Best mid-range kit?

Nilsdrums

Junior Member
Hi!

Just curious to see what all of you think is the best mid-range kit(Around 1-1,5k dollars). Im talking about your personal favourites and not what is objectively the best set as it's all individual.

I have played a lot on a Tama Silverstar, Yamaha Live and PDP Concept Maple and I think the PDP(Which is currently my live kit) is the best. Very easy to tune compared to some drums, cool finish/look and just overall good sound. Might not be the best snare but it more than works for me!

I think Tama is superior when it comes to hardware though.
 
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Hi, I guess I might be the first cab off the rank to say this - but if you do a search on here you will find a variety of opinions/answers on what is "best". Also, "best' for me is different for you as there are a lot of individual factors including your local market. I bought a Gretsch Renown 18 months ago based on price , colour, how it sounded to me and the emotion/Gretsch name. It's "best' for me right now but I wouldn't want to debate it as the "best" kit in its price range because "best" is very individual. Not much of an answer but I'm not sure there is a " right" answer.
 
Just curious to see what all of you think is the best mid-range kit(Around 1-1,5k dollars).


TBH.. All of them in that tier are good.

Gretsch Renown, Mapex Saturn, Yamaha Live Custom, etc. Choose the one that does the greatest service to the genre(s) you play.

When in doubt, confused, apathetic, or you don't want to suffer through hours of reviews.. "Yamaha" is typically a safe answer.
 
Hi, I guess I might be the first cab off the rank to say this - but if you do a search on here you will find a variety of opinions/answers on what is "best". Also, "best' for me is different for you as there are a lot of individual factors including your local market. I bought a Gretsch Renown 18 months ago based on price , colour, how it sounded to me and the emotion/Gretsch name. It's "best' for me right now but I wouldn't want to debate it as the "best" kit in its price range because "best" is very individual. Not much of an answer but I'm not sure there is a " right" answer.

Yeah I see, but I meant more of what everybody on here thought were the best mid range kit(Their own favourite). This thread was thought to be more of everybodys personal favourites. But i might have been a little bit unclear on that:)
 
TBH.. All of them in that tier are good.

Gretsch Renown, Mapex Saturn, Yamaha Live Custom, etc. Choose the one that does the greatest service to the genre(s) you play.

When in doubt, confused, apathetic, or you don't want to suffer through hours of reviews.. "Yamaha" is typically a safe answer.
I agree. Honestly, in this day and age when you are comparing various "levels" of kits you are basically talking different flavors of the same thing. Asking for people's favs you will probably end up getting a mention from most all of the various lines as well.

That being said I think the satin DW Design series that were out for $999 and could be found for a bit less than that if you look hard, are a pretty good deal.
 
$1k - $1500 for a midrange kit? I think not. I'm going used, and I'm buying the good stuff at that price range.

Pork Pie USA
Ludwig Maple Classic
Maybe some Gretsch USA drums from the 80's or 90's.
Mapex Saturns (if you buy used, you'll still have $ for cymbals)

Or, you could go vintage...something 3-ply with re-rings would be nice (e.g. Rogers, Slingerland, Ludwig, etc.)
 
Buying used aside, if you're only choice is to buy new, then I've always liked the Pearl Vision line - nice and somewhat heavy, like it's built to take the abuse. PDP Concept Maples are really nice for the money too. Buying used is only good if you really know your history and what you're looking at - so some people will be better equipped at that route than others. That's what I like, but in reality, most of the intermediate stuff is made so well today by all the manufacturers you can't really go wrong with any of them. I suppose it really just comes down to if you like the colors available and whoever is willing to have the sizes you like.

Sadly, the Perl Visions are no more - so maybe the Pearl Session Studio Selects would be a good mid-kit for me.
 
Gretsch Renowns are by far the best kits in that price range. I watched virtually every drum demo on Youtube before buying my Renowns earlier this year, and I could not be happier. They look and sound like $4,000 drums to me. The tone is rich, articulate, and resonant af.

