? for the drummers

Coolchange · 11-05-2009, 06:56 PM

My kid wants drums. I want to get him a set. Times are tuff. The questions is, are those PDP or DW sets any good at all? I don't want to buy a toy set. What should I look for in a used set up?

Sharpy · 11-05-2009, 07:00 PM

Call a local music shop and see what their rental rates are. That way if the novelty wears off your not stuck with a coat rack. If he stays with it, then drop the coin on a nice set.

shintoooo · 11-05-2009, 07:01 PM

Make sure they come with a set of these for you

Coolchange · 11-05-2009, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shintoooo

Make sure they come with a set of these for you

I may just get some of those anyway!!
Never thought about rental, I'll look into it.

Sharpy · 11-05-2009, 07:10 PM

Also Coolchange, they should have an RTO program as well.

slowinhavasu · 11-05-2009, 07:33 PM

Buy him a drum pad( looks like a drum head but thicker) and a set of sticks, put him in his room with some Led Zepplin, give him two weeks, If he still wants a kit sign him up for some drum lessons....

Gravyboat · 11-05-2009, 07:39 PM

DW for a first kit? A little pricey IMO. How old is you kid?

A basic 4 or 5 piece Mapex should suffice for a few years. Then, if he sticks with it, and gets familiar with and appreciates the different brands and how they differ in quality and tone, he can step up to a DW, Premiere, Gretsch etc.

I started out on my grand-dads old Slingerland then moved onto a used Pearl. I played that kit for years and kept adding to it.

My buddy got a good deal on a nice used kit on ebay. There's a ton of em on there.

You can also go to guitar center or sam ash during their big sales. It'll give you a little better idea of what you're getting into.....'cause it don't stop with just a couple of cymbals

CC322 · 11-05-2009, 07:56 PM

PDP Drums are owned by DW, the pdp line is a much less expensive drum set which depending on the model are made in china. Depending on the type of wood he likes will determine the price as well, birch is cheaper so you may want to consider that. If this is his first set I think it will serve him well, remember you can get a cheaper set like the PDP put some good heads on the batters and the resos and get them tuned correctly and you will get a great sound. I like Remo heads. Most 5 piece fusion sets will be a great start for him, usually consisting of a 18x20 kick 8x10 mounted tom 9x12 mounted tom 14x14 or 16 floor tom and a 5x14 snare. Dont forget the hardware as well hh stand, crash stand and ride stand those are always seperate, oh yeah then theres the cymbals

The most important thing you could do is get him lessons it will make all the differance in the world. I am a Yamaha fan there drums are fantastic and there hardware is awsome, in fact I am picking up my new yammies tomorrow from Guitar center. If you have any other question fill free to ask me.. Good luck and remember ROCK AND ROLL FOREVER

Below is a friend of mine who is a FANTASTIC drummer

The Doctor · 11-05-2009, 08:17 PM

I played for many years and my youngest son now has a very nice Mapex rack set. It's only my opinion but playing in the school band will create a stronger foundation for his future so you can start him with a snare and enrollment in the school band. If he's too cool for that, he's probably not regimented enough to stick it our and make your investment worth the money. When he's proven he really has what it takes to be a musician, he'll be ready for the next step up to the set. Start used when you do. Musicians are the perfect "buy high-sell low" businessmen! I know first hand. I have six and they all play something well. They've grown up and all three girls have a piano in their homes. The three boys probably have 30 guitars, the Mapex drums, amps/stacks/heads galore and the oldest built a complete recording studio in his home. His band practices every Thursday night!

CC322 · 11-05-2009, 08:36 PM

The practice pad and a set of sticks is a great idea, this is what a teacher will tell you right off the bat, and he will start him with the 40 Rudiments ad Roll rudiments, I did all my practicing with a pad and a pad kit for about a year before i got a set.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...a%3DN%26um%3D1

chevy · 11-05-2009, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowinhavasu

Buy him a drum pad( looks like a drum head but thicker) and a set of sticks, put him in his room with some Led Zepplin, give him two weeks, If he still wants a kit sign him up for some drum lessons....

If your gonna mention the greatest rock and roll band ever then at least spell the name right LED ZEPPELIN

RiverOtter · 11-06-2009, 03:06 AM

Just look on Craigslist. There are usually plenty of good used sets there.

Wet · 11-06-2009, 04:24 AM

Definitely go used for now. Just about all kits are decent for normal indoor play. The cheaper sets will warp and delaminate in the sun. The heads are key for the right sound. As Doc said, school band should be a must, it'll pay off in the long run, or you can pay $50 or more per hour for private lessons. With cheap sets, the cymbals suck ass. The most money seems to be spent on cymbals and stands after the intital purchase, but good cymbals easily transfer set to set. Being a drummer, make sure you have the room for all the friends or band mates to come over. It's much easier to pack an amp and guitar than it is a full set.

