Real drummers, help me out with kit selection

[upfromtheashes]

Ok. I lived 36 years on this earth and never knew that i had the slightest interest in playing drums. I got Rock Band for Christmas, and now I'm taking the plunge like many others before me. I'm going to buy some drums and take some lessons.

I've seen some other threads in the past asking for gear advice, but as I as recall, much of the discussion centered around various electronic kits. I really would rather have an acoustic kit, for both cost reasons and for coolness factor.

However, I have some questions to ask you guys. #1 - when using some type of mutes, how quiet (or loud) are acoustic drums? I'd be playing them down in the basement, and there would be times when other people would be upstairs at the other end of the house trying to get some sleep.

#2 - How much kit do I need at the get-go? Should I pay the extra for a name brand starter kit, or are some of these other cheapo brands (like Pulse) ok for a beginner? Should I be looking for some minimum drum sizes? I don't want to be pissed shortly down the road with too-small toms and cymbals.

Thanks in advance.

[davidshek]

Really it all depends on what your plans are "down the road", as you said. If you're just doing this for fun and your own enjoyment, don't worry about sizes of anything. If you plan to eventually try to join a band and whatnot, then you can start worrying about upgrading when you get to that point.

For now, the best advice is to NOT buy anything name-brand. There's just no reason for it. There's always the possibility that you'll start taking lessons and just lose interest. And then you'll be stuck with a huge pile of name-brand stuff that's not getting used anymore.

Go to your local music store (Guitar Center, Sam Ash, etc.) and talk to the guys in the drum department. For the most part, they're very knowledgeable about the products and probably all drummers too. I know at the ones around here, they only hire actual drummers to work in the drum dept.

Tell them your budget, and that you're just starting out. Probably go with one of the "store brands" (Groove Percussion, Sound Percussion) starter kits. They usually come with the drums, throne, hardware, and some cymbals. And all for cheaper than a name-brand starter kit charges for just the drums themselves.

For starting out, all you really need for cymbals is hi-hat and a crash/ride. It doesn't hurt to get an actual ride and actual crash instead of a crash/ride though.

[HMXDave]

I'm not a drummer, so I can't suggest any equipment, but I do play in a band and I can tell you that noise is a real issue, especially with drums.

You should look into renting a rehearsal space where you can keep your drums. That way you can play as loud as you want, whenever you want.

A lot of people are looking to share rehearsal spaces too, so you might be able to get in on one for cheap.

[davidshek]

I'm not a drummer, so I can't suggest any equipment, but I do play in a band and I can tell you that noise is a real issue, especially with drums.

That's true, but with mutes on all the drums/cymbals, even acoustic drums can be made very very quiet :)

[upfromtheashes]

That's true, but with mutes on all the drums/cymbals, even acoustic drums can be made very very quiet :)

That's actually really good to hear, because if mutes wouldn't do the trick then I'd be forced to go the electronic drum route, which I'd really rather not do.

[orange_black]

acoustic is definitley the way to go... excellent choice, my friend.

as Davidshek said.... budget is everything.

so what are you looking at?

[upfromtheashes]

Well, I've not yet looked at any kits in local stores, but if I go the offbrand route and order online, I was looking at some of the Pulse sets at musiciansfriend.com, for example:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Pulse-5Piece-Kit-with-Cymbals?sku=443859

or

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Pulse-Double-Bass-8-Piece-Drum-Set-with-Hardware?sku=445229

The reviews on those actually sound pretty encouraging for the most part. The heads and cymbals might be crap, but I wouldn't know the difference anyway when I'm a beginner, and I could upgrade them gradually if I chose to.

You guys probably got a chuckle out of that second link, but I'd love a double bass rig. You're probably thinking "whoa there Sparky....learn to crawl before you walk!" and you might be right...man....DOUBLE BASS!!

lol

[IslandBoy91]

Lol, I've been looking at that first one for a while too...

[davidshek]

You guys probably got a chuckle out of that second link, but I'd love a double bass rig. You're probably thinking "whoa there Sparky....learn to crawl before you walk!" and you might be right...man....DOUBLE BASS!!

Well, that second link doesn't come with cymbals, so keep in mind that'll be more money on top of the price of the kit that you'll have to spend. And a throne, and sticks, etc.

But yeah, do yourself a favor and just get a 5-piece kit to start.

I personally do not recommend ever buying drums online unless you've already tried them out in the store. The same goes for sticks, heads, cymbals, etc. Seriously, take a drive to your local music store.

As for the Pulse kit, $300 for the drums and cymbals? You can probably find a starter kit at a music store for that price (or less) that will also include a throne and sticks.

[OldFogey]

Well, I've not yet looked at any kits in local stores, but if I go the offbrand route and order online, I was looking at some of the Pulse sets at musiciansfriend.com, for example:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Pulse-5Piece-Kit-with-Cymbals?sku=443859

or

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Pulse-Double-Bass-8-Piece-Drum-Set-with-Hardware?sku=445229

The reviews on those actually sound pretty encouraging for the most part. The heads and cymbals might be crap, but I wouldn't know the difference anyway when I'm a beginner, and I could upgrade them gradually if I chose to.

You guys probably got a chuckle out of that second link, but I'd love a double bass rig. You're probably thinking "whoa there Sparky....learn to crawl before you walk!" and you might be right...man....DOUBLE BASS!!

lol

Got my son a Pulse kit to start with. We just went the basic -- bass, two toms on bass, floor tom, ride cymbal and snare. Then we gradually added/upgraded equipment. When we added we added good quality -- paiste cymbals. The hardware is the real cheap stuff on the Pulse. If our experience is any indicator you'll wanna get a replacement bass pedal sooner rather than later. A real cheap quality upgrade is drum heads. putting Remo heads on really improved the sound. When it came time to replace the heads on the snare we just went shopping for a new snare. This is actually a really good thing to do, because lots of drummers have multiple snares -- different snares have different sounds and do different things. So, it's something you might want to do anyway. Then when you're ready for a new kit you've already got some good building blocks.

