Hi Folks, Need some advise from any budding drummers out there, I played drums when I was at school all through school and a little bit through college then just lost interest when more exciting things where happening so I've got a basic grasp of drumming. Here is the clincher, my misses wants to learn & its Christmas so I thought it would make a nice present (but a bitch to wrap up) to buy her a kit now then the problem, I wouldn't mind a silent one (haha I know lol) is there any decent digital kits for reasonable money or still best to start with a noise machine? Help would be awesome and rewarded with virtual mince pies . Edit ) First hit on Amazon Asus Digital AXK2 looks like a proper kit and has some adjustments. Kind of screams rock band though which was terrible to play (I thought)
My experience with these things is that the low and is (quite frankly) junk. I don't play drums myself, but have played in 2 (metal) bands with electronic kits at various price points. The general consensus in those bands was (and this was somewhat evident as well) that the cheap ones (Alesis here) tend to break, don't have enough adjustability, bad patches, bad sensors. The expensive ones are RIDICULOUSLY pricey (around 5K GBP, if I have to consider exchange rate). The middle ground seems to be the sweet spot that most seem OK with. You're looking at about a grand (again - exchange rate could change that), and possibly Roland (brand wise) there, and they seem to be a happy medium that's not going to give you buyer's regret in a flash...
I agree with BentAnat. If you want a good electric kit, look no further than Roland. I play one every week (granted, it's one of the expensive ones) but I've had experience with various kits across their range and they are all very good. Yamaha also make nice electric kits, but - again - it's a bit of a jump from "very cheap" to "expensive" which leaves you with little choice. It really depends on your budget but if you're buying acoustic drums then I'd recommend Mapex as they are hard to beat for quality. The only problem is that you'll also have to buy cymbals if they don't come with the kit.
roland kits are really nice. To be honest, you can get quite a nice kit for under 1k. They do hybrid pads that have an actual skin, you definitely need one of these as your snare drum. The other pads can for the most part be rubber pads, then if you get a decent brain it's fine. I went from a full kit (mapex) to a roland kit with just a hybrid snare and the rest rubber pads and it was really great. I think there would be more value in having a better brain and more rubber pads, than more hybrid pads and a lesser brain. I would avoid most electric kits - Roland are really the only ones that are worth looking at. If you want an acoustic kit, I agree, mapex all the way. Or DW if you feeling real flush But you said cheap. At uni we were endorsed by DW and they make some sublime kits.
Right so Roland is the way forward, there are a few local to me on gumtrea would you be able to have a look at these and let me know if either are worth the money they're asking ? £380 for Roland TD3 £200 for Roland TD6 Both are very close to me & with in budget.
Definitely the TD3 as it has the mesh snare, like Margo said. I play the TD8 which has all mesh heads and it's nice, but the rubber pads aren't bad at all when you get used to them. I think that the TD3 has a better "brain" as well. ______ Slight thread derail, but it's worth it because DW. Sublime doesn't begin to cut it...they are the most beautiful things made by human hands. This was my DW kit 4 years ago - just the shell pack, which was limited edition collectors' series maple in lavender/natural burst with black hardware. I got them at a mega discount for £2K, reduced from £4K (and all the way from London).
Reading through this thread has given me the urge to set up my kit again. I have a lovely Pearl export kit from 1993/1994 all with Sabian cymbals. It's all at the very back of my in laws garage gathering dust
Pearl also make lovely drums. If you have an eagle eye you may have noticed that the snare in the picture above bears the pearl badge - it's a 13x5 Omar Hakim signature and was my go-to snare for 10 years. BT needs to have a drummers' meet by the sounds of things, lol.
Late to the party I know, but the TD-3 is decent. I haven't used a Roland V-Drums for ages, but would echo the above - you need at least the hybrid pads for the snare (and I like them for the kick too). You can upgrade the pads down the line, too. [pun]Let's be honest, a decent Roland V-Drums will take a good beating[/pun]
Did you get this resolved? I have a TD3 kit hanging about, it is the TD3KW I believe, but for whatever reason it has a better stand/rack that the one pictured. I am not sure if the version I got had a better stand/rack or if I got it by mistake (the boxes for the stand and drums come separately). It has exactly the same setup as http://www.roland.com/products/en/TD-3KW/ - it has the proper hi-hat unlike the one you linked. But with this stand - http://www.gearnuts.com/images/items/1800/MDS9BK-xlarge.jpg The bass pedal is a bit crappy as I sold my decent one with my acoustic kit a few years ago but it works. But it has a decent chunky Mapex stool and a couple of pairs of sticks. The only catch is you would need to pick it up from Peterborough as I have no boxes any more and I think it would be uneconomical to ship. Yours for £300, but feel free to make an offer as I want it gone.
