How to Buy a Drum Kit
Research drum kits., What is your price range?, How big do you want you drum set?, How serious/ skilled are you?, What sound are you looking for?, What brand do you want?, What drum sets offer what you want?, Have you tried the drum set out...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Research drum kits.
There are 2 main types of drum kits.
You should research them both before buying anything.
Acoustic kits.
This is the most common type of kit in a band and you usually see this one more often.
It is much louder than an electronic drum kit and will require soundproofing or some sort of isolated room to keep everyone from getting annoyed with you.
An acoustic kit also takes up more room.
Electronic drum kits.
These are better for beginners.
They are smaller, quieter and are easier to use as you don't have to worry about tuning or anything.
An electronic drum kit is recommended for beginners who can barely play.
You do not need to soundproof a room to use on of these as you could just turn the volume down. -
Step 2: What is your price range?
Figure out what you are willing to spend. , Decide how large (# of drums) you want your drum set to be.
This should be based on the size of the room where your drum set will be and how skilled you are as a drummer. 4-piece sets (1-bass, 1-snare, 1-floor tom, and 1-rack tom) are typically the minimum; still, the most common drum set is the 5-piece set (1-bass, 1-snare, 1-floor tom, and 2-rack toms).
Of course you can go larger and can even venture into having 2 bass drums; however, I would only recommend a 2 bass drum set for advanced double bass players.
Do not forget that you can buy a small drum set and add onto it later. , Decide how serious or skilled you are regarding drumming.
The more serious and skilled you are the higher quality drum set you should get.
NOTE:
Your price range and skill will affect the size of your set. , Decide the type of sound you are looking for.
Different types of wood will provide a different sound.
I have provided some basic information on drum wood below. , Look in local stores or online for information on specific drum set brands.
The best websites for finding brands are guitarcenter.com and musiciansfriend.com.
You should pick 2 or 3 brands that you are interested in.
These picks should be based on quality of the brand, the prices of their drum sets, guarantees, etc.
After picking your brands, visit their website and other websites to find what professionals and fellow drummers say about these brands. , Once you have decided what brands you want, go to local stores or online and look for their different drum set models.
Make sure that the models within your price range offer what you want.
The best websites when looking to buy an instrument are guitarcenter.com and musiciansfriend.com.
They have a great variety of drum sets and will always offer the lowest price and will beat any other offered prices. , Go to a store and play the drum sets they have.
Some local stores will provide the drum sets you want; however, Guitar Center stores offer the greatest variety and highest quality of try out drums.
If you cannot find your set in a local store, go online and try to find sample sound clips of the set. , After looking through and playing all the drum sets, pick around 4-6 and read reviews on those sets.
Read reviews from both professionals and fellow drummers. , Pick 2-3 final sets and go back to the store and play them.
Re-read reviews.
Decide the advantages and disadvantages of each set (price, quality, brand, included items…) , Talk to the people there and tell them that you are interested in drumming.
Don't feel pressured to buy on your first day, in fact, don't even bring money.
Tell the people there that you are not looking to buy straight away, you just want to have a look.
Test both the electronic kit and the acoustic kit if they let you. , An electronic kit.
If you've chosen an electronic kit, look into some good brands.
Some shops are very expensive, so don't feel that an £800 drum kit is always better than a £300 one.
Having said that, more expensive kits are usually your best bet.
You need to spend at least £100, £200 if you can.
An acoustic kit.
If you've chosen an acoustic kit, look into some good brands, kits and soundproofing if necessary.
You can soundproof cheaply, research some of these methods too.
Again, you will need to spend at least £100 but most of the time, an electronic kit is more expensive so there's no need to spend over £200 on your first kit. , Go to the store and choose your kit.
Be sure to play around on it first to make sure it's the right one for you.
If it isn't, repeat the last step. -
Step 3: How big do you want you drum set?
-
Step 4: How serious/ skilled are you?
-
Step 5: What sound are you looking for?
-
Step 6: What brand do you want?
