What makes a pro kit?

Beginner/intermediate/pro are labels created by marketing departments and used to differentiate the various quality grades manufactured by mass producers of drums. There are other labels (Studio, Stage, Touring) which cater to functionality, but overall, it's just marketing jargon.

Being a professional only requires that you're getting paid. It has nothing to do with the quality of your kit or playing ability.
 
Most has been covered already, but I do think there's (sometimes) something to the saying that when you pay more, you get more.
Not always though - you have to look and inspect.

Better chroming is pretty easy to spot, better quality wood, more solid construction, die cast or cnc machined instead of stamped hardware,
flawless finishes, tight tolerances for all physical parts, and so on.

You can find some of these things on some lower priced kits, but it takes some digging.

Also, as noted, a professional drum kit is something quite different from a professional drummer.
A professional drummer is a person who makes their living by playing drums.
No guarantees that the professional is a better drummer than many amateurs/hobbyists though.

Much like drums, you have to look at, and interpret both to decide for yourself.
 
You may not think of yourself as a pro drummer David, but I'm pretty sure we could all agree on your being a pro level drummer. Pretty close to the same thing really, only without the workload lol.

Thank you, Larry. I'm humbled... Really... I am...
 
As a lot have said, the player makes the kit. What makes a player a pro is a different topic. I'm sure we have all seem performer who are getting paid that is definitely not pro.

I agree with KamaK who pointed out that Beginner/intermediate/pro/... are labels created by marketing departments, because people perceive pro level as better. I'm not sure in this day and age how anyone would still buy that!

I was wondering if the thread was supposed to be what makes an upper end kit different from an mid-level kit, and what makes a mid-level kit different from an entry kit. Seems a lot of people have answered 'that' question. ;-)
 
If they need to include pro in the product name, it probably isn't, & I've seen countless examples of top of the line so called "pro" drums exhibiting terrible workmanship / just plain dime pinching materials used.
 
Toms are suspended at the rims with tom mounts. Less expensive drums have toms attached on the side.

More tuning lugs. The bass drum may have 10 lugs.
 
I take the term literally. So a "professional drummer" is someone that makes a living playing the drums. Doesn't matter if they're good or not. If drumming is their primary means of income, and they make a living at it, they are a professional drummer. Drumming is their profession.

A "professional kit" is a kit that a professional drummer uses to perform and/or record. Doesn't matter if it's a top-of-the-line kit or a collection of buckets. If it's used by a pro drummer to make a living, it's a pro kit.

The rest is marketing. KamaK put it well:

Beginner/intermediate/pro are labels created by marketing departments and used to differentiate the various quality grades manufactured by mass producers of drums. There are other labels (Studio, Stage, Touring) which cater to functionality, but overall, it's just marketing jargon.
 
Pro drums come with good quality heads!

Peace and goodwill.
 
A pro kit is played by a professional, who makes money from playing said kit. So he who goes out and makes a living on some old crappy exports makes those exports professional drums. Just like some noob rich kid beating on a dw makes those dws beginner drums.

exactly!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't say that better!!
 
If it says Mapex Saturn....

It's a pro kit.

Duck shot but I don't care because I don't have a gig tonight sad face.
 
More tuning lugs. The bass drum may have 10 lugs.

My Gretsch Catalinas have only 5 lugs per side - just like the USA Customs do. And the Gretsch USA Customs are definitely "Pro" level drums!
 
If they need to include pro in the product name, it probably isn't, & I've seen countless examples of top of the line so called "pro" drums exhibiting terrible workmanship / just plain dime pinching materials used.

The Prolite is definitely a pro level kit. That said, you did say "probably".
 
I'm surprised by the answers here.. the question is what makes a Pro kit.. not Pro drummer.. there's a big difference in kit quality from entry level to top of the line... and it makes big difference to a drummers sound among other things.. like:
- hardware fit and finish, how easy it is to set up, stripped threads vs. precision machined durable parts, buzzing and squeaking can lose you a job!
- bass drum hoops; pro kits use wooden hoops - beginner-midlevel kits are usually metal and make the kick sound like hitting a wall
- drum shell material.. multi-ply birch or maple sound a lot better than cheaper materials and usually don't go out of round.
- the list goes on and on.. there's a great list on the web that classifies different drum kits in terms of student to pro.. and explains the differences and why the high end kits are so expensive.

Sure a Pro drummer can make a crappy kit sound good.. but most if not all serious pros take great care in choosing their drum kit(s) as it identifies their sound and character.
 
More tuning lugs. The bass drum may have 10 lugs.
The number of lugs can be a sonic decision as well as a production cost decision. I'm just fitting out a 15" snare now with 8 lugs, & I can assure you that wasn't a cost saving measure.

The Prolite is definitely a pro level kit. That said, you did say "probably".
Yes, ok, there are exceptions, & the Prolite is certainly one of them. Nice drums :)
 
The quality of the player cannot be understated. I think that high end kits from every manufacturer are better sounding than mid level/intermediate/beginner sets from any maker. IF, and this is a big if, all things are equal. By that I mean, take a very good drummer, deft, tasty, possessing excellent dynamics and the ability to tune his drums in a professional manner. Well that drummer will make any medium level set sound better than a hack with a (insert brand here) that cost five times as much. Give the better kit to the better drummer and he will be able to make it sound better than the intermediate set, but make no mistake, the drummer is the most significant factor. Simply buying a more expensive kit does not guarantee that it will sound better.
 
Simply buying a more expensive kit does not guarantee that it will sound better.
It certainly doesn't, & I'm proof of that. Like anything else, a great kit is part of the equation, but it's far from a solution in itself.

Personally, I don't like labels & price point driven brackets. Beyond a certain level of hardware dependability & shell quality, the choice of drums that are fully able to be used in a professional environment is vast. That said, there's a difference between what makes the grade live & what excels in the studio, depending on the approach to your craft.
 
What makes a pro kit....

The thread title could also read:

Why pay 3 grand for a kit when everything I could possibly need can be had with an 800 dollar kit?

Because a certain badge and round lugs will make you feel better about yourself !!
 
If it says Mapex Saturn....

It's a pro kit.

Duck shot but I don't care because I don't have a gig tonight sad face.

that's why the instructions that come with every Mapex Saturn kit tell you which way to put the badges. They are to face out at the audience ;)
 
Because a certain badge and round lugs will make you feel better about yourself !!

Bazinga.gif


Seriously, I've said over and over that it ain't the arrow, it's the Indian. As for what's pro-level gear, that changes based on the expectations of the professional musician using the gear. For some, stuff like thin-shell-one-ply is the "pro-level" standard. For me, not so much, primarily because when I play out I play in places that'll guarantee my beloved kit will get all dinged about in short order, no matter how many and what type cases I put them in. My "pro-level" drums need to look good while standing up to loading in and out of places sometimes multiple nights per week. Everything needs to be easy to adjust - and have memory locks - and everything that moves needs to be rugged and capable of many setup-teardown iterations. It needs to sound good unmiced, as well as good through a house PA. Recording I'm not worried about, for a variety of reasons.

For me, "pro-level" is something like Mapex MyDentity. Hell, I don't even want a PDP Concept, because lacquer = pretty much instant finish flaws. I'm thinking of covering my lacquered Premiers in Bumwrap before the finish gets too ruined.

But then I'm not really a professional drummer. I get paid to play, and I endeavor to present a professional attitude, but I don't make my living at my music.
 
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