It is true though that most drum companies make great drums in the $1,000-1,500 price range. Especially Tama, Yamaha, Pearl, and Mapex. However DW and Ludwig's mid-ranged offerings are a little more iffy IMHO.
 
I’m a fan of Tama’s construction and hardware design.

Tama all-maple Superstar 7-piece exotic, $1050:
pen_CL72RSP_GBP_01.png


Tama Starclassic 4-piece birch/walnut, $1700:

pen_WBR42S_JDL_TT_01.png
 
or find a used Tama Starclassic Birch/Bubinga...those can be had for $1500 or less.....I have a Saturn V and they're about the same price range....but neither is "mid range" from a quality standpoint..they're pro all the way. But they are in the mid-range price point for sure.
 
I would most certainly be buying second hand :) For the money you have you could very easily find that "Keeper Kit"
 
+ 1 for Renown.
Putting “Best” aside for a moment.
My current “favorite” mid-range kit.

Tama Starclassics right up there too.
Actually mid range price for superior quality in both.
But as mentioned, some of that depends on intended genre use.
 
I think the Mapex Saturn V is a great mid range kit. Maple and walnut shells looks and sounds great.

mapex saturn v.jpg
 
Hi!

Just curious to see what all of you think is the best mid-range kit(Around 1-1,5k dollars). Im talking about your personal favourites and not what is objectively the best set as it's all individual.

I have played a lot on a Tama Silverstar, Yamaha Live and PDP Concept Maple and I think the PDP(Which is currently my live kit) is the best. Very easy to tune compared to some drums, cool finish/look and just overall good sound. Might not be the best snare but it more than works for me!

I think Tama is superior when it comes to hardware though.
Man that is like lighting a bomb and throwing it in a room and walking off around here. I'm just waiting for the explosion LOL. I'm sure this thread will explode with opinions, but as some have mentioned "They are all good at that price range". In fact to be fair I'd go down a notch to say less than $1000 but more than $400 and see what you get in the budget realm-lot more room for good and bad in that range (some surprising really good round shells with good bearing edges and some stinkers too). It's all in our "heads" anyways ;)
 
I agree with most folks that believe that it's hard to find bad drums these days, especially in the $1000-1500 range. But I think even Pearl Export and Yamaha Stage Custom can compete in the mid-range race pretty respectably.

I also think that it is the hardware (both stands and shell hardware) that betrays the lower end stuff. I think PDP has made some strides since they first rolled out but I still think they lag behind Pearl, Tama, and especially Yamaha in the hardware department.

But in the spirit of answering the original question, if I were going to buy a new kit in this price range I'd go with the new Pearl Session series with the birch/mahogany shells. I know Pearl's build quality is absolute top notch, the woods used are an interesting combo, and I can get finishes and sizes I actually want.
 
Gretsch Renown.....without question in my humble biased opinion
 
Saturns are NOT a mid-range kit. The mid-range Mapex kits are the Meridian etc. Saturn's are up there with any other manufactures top line kits :)

I don't disagree, though the wrapped Saturns ARE in the under $1500 price range the OP gave... Honestly, I think that's still the biggest selling point of the Saturn series; pro-level for mid-range price.
 
Saturns are NOT a mid-range kit. The mid-range Mapex kits are the Meridian etc. Saturn's are up there with any other manufactures top line kits :)
While I'm happy to sing in praise of the Renown/Saturn/LiveCustom tier..... When I compare my Renown to my George Way.... I'm sorry, but they're just in an entirely different league. The Renown is still a professional grade kit and all, but no, it's just not the same as some of the top-tier monsters that many companies are delivering these days.

If you ever black out after a pub crawl and wake up in a ditch in upstate NY, ping me. Not only will I let you take a ride on my GW, I'll also make some coffee and eggs.
 
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