Help a Dad out buying used set for son.

I'm a big proponent of getting the correct drum sizes based on the genre of music and physical stature of the drummer. If he's only playing rock, then larger drums like the Pearl and Yamaha kits you posted (or even larger sizes) would be good, IF he's tall enough to set them up and play them comfortably. Otherwise, I'd look for something with a 20" bass drum. However if he's playing jazz, I'd recommend a kit with an 18 or 20" bass drum, regardless of your son's stature. If he plays rock and jazz, kits with a 20" kick seem to work well.

But as others have said, you can make any drum sound better through heads and tuning, but there isn't much you can do to make a bad sounding cymbal sound good. So good cymbals are always a great investment. That said, the cheapest cymbals that sound at least decent to my ears are the Zildjian S family. They're kind of like "high-end budget cymbals", and they sound pretty good for the price (and this is coming from someone who only plays high-end Zildjian Ks).

I wouldn't bother with ZBTs, B8s or other low-end cymbals, because they really sound terrible and are just extraordinarily unmusical.
 
I am sure I can get the Pearl set for $450. I am just looking to get him a full size set with semi-decent cymbals for now. Anything would be an upgrade over what he has.
The SPL kit has probably really horrid cymbals. 10" hats and a 12" ride/crash (so states the link). The Pearl will be a wonderful upgrade. Even the ZHT/ZBT cymbals will be quite an improvement over what he has now. $450 is a good deal .... and upgrade his cymbals again, down the road, as deemed necessary.​
 
I did a quick browse and this could also be good if your son is tall enough and likes Rock music (and the looks of the set): https://baltimore.craigslist.org/msg/d/butler-7-piece-pearl-drum-kit-cymbols/6815305084.html


You can't see everything but the cymbals you can see are very good - if they have no cracks they alone nearly make this a good deal. The seller is a drummer, so I'd just ask if there's anything missing or defunct (tom mounts, shells, hardware, cymbals...). There are more drums than you probably need, so you can source some missing parts from an extra drum.

That's why minor problems shouldn't stop you from getting it if the sets checks every other box. Plus, the drum heads still look playable -with some other cheap deals, you need to replace the heads soon and easily end up spending another $100.

You could either sell off two to three drums and get up to $200 back or just sell one Bass Drum and turn the 18" Floor Tom into a convertible Bass Drum (if he's not tall enough now or for a small gig / Jazz set in a few years). This could also make for some nice handicraft work with your son.
Lots of advice on such projects on a budget: http://www.compactdrums.com/
 
If everything is mint to excellent condition, the asking price might be fine.

The cymbals can be parted out for at least $100-120 as a set. Hardware really depends on what is offered.

Id say $500 is safe assuming very good~ condition.
 
Personally, I think that particular wrap is hideous. With that said, at $450-$500, it's a decent deal on a good bit of gear. Pearl Export kits from that time-frame were great sounding, well made drums - not "pro-level" mind you, but there were sure a lot of people gigging them all over the place, for what that's worth.

The cymbals are pretty "eh" - ZBTs and ZHTs are all entry/mid level cymbals, but likely way better than what your son has with his current setup.

I wonder what the hardware is. My guess is that the hardware is likely Pearl 800 series hardware from the same 2006 time-frame, and that stuff is some of my favorite stuff. I bought a Pearl 800 series snare stand in 2003. It has been set up and taken down hundreds of times in my endeavors as a praise and worship drummer over the years, and it's still going strong. Same thing with a couple of other pieces of gear I got in early 2004 - hi-hat stand and some boom stands.

Let's look at it this way - if you were to have bought all of that gear brand new in 2006, it would have cost you more than $1,000 between the drums, the hardware and the cymbals. If you can get it for $500 or less, my recommendation is to grab it. Again, I'm not hip on the color, but an 11-year old kid is probably going to love it.

Curious - are you in the Baltimore area?
 
Since you're a musician: Do you know a drummer that could join you when looking at a set? We can recommend different sets all day but that's pretty useless if nobody is selling that type of set locally. Then, there's some variation within sets with the same name (for example, a Yamaha Stage Custom from last year for $200 is a steal, if it's twenty years old not so much).

Even if you find a certain set that's been recommended, the condition is very important and nearly impossible to gauge by a non-drummer (What do I need to check? Is a missing part a huge problem or can it be replaced easily? What are the additional costs to do so? etc)

The set I posted above seems to have very nice cymbals (Avedis and older Sabians of similar quality) but it could be that the Hi Hat is from a cheaper series. That's where a drummer friend really comes in handy. If the cymbals are not cracked and your son likes the set, I'd buy it in a heart beat, especially since there are extra drums for replacement parts. Pearls are nice sets to buy used because they've built thousands of sets and therefore you can always get replacement parts for cheap.
 