Two suggestions about noise -- by mutes I'm guessing we mean foam pads. they do help. But you can also reduce noise by going with a different kind of stick -- hot rods for example.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ProMark-Hot-Rod-Sticks?sku=443400
It would be good some time to be able to play with the regular sticks and no pads just to start to get a feel for the sound you want -- play with tunings, etc. And regarding sticks, this pro (jazz and classical) we know recommends the Snare Drum sticks --
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Vic-Firth-American-Custom-SD1-General-Drumsticks?sku=444085

You should also look into a practice pad to work on your stick work.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Vic-Firth-Double-Sided-Practice-Pad?sku=447606

[orange_black]

I really like that first kit. I think it would be an excellent beginner kit that can easily be upgraded in the future with better heads and an 8" tom.

I also like the tom sizes 10, 12, 14. Its what i used on my kit with the additional 8. alot of "beginner" kits come with 12, 13/14 and 16 floor tom. In my opinion the smaller toms help to divide the sound of the strokes a little better.

I also like the fact that for the price.. the hardware is not EXTREMELY cheap. Its acutally got some beef to it... with double bracing no less!

I also agree about leaving the double bass in your dreams for now. The one thing you DONT wanna do is learn on a double bass kit and never fully develop your primary bass foot. In my opnion the double kick is something to be added.. like splash cymbals or additional toms... it shouldnt be a part of you MAIN playing kit.... which is to say... you should be able to sit down on a 5 pc kit and feel quite at home without worrying about not having an additional bass drum.

:)

Edit: notice that you're not getting two cymbal stands. If you want to use your Crash/Ride AND your crash, you'll need another one.

Edit one more time: Ive told numerous posters on these forums a few rules of thumb:
1. cheap drums can sound good with nice heads and a good tuning
2. expensive drums can sound terrible with cheap heads and terrible tuning.
3. cheap cymbals sounds cheap... no matter what

but the most important factor to a good sounding kit... the person behind it.

[CENACHAINGANG54]

Well, that second link doesn't come with cymbals, so keep in mind that'll be more money on top of the price of the kit that you'll have to spend. And a throne, and sticks, etc.

But yeah, do yourself a favor and just get a 5-piece kit to start.

I personally do not recommend ever buying drums online unless you've already tried them out in the store. The same goes for sticks, heads, cymbals, etc. Seriously, take a drive to your local music store.

As for the Pulse kit, $300 for the drums and cymbals? You can probably find a starter kit at a music store for that price (or less) that will also include a throne and sticks.

First let me say congrats on wanting to learn to play the drums! I agree with what Davidshek said above me. The cool thing about guitar center is you can play everything before you buy it. I do own an electric set, but for my first 31 years I was all acoustic. Acoustic to me will always be the way to go, but since I do not have a basement I got an electric with mesh heads to keep the peace in my house.

Like david said go with something like sound percussion. Also as he stated decent mutes can and will cut down the noise. If you stick with it and start playing in bands or what ever, my favorite head to use is Remo Pinstripe heads, with Remo plastic rings. Pinstripe heads has oil in them. If you look at the head in the light it looks really cool:) The sound ring not only cutes the ring more but also adds a little more "thud" to it.

Man let me tell you this, becoming a drummer as great as it is can become expensive! Music and drums is my passion and I have one cymbal that I pad $600.00 for. I did not even think about it when I bought it, but when you are loading your equipment you see all of the dollar signs:)

Good luck again and I hope all of the info everyone is giving you is helping you out:)

[upfromtheashes]

Well, I took the plunge, and I dove in deeper than I had intended. My wife gave me the green light to aim a little higher in terms of price range, so I've been hitting the local music stores and pricing sets for the past several days.

I ended up going with a Yamaha Stage Custom set with a Sabian B8 Super Set cymbal pack. I don't even have stands for 3 of the cymbals, but I figure they'd be a distraction for me in the beginning anyway. So for now I'll just store two crashes and the splash until I'm ready for them.

Totaled up to just over a grand. The reviews I've read about this set make me feel good about my purchase. Now to start some lessons!

[Blackbombs]

Short and sweet

#1. No electric kits
#2. Get the cheapest one AND ask to try it out. It is usually $200-$500 so choose wisely.

[seaniscool]

nice this thread helped my out too haha now i need to visit guitar center or the az music near me

[OldFogey]

Well, I took the plunge, and I dove in deeper than I had intended. My wife gave me the green light to aim a little higher in terms of price range, so I've been hitting the local music stores and pricing sets for the past several days.

I ended up going with a Yamaha Stage Custom set with a Sabian B8 Super Set cymbal pack. I don't even have stands for 3 of the cymbals, but I figure they'd be a distraction for me in the beginning anyway. So for now I'll just store two crashes and the splash until I'm ready for them.

Totaled up to just over a grand. The reviews I've read about this set make me feel good about my purchase. Now to start some lessons!

That really sounds sweet!! I think that's a good approach with the cymbals -- easy to add stands later. Congrats man! Hope you have a ton of fun.

[upfromtheashes]

Oh and a funny tidbit:

At the music store when they were taking my set down from the display to tune it, they couldn't find any Yamaha pedals....so what did they give me instead?

A Pearl P-120.

JUST LIKE MY OMEGA PEDAL! lol