Dan_Lorenze · 11-06-2009, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coolchange

My kid wants drums. I want to get him a set. Times are tuff. The questions is, are those PDP or DW sets any good at all? I don't want to buy a toy set. What should I look for in a used set up?

Pacific Drums are actually pretty nice. I play them at rehearsal all the time. I've been playing for over 30 years and can tell you that you can make an average kit sound good with good heads and proper tuning. I would spend the extra coin on good cymbals. Electronic drums and pratice pads have their place but nothing can replace a good sounding acoustic kit, trust me. I think buying used is a good idea but I've seen deals on line at www.musiciansfriend.com that look hard to beat. (pardon the pun)

Since you asked what to look for in a set, I would suggest a 20 or 22" kick based kit with 10" 12" 14" toms.. Smaller drums are easier to get around the kit when playing fills and sound great in smaller rooms. A standard 5 piece is all I would get him.. Have fun....

lebel409 · 11-06-2009, 11:26 AM

A few things...

Renting is neat to figure if he may stick with it. Rent to own sucks...you'd be better off getting a deal and putting it on a card... If shopping new you should expect a 30-35% discount off the list price.

I'm split on drummers in school bands. While the director is trying to get the girl with braces to make a sound on the flute, the kids that play drums are going nuts in the back...the 5 most hyper kids with sticks and farthest from the director and the least to do... Also, for the stage groups they only need one drummer...so if your kid isn't the best, he doesn't play that much.

Get lessons, learn the rudiments, learn to read music, learn to sightread music...stay away form the "lets play this lick" teachers.

If you can look for used. PDP, Mapex, low level Pearl, Yamaha, ludwig slingerland...or you might get lucky and find a nicer set like a Yamaha Studio maple or a cool a Gretsch set. I second the 20" bass drum...22 and 24 are stupid big and unnecessary unless you have roadies...and dad, you'd be the roady...

Do spend $$$ on cymbals...eventually.

One thing to know about drums is that you can't be done buying stuff...there's always another cymbal, a new toy, chimes, tympani...god knows what. I know several drummers that have storage units for all their "stuff they need but won't fit at their girlfriends house".

Good luck!

HammerDown · 11-06-2009, 12:24 PM

F DW, only one drum for me

When I was 12 years old I found I had a passion for drumming with a pad and two sticks, and spent a LOT of time that way. I did take lessons for a few years, once I understood how to sight-read I self taught the rest of the way.

I would suggest take a couple trips to GS, sit the lad behind a few kits and if he still is into it after a few trips...buy used. Wait till after Christmas as there will be several x-presents up for sale.

My classic ole Ludwig's...

Behind the drivers seat...

Also played bass for several years...but drumming is where my passion lies

Coolchange · 11-06-2009, 01:56 PM

Wow, learned a lot here. (But I knew I would.) He's had the group lessons at the Rec center w/ pad at home. Thought he would get into band class at jr. hi. Didn't happen. Got to step it up as he starts hi school next year. I see a ton on craigs list but didn't know what to look for.

HammerDown · 11-06-2009, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coolchange

Wow, learned a lot here. (But I knew I would.) He's had the group lessons at the Rec center w/ pad at home. Thought he would get into band class at jr. hi. Didn't happen. Got to step it up as he starts hi school next year. I see a ton on craigs list but didn't know what to look for.

Ask yourself and especially your son this, how serious is he into this hobby?
Based on his feedback...how much $$$ are you willing to lay out?
Also, find out what kind of music he favors...as a Ringo kit ain't gonna work very well if he's into Rush.
Back when I started Drumming I had two choices...buy the high-end drums, or crap. Now, each manufacture makes several different levels of drums/hardware etc. Subtle difference can be heard from someone like myself but, for the most part no one can tell the difference from Birch, Maple(my fav) Oak or Popular or gold plated pop sickle stick wood LOL.
It's always best to stay with a name brand like Ludwig in maple/popular ply's>(again my favorite) Gretch, Tama, Pearl etc.
For instance >Tama made a line called Rock-Star, my brother had them and I was veeeery impressed with the build quality, tune-ability and sound that came from those drums. And, they weren't all that inexpensive.

If you like...PM me some Craigslist adds and I'll be more than happy to look them over. I would do the same but I'm on the East Coast.
I can also give you things to look for in a used kit IE, if the bearing edge is true, and the shell round. These two things are far more important to making a drum tune easy, stay in tune and SOUND good!
Head selection is next...but lets find what type of music he likes, wants to play and go from there.

PS I would ONLY buy used drums that I could see, touch, inspect, tune etc...and I would advise the same to you.

