First Drum Kit?

C14N

Hi all. I'm a guitar player myself but I have a younger brother who's looking at asking Santa for a drum kit for Christmas. Just in case, no, hopefully this won't a something that he will be bored of after a week. We've been discussing it for a while now and he's a big music fan like myself so we don't expect them to decay in the shed:P

I'm helping him find a good set to go for, only problem is that I really don't know a whole pile about drums myself. I know all the basic parts (snare, toms etc) but with regards to what makes a kit good or what ones are good I'm clueless. I know it's generally a good idea to go into the shop and try some stuff out but can anyone give me some idea of what to look for when we go in to help narrow it down a little?

It's going to be his first set so nothing too fancy (I know sticker prices on drum sets can go up to thousands). Budget will probably be about €400, at a stretch maybe €500.

We were in Melody Maker in Dublin recently and the guy recommended a €400 PDP starter set (including basic accessories like stool, sticks and so on). Is this the sort of thing we should be looking at? Also, any advice on brands to go for/avoid?

Irishrossoblu

Look on http://www.thomann.de/ie/standard_drumsets.html

They seem to have good kits at under €500. They have a nice SONOR, which is a known brand. Otherwise if buying in a shop I would try Pearl. My first kit was a Pearl, but I am out of the price loop so I couldnt tell you what they cost now. The Sonor would be a quality starter kit, much better than any own brand PDP.

C14N

Irishrossoblu wrote: »

Look on http://www.thomann.de/ie/standard_drumsets.html

They seem to have good kits at under €500. They have a nice SONOR, which is a known brand. Otherwise if buying in a shop I would try Pearl. My first kit was a Pearl, but I am out of the price loop so I couldnt tell you what they cost now. The Sonor would be a quality starter kit, much better than any own brand PDP.

Thanks, although tbh I'd prefer if we went to a local shop. With something this expensive, it's generally safer to get the after sales service in case something goes wrong. Are there any particular Pearl or Sonor kits to get or is it just that the whole brand is fairly reliable?

Drummerboy08

PDP is a DW in disguise, kinda like Gibson/Epiphone. They're great kits, I've just sold my one.

I notice that you are in Kildare? A trip to Naas drum centre is the job for you. John is a drum fanatic who will put you right.

C14N

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

PDP is a DW in disguise, kinda like Gibson/Epiphone. They're great kits, I've just sold my one.

I notice that you are in Kildare? A trip to Naas drum centre is the job for you. John is a drum fanatic who will put you right.

Yeah I've passed by it a few times, considered going in to check it out. Good to hear that they're helpful in there, will have to head over to see the place.

Irishrossoblu

Apologies OP. I didnt realise that PDP was DW. In that case they are good. I used to have a DW kit, and they are fantastic. I am sure PDP is worth the money.

C14N

Irishrossoblu wrote: »

Apologies OP. I didnt realise that PDP was DW. In that case they are good. I used to have a DW kit, and they are fantastic. I am sure PDP is worth the money.

Ah right, good to hear, at least the guy in the shop wasn't leading us astray.:)

C14N

Went in to Naas Drum Centre today. Very disappointing. We got woefully bad customer service. I don't know the name of the fella we were talking to but I got a strong sense of elitism and snobbery. It took about 10 minutes before we could even talk to him (he spent these talking to another guy about cymbals and whacking one so hard that it was difficult to think) and when we did his goal seemed to be to get us bunch of newbs out asap, at these he succeeded quite well. We asked about a starter kit for my brother and he basically said there was a €300 DXP or a €500 Pearl, neither of which we could see or try ("although obviously I have them in stock"), and both of which were a bit crap apparently.

I can get that this might be a more upmarket, high end drum shop, but it doesn't hurt to be polite about it. I can see that they treat the more experienced customers fine, why not just give up on the two cheaper sets and point beginners in the direction of a more affordable place?

K'n'B in Maynooth was a bit more successful, we got offered a €500 PDP or a €300 Stagg. Hopefull we'll make a trip to Walton's and maybe X Music in Dublin too.

Just wondering, does anyone know if Stagg drums are fairly good?

DGM

I bought my kit on "adverts.ie"...it's basically the sister website to this. I'm sure you've heard of it. Anyway, there are several suitable drum-kits on there for various levels of drummers. Mine was a Pearl kit and it cost me around €280 second-hand and has represented pretty good value. I would highly recommend having a look at the site.

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