Help needed with first drum kit

[Muscle]

Hi guys, I've been playing drums for a couple of years but have never been really good at it because I didn't own my own drums and didn't get much time to jam with my band. Lately I've been thinking of buying one so I can practice to become better, but don't know which drums to buy, and what to look out for. Also, I don't know how to assemble my own drums, so I would need help with all the tuning,etc.. I normally play rock or jazz when I jam with my band, so I'm looking for one that would accommodate this genre better. Lastly, I've always heard that the size of the drums makes a difference, so I would like to know what exactly is the difference when choosing the size of my drums. I'm not looking to spend over $1000 for my set because I'm a little tight on my budget currently and figured I could upgrade my kit slowly. Any form or help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys.

[Lunar Satellite Brian]

Originally Posted by Muscle

Hi guys, I've been playing drums for a couple of years but have never been really good at it because I didn't own my own drums and didn't get much time to jam with my band. Lately I've been thinking of buying one so I can practice to become better, but don't know which drums to buy, and what to look out for. Also, I don't know how to assemble my own drums, so I would need help with all the tuning,etc.. I normally play rock or jazz when I jam with my band, so I'm looking for one that would accommodate this genre better. Lastly, I've always heard that the size of the drums makes a difference, so I would like to know what exactly is the difference when choosing the size of my drums. I'm not looking to spend over $1000 for my set because I'm a little tight on my budget currently and figured I could upgrade my kit slowly. Any form or help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys.

1,000 gives you a lot of room to work, basically look for drums with 10",12" rack toms and either 14" or 16" floor, any other toms are a good bonus, but make sure you get 10" and 12" rack toms.

I would recommend either this http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums...ece-shell-pack or this http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums...ece-shell-pack
with, maybe these cymbals( although with cymbals, you might want to look used and get some really nice ones) http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums...bal-bag-set-up

and get some new heads with any extra cash, any drum head company that's not Remo will be fine.

Tuning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3qMyc1G3XE or Dw's recommendation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl9wgXSfxew

[larryz]

Mid-level drum kit category is totally ruled by Yamaha Stage Custom, in my opinion. Then get a Zildjian A cymbal set and you're good to go. I little over your budget but this should last you for decades... http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums...ece-shell-pack

I'd go used personally, but if you're looking to buy new, you can't beat these.

[Muscle]

Thanks guys for the quick responses. There is a small problem though, I'm living in Singapore at the moment and musician's friend doesn't ship to where I am. I suppose my best bet is to go around looking for Music shops that sell these drums?

[Bokatron]

Grab yourself a bargain on ebay or in the local ads.

You can always find a good deal on some second hand drum gear. I done the same as you when i started out, just build it up over time. :)

Also to help with your practice do you use a practice pad? Superb tools

Originally Posted by Lunar Satellite Brian

and get some new heads with any extra cash, any drum head company that's not Remo will be fine.

I disagree and that's a pretty ridiculous statement tbh. Sigh.... the more the drumming "community" is being exposed the more it's really becoming depressing, though in these days and in this current generation it's nothing new. These bashing bandwagons and "against certain company" bandwagons because it's the cool thing to do are really starting to piss me off. Instead of telling this person to just go with anything BUT Remo, why not say get some new heads and try heads from various company's as you never know which one will work best for you and your drums.

I bet many who jump on these bandwagons use a certain company and stick with it even though it doesn't work for them just because they want to be with the "in crowd". It's a shame and pathetic really.


EDIT: And this is coming from a non Remo fanboy point of view!

[Bad Tempered Clavier]

If that's 1000 SGD then I make that about 500 GBP, or 630 EUR, or 780 USD at todays prices.

For that money I'd suggest buying

A good snare - e.g. Pearl Sensitone or Mapex Black Panther
Some good quality hi-hats and a large crash that could double as a ride (i.e. 18" or larger) - try Stagg or Dream for new or 2nd hand Zildjian/Sabian/Paiste etc. Don't get brass cymbals - they are a waste of money.
A used starter kit - e.g. Pearl Export/Forum, Peavey International, Premier Olympic - this should include all the hardware you should need (i.e. stands for cymbals and snare etc)
A good bass drum pedal e.g. Pearl P900 or Tama Iron Cobra Jr

What you get depends on new/used availability and so on, but I would divide your budget thus:
30% for the snare
40% for the cymbals
20% for the kit
10% for the pedal

Good luck and have fun

[Lunar Satellite Brian]

Originally Posted by PDPx7Drummer

I disagree and that's a pretty ridiculous statement tbh. Sigh.... the more the drumming "community" is being exposed the more it's really becoming depressing, though in these days and in this current generation it's nothing new. These bashing bandwagons and "against certain company" bandwagons because it's the cool thing to do are really starting to piss me off. Instead of telling this person to just go with anything BUT Remo, why not say get some new heads and try heads from various company's as you never know which one will work best for you and your drums.

I bet many who jump on these bandwagons use a certain company and stick with it even though it doesn't work for them just because they want to be with the "in crowd". It's a shame and pathetic really.


EDIT: And this is coming from a non Remo fanboy point of view!

Actually the main reason I said that is because Remo heads are definitely the heads that go out of tune the most and are the hardest to tune.

I know why some people like Remo, because they sound good, but for a beginner, I would recommend any drumhead company other than Remo.

Originally Posted by Lunar Satellite Brian

Actually the main reason I said that is because Remo heads are definitely the heads that go out of tune the most and are the hardest to tune. I know why some people like Remo, because they sound good, but for a beginner, I would recommend any drumhead company other than Remo.