I looked > too much $$$ ? http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst...447517747.html

maxwedge · 11-07-2009, 07:59 AM

I started playing drums last year and I searched quite a bit for a decent set. Although there are a bunch of them out there, lot's of partial kits and total garbage too. I finally bought this set for only $300 used out of the local trader.
This started out as an el-cheapo, Groove Percussion set, but the kid I bought them from played them for a year and had already upgraded them with a nice evans heads, Dixon and DW hardware, and Sabien Cymbols. So basically it started out as a $300 drum set and has $600 worth of upgrades which he then lost interest and sold to me for $300. It plays and sounds way better than most cheap new sets for the same price, and these were played very little. There are a ton of deals out there since people easily loose interest when they discover it takes time and practice. My drum instructor who previously hated Groove Percussion with a passion, played on this set and was amazed at how good they sounded with decent heads on them. You can can always upgrade and add as you go along. I've been taking lessons and playing the hell out of this kit for over a year now and they have held up just fine...someday I'll upgrade them, but for now, I love it!

Hare Pie · 11-07-2009, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowinhavasu

Buy him a drum pad( looks like a drum head but thicker) and a set of sticks, put him in his room with some Led Zepplin, give him two weeks, If he still wants a kit sign him up for some drum lessons....

Perfect idea, but Jethro Tull will give a real education

Coolchange · 11-07-2009, 04:21 PM

Thanks for everyones help. Cars, bikes, boats, no problem. Drums, not even a little. Told the wife I'll go on PB and ask, she thought I was crazy for checking on a boating board. She can't believe the replies.

HammerDown · 11-08-2009, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxwedge

I started playing drums last year and I searched quite a bit for a decent set.

If I may offer a suggestion > pull those Tom's in much closer together and get your Ride/crash over the floor tom so it's where you need it after a fill.

11-05-2009, 06:56 PM	#1
Coolchange Junior Mumbler Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 300	? for the drummers My kid wants drums. I want to get him a set. Times are tuff. The questions is, are those PDP or DW sets any good at all? I don't want to buy a toy set. What should I look for in a used set up?

11-05-2009, 07:00 PM	#2
Sharpy Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: No-Cal Posts: 781	Call a local music shop and see what their rental rates are. That way if the novelty wears off your not stuck with a coat rack. If he stays with it, then drop the coin on a nice set. __________________

11-05-2009, 07:10 PM	#5
Sharpy Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: No-Cal Posts: 781	Also Coolchange, they should have an RTO program as well. __________________

11-05-2009, 07:33 PM	#6
slowinhavasu Registered user Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: LHC Posts: 1,222	Buy him a drum pad( looks like a drum head but thicker) and a set of sticks, put him in his room with some Led Zepplin, give him two weeks, If he still wants a kit sign him up for some drum lessons.... __________________ Carey's Air Conditioning Heating and Plumbing

11-05-2009, 07:39 PM	#7
Gravyboat Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hotel California Posts: 2,698	DW for a first kit? A little pricey IMO. How old is you kid? A basic 4 or 5 piece Mapex should suffice for a few years. Then, if he sticks with it, and gets familiar with and appreciates the different brands and how they differ in quality and tone, he can step up to a DW, Premiere, Gretsch etc. I started out on my grand-dads old Slingerland then moved onto a used Pearl. I played that kit for years and kept adding to it. My buddy got a good deal on a nice used kit on ebay. There's a ton of em on there. You can also go to guitar center or sam ash during their big sales. It'll give you a little better idea of what you're getting into.....'cause it don't stop with just a couple of cymbals __________________ "You Americans are so gullible. No, you won't accept communism outright. But we'll keep feeding you small doses of socialism until you finally wake up and find you already have communism. We won't have to fight you; we'll so weaken your economy until you fall like overripe fruit into our hands." - Nikita Khrushchev “The trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money” –Margaret Thatcher

11-05-2009, 07:56 PM	#8
CC322 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mission Viejo/Havasu Posts: 807	PDP Drums are owned by DW, the pdp line is a much less expensive drum set which depending on the model are made in china. Depending on the type of wood he likes will determine the price as well, birch is cheaper so you may want to consider that. If this is his first set I think it will serve him well, remember you can get a cheaper set like the PDP put some good heads on the batters and the resos and get them tuned correctly and you will get a great sound. I like Remo heads. Most 5 piece fusion sets will be a great start for him, usually consisting of a 18x20 kick 8x10 mounted tom 9x12 mounted tom 14x14 or 16 floor tom and a 5x14 snare. Dont forget the hardware as well hh stand, crash stand and ride stand those are always seperate, oh yeah then theres the cymbals The most important thing you could do is get him lessons it will make all the differance in the world. I am a Yamaha fan there drums are fantastic and there hardware is awsome, in fact I am picking up my new yammies tomorrow from Guitar center. If you have any other question fill free to ask me.. Good luck and remember ROCK AND ROLL FOREVER Below is a friend of mine who is a FANTASTIC drummer __________________ *The Tequila Made Me Do It* link removed by admin. Please review sig guidelines at top of main forum.

