just Drums eh?

Don't listen to that email, buy them, and if you don't like them, you can make a profit off them on ebay.

Sorry IC, but I'd trust Shane on this one, he usually knows what he's talking about, AND even his actual storefront is absolutely loaded with Taye, so he know's his stuff. [/run-on sentence]

[pasta]

There's a Justdrums in CA http://www.justdrums.com/
which is different from Justdrumsonline (Shane) in the USA. http://www.justdrumsonline.com/
Shane sells and recommends Taye. The Justdrums in CA wants to steer your business towards himself and away from the other store. Taye studio maple are good quality drums; I don't think you can go wrong for that price.

[bojangleman]

oh...i forgot about that

my bad..

Alex

[Art Vandelay]

There's a Justdrums in CA http://www.justdrums.com/
which is different from Justdrumsonline (Shane) in the USA. http://www.justdrumsonline.com/
Shane sells and recommends Taye. The Justdrums in CA wants to steer your business towards himself and away from the other store. Taye studio maple are good quality drums; I don't think you can go wrong for that price.

My bad guys, I should have said Just Drums, Toronto. I haven't been there in a couple yrs but it sounds like they don't stock Taye (probably due to taye canada being gone obviously)

Although the taye kit is a great deal (Taye lists the kit on their site at $2699, I could get them for 1100 + tax) - anyone from toronto who's interested in that, check out craigslist and search Taye. rockpro kits for 500, tour pro for 800 brand new

I think I'm going to pass on it and spend under my budget on the Renowns. I like the idea of buying used (so long as the kit is in good shape) and getting a great deal on a kit that's only a couple years old and that i'll own for hopefully many many years to come

Question: How rigorous should one be in checking out a used kit before buying? Like should I remove every hoop and examine every bearing edge? Are there any things in particular to look for when buying used? Thanks again for all the help so far everyone, cheers

[PDPAnimal]

I'm in Toronto aswell, and rehearse out of PRB studio. they have the studio maple kits in all of the rooms there. Beautiful sounding kits. prior to purchasing my own kit, i was renting studio maple kits from them aswell to play live shows, and they always performed well when i needed them. the hardware is my only complaint...but its usable untill you can upgrade to something else.
i think $1000 is a fantastic deal, and as mentioned...if you didn't like them, you could probably sell them for that a year down the road if you wanted, without any loss.

[Mikecore]

The Renowns are fine drums and I would recommend getting them. The only thing keeping me at arm's length from them is my desire to make a kit which seems to be outside of their availability (that and five lugs on a 10" tom...eew. Not much of a Sonor fan for the same reason).

[Art Vandelay]

The Renowns are fine drums and I would recommend getting them. The only thing keeping me at arm's length from them is my desire to make a kit which seems to be outside of their availability (that and five lugs on a 10" tom...eew. Not much of a Sonor fan for the same reason).


Hmmm yes I haven't addressed that yet. Will that tom be difficult to tune? Perhaps that's a reason why I saw a couple unsettling posts on other forums about people who claimed to not be able to get their Renowns to sound good...

[Mikecore]

I don't know if there's anything to the tuneability of five versus six on drums larger than 8" (more on this in a minute), but as a matter of practicality trying to find replacement hoops is a special order adventure/stunt unless you know where to go already (jamminsam.com). Really it's a personal issue for me: I think it's an unnecessary price /quality compromise, it's esoteric for no good reason and therefore WRONG on some level.

As for six versus five (DW fanboys pay attention), I like six lugs on 8" toms for tuning reasons. I'm trying to build a Bozzio-style piccolo tom setup for my kit, and my initial tests with four lug drums have revealed that any notes above "F" require more tension than a four lug hoop will spread around the drum (at least without warping and such). Five lugs would probably do the trick here, but I feel a little better about cranking that 8" tom into the stratoshpere with 50% more load-bearing capacity. Marching snares operate much the same way, with 12 lugs being about the bare minimum these days.

John Good made his point that drums should be tuned symmetrically, thus needing an even number of lugs around the drum. I don't know if there is anything to this, but I'll take it since it benefits my own sinister plans to save drumming as we know it (or at least my piccolo tom setup).

[Sirwill]

I would get on e-Bay and look for a Pearl Masters Kit. It is silly how cheap they are going. For your $1.000 you can buy a mint but used masters kit that cost $3.500 new for you money. I recently bought a four piece masters kit for only $405.00. Good luck

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Hmmm yes I haven't addressed that yet. Will that tom be difficult to tune? Perhaps that's a reason why I saw a couple unsettling posts on other forums about people who claimed to not be able to get their Renowns to sound good...

I have a set of Renowns, 8, 10 12, 14 and I don't find them hard to tune at all. 5 lugs doesn't seem to be a problem.