HelenaHitsThings

Junior Member
Hello,

I've been drumming just over a year on a Roland TD-1KV electronic kit, but also having the odd lesson on an acoustic kit when I get the chance. I'm getting pretty good and the band I'm in are looking to start finding gigs (so terrifying!).

My question is what's the absolute minimum I need to play in most amateur venues in London? When I rehearse with my band I rent all the cymbals but the place comes with a snare, 3 toms and all pedals. Is this the kind of thing to expect at venues? Would you recommend starting with cymbals and going from there?

I've read all sorts about absolutely needing to bring bass pedals, snare drums etc but I feel this might be for more professional paid gigs?

Any advice would be hugely appreciated!
 
Basically it is irrelevant if you gig in London, Timbuktu, Bejing or LA. A few clubs have a drumset that can be used - it's mostly crappy drumsets. Most clubs don't have them, you are expected to bring your own kit (shells, hardware, cymbals, sticks) to a concert. Unless this is a concert with several bands, then it is possible sometimes that a drumset will be shared among all the bands. In that case, you are usually expected to bring along your own cymbals, snare, foot-pedal and sticks.

If you are looking for a gig-ready drumset, buy used stuff if possible for the start. That will save you lots of money. Get a decent mid-level drumset like a Mapex Meridian, Tama Silverstar, Sonor Force-Series, Yamaha Stage Custom, Gretsch Catalina and the like. Then get yourself some decent cymbals, B20 bronze-cymbals are usually the way to go (unless you want Paiste cymbals, those are usually B8 bronze). Get some good hardware, used Yamaha and Tama stuff e.g. will last forever. Search the forum. There are tons of threads on this topic.
 
If you're sharing the backline at the gig then it's generally expected that you bring your own cymbals, snare and bass drum pedal. I usually throw a light weight straight cymbal stand in the front pocket of my cymbal bag as well, in the event that the shared kit has minimal hardware with it. Some folks like to bring their own throne as well. As mentioned already, purchase stuff second hand and you're money will go farther/you'll get higher quality stuff for about the same as you'd pay for lower quality new gear.
 
Dont assume anything. Most venues dont have kits. Those few that do could have a kit in any state of decrepitude. If its a kit share you will need to know what the kit is, and its always best to take at least breakables.

If you are going to gig you need your own kit, what that consists of is up to you.
 
Oh, I forgot to mention some things that you should bring with you, too, in case that there is already a drumset available in a club: Cymbal felts, wing nuts, Hihat-clutch, Gaffa-Tape, Screwdrivers, flashlight. It will save your day.
 
Find yourself a nice 4-piece kit with appropriate hardware and a few cymbals - hi hats, crash and ride. Spend more money on pro cymbals, and if the drums are cheap (like Pearl Exports), outfit it with good heads. Then you're good to go.
 
Find yourself a nice 4-piece kit with appropriate hardware and a few cymbals - hi hats, crash and ride. Spend more money on pro cymbals, and if the drums are cheap (like Pearl Exports), outfit it with good heads. Then you're good to go.

He may hail from la la land, but Bo knows drums. Good advice here.
 
Where to start? Know what you want, in excruciating detail. Know exactly what you want and know exactly why you want it. If you don't know what you want, you're not ready to buy. Know how many pieces you want, know what sizes you want, know what finish you want, know which wood you want, figure it all out. Asking us what you want isn't it. You have to do your homework and understand what you want, or figure out what you want.

So.... what do you want and why? How many pieces, and which sizes? Finish? Wood (or not) type?
 
What Matt said. Always.

Don't encourage him! But yeah.

Where to start? Know what you want, in excruciating detail. Know exactly what you want and know exactly why you want it. If you don't know what you want, you're not ready to buy. Know how many pieces you want, know what sizes you want, know what finish you want, know which wood you want, figure it all out. Asking us what you want isn't it. You have to do your homework and understand what you want, or figure out what you want.

So.... what do you want and why? How many pieces, and which sizes? Finish? Wood (or not) type?

If OP has only played on an e-kit for a year, it's very difficult for her to know what the options are and hence what she might or might not want.

I'd say look on ebay or Gumtree. If you find a kit with a brand name you recognise, that isn't damaged, and that has a finish you like at a price you can afford, I'd say that's a good enough place to start. You're most likely to find a kit that consists of snare, bass drum, two rack toms and a floor tom but you'll manage perfectly well with only one rack tom. Many used kits come complete with hardware, pedal, throne and cymbals. If you find you like these, great. Chances are that the cymbals will be dogs, so if that's the case do a bit of research to find good-quality cymbal options, then see if you can pick them up used. You'll need hi hats, a ride and one or maybe two crashes.

