Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners OT: Drummers out there, advice needed.

Spish,

I tend to disagree with your statement...

I had friends in Music School that weren't exactly "naturals" but they busted their asses with a metronome to get into the school and then practiced 6 hrs a day (everything with a metronome, that goes for all drummers) and he came out playing Jazz, Latin, the works. You could tell he wasn't a "natural" but he made it happen.

Its amazing what a little determination will do.

I'd like to throw a nod towards used drums. When I got my current kit about five years ago I had to option of either a brand new entry level Yamaha kit, or a used, but higher level of quality trax kit.

We went with the trax kit because it had sturdier hardware, good solid cymbals (a thick crash vs. a thin splash). It's not a jaw dropping kit by any means, but when it comes to learning and feeding that urge to beat the crap out of it, it's awesome. I've reskinned it a few times, added a double bass pedal, cow bell, second cymbal, etc...

Now I'm wanting a 7 or 8 piece kit with 4-6 cymbals, but that's because I'm spent 5 years with my trusty little kit. I think if I had a brand new kit when I was learning, I'd be afraid to play it or touch it because it might get a ding, or a scratch, or something.

Just my 0.02!

- D

I will say this buy a second hand kit. At least you can recoup your money and not every one wants a drum kit. I will only buy Pearl and they also sell a set well last years model called the Target. It is one up on the Forum kit and one level down from the Export ( which is now a Master ) They are the best entry level kit I have seen for the $$$$. Also as for the cymbal I bought new a promotional pak of Sabian B8's for $200 incl 14" hats' 16" crash 20" ride and a free 18" crash and cymabl bag.
I have bought a Export set a few years ago for $1300 and re sold it $650 was the best I got for it 6 months later.
I recently bought a second hand set of Masters Studio's which was top of the line next to the Masterworks and now under the Reference kit. I paid $1400 for them and they were $3000 new three years ago. Not a scratch on them and the quality and sound is unbealivable.
How old is your daughter because my daughter is 7 and she has a hard time playing mine because of the height. They do have junior kits ( scaled down versions of the bigger one ) for $300 - $600 new.

Ok, this would not be as nice as Nick's set, just curious if all you drummers think this would be a good deal. The guy is asking 700/offer. I was looking at a regular acoustic set, but am concerned about the loudness, this would allow us to give it a shot and practice in the evenings without disturbing others.

Would this be a good option to learn on and see if myself and my son have a future in a rock band.

http://desmoines.craigslist.org/msg/449360817.html

That looks like a good "starter" TD-6 set. It has the older TD-6 sound module (the new ones like I have are black and not blue)... I don't know the difference, but you could always check out the VDrums Forums

It also has the older style bass drum, but you should be fine there too. Roland has been the leader in electronic drums for years, so they make good stuff. Depending on the model of the pads, you should be able to get "rim sounds" on the toms as well as the snare. I can't do that with the TD-6 and my upgraded mesh pads since the mesh pads are a little more "high tech" than the TD-6 can handle.

Oh, one other thought, don't forget you will need an amp for using the the drums. Either that, or you could start out with headphones, but you will need/want some "big" (non-ear bud style) headphones. I've got a $120 set for mine as well as a $450 amp... Check some pawn shops for an amp. It would be great to get one with a big woofer in it somewhere. That will really help with the bass.

Thanks Nick,

The jury is still out on which way we will go on this, we may just get a Pearl Export or Forum kit to start. My brother in-law is a professional drummer and has played in many of Des Moines's popular bands over the years. He is big on acoustic sets, however, I understand how loud they will be in our basement.

I'm still talking to my kid to see if he thinks he would like to give it a try...

Acoustic drums ARE cheaper, or I should say "less expensive." I have been playing for over 25 years, and I've played acoustic, electric, and now V-Drums (just a different way to say "newer style electric").

My V-Drums I have now are my favorite so far. When I got my 1988 vintage Tama Techstar electric drums, I loved them at first, but this was prior to electrics haveing actual drum samples. It grew old quickly. I said that I would NEVER have an electric set again. I was wrong.

Acoustics are what you will see most bands playing (although that is changing), but this isn't for a band. There is a certain "warmness" to an acoustic set, but you will also notice the the quality of components (drum heads, cymbal brands/models, construction materials) will make a difference in sounding like a "kids" set and something a little nicer.

That is where I really like the V-Drums. You can play "hard" but with headphones, not be waking the neighbors. Are they silent? Absolutely not. You are, after all, taking a wood stick and hitting a hardened (in your case) rubber pad. There IS noise, but a LOT less than trying to do the same on an acoustic set. I also like the ability to have a whole slews of kits and instruments. Although, I find that I play a custom kit that I've set up and saved more than the others. But I have that option.

Either way, you want to make sure that it is fun. If you loose out on the fun aspect of drumming, you will end up with an expensive toy sitting in the corner, taking up space. I can "jack in" an MP3 player right into the sound module, and then it "mixes" with my drumming so that I can play along to some tunes and nobody hears that either....

Good Luck!

You could always build your own drumitar...