First Drum Kit for 15 year old. New Ludwig Kit vs Upgraded Hohner Rockwood Kit

C

CheechWizard

New Member
My 15 year old daughter wants a drum kit. I can buy a Ludwig Backbeat 5 piece kit on sale today for $350.00 (regular price is $520.00). The reviews I have read say the kit sounds great but the cymbals are lacking.

I can buy a used Hohner Rockwood 5 piece kit for $250 (original price was $300.00). The original heads have been replaced with Remo heads. The original kit came with two cymbals and has been upgraded to 4 cymbals, 3 are Zildjian (seller does not know the model of the cymbals, they are relatively new).

Would I be better off going with the new kit from a reputable drum maker or the cheaper kit with upgraded heads/cymbals? Can the Rockwood kit sound as good as the Ludwig kit with Remo heads? Does shell construction have a great impact at these price points. Will hardware quality be a factor? Will there be a difference in playability?
 
Maybe also take a look at the Pearl Export or the Yamaha Stage Custom. Be aware that a shell pack means just the drums and no hardware and no cymbals.
 
I would go for the set that catches your daughter's eye and will make her want to play. The Rockwood drums are low end, of course, but the cymbals are quality. The Ludwigs are undoubtedly better, but you'll have to upgrade the cymbals. I'd let your daughter decide. She has to play them, after all.
 
Some of the Rockwood bass drums only have 6 lugs per side (on a 22" drum) . I'd stay away from those. Tom sizes appear to be 12x10 and 13x11. Power sizes. Depending on your daughters height, those might not be comfortable for her. The Ludwig's toms are 12x9 and 13x10 ..... and while 1" taller than traditional sizes, they're still 1" shorter than the Rockwood.

Better heads on the Rockwood could be a deal, depending on how old they are. Worn heads are gonna need to be replaced anyways. Certainly the cymbals are an upgrade, but used ZBT's can be found pretty cheap, and at least the Ludwig comes with some cymbal "targets" that she can bang on for a month or two.
 
Get the Ludwig kit. It comes with everything needed to get started.
If she sticks with it, you can replace the cymbals with used pro quality ones, one at a time if need be.
Future birthday and xmas taken care of.

They're both entry level sets that she'll want to be upgrading if she sticks with it,
But I think she'd probably want a new set that she can put her own dings and scratches on. :ROFLMAO:
 
Thanks for all your comments, they was very helpful. Since this is a surprise gift I can't let her pick out the kit. I decided to go with the Ludwig kit. The Rockwell kit is a less attractive light silver. I see my daughter being more excited with a new sparkly red drum set and more motivated to play it. Plus it will have almost everything she needs to get started. If she doesn't stick with it the cymbal quality doesn't matter and a new lightly played kit will have better resale value. If she sticks with it and is passionate about playing the drums I have no problem putting out money for upgrades.
 
 
CheechWizard said:
Thanks for all your comments, they was very helpful. Since this is a surprise gift I can't let her pick out the kit. I decided to go with the Ludwig kit. The Rockwell kit is a less attractive light silver. I see my daughter being more excited with a new sparkly red drum set and more motivated to play it. Plus it will have almost everything she needs to get started. If she doesn't stick with it the cymbal quality doesn't matter and a new lightly played kit will have better resale value. If she sticks with it and is passionate about playing the drums I have no problem putting out money for upgrades.
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I'm late to the party but I think you made the wise choice. Cheers!
 
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