I apologize for coming off harsh there, it was just a reply from a general observation of how things are within the drum world. It wasn't meant to be toward you. I just hate this whole divided way of things. This and that about single and double bass pedals, this and that about brand loyalty and generally giving bad opinions because they are loyal to another brand or because it's the cool thing to do now-a-days.

As for the quote,

I honestly don't know if that can be 100% true. TBH I am an 8 month old noob to tuning drums but have gotten them to sound good with anything I have thrown on there, fine tuned or not. Sometimes I fine tune but many times not as it's quite time consuming and I'm not worried about recording sessions or playing live and have to have them "perfect". There may be slight overtones when I don't fine tune but 95% of the time it's a really nice resonance with short sustain. No wonky noises or anything and that's been with Emperor's, Ambassador's, Pinstripes and now Ambassador X's.

Like I say I don't think that can be 100% true as sometimes it can be the drums that make it hard to tune a certain drum head or even brand as they are all made differently. So far my thin shells have taken these Remo's really well but they may not with the Evan's. Maybe some of the thicker, more ply shells don't work well with certain Remo heads? I just don't think it's entirely the head or brand that's hard to tune, it could be the drums as well.

Can you give me an idea of what about Remo drum heads and the way they're made / features make them harder to tune or go out of tune easily?

[SticksEasy]

Originally Posted by PDPx7Drummer

Can you give me an idea of what about Remo drum heads and the way they're made / features make them harder to tune or go out of tune easily?

I don't wanna stick my neck out, but I've also noticed difficulty in maintaining the tune of Remo heads. I thought it was just the cheap stock heads, but even after upgrading they heads just wouldn't maintain tuning.

I prefer Evans myself. Usually I only have to tune my Evans heads every month or so, maybe two months varying on how much I'm playing. Remo heads, often in the same night would slip from tuning and give me a nasty booming sound rather than singing.

But also, it is possible I just got defective heads. But it's worth looking into.

Appreciate it Sticks. Maybe some day I can try other brands but for now I'm going through the motions with Remo. 11 years ago I was only able to try Pinstripes as batters and a SKII on the batter side of my Export bass drum. Though now I can properly pay attention to how drum heads fair and will remember when the day comes that I try different brands. I'm a Remo fan now but that's not to say I won't be an Aquarian fan tomorrow.... you know? :)

[Lunar Satellite Brian]

Originally Posted by PDPx7Drummer

Appreciate it Sticks. Maybe some day I can try other brands but for now I'm going through the motions with Remo. 11 years ago I was only able to try Pinstripes as batters and a SKII on the batter side of my Export bass drum. Though now I can properly pay attention to how drum heads fair and will remember when the day comes that I try different brands. I'm a Remo fan now but that's not to say I won't be an Aquarian fan tomorrow.... you know? :)

Let me put it this way, Aquarian uses advanced Safe-T lock design to keep their heads in tune, and Evans also boast a decent anti-slippage mechanism.
Remo has, some glue to keep the head from slipping. Look up the design of Aquarian hoops and you'll be absolutely blown away.

And 11 years is a long time to be going through the motions with Remo XP.

Anyways, actually another good kit within 1,000 range is the Pdp X7! Don't know why I thought of that but it is.

Originally Posted by Lunar Satellite Brian

Let me put it this way, Aquarian uses advanced Safe-T lock design to keep their heads in tune, and Evans also boast a decent anti-slippage mechanism. Remo has, some glue to keep the head from slipping. Look up the design of Aquarian hoops and you'll be absolutely blown away.

And 11 years is a long time to be going through the motions with Remo XP.

Anyways, actually another good kit within 1,000 range is the Pdp X7! Don't know why I thought of that but it is.

lol! I actually meant that's it's been 11 years or so since I used Remo and Aquarian. This PDP is only my second set in 11 years or so and now with being a bit older and more mature I can truly learn and focus on drumming and not just learning new songs to "play" each week lol.

Also yes I will for sure do more research on other brands. I suppose that's why they cost a little more than Remo does. One thing I read, don't know if it was here or on another forum many months ago, that some have had a hard time using Aquarian because their collars are so tall. I read that one drummer put on one of their heads and couldn't even get the tension rods into the sleeves lol, no joke. That kind of scares me away from trying them on the toms or my snare. The SKII worked fine for me 11 years ago but have never tried anything other than Remo on that Export kit and now this PDP.

I appreciate the feedback and hope to one day try other brands! Also sorry again for snapping like that and sorry to the OP for going slightly off topic.

[bigiainw]

We seem to have strayed rather far from the original topic, but for my money there is little to choose between good drum head makers, it's all down to personal preference, in fact I have used both Evans (clear G2s, on toms, coated G1/ coated EC2 on snare, my bass drum always has PS3 or PS pro by Remo) and Remo heads (clean emperors on toms, coated emperor x /ambassador on the snare and the aforementioned BD heads) on my kits over the past years and I would be hard pushed to say that any head is easier to tune than others. i use exactly the same method regardless of the heads I'm using and there isn't one that tunes up quicker of holds it tune better than the other.

As for the original question, I would buy the best used kit I could get and the best used cymbals also- you'll get way more for your money and it'll sound much better than an entry level everything kit. Remember to budget for fresh heads if you are buying- worn heads should not put you off an otherwise good kit.

[BabyBob]

@TS: Try finding used Pearl Exports and buy some new drum heads to replace it. As for cymbals I can't really say much as it's quite a personal preference just like bass drum pedals.