-
Step 7: What drum sets offer what you want?
-
Step 8: Have you tried the drum set out?
-
Step 9: Narrowing your search.
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Step 10: Narrowing your search even more.
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Step 11: Go to your local drum store.
-
Step 12: Choose between an electronic kit and an acoustic kit.
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Step 13: Buy the kit.
Detailed Guide
There are 2 main types of drum kits.
You should research them both before buying anything.
Acoustic kits.
This is the most common type of kit in a band and you usually see this one more often.
It is much louder than an electronic drum kit and will require soundproofing or some sort of isolated room to keep everyone from getting annoyed with you.
An acoustic kit also takes up more room.
Electronic drum kits.
These are better for beginners.
They are smaller, quieter and are easier to use as you don't have to worry about tuning or anything.
An electronic drum kit is recommended for beginners who can barely play.
You do not need to soundproof a room to use on of these as you could just turn the volume down.
Figure out what you are willing to spend. , Decide how large (# of drums) you want your drum set to be.
This should be based on the size of the room where your drum set will be and how skilled you are as a drummer. 4-piece sets (1-bass, 1-snare, 1-floor tom, and 1-rack tom) are typically the minimum; still, the most common drum set is the 5-piece set (1-bass, 1-snare, 1-floor tom, and 2-rack toms).
Of course you can go larger and can even venture into having 2 bass drums; however, I would only recommend a 2 bass drum set for advanced double bass players.
Do not forget that you can buy a small drum set and add onto it later. , Decide how serious or skilled you are regarding drumming.
The more serious and skilled you are the higher quality drum set you should get.
NOTE:
Your price range and skill will affect the size of your set. , Decide the type of sound you are looking for.
Different types of wood will provide a different sound.
I have provided some basic information on drum wood below. , Look in local stores or online for information on specific drum set brands.
The best websites for finding brands are guitarcenter.com and musiciansfriend.com.
You should pick 2 or 3 brands that you are interested in.
These picks should be based on quality of the brand, the prices of their drum sets, guarantees, etc.
After picking your brands, visit their website and other websites to find what professionals and fellow drummers say about these brands. , Once you have decided what brands you want, go to local stores or online and look for their different drum set models.
Make sure that the models within your price range offer what you want.
The best websites when looking to buy an instrument are guitarcenter.com and musiciansfriend.com.
They have a great variety of drum sets and will always offer the lowest price and will beat any other offered prices. , Go to a store and play the drum sets they have.
Some local stores will provide the drum sets you want; however, Guitar Center stores offer the greatest variety and highest quality of try out drums.
If you cannot find your set in a local store, go online and try to find sample sound clips of the set. , After looking through and playing all the drum sets, pick around 4-6 and read reviews on those sets.
Read reviews from both professionals and fellow drummers. , Pick 2-3 final sets and go back to the store and play them.
Re-read reviews.
Decide the advantages and disadvantages of each set (price, quality, brand, included items…) , Talk to the people there and tell them that you are interested in drumming.
Don't feel pressured to buy on your first day, in fact, don't even bring money.
Tell the people there that you are not looking to buy straight away, you just want to have a look.
Test both the electronic kit and the acoustic kit if they let you. , An electronic kit.
If you've chosen an electronic kit, look into some good brands.
Some shops are very expensive, so don't feel that an £800 drum kit is always better than a £300 one.
Having said that, more expensive kits are usually your best bet.
You need to spend at least £100, £200 if you can.
An acoustic kit.
If you've chosen an acoustic kit, look into some good brands, kits and soundproofing if necessary.
You can soundproof cheaply, research some of these methods too.
Again, you will need to spend at least £100 but most of the time, an electronic kit is more expensive so there's no need to spend over £200 on your first kit. , Go to the store and choose your kit.
Be sure to play around on it first to make sure it's the right one for you.
If it isn't, repeat the last step.
About the Author
Scott Chapman
Writer and educator with a focus on practical crafts knowledge.
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