Single bass drum

R

rawcane

New Member
Hello
I'm looking to start out trying out some drumming. I'm mostly interested in jazz style drumming and I really just want a bass and snare to start practicing syncopated rhythms but I'm struggling to find anywhere that sells just bass drums (or at least with a decent selection). Am I missing something or do people generally only get sets of shells? I was looking at the Pearl compact traveller which would be ideal to start but I think I'd like to have something with a better sound pretty soon so not sure if it's worth it. Also interested in advice on what makes and models to look at (also for pedal and snare). Space is more of an issue than cost and I want to play reasonably quietly.
Thanks!
 
Buy used. That's almost always the best option for new players, regardless of what they're looking for. You should be able to find an entire kit for $100-500 USD on the used market.

You really should have a ride and a hi hat as well for jazz drumming. You may as well try to find an entire kit with cymbals included, and just set up the bass drum, snare, and cymbals.

As for buying a single bass drum, only a few companies do this, and it's almost always for guitar players interested in a one-man-band setup. If you have a decent selection of used gear on Reverb or Ebay in the UK, you might find a single bass drum there. But I would still just buy a local used kit, and get everything you need for a few hundred.
 
The first place I'd check is craigslist.

Reverb.com and eBay sell single drums every day. The only thing is, you need to pay for shipping too for a lot of these.

If you buy a single drum, MAKE SURE it comes with all of the hardware. There's a guy selling kick drum shells online for like $25/each; however, it's easy to sink a lot of money into hardware and hoops.
 
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sweetwater has many bass drums on clearance right now.
 
For the most part, yes, people buy shell packs. Especially in the beginner/intermediate range of drums. And that's largely because manufactures do not offer/sell component drums, at that price point. They can't afford to. Once you get into the high dollar, upper tier drum lines, you get into more sizes, choices, etc.

As stated above ....... eBay, Craigslist, Reverb, etc. will be the place to score used drums. You can build a kit from the ground up, or get a nice 4 piece (and just use the kick and snare, for now). Popular jazz sizes would be either an 18" or 20" bass drum, coupled with a 12" rack and 14" floor tom. And bop kits are all the rage now. The Ddrum SE Flyer can be had, 337 euro, new.

Now, if VOLUME is an issue, you might wanna consider something like this.
 
Thanks for all the responses. I am interested in getting hi-hat and ride but thought I'd get to that later when I know its worth investing in something decent. Sounds like getting a full small second hand kit is the way to go though and just using what I need. The pads look like a good option too.

Will check out the local options. Cheers!
 
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