New to drums - considering Roland TD-02KV

renegadeandy

New Member
Hi all,

I am very interested in starting to play the drums. I have done a fair amount of thinking on the subject and research. The Roland TD-02KV seems like a really strong contender.

Are there any other options you would consider to be important for me to look at?

Many thanks,
 
I would go for the Roland TD1-mk
it is a slightly better kit.
but in reality

I would save my $$ and go for this:


I know it is many times your budget, but you would not find a better kit at that price (digital snare, digital hats, digital ride).

If you get lucky like me you could buy the store demo for less. I paid $1500 for mine and it was barely touched as in not even marks on the cymbals.

If you can't muster all that $$ you could open some credit line and pay $66 a month... Everybody should be able to pay that, even a high school kid.

Take into account and include in your budget the $$ for a drum pedal (single or double) a drum stool, and a hi hat stand. most electronic kits don't come with that.

I also understand that being new to drumming this is a huge overkill, but I would try it at the store, and see if you even like the feel.
The sound can be changed because you can use VSTs such as EZ drummer, Khrim drums free edition or (paid one), Steven Slate drums free or paid one and so on and so on. so the drum module's sound quality doesn't really matter. what matters is that you want e drums that respond to your playing and lower end kits just don't and that can become frustrating.

If you believe you want to keep drumming then spend your money once and get a good kit vs cheap kits that will disappoint and would need to be replaced because of severe limitations.

My 2 cents..
 
Hello and welcome to the forum.

I own a Roland kit (different model) and I'm happy with it for what I do.

My thinking is that with the kit shown, you would quickly tire of the "padless" kick drum pedal. If you do, then what? You might have an extra port to add another pad (kick) then attach your own pedal to that... Personally, that would drive me away from the td02kv and toward one of the competitors.

I say that, because with my Roland kit I had to upgrade the Hihat. It came with a set up similar to what the td02kv shows. I added a HH stand and the Roland HH cymbal(s) from a higher level kit. Not cheap to do, but very doable and for me worth it.

I don't know much about the Alesis Surge, Nitro, or Command, but at the same price point I (personally) would be giving them a hard look.

Again, welcome and best of luck getting started on your journey.
 
H
Hello and welcome to the forum.

I own a Roland kit (different model) and I'm happy with it for what I do.

My thinking is that with the kit shown, you would quickly tire of the "padless" kick drum pedal. If you do, then what? You might have an extra port to add another pad (kick) then attach your own pedal to that... Personally, that would drive me away from the td02kv and toward one of the competitors.

I say that, because with my Roland kit I had to upgrade the Hihat. It came with a set up similar to what the td02kv shows. I added a HH stand and the Roland HH cymbal(s) from a higher level kit. Not cheap to do, but very doable and for me worth it.

I don't know much about the Alesis Surge, Nitro, or Command, but at the same price point I (personally) would be giving them a hard look.

Again, welcome and best of luck getting started on your journey.
he could get a used Roland TD 11 for around $500 or even less at a store and upgrade components later, if anyone needs help knowing how to upgrade that module to 7 cymbals and proper hi hats just ask.

Example of the kit with 7 cymbals:


Also I never played that song before this recording, it was recorded as one take first listen which explains the hesitance on some parts (while I figured out what to play).
 
Great thinking and feedback guys.

Doggy - thanks for your thoughts and considerations :) .Regarding the Roland TD1-mk -- it worries me that this model is now at least 5 years old - and the reviews on it seem less favourable than the TD02KV.

Regarding whether I would tire of the setup - well the thing is I am literally a brand new beginner, with no other knowledge or context of drumming - so would I tire - perhaps, and this would be a great problem to have as it shows the kit would have taken me to the next level.

I worry about equivalent priced models outside of the Roland range because although they have for example an actual pad kick drum, the actual quality of the drum sound and dynamics appear to be less than Roland.

Hmm, I am not further forward!
 
If you want to learn drums I would definitely go for an e-kit with traditional style bass drum (pad and pedal) and hi-hat.
You can probably find an ex-demo kit from a store, or lightly used kit. A lot of people buy kits, use them for a couple of months then lose interest.
TD17, TD27?
 
Hi all,

I am very interested in starting to play the drums. I have done a fair amount of thinking on the subject and research. The Roland TD-02KV seems like a really strong contender.

Are there any other options you would consider to be important for me to look at?

Many thanks,

If you're looking at Roland then also look at Yamaha DTX kits. Same known brand quality and will last for years. I'd personally avoid Alesis and other stuff made by Chinese company Medeli (Fame, Carsboro, Millennium, etc etc) as they can be fragile.

Whatever you chose I'd avoid entry-level kits and look at 2nd user, higher-level options for the same budget. This will give more expansion and flexibility for longevity.

Roland vs Yamaha: typical differences are Roland uses synthesized/modelled sounds, vs Yamaha's multilayered samples. Roland typically uses a cable snake for connecting pads to the module, Yamaha uses individual leads (cheaper and quicker to swap should you get an issue). Yamaha also offers multiple 3-zone pads (snare, cymbals), as well as multiple pad options across the ranges, including silicone (closest to Mylar - acoustic drum head material - and quietest), mesh and rubber.

So - if possible go hit some Rolands and some Yamahas and see what you think.

--
Usual disclaimer: Been gigging ekits since 1986 and have stuff from everyone - yes, including Roland and Yamaha and Alesis, etc, no axe to grind.
 
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