I really appreciate everyone here and all of the information given.

So I actually went to a music store today and played some of the ZBT's and compared them to the Zildjan "S" as TK-421 recommended as a "high-end budget cymbal", and guess what? The difference is quite astonishing. The ZBT's sounded like a larger version of what came with his SPL beginner set (pretty one dimensional with no "ring"), the "S" sounded much closer the "A" version. He practices all the time, and selfishly I'd much rather hear the "S" cymbals coming from his room that the ZBT's. And I'm sure he would as well.

As to what TK said about what kind of music he wants to play vs. size of bass drum... well, he's 11, so I don't think he really knows yet. I spent a good amount of time producing music in New Orleans and would love for him to be a versatile drummer who can play modern jazz, Dixieland, zydeco, Rock, Swing, etc. So at this point I'm thinking 20 or 22 bass drum as suggested. He's not going to be gigging anytime soon, so I think we have awhile on that score.

Swissward I appreciate your suggestions as well and TrickG I appreciate you and everyone else's great advice. I am actually in the Harrisburg, PA area.

So, after all this, I think I am going to pass on the Pearl set, as I would most likely turn around and buy new cymbals anyway. I'll be on the lookout for a set with nicer cymbals, or cymbals by themselves and pick up a set later.

Also, I thought the one tom and two floor toms was an odd configuration for a beginner set - anyone have thoughts on that?

Thanks to everyone, I'll for sure post again in this thread if I need some advice.

-Joe
 
Just a FYI....That original Tiger Eye Pearl set is now listed at $450. Offer him $400 and he'd take it. Then upgrade some of the cymbals, mainly crash and hats.
 
Reading through this thread, I hope my daughter takes up the drums. It would be so much fun to teach her the ins and outs of gear hunting and assemble a kit for her as she grew up.
 
The Pearl kit looks to me in good condition, and it includes stands and cymbals. I'd show the ad to your son and ask him if he likes it, if you should buy it. USA $ 600 seems to me a reasonable price for everything listed, and if you could negotiate $ 450 that would be a good deal.

I think ZBT cymbals are good to have, in the sense that taking expensive cymbals to jam sessions is risky.
 
Simple:

- The Pearl kit is now listed for $400. Go get it - QUICK.

- With the money saved, start looking for USED common professional level cymbals, in this order:
-Hi Hat cymbals: 14" Zildjian "A" set, New Beat/Quick Beat/etc. $125 pr.
-Ride Cymbal: 20 or 21" Zildjian "A", $125 each
-Crash Cymbal: 18" Zildjian "A" Thin or Med/Thin Crash $100

- Pearl Exports like the ones that you are going to buy, are very good and decent drum sets. Heck, there are a bunch of "Professionals" that still use Exports as their gigging sets. That says something about the drum's reliability.

GeeDeeEmm
 
Pretty rad that you're able and willing to get a new kit for your son.



Quick question: I realize he's still quite young, but is your son involved in this process, or are you planning this as a surprise? He should appreciate what you're doing no matter what, but he may have a very different idea of what he wants for his first real kit, and it could be educational to get him involved in the process.
 
Also, I thought the one tom and two floor toms was an odd configuration for a beginner set - anyone have thoughts on that?

-Joe

I actually like a 1-up 2-down configuration, as having a single rack tom allows you to bring in the ride cymbal closer, making it more comfortable to play.

Another alternative is a 2-up configuration, where the toms are "offset" to allow the ride to come in closer. Below is one of my kits, which I have set up this way, with 10 and 12" offset rack toms, plus 14 and 16" floor toms and a 22" bass drum. So this is essentially the same setup as the Pearl kit in the OP, but with the addition of a 10" tom.
 

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Wow well your son is well on his way-kudos to you for being so supportive. My two cents I think your 11 year old son would love this kit!! As Doc Watso stated those Zil ZBT and ZHT are some crap cymbals-the hi hats aren't too bad he can work with those but others I'd try putting some rivets in that 14 in crash and 20 in ride-easy addition and anything will make them sound better (I added them to a ZBT 14 in crash and it did improve). But just as is your son will flip I bet. Really nice to be so supportive of his musical interest again.
 