Whatever you do, don't be tempted to spend too much. Your tastes and requirements will almost certainly change, and you don't want to deprive yourself of future gear-shopping!

Oh, the other thing you need to do is learn to tune your drums. You may well need to buy new heads for them (you probably would do this even if you bought a new kit). Lots of information on here and on YouTube about tuning, but beware of covering everything with duck tape or stuffing duvets in your bass drum.
 
Where to start? Know what you want, in excruciating detail. Know exactly what you want and know exactly why you want it. If you don't know what you want, you're not ready to buy. Know how many pieces you want, know what sizes you want, know what finish you want, know which wood you want, figure it all out. Asking us what you want isn't it. You have to do your homework and understand what you want, or figure out what you want.

So.... what do you want and why? How many pieces, and which sizes? Finish? Wood (or not) type?

Unless you are a very experienced drummer with knowledge of the tones produced by individual woods, and the intricate sounds involved in depths and diameters of shells you will simply tie yourself in knots.

As Bo says, get a cheap used kit as a starter. Put decent heads on and buy the best quality cymbals you can. If you stick with gigging you will eventually upgrade the drums. By then you may have some idea of what sound you want to hear from the drums and you will have more experience of what you need to get that sound.

I have been playing for 50 years and I still couldnt tell you what wood is what in a blind test. Heads? now thats a different ball game.
 
It depends on what kind of music you play. I would get a small lightweight kit because I hate moving stuff. Look at the Ludwig Questlove shell pack. It sounds pretty good.
 
If you aren't keen on getting a full kit yet, I'd say buy a snare, cymbals and a bass pedal.

Buy used! There are always good deals around and you might end up with a nice selection of pro cymbals, those are the most important in order to get a good sound from the (usually) crappy house kit.
 
If I'm going some place where a kit will be provided, I will bring a throne, a kick pedal, sticks & drum key, extra sleeves and washers to protect cymbals. A lot of the time, things like that are stolen. In addition, I bring hi hats, a good crash and a good ride. One or the other I will use as a crash/ride. Besides all that, I will bring a good snare drum.
 
If I'm going some place where a kit will be provided, I will bring a throne, a kick pedal, sticks & drum key, extra sleeves and washers to protect cymbals. A lot of the time, things like that are stolen. In addition, I bring hi hats, a good crash and a good ride. One or the other I will use as a crash/ride. Besides all that, I will bring a good snare drum.

Hi hat clutch and Allen key too.
 
If I'm going some place where a kit will be provided, I will bring a throne, a kick pedal, sticks & drum key, extra sleeves and washers to protect cymbals. A lot of the time, things like that are stolen. In addition, I bring hi hats, a good crash and a good ride. One or the other I will use as a crash/ride. Besides all that, I will bring a good snare drum.

I was told once at a festival that a kit would be provided, so just to see how miserable I could make it, I just brought three sticks (just in case I dropped one, or it broke). MZ is right - some parts were missing and it sounded horrible, but to my credit I was able to make it work (I think). The throne and the bass drum pedal sucked, the heads were all dented. But if anybody complained about how bad the drums sounded, I'd just point the finger at the people who provided it. Easiest $$ I ever made since I carried literally nothing to play for an hour or so.
 
Why do people write again exaclty what was already written a few lines before? I don't get it. Snare, Hihat-clutch, Keys etc. all that was already mentioned more than once before...
 
Thanks so much for all your advice! Really helpful. I think I'm going to build up kit slowly because, as you say, what I need might change over time, so I'll start with inexpensive stuff (except maybe for cymbals) and build from there. Once I have some of my own stuff i'll have more of an idea about what I actually like/need.

Great tips about all the other bits & pieces too, felts, tape, drum keys etc. Really useful and stuff I hadn't thought of! :)
 
There is a used four piece Pearl Export kit on Craigslist here for $200 that includes a Pearl metal snare. Used hardware can be found for under $200. Cymbals are the biggest expense unless you buy cheap and I don't recommend that. Last year I bought used New Beats, a 21" sweet ride and 18" A medium thin crash for $350, all in like new condition. So, adding it all up you'll spring for around $750 for a complete kit you can play anywhere. Exports can be made to sound great with the right heads, as can Yamaha Stage Customs and Gretsch Catalinas among others.
 
Why do people write again exaclty what was already written a few lines before? I don't get it. Snare, Hihat-clutch, Keys etc. all that was already mentioned more than once before...

I forgot to mention a hi hat clutch and Allen wrench as Magenta pointed out.

Idk, maybe I just ignore most of what you say. I'll make sure not to reiterate what's already been said if I can help it.
 
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