Advice on buying new set

kwilzy · #1 (**permalink**) 12-24-2006, 12:36 PM

I need help on purchasing a set for my son. My son has been playing for 8 years is section leader for symphonic band ,selected for percusission ensemble and wind ensemble and has played a couple of shows with his hardcore/metal band. He takes his music very seriously and definitely needs to upgrade from his Coda drum set that he currently has. Money is tight this year so we can't purchase the Tama set that he wants. I have seen a great deal on Ludwig CS Combo set and was wondering if based on info on him if this a good set for him or would something else be better? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

**skinslapper** · #2 (**permalink**) 12-27-2006, 09:13 AM

Is your son interested in this kit, or are you buying this for him as a surprise gift?

kwilzy · #3 (**permalink**) 12-27-2006, 10:52 AM

Hey thanks for asking! It was going to be a surprise for his birthday next week but I told him when I couldn't find anybody to help me with this. He just feels he doesn't know enough about the different companies to make a decision. He knows about Yamaha and Ludwig from school and has played a couple of Tama sets but other than that he only knows what him and his friends talk about. Any advice would help alot since there isn't alot of drummers where we live and we just don't trust some of the salesmen who seem like they are just pushing what they have the most of. Thank you again for answering I didn't think anybody would. Kathy

**skinslapper** · #4 (**permalink**) 12-29-2006, 11:49 AM

Smart move. I think this is something you really need him to get into.

The best thing I think you two can do is get on the net and get a fell for what is available in your price range, then, go to your local store, tell the salesman to take a hike and proceed to try out as many kits as you can get some sticks onto until you know what you like and what you don't.

Having said that, ny main experience has been with pearl export, which is pretty much the same as the forum and that's been a great second kit. Unlike other basswood kits in its range, the poplar shells are close to sounding like a high-end maple kit. They allow more tone to get through and thus give you greater control of your sound.

Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

Raatikainen22 · #5 (**permalink**) 01-12-2007, 10:54 AM

i also play the pearl exports and i just love them! in my opinion they are a really good buy! you should check out www.musiciansfriend.com they usually have some great deals on drumsets... happy searching!!!

StOneD RaNgEr · #6 (**permalink**) 02-08-2007, 08:26 AM

With the way advertising is today buying a kit is a pain. Just reading the description in retail catalogs is enough to drive you crazy. Theres no real info in em usually. A good thing to do is to go to each manufactures website and see how they present and describe there kits . If the site isnt very informative, then to me theres obviously not alot to say about em. I found Ludwig and ddrum to be on the weakside of giving clear concise information. And I found Pearl , sonor , and tama to be very informative. Even going as far as to describe diffrences in wood and dimensions, and even giving info on the hardware. Now, i personally went with my instincts and bought a kit that i had never even heard. But I had enough information about the kit to be confident in my decision, without having a saleman try to pitch me on the limited selection in there store
Point being whatever you get if you know what type of wood it is, the complete dimensions of the shells , including the ply s and what situations they respond best in, if you ve exhausted all methods of comparing the specs between kits , then you'll be much more satisfied with your decision.
BTW I have a sonor force 3005 kit. Ive never even seen a sonor kit in a store, which was one reason i picked itafter looking at all specs. For the price i got my kit for, considering there were no added corporate fees for advertising and middleman taxes, I definintly feel i got the biggest bang for my buck!

Church Drummer · #7 (**permalink**) 02-08-2007, 07:31 PM

Not sure how it is in the drum market since I'm new to the drum world, but I know with guitars there are a lot of deals to be had in the used market. If funds are tight you might want to give a used set some consideration.

Blake N · #8 (**permalink**) 02-28-2007, 02:25 PM

I agree with church drummer. If money is tight there is nothing wrong with buying a used kit. There are great deals on ebay everyday on used gear. Get him something of better quality than he has now and then when more funds are available he can get something even more advanced. Good luck

givemethebeat · #9 (**permalink**) 03-02-2007, 07:04 AM

If you get to know someone find a good teacher the chances are that they will know someone who has kit that has not been abused and is good value for money. On a tight budget the secondhand buying is the way to go. The value has already depreciated once it leaves the showroom and you will almost mostly get your money back again when it comes time to upgrade. It also gives you a few more dollars to get better cymbals and better stands. The advice here about Exports is good. They are versatile and if looked after will last for years. Also if the kit is going to be in and out of cars or vans and used live and set up and down all the time reliable strong hardware is very very important. A set of road cases will assist overall and make life even easier. So for the price of a new retail kit you should be able to get a well looked after lets say pre-loved Export with reasonable quality cymbals and cases. The best ones to get are the ones that have never left the bedroom, from a well off family... Oh and when they come along don't worry about color. Its the amount of use and abuse that makes the all important difference. When your on a budget color is luck!!!!

This following kit I have had since almost new. Pearl export I bought it second hand in 1995. It never been outside the house. There is another mounted 14" tom that goes with it but this is the fastest photo I could dig out. Forget the cymbals they are top end cymbals. But if you found a kit in this condition you would not pay any more than $800au (no cymbals) drum heads make a big difference to an average kit too. New kits generally come with pretty average to low quality heads and this heavily impacts on the sound. Pro quality heads will cost you retail about $300au. Then you get a brand new sounding kit for a fraction. When times are really lean, you can buy 1 head at a time. As with the cymbals, but you need a good base to work with. Oh and a good throne is a once only purchase.