Where to buy a drum kit?

lowdowner

lowdowner

Senior Member
So, as a complete newbie (first lesson this thursday!) I wondered if anyone had any advice on where best to get a decent drum kit (5 piece + cymbals) - online shop or 'real' shop. I live in Cheltenham so south west based, but I'm happy to travel for a good place, or buy online if that's an OK thing for a beginner to do!

Also, most people seem to suggest paying more for cymbals from day one (cheap beginner ones being more like bin lids). Is this true? Andy advice would be welcome

ta :)
 
lowdowner said:
Also, most people seem to suggest paying more for cymbals from day one (cheap beginner ones being more like bin lids). Is this true? Andy advice would be welcome

ta :)
Click to expand...


Yes, it is true. You can get a few good used cymbals out of E-Bay or Craigslist or at the stores they always have used ones that are still good cymbals. I wouldn't worry about Brands. Just go for the sounds you like. HiHats, Ride, Crash or Crash/Ride and a China perhaps. At the very least, get good HiHats and a good ride because they can last for years and years and years if you treat them right. You can also buy cymbals packs, like the Sabian B8 Pro pack or Zildjian A cymbal packs.

As far as drums go, all the mid-level drums are pretty good these days. I am a Tama fan myself, so natuarall I would suggest that you get an ImperialStar or SilverStar set, but Gretsch has good drums, as well as Mapex, Ludwig, Pearl, PDP, Yamaha, Sonor, Premier, etc. Go to the store and try a few out. There are, Ddrums, Crush, OCDP, and HB Percussion all with good affordable drum sets all in the same price range. I'm sure you can search here on DrummerWorld and learn a lot about each drum manufacturer.

Maybe you'll get some Andy advice if you're lucky. hehehe

Good luck!
 
thanks for that - good advice - there's no drum shop near me though (the one in birmingham has become an online-only store!) I may have to travel...
 
Since you've got a teacher, that's a good place to start. Perhaps your teacher knows a good deal(s) out there. A student, who's selling a kit, that might be right up your alley. That said, used kits are everywhere. And yes, spend more on cymbals, than the drums. With proper heads, and good tuning skills, you can make an "affordable" kit sound good. Cheap cymbals, however .... just sound like cheap cymbals.​
 
harryconway said:
Since you've got a teacher, that's a good place to start. Perhaps your teacher knows a good deal(s) out there. A student, who's selling a kit, that might be right up your alley. That said, used kits are everywhere. And yes, spend more on cymbals, than the drums. With proper heads, and good tuning skills, you can make an "affordable" kit sound good. Cheap cymbals, however .... just sound like cheap cymbals.​
Click to expand...

Wow - this is a whole new world! I'm really interested to hear what good cymbals sound like - as the hi-hat seems to be used all the time is this somewhere to spend the most on cymbals?
 
I look at the drum kit as having 4 voices, for the foundation. Hats, ride, kick, snare. So yes, to address your question, the hats are important. That's where most of your work will be on. The toms add color, as do crashes, splashes, and china's.​
But, there's a lot you can do, with minimal pieces. On a 4 piece kit. Billy Martin ..... hats, 1 cymbal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGZ-X7GXELQ&feature=fvwrel​
 
Good hats and 1 good ride cymbal to start. Finding good crash cymbals is much easier in my experience than finding a good ride. Generally the better sounding cymbals cost more but not always, so listen to them. Different sticks sound different on the same cymbal too.

With drums, you can tune them, change heads etc. With cymbals you can't do much.
(you can do subtle things like duct tape the bottom of a ride cymbal or add moon gel in strategic spots but the basic sound of the cymbal will be what it is.)

Good Luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top