Beginners decks?

dmm82

Hi all, my son is going to be 13 in April and wants decks for his birthday. I'm saying no at the moment because of the price of the equipment however I was wondering is there anywhere that does beginners decks for a reasonable enough price that aren't too high-tec and that would suit a 13 year old?

DubDJ

For a beginner set i'd say just get a low cost set to see if your son is actually going to stick with it rather than spend a low on a higher-end set.

These here would be a good place to start and offer all the basics needed for DJ'ing without too much extra. I started off with a similar set myself around his age.

Another two shops around Dublin to try would be Maplin's on Jervis street which have a small selection of DJ stuff and also Sounds Around on Capel street which has a much larger selection. Both shops are a good place to look around and get prices etc.

HoggyRS

The whole idea of a "beginner decks" is just a way for electronic companies to shift low quality and cheap decks. The best cd decks for a beginner are pioneer cdj 1000s. You might as well learn on the best than be dealing with terrible bits of equipment like numark cdmix1s.

Having said that, the price of gear is outrageous for a 13th birthday present! The gemini's posted seem grand, looks like a decent jog wheel on them, would be better than the classic dj in a box yokes(cdmix1s etc)!

seannash

You should consider the resale value of whatever you buy.Very few people will buy the gemini decks second hand,you would find it easier to shift pioneers if it turned out to be just a passing interest.

DubDJ

HoggyRS wrote: »

The whole idea of a "beginner decks" is just a way for electronic companies to shift low quality and cheap decks. The best cd decks for a beginner are pioneer cdj 1000s. You might as well learn on the best than be dealing with terrible bits of equipment like numark cdmix1s.

Having said that, the price of gear is outrageous for a 13th birthday present! The gemini's posted seem grand, looks like a decent jog wheel on them, would be better than the classic dj in a box yokes(cdmix1s etc)!

I used Numark CDMix decks for a few years and sold them on for like €100. Original cost was only around €300. They done for me what was needed and then when I was older I bought a set of Pioneer decks.

I think buying a 13 year old starting out a set of CDJ 1000's would be madness. He might loose interest after 6 months and your gonna take a hit on the resale value from the minute you open them.

Hamiltonion

Try and pick up a 2nd hand set of CDJ100s and a simple 2 channel mixer.

When you include headphs (decent Seinnheisers ~E50) and some kind of speaker set up the costs add up.

Alternatively for around E300 you could get a 2nd hand Vestax VCI 100 which is a stellar piece of kit, I've been playing 2 years on CDJs and I'd love one, plus it will hold it's resale value. Ask the seller does it include a traktor installation disk, if not PM me if you go down that route and I can sort you out with Traktor pro as a download.

It would save burning CDs which you'd need a pc for anyway

EvolutionNights

For a 13 year old.

http://www.thomann.de/ie/american_audio_ck_800_mp3_demo.htm

Not hi-tech. Not that expensive. If anything he might knock a bit of craic out of it. If not just use it as a cd player for your Barry Manilow collection.

Failing that just get him a wheel and a stick and tell him how hard times were when you were his age.

was.deevey

If he has a laptop...

I'd probably get him a Numark Mixtrack pro.

If he has an iPad

I'd probably get him a Numark IDJ (really cheap, but pretty cool!).

If neither, I'd go with something like the Stanton SCS4DJ

Its an all-in-one solution like the American Audio one, that can play directly from USB keys, just plug into any hi-fi or even computer speakers .. he won't grow out of it too fast.

The stanton might be a bit out of budget, but you won't need to buy a mixer and it can be connected directly to a computer if he decides he wants to go that route later... if not you'll probably get most of the cash back.

The idea of needing to burn off CD's anymore, ugh.

Anyooo just ideas

ironclaw

Have to agree with the lads, keep it simple and if you have a laptop, maybe go down the controller route.

Just in case its against forum rules, I have a full set up on Adverts.ie at the moment. The only further expense would be a set of headphones. But on that note, Adverts has some great decks at the moment with good prices.

2tek

As he is just starting out my advise will be for him to learn the basics - knowing his music, beat matching by ear, sound structure, scratching etc
A pair of trusty Cdj and a decent 2 channel mixer will sort this out. Try checking adverts.ie , gumtree and eBay for sweet bargains on used gear. For monitors he can still use his home hifi to keep costs down.

Recommended CD decks - Pioneers 350,400,800,850*,900*,1000,2000* (star = expensive)
Denon have very good decks too and they hold their value DN-S1200, DN-S3700*
Numarks, Gemini, American audio etc all make cheaper decks but like someone rightly said it might be very difficult to get a decent resale value.

Irrespective of the kind of DJ he eventually becomes skills from practising on decks will always be handy.

And worthy of note is that if/when he eventually decides to switch to digital most of the cd decks will work with most dj softwares (serato, traktor, virtual dj etc).

Cheers.