I need a good/cost efficient drum kit. Also, which Cymbals?

[Unicorn Warrior]

In other words, what is the equivalent of a "used standard American strat or tele" in the drum world?

I'd imagine it's like guitar where you get the most bang for your buck used, but am open to the possibility of new kits also.


I'm not a drummer, but needing to buy a kit for our band as our other drummer is not going to be able to be with us anymore.


Cymbals also. I know nothing of them. Lots of dynamic building and fading out in our music. Really wanting something more washy than abrasive. What cymbals for shoegaze/post punk? I realize it's all subjective.I need something that sounds good, but isn't a fortune.

Which symbols are essential? I'm looking for barebones. The drummer I'm pulling in is young and inexperienced so less is more I'm thinking.

[Larry Mal]

Pearl Export.

[marqueemoon]

Whatever's a decent deal on craigslist for kick/toms.
Get a Ludwig Acrolite if the snare sucks.
Don't skimp on kick pedal and cymbals. Cheap cymbals make everything sound bad.
Leave money in the budget for new heads for everything.

[Unicorn Warrior]

Thanks for the suggestions. Never realized how expensive cymbals were. Given what we do, I believe I will need to build the kit around those for the best sound.

[marqueemoon]

Thanks for the suggestions. Never realized how expensive cymbals were. Given what we do, I believe I will need to build the kit around those for the best sound.

Cymbals are insanely expensive.

In fact this is a really good reason to buy used. A lot of craigslist/local sellers will sell everything as a package (drums, cymbals, hardware), whereas you won't have that chance in a store. You can then sell off whatever you don't want.

[lunaticjaguar]

lots of good 60's MIJ stuff floating around out there that can be picked up for cheap. I have a great Coronet kit I paid $50 for (still needed to upgrade hardware and cymbals but its a really nice start)

[Unicorn Warrior]

Good deals here? Or should I move along?

https://huntington.craigslist.org/msg/d ... 59942.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


https://huntington.craigslist.org/msg/d ... 51713.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[StevenO]

My brother and I play drums and together we've bought A LOT of drum gear.

Here's what I recommend from what I've learned over the years and what I wish somebody had told us earlier. Buy an old 60s or 70s kit. Look for Ludwig, Gretsch, or Slingerland. You can find the shells and maybe even some mismatched but usable hardware (mounts and stands) for rather cheap.

A few years ago, my brother and I were looking for a small kit and bought an early 70s Slingerland kit. 12" and 15" toms, 18" kick, and a 14" Slingerland snare for 500, including a stand and mount for the rack tom. One of the best kits we own. It truly sounds fantastic and is perfect for recording.

We used to buy the most expensive hardware we could find, now... We don't. We buy the cheap, thin, cool vintage-looking cymbal stands, cheap snare stands, cheap hit stands. Honestly, the cheap stuff works and unless you're touring and putting up and breaking things down night after night, you don't need the heavy duty stuff. And plus, it looks cooler.

As for cymbals, the majority of cymbals we have are Zildjian K, K Custom, Constantinoples and the "& Cie" line. Expensive stuff! But... It's not necessary. Dream cymbals are ridiculously good and sound just as good if not better than the Zildjian stuff. So now we pretty much just use Dream stuff. We have two Crashes, a Ride, and a pair of Hi Hats. Since we're not Rush, we don't need any more. They sound fantastic and that's all that matters.

For around a grand, or less, you can get a really, really great kit. And that's not a "for the price" thing, that's just in general.

[Larry Mal]

Good deals here? Or should I move along?

https://huntington.craigslist.org/msg/d" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... 59942.html


https://huntington.craigslist.org/msg/d" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... 51713.html

Good stuff! Not bad prices, either. You'll get a good sounding and very serviceable kit around those. One thing I might mention, I used to own a Pearl Export set (how I come to be recommending them now), and shortly after I bought mine, they revamped the model and used a different lug setup to attack the toms to the kick drum that was superior. If I recall correctly the mounts were moved to the metal hoops of the drums rather than shoved into the actual wood of the tom itself, which was supposed to let the drum ring out more clearly.

Made sense to me, and if I was buying a kit, I'd try and get something that mounted a little better.

The next kit I get will probably be a Mapex Saturn or something along those lines (they don't call it the Saturn anymore).

[Unicorn Warrior]

Thanks. Unfortunately those listings already sold. I'll keep my eyes open for something.

Would like to keep my total cost around 700-800

[marqueemoon]

My current set is a Premier. I like it fine.
https://huntington.craigslist.org/msg/d ... 73507.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This looks ok except for the china and splash cymbals But just sell em' and use the money for heads.
https://huntington.craigslist.org/msg/d ... 29855.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My cymbals are almost all Zildjian. My favorite is my 18" K ride. I got a 20" A ride when a bandmate moved away. I have an older, thinner 18" I got at a yard sale that I use for a crash, and my hats are 13" - don't recall what series.

Most of your money should go to hats and ride. The ride in particular is really important. I like 18"-20" and a medium weight so I can still get some crash/washy sounds out of it. For hats, error on this side of dark. I like 13" as they are a little quieter overall and crisper when doing open/closed stuff.

My drummer just got a Dream crash and ride. He bashes pretty hard in his other project, so he's killed a lot of cymbals. So far they are holding up. The ride sounds great, but the crash has weird nasal sound I don't really care for.

[Unicorn Warrior]

I found a 1968 blue sparkle pearl set for $600. Looks to be in good shape and has new heads. This really appeals to me because of the vintage cool factor, but has no cymbals. Still, could be a good deal?

[Unicorn Warrior]

Are these versatile? And worth $600?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BO5X8xzg33P/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Larry Mal]

I mean, I don't know much about Pearl from that period, but I think it would probably be a good deal and I'd rather have that than an Export set any day.

[StevenO]

I agree with Larry. I'd much rather have that than anything for a similar price, new, at a store. However, I'd still look at something from Slingerland or Ludwig or Rogers from a similar era (60s/70s).

I'd also recommend starting out small. Get a crashable ride rather than a crash and a ride and maybe even look for a couple of used/cracked vintage 14 or 15" crashes to use as hi hats. To me, having less helps you be more creative as a drummer and focusing more on the groove.