I'll be on the lookout for a set with nicer cymbals, or cymbals by themselves and pick up a set later.
Maybe you can have a look at this set in person (no photos unfortunately): a set of Avedis cymbals in 14-16-18-20 is about as good as you can get if you're looking for a versatile cymbal set. No idea about the drums but they are by Pearl, so they could be decent at least. Or you could try making an offer for just the cymbals.

When you buy used cymbals, watch out for cracks! They mostly appear near the center hole or along the edges but there can also be cracks along the grooves which are sometimes hard to spot. Take a mallet (or a felt bass drum beater if you don't have one) with you and play a crescendo across the cymbal surface - if there is a hidden crack, you might be able to hear it when the wash doesn't build up cleanly.



https://baltimore.craigslist.org/msg/d/parkton-zildjian-series-cymbals-pearl/6807837984.html


Zildjian A Series Cymbals & Pearl drums - $500 (White Hall, MD)



(1) 20" ride
(1) 18" medium thin crash
(1) 16" crash
(1) pair new beat hi-hat

These cymbals are in excellent shape. If you buy these cymbals, you will get a (5) piece Pearl drum set, with cymbal stands, a drum throne, hi hat stand, base pedal, and some miscellaneous, included.
 
My son is involved - if it were a more basic wrap or laminate or a color I'd know he'd like, I'd make it surprise for his Bday, but since these are unique, he knows about and likes them.

The seller is VERY nice - he actually took some real pics at my request (the others he just grabbed from the web). I won't be able to bring a drummer with me, so if you guys would be my eyes, I'd appreciate it very much - any red flags here? Anything glaring that looks out of place? Can you tell by looking if heads would immediately need to be replaced? Hardware is decent?

Thanks Again - Joe



Just add some more to this thread, the seller also has this set as well - and as a bonus, here is the set I got my son two years ago for Christmas, custom bass drum head from Vintagelogos. Do you get the feeling I really want him to enjoy playing???

 
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Wow looks like original heads and hardly played. It's ready to go-you could improve cymbals later, you could replace the ISS mount on tom to a optimount, and many replace those heads that come on kit but I wouldn't bother with any of that and let him enjoy it as is. The only thing I'd do is put two or three rivets in that 14 in crash-easy peasy.
 
The only thing to worry about slightly are the bearing edges. The part of the shell that touches the heads. The heads shown look like the original Pearl heads, so I doubt if the heads have ever been off. Tune one of the floor toms and give it a wack. You can probaly tell.
 
There’s some decent HW/throne, etc. in the set and if he likes the color and set up, then I think the price is fine. Definitely an upgrade. Don’t see any cymbals in the old setup, so I’d have to say the ZBTs are a definite upgrade as well. They sure beat my first setup!

He could play on those a couple of years and upgrade if he wants. He’ll want different things as he gets older and learns more with time. With used kits it’s about keeping them in great condition, so you don’t lose too much in the transaction. This set seems to fit the bill just right.

Come Christmas time, retailers go nuts with promoting cymbal sets and you may be able to get a boxed set of Zildjian As or equivalent for around $500. Heck they probably have those now! That’d be a huge upgrade to the ZBTs and cymbals you can keep around.

So far as bearing edges are concerned, I found that smaller drums are far more sensitive to being off. If anything isn’t going to tune, it’ll be those. Also, without some tuning experience, it’s just going to be impossible to tell if something is off. Some of us have been playing for decades and can’t tune without tuning aids to save our lives,

Best way to tell if edges are straight is to pull off the heads and set them on a flat surface like a granite countertop and shine a flashlight from the inside to see if light leaks past. Doubt you’ll get the opportunity to go that far, so probably just a simple visual will have to do.

Best of all, it’s great you are supporting his playing. Drums are loud and obnoxious to those around, so most parents I know get their kids a ukulele or a new video game when they ask for drums. Support for drumming is rare. He’s lucky.
 
Just add some more to this thread, the seller also has this set as well - and as a bonus, here is the set I got my son two years ago for Christmas, custom bass drum head from Vintagelogos. Do you get the feeling I really want him to enjoy playing???

Is he selling the Vision kit? That would really be the scoop if he is.

If the price is down to $400, that's a great price for all of that stuff, and well worth it - true, it doesn't come with optimal cymbals, but those can always be upgraded piecemeal, a cymbal at a time, and you can do it on the cheap by finding quality used cymbals. As an example, I just picked up a set of Zildjian New Beat hi-hats for $150 that are practically brand new. Those sell new for $300+. They were a little dirty with some tarnish spots on them, but a careful scrub off with Barkeeper's Friend, and they look basically brand new, and they sound fantastic.
 
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