Drum kits

[Callum]

I'm looking at possibly buying myself a kit. And so, obviously, I have questions.

First, would it make sense to get one... I leave for university in a year and a bit... less than a year after I will actually GET the kit. Would shipping it from Malaysia to North America or Europe be too costly and damage risky... SHould I just hold off for a year, until I'm actually there.

Electronic or acoustic? I remember reading a post by someone that they had just bought an electric kit. How is it? DOes it feel like playing a real kit? Does it sound like a real kit? All that sort of stuff...

I live in an apartment, so an electric set would be much more favourably looked upon...

If so, any particular brands? How do thecosts compare to an acoustic set?

If not... then for an acoustic set, what is recommended. I would want a good branded set of drums, and cymbals at least some brand... THe school, and some of my friends who have drums, have not bothered with expensive-ish cymbals... and honestly, sometimes it feels like playing tin foil... One bottom hi-hat cymbal would fold and flatten if you pressed on the pedal a little too hard.

Or are branded cymbals simply too expensive... I'm buying this myself, after all...

[RoSs_bg2_rox]

I suppose the big question you have to ask yourself is how much you are willing to spend on this.

Personally, I much prefer acoustic over electronic, and I don't really think the electronics sound anywhere near as good as acoustics. But then I prefer my acoustic guitars over my electric - so that might just be me

If I were you I would buy before you go, as you can learn a lot in a year. Shipping shouldn't be too costly, as surely you will be taking quite a lot of other stuff?

Also, about brands, there are many different sets obviously, and different brands are good at different price ranges. So if you give us an indication of a price, recommendations will be much easier.

Also, a question which might make the price range a bit easier (providing you don't have set funds) is, how long have you been playing drums for? Are you just starting, or have you played for a while? How good are you etc? There's no point buying a top class drum kit if you haven't been playing for very long, as you won't notice too much difference. On the other hand, if you intend to keep this one for years, you should consider inversting as much as you can.

Decisions, decision [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Callum]

I have been playing for four years now...

And I plan on keeping this kit for a looong time.

But yeah, I don't have an unlimited budget. And I don't really know what my budget is... I don't know much about pricing... and besides which, the costs will probably be different here...

[Bungleau]

I'm the one who recently picked up an electronic kit. I play both E and A, and there's a lot to be said for the "silence" of Es. I can play at midnight and not bother anyone else in my house. The quality of an E depends on the quality of the brain, which is what makes the actual sound. The drums themselves are just triggers.

SO you need a good brain. I have an Alesis DM5 brain, and it's adequate. I'm probably adding a second brain, and it will be a Roland TD-8.

I also prefer mesh pads to rubber pads. They feel more like an acousting head.

Now, for your own kit, I'd look for a starter A set. A simple five piece with a couple of cymbals, and see how that goes for you. Starter kits are cheap (around $300-400 US here), and it's a great way to find out how much you're going to care. You can always upgrade it later if you want, for better cymbals, more cymbals, or whatever else floats it for you.

I wouldn't suggest trying to buy your ultimate dream kit right now, largely because it's too early to tell. To put it in perspective, Neal Peart from Rush has close to 20 different snare drums, each of which has different sounds for him. Me, I can handle one [img]smile.gif[/img] I don't have the same level of distinction.

For apartment life, though, Es are the way to go [img]smile.gif[/img]

*edit* One more thing... check out www.edrumming.com for ideas on the differences between Es and As. They each have their advantages.

[ 05-16-2005, 07:21 AM: Message edited by: Bungleau ]

[Callum]

I just don;t really like the idea of electronic drums... they look like they will feel bad to play... The cymbals in particular... Plus acoustics look nicer... And are cheaper...

But then again, most of my drumming will be done in the evening/at night or on the weekend... I could get those practice pad muffler things... I suppose...

If I was getting an acoustic... I would just get a set... hihats, crash and ride. I like a large bell on the ride... and a clear-ish, quick sound for the crash. Any suggestions? I've been looking at paiste, sabian and zildjian... And only managed to get a price for the sabian set. Any recommendations? WHich brands are cheaper?

Edit: And a 5-piece drum set from Tama or such like.

[ 05-16-2005, 08:32 AM: Message edited by: Callum ]

[Larry_OHF]

I am teaching a lady how to play her very expensive electric set. They are horrible. They can not pick up every beat that I give them when I am messing around in my jazzy mood, and sometimes the vibration from one drum pad causes another to sound-off. Like if I hit the snare too hard, the bass and hi-hat pads sound-off. It is freaking annoying. And the bass is not loud enough. She has an amp hooked up to the bass, just so it can be heard because even though each pad can be lowered or raised in sound with its own electronics...the bass distorts unless you use a third-party amp.

That is the only advice I have to offer.
Acoustics all the way dawg!

[ 05-16-2005, 09:06 AM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[Bungleau]

Larry,

Those are all setup options on the E set. I forget the term for sensitivity, but you can adjust how much strength is required for it to activate the trigger. And crosstalk is the term for when one pad sets another one off -- there's a setting for that, too.

Check out www.hartdynamics.com for some easy guides on getting started with Es... it includes recommended module settings. The sound coming from the amp is governed by the amp itself as well as the module configuration.

IOW, don't judge Es based on how one person has incorrectly set them up [img]smile.gif[/img] Mine work just as well whether I play mellow church music or KISS...

FWIW, we used my E set to play a service at another church. Everyone in the band (including the sound guy) loved them. And my set is a hart dynamics cheapie... an entry-level Prodigy set that was just a couple hundred more than an entry-level acoustic set.

Callum, I'd head out to a music store near you and try out an E set. The look literally has nothing to do with the sound -- that all comes from the brain.