Drums are Drums aren't they? A buyers guide. (Drum Kits in general)

Member Name: andycharger

Product:	Drum Kits in general
Date:	19/04/01 (9765 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great instrument to play

Disadvantages: Expensive and noisy.

Well, yes, the title does describe the definition of the drum kit very well, but are you getting what you pay for?

Different drummers will tell you different stories about what is good and what is not.

My first instrument is not my drums. Its about my 3rd Instrument behind the Bass and Guitar.
Im still a competant drummer though and could easily perform with most local bands.

I have therefore used a variety of kits and sets with various bands around during my 13 year performing career.

I first got into drumming after trying it out during a break in rehearsal in my first band at the age of 14.
I loved it and soon wanted a kit.
I was fortunate enough to be in a position that my mum bought me a starter kit.
It cost £299 and was made by Mirage.

Now, for your first purchase, you should aim low. Reason being 3 fold.

1) You are not sure of your own commitment to them. You may get bored and they will get little usage. Being an expensive item, it is worth buying as cheap a set as possible.

2) Second hand hits are freely available because of people upgrading and because people are quitting after a short time because of answer 1)

3) You can upgrade at a later date. Because there is a Market out there from answer 1) and 2), you can punt them on to another would be drummer when the time is right without much loss in money.

So you have gone to the shop with an idea in mind and a price limit. Remember not everything comes with all kits.
2nd hand kits bought out of the local paper may not come with Cymbals or stands. Make sure these are included as they are expensive items.
Also, you are going to need a stool.
These can be quite cheap at £15-£30.

You will see adverts for 4,5 and 6 piece kits so I will explain further
In case you are a complete amateur, here is what a kit comprises of:

A Bass Drum.
(large floor based drum. Largest piece of the kit.I
t is played by a pedal and the drummers Right foot.)

A Snare drum.
(a small Silvery coloured drum with a different sounding skin to the rest of the kit. Sits between the drummers legs)

A Floor Tom.
(If you are right handed, it sits at the side of the kit to your Right hand side on 3 legs)

A Bass Tom.
(Sits on top of the Bass Drum in holes specifically for holding it. can number between 1 or 4 tom)

Hi-Hat.
(2 Cymbals closed together by the Left foot of the drummer. Used to beat the rythym with the sticks)

Cymbals.
Large round metal plates of varying sounds and resonances. Come in differing types of sound such as a "crash" or a "ride".

When buying a 5-piece kit, this is literally just the drums. a 5-piece kit comprises of:
Bass Drum
Snare
Floor Tom
2 X Bass Toms

Remember, ask for a deal that includes EVERYTHING!

The actual drums are made from a variety of materials from Woods to compressed cardboard.
Pearl ( a good drum maker) make a series made form Maple! A bit expensive but sound nice.
The materials the drums are made from alter the sound of the drum. The Wood drums give a much more echoed sound whereas the compressed drum dampens the resonance.

Compressed drums can be more expensive than cheap wood drums ( Mirage are made from Plywood) but not as much as a Pearl or Yamaha set of quality wood drums.
Buy what you can afford but remember:
You also need:
Hi-Hat,
Cymbals,
Stands,
Stool
Sticks.

It all mounts up.

So you have your drums and they are ready to go. You have them for a while.
But what is the best way to upgrade your kit?

Unlike clothes, Drum skins DO maketh the man.
The Remo Pinstripes, I find give the best sound.
They are 2 layers of film with a fine layer of oil separating them. They are seethrough too so you can see right through your kit. r><br>A good set of Skins can cot yoy £100-£150 but its woth it.

Cymbals are normally kept when you sell your kit so make your purchase a good one.
Decent cymbals wont lose value.
You have 3 main types and then a variety of hybrids in between.

A Ride cymbal is played like a hi-hat and is used to keep time throughout a song. You can hear these being played a lot on Jazz type or swing music and used more recently heavily in 80's light rock ballads.

A Crash Cymbal is used by the drummer to end songs or parts of songs or just to finish off a drum roll. You can hear it making its distinctive sound in nearly all songs.

A China Cymbal gives a completely different sound altogether.
It sounds to me like the gong on the start of some of the movies. You know the ones!I think its Universal or something like that.

AS for choosing an actual kit, it very much depends on the user.

You can alter and tinker with kits a lot so you can make they sound just how you want them.

By Rule, Pearl are one of the best i nthe business. They make several different kits, from the Export, to the world Series. They are tried and trusted if a little expensive.

Yamaha also are one of the Market leaders.
If you can afford one, you could do a lot worse than a Yamaha kit.

As with most instruments, one of the major drawbacks is price. Be sure before you buy one.
Also, it takes up a lot of space so allow for this when buying a kit.
It is also a very noisy instrument with very little control over volume ( except for buying practice pads). If you have fussy neighbours, forget it!

I hope that has been of some use to some prospective drummer out there.