Are Low End Drums a Waste of Time?

They could/can make a nice Bookend to your Hi end set...
The one you take on Rainy days..
I actually wish I could have kept my Lo end set. It was a steal and after I straightened it up a s perfect as could be... 20/12/16/12 blue swirl Torodor

I had it in the palm of my hands.
for about 3 months 2 gigs..

then sold them for a 250% profit.
---> $300 : (
Jazz sizes too! 8X12 16x16 14x20! plus an extra 8X12 I turned into a wicked snare;


never find them again for $50. Cam e with Yamaha hardware Zildjian A hihats..Chinese Radian XL heavy brass 20" ride cymbal
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I'm torn on this one. My first couple of kits were low end, first a Ludwig knock-off from Sears and then a pawn shop special stencil kit. Neither one lasted very long because the hardware simply fell apart but especially on the stencil kit I learned a lot about tuning, fixing, repairing, and upgrading a drum set.

So on the one hand yes, I suppose the money spent on those kits could be considered "wasted" but on the other hand those two kits gave me three or four years of actually playing drums before moving up to my first "real" kit; a Pearl Export.

Thinking back on my own start informs a lot of the advice I give up and coming drummers now. If you can hold out a little longer and save up just a little more, I think you should absolutely bypass the low end stuff, especially the really low end stuff. But there IS value in that low end, even if it is only experience. Experience playing, tuning, going to the hardware store to replace things that strip with the slightest amount of tension, etc. It isn't always possible (for a bunch of reasons) that you can always learn from other people's mistakes. Sometimes you just need to learn for yourself.

And then go on Craigslist to sell your "lightly used" PDP Roadshow kit and Sabian SBR cymbals for the low low price of $1000 to try to finance getting a better set. :p
 
Depends. All the things you mentioned, I don't consider a waste.

Drums like First Act, super cheap brass cymbals - yeah those things are a waste.

Plus, the fact that you consider Zildjian A's to be low end tells me your perspective is skewed. They have been a world standard professional cymbal for many years. Are there better or more unique cymbals? Absolutely. But to classify them as low end is just silly, IMO.
 
Depends. All the things you mentioned, I don't consider a waste.

Drums like First Act, super cheap brass cymbals - yeah those things are a waste.

Plus, the fact that you consider Zildjian A's to be low end tells me your perspective is skewed. They have been a world standard professional cymbal for many years. Are there better or more unique cymbals? Absolutely. But to classify them as low end is just silly, IMO.

I challenge you to play an A crash in a church and avoid getting complaints from people
 
How is "low end" being operationally defined?
 
No ..... they are neither a waste of time ...... or money. If "low end drums" are all said drummer can afford ..... and because they now have a drum set, they can play a drum set, and can practice on a drum set, and can possibly gig with that drum set ..... then they are not a waste of time, or money. ;)
 
I have an older mid-level set, Zildjian As and I even have an Acro, and you know what?

They sound good. They play well, tune well, look good, and they sound good.

I'm okay with that.
 
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