11-05-2009, 08:17 PM	#9
The Doctor Red Blooded American Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Peoria, AZ Posts: 5,307	I played for many years and my youngest son now has a very nice Mapex rack set. It's only my opinion but playing in the school band will create a stronger foundation for his future so you can start him with a snare and enrollment in the school band. If he's too cool for that, he's probably not regimented enough to stick it our and make your investment worth the money. When he's proven he really has what it takes to be a musician, he'll be ready for the next step up to the set. Start used when you do. Musicians are the perfect "buy high-sell low" businessmen! I know first hand. I have six and they all play something well. They've grown up and all three girls have a piano in their homes. The three boys probably have 30 guitars, the Mapex drums, amps/stacks/heads galore and the oldest built a complete recording studio in his home. His band practices every Thursday night! __________________ The best things in life aren't things!

11-05-2009, 08:36 PM	#10
CC322 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mission Viejo/Havasu Posts: 807	The practice pad and a set of sticks is a great idea, this is what a teacher will tell you right off the bat, and he will start him with the 40 Rudiments ad Roll rudiments, I did all my practicing with a pad and a pad kit for about a year before i got a set. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...a%3DN%26um%3D1 __________________ *The Tequila Made Me Do It* link removed by admin. Please review sig guidelines at top of main forum.

11-06-2009, 03:06 AM	#12
RiverOtter Got Any Pix? Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: South Of Nowhere Posts: 378	Just look on Craigslist. There are usually plenty of good used sets there. __________________ Everything in moderation... including moderation.

11-06-2009, 04:24 AM	#13
Wet Formerly wet dream Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: East Hampton, CT Posts: 3,957	Definitely go used for now. Just about all kits are decent for normal indoor play. The cheaper sets will warp and delaminate in the sun. The heads are key for the right sound. As Doc said, school band should be a must, it'll pay off in the long run, or you can pay $50 or more per hour for private lessons. With cheap sets, the cymbals suck ass. The most money seems to be spent on cymbals and stands after the intital purchase, but good cymbals easily transfer set to set. Being a drummer, make sure you have the room for all the friends or band mates to come over. It's much easier to pack an amp and guitar than it is a full set. __________________ You wish you had it this good.

11-06-2009, 11:26 AM	#15
lebel409 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Claremont, CA Posts: 643	A few things... Renting is neat to figure if he may stick with it. Rent to own sucks...you'd be better off getting a deal and putting it on a card... If shopping new you should expect a 30-35% discount off the list price. I'm split on drummers in school bands. While the director is trying to get the girl with braces to make a sound on the flute, the kids that play drums are going nuts in the back...the 5 most hyper kids with sticks and farthest from the director and the least to do... Also, for the stage groups they only need one drummer...so if your kid isn't the best, he doesn't play that much. Get lessons, learn the rudiments, learn to read music, learn to sightread music...stay away form the "lets play this lick" teachers. If you can look for used. PDP, Mapex, low level Pearl, Yamaha, ludwig slingerland...or you might get lucky and find a nicer set like a Yamaha Studio maple or a cool a Gretsch set. I second the 20" bass drum...22 and 24 are stupid big and unnecessary unless you have roadies...and dad, you'd be the roady... Do spend $$$ on cymbals...eventually. One thing to know about drums is that you can't be done buying stuff...there's always another cymbal, a new toy, chimes, tympani...god knows what. I know several drummers that have storage units for all their "stuff they need but won't fit at their girlfriends house". Good luck!

11-06-2009, 12:24 PM	#16
HammerDown Moderator Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: The Right Coast/SE-PA Posts: 3,491	F DW, only one drum for me When I was 12 years old I found I had a passion for drumming with a pad and two sticks, and spent a LOT of time that way. I did take lessons for a few years, once I understood how to sight-read I self taught the rest of the way. I would suggest take a couple trips to GS, sit the lad behind a few kits and if he still is into it after a few trips...buy used. Wait till after Christmas as there will be several x-presents up for sale. My classic ole Ludwig's... Behind the drivers seat... Also played bass for several years...but drumming is where my passion lies __________________ Life is short...stay medicated

11-06-2009, 01:56 PM	#17
Coolchange Junior Mumbler Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 300	Wow, learned a lot here. (But I knew I would.) He's had the group lessons at the Rec center w/ pad at home. Thought he would get into band class at jr. hi. Didn't happen. Got to step it up as he starts hi school next year. I see a ton on craigs list but didn't know what to look for.

11-07-2009, 04:21 PM	#21
Coolchange Junior Mumbler Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 300	Thanks for everyones help. Cars, bikes, boats, no problem. Drums, not even a little. Told the wife I'll go on PB and ask, she thought I was crazy for checking on a boating board. She can't believe the replies.

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