I'm looking to buy a large set of drums that I can mix and match to suit any purpose; jazz kit here, rock kit there, leave a set here, and the other one there, blah blah versatile.. I'd like something like 4-6 toms, probably 10/12/13 racks and 14/16/18 floors. I'd also like two bass drums, 20 and 24 inch basses being the common option. But I am open to any options for sizes. Here's the list of options I've compiled. I'm not asking which drums I should buy, but really what should I be trying out. For comparison, the prices below are all just flatly listed at 40% off list, all based on Internet research.
Gretsch Renown
10/12/14/20 plus 13/16/24 shell packs and an extra 18" floor: $3170 - $3445 depending on finish. Love the sound, current crop of finishes don't wow me, not a big fan of bursts/fades.
Gretsch Brooklyn
13/16/24 shell pack plus 12/14/20 component drums: $3875 in nitron. Pushes my budget a little higher than I'd prefer given that I'd have to leave out the 10 and 18 for the future. Plus I haven't seen any in person yet.
Mapex Saturn
10/12/14 plus 12/16/24 shell packs and extra 13 rack and 18 floor: $3233. Yes, cheaper to get shell packs and end up with 2 12" rack toms than the alternative. Might even skip the 13 up front and see if I can fake it with different head selection/tuning on the pair of 12s. A shame Mapex dropped most of their options for sizes of component drums in the 2012 lineup.
Mapex MyDentity
I'm cool with wraps and the options are impossible to beat for the price. Two 5-piece shell packs (i.e. 8/10/12/13 rack, 14/16/18 floor, 20/26 bass, 14 snare) come in at $2075 at 40% off, and it seems you could get the kitchen sink (8/10/12/13/14/15/16/18 toms 18/22/26 bass 13/14 snares) for a little over $3000. That would be two six piece shell packs plus an extra bass, getting one of every size Tom they offer. Utterly ridiculous, but appeals to my shallow, fragile ego which is bolstered by owning lots of toys. These are the only "intermediate" series on a list of pro drums, but seem worthy of mention.
Taye StudioMaple
10/12/14/20/14 plus 14/16/18/24/14 shell packs: $3131. That's a 14x14 floor and 11x14 rack tom, plus both 5 and 7 inch deep snares. I've played one a little at a local store, sounds nice, seems built well enough, but I'm a little unsure about the brand / reputation. Plus some of their sizes/configurations are a bit less standard.
Pearl MCX
10/12/14/20 shell pack plus component 13/16/18/24: $4377, not in the running, the component prices just rule it out. Sound nice eching though, but chicks dont dig the thick shells.
Tama Starclassic Performer
Meh, as far as I can tell, all the shell packs have 22s, getting the sizes as components is like $5000. Pass.
Yamaha
Well, their web site sucks, getting pricing info on the internet is a royal pain, so I gave up here. I think Oak Customs might be in the same price range as the Brooklyns, but I'm not sure, and I didn't really look too closely at other options in their lineup. If anyone can make suggestions, feel free.
DW
No 13/18 toms in the Performance series, and I presume anything else DW is too expensive.
Ludwig
Classic Maples by far have the most options. I would be tempted by 10/12/14 racks, 15/16/18 floors, and 20/26 bass drums, running around $4100, but I think I can get a good price and squeeze into my budget.
Anything else to consider?
TLDR: Soupy over-thinks buying stuff, yet again.
Gretsch Renown
10/12/14/20 plus 13/16/24 shell packs and an extra 18" floor: $3170 - $3445 depending on finish. Love the sound, current crop of finishes don't wow me, not a big fan of bursts/fades.
Gretsch Brooklyn
13/16/24 shell pack plus 12/14/20 component drums: $3875 in nitron. Pushes my budget a little higher than I'd prefer given that I'd have to leave out the 10 and 18 for the future. Plus I haven't seen any in person yet.
Mapex Saturn
10/12/14 plus 12/16/24 shell packs and extra 13 rack and 18 floor: $3233. Yes, cheaper to get shell packs and end up with 2 12" rack toms than the alternative. Might even skip the 13 up front and see if I can fake it with different head selection/tuning on the pair of 12s. A shame Mapex dropped most of their options for sizes of component drums in the 2012 lineup.
Mapex MyDentity
I'm cool with wraps and the options are impossible to beat for the price. Two 5-piece shell packs (i.e. 8/10/12/13 rack, 14/16/18 floor, 20/26 bass, 14 snare) come in at $2075 at 40% off, and it seems you could get the kitchen sink (8/10/12/13/14/15/16/18 toms 18/22/26 bass 13/14 snares) for a little over $3000. That would be two six piece shell packs plus an extra bass, getting one of every size Tom they offer. Utterly ridiculous, but appeals to my shallow, fragile ego which is bolstered by owning lots of toys. These are the only "intermediate" series on a list of pro drums, but seem worthy of mention.
Taye StudioMaple
10/12/14/20/14 plus 14/16/18/24/14 shell packs: $3131. That's a 14x14 floor and 11x14 rack tom, plus both 5 and 7 inch deep snares. I've played one a little at a local store, sounds nice, seems built well enough, but I'm a little unsure about the brand / reputation. Plus some of their sizes/configurations are a bit less standard.
Pearl MCX
10/12/14/20 shell pack plus component 13/16/18/24: $4377, not in the running, the component prices just rule it out. Sound nice eching though, but chicks dont dig the thick shells.
Tama Starclassic Performer
Meh, as far as I can tell, all the shell packs have 22s, getting the sizes as components is like $5000. Pass.
Yamaha
Well, their web site sucks, getting pricing info on the internet is a royal pain, so I gave up here. I think Oak Customs might be in the same price range as the Brooklyns, but I'm not sure, and I didn't really look too closely at other options in their lineup. If anyone can make suggestions, feel free.
DW
No 13/18 toms in the Performance series, and I presume anything else DW is too expensive.
Ludwig
Classic Maples by far have the most options. I would be tempted by 10/12/14 racks, 15/16/18 floors, and 20/26 bass drums, running around $4100, but I think I can get a good price and squeeze into my budget.
Anything else to consider?
TLDR: Soupy over-thinks buying stuff, yet again.