smysteryman
Junior Member
I am about to buy my first kit. At 38 I'm a bit late to the game, but I love playing and intend to take some lessons to help me get going.
My current kit is an Alesis DM10x with a mesh head conversion. It plays very nice, but I've decided that I need to be learning on an acoustic kit since no matter how or where I hit the mesh head it always sounds good. They don't make samples of bad hits, LOL. Ans while I think I could learn the basic mechanics, time keeping, etc, I really want to LEARN how to play.
I have narrowed my choices (and budget) down to 2 kits, and I'd like some advice. I'm looking at:
Mapex Meridina SRO kit that comes with the hardware: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0023E2C1G/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Gretsch Catalina shell pack: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004O6MP36/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
I understand that with the shell pack I'll have to buy stands, which is fine. I'm more concerned with which kit y'all would recommend. The Mapex is maple while the Gretsch is birch, so there is a basic difference. What else should I look for? And what has the better reputation?
In my searching I've read many reviews and I think the Mapex come s out on top, but I wanted the perspective of some "real people", not a professional reviewer.
Thanks for your help!
My current kit is an Alesis DM10x with a mesh head conversion. It plays very nice, but I've decided that I need to be learning on an acoustic kit since no matter how or where I hit the mesh head it always sounds good. They don't make samples of bad hits, LOL. Ans while I think I could learn the basic mechanics, time keeping, etc, I really want to LEARN how to play.
I have narrowed my choices (and budget) down to 2 kits, and I'd like some advice. I'm looking at:
Mapex Meridina SRO kit that comes with the hardware: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0023E2C1G/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Gretsch Catalina shell pack: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004O6MP36/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
I understand that with the shell pack I'll have to buy stands, which is fine. I'm more concerned with which kit y'all would recommend. The Mapex is maple while the Gretsch is birch, so there is a basic difference. What else should I look for? And what has the better reputation?
In my searching I've read many reviews and I think the Mapex come s out on top, but I wanted the perspective of some "real people", not a professional reviewer.
Thanks for your help!