Relatively new drummer, questions about drum brand?

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malletchild

Junior Member
Hi!

I'm Lauren I've been a percussionist in band for about 5 years, recently quit that and now focus on drum set. My genre is mostly rock/pop but I also try to stay versatile and play all genres. I've played on all kinds of brands but I want to find the 'one'. Lol.

I've seen stuff on the internet about picking a drum set but I really want to focus on finding the right brand.

I currently play on an old 70s Rogers Kit and I'm looking to upgrade.

How did you go about finding the perfect drum brand?
 
Haha... better keep the Rogers. They are actually pretty much in demand all those "old used drums". Vintage-fever has struck many drummers (luckily not me).

How did you go about finding the perfect drum brand?
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Is there a perfect drum brand? Never heard of one. It's all a matter of taste. And tastes can change in your life. :)
 
I made the mistake years ago of buying a kit based on its looks. It had decent shells and sounded good. At one point the hi-hat clutch broke and it cost $180 and six months to get a replacement. When I sold that kit, I decided to consider the quality and availability of the hardware, as well as the shell construction. I checked out just about every major brand and ended up going with Tama.

If you don't know about shell construction and materials, it's a good idea to get a few catalogs from various brands and read about the budget models, the mid-priced models and the top-of-the-line gear. You'll see that the wood is different and the hardware improves as the price increases. In addition, some premium models will be made in the USA or Japan, while the budget gear is made in China or Malaysia.

That said, Tama has an excellent line of drums being built in China: The Superstar Classic. I'm sure other brands have manufacturing in China, but I've seen and heard the Superstars and, for the price, they are a great kit.

Here's a video of a Superstar Classic kit.

Download.ashx
 
malletchild said:
I've played on all kinds of brands but I want to find the 'one'. Lol. I currently play on an old 70s Rogers Kit and I'm looking to upgrade. How did you go about finding the perfect drum brand?
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Keep playing all kinds .... and keep listening to all kinds ..... and you'll eventually find a kit that makes you happy. Don't be surprised if your tastes change, over the years, however.​
 
You're supposed to play the brand that your favorite drummer is playing. Like my favorite drummer plays Tama. That's funny, so do I. What a coincidence. My other favorite drummer plays Ludwig. That's also funny because coincidentally, I do too.
 
Picking purely by brand appeal is a bit weird in my world.

Why don't you tell us what kind of sound you're going for and we can recommend some brands or models that excel in those areas?
 
Dr_Watso said:
Picking purely by brand appeal is a bit weird in my world.

Why don't you tell us what kind of sound you're going for and we can recommend some brands or models that excel in those areas?
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I'm looking forr a kit that will be used mostly for rock but also pretty versatile as I want to be able to play with as many different genres as possible. I'd like a kit that that I could rock out on but also play jazz if I needed to.

I'm currently looking at a Mapex Armory and a Ludwig Terabeat. I really like both of them but they both don't have tom mounts on the bass drum... Kind of a bummer for me
 
Avoid the Terabeat as that entire line of drums was discontinued. So support for it could be non-existent as the parts disappear should you ever need anything for it. Really, any brand would be fine, and you could get any of them with a bass drum mount. Jimi Rashidi posted a great eBay deal for a Mapex Saturn (top of the line) for less than $800 new. Great deal there.
 
Matt Bo Eder said:
Avoid the Terabeat as that entire line of drums was discontinued. So support for it could be non-existent as the parts disappear should you ever need anything for it. Really, any brand would be fine, and you could get any of them with a bass drum mount. Jimi Rashidi posted a great eBay deal for a Mapex Saturn (top of the line) for less than $800 new. Great deal there.
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It was discontinued? I saw Guitar Center did a video of it at NAMM... dang
 
malletchild said:
It was discontinued? I saw Guitar Center did a video of it at NAMM... dang
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Well, I have it from a good source that the whole Signet line was discontinued. And they were nowhere to be found at the Ludwig booth at this years NAMM here in January. I had the little 12/14/20 Signet kit and although it sounded great, I did wonder how long those loose holes would hold up with the metal lugs in years.

But I suppose if you really like them, there's nothing stopping you from getting them. They just might well hold up over the years. They were only around for a couple of years and even I was surprised at how quickly they were ended.
 
I have found that I like solid shell drum sets better. I know a drummer and he is working with some people who make custom snare drums. I've heard them and solid drums just simply sound better. My "monster set" is all solid and I love the sound of them. Plywood shells don't sound bad, but solid shelled drums just have a special sound that I and most drummers will desire.
 
Roland Street said:
I have found that I like solid shell drum sets better. I know a drummer and he is working with some people who make custom snare drums. I've heard them and solid drums just simply sound better. My "monster set" is all solid and I love the sound of them. Plywood shells don't sound bad, but solid shelled drums just have a special sound that I and most drummers will desire.
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Lauren would likely be able to purchase 3 complete used sets for the price of one solid snare.
 
malletchild said:
I'm looking forr a kit that will be used mostly for rock but also pretty versatile as I want to be able to play with as many different genres as possible. I'd like a kit that that I could rock out on but also play jazz if I needed to.
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There are quite a lot of options here. Best advice I can give you: Look for a drumset with a 20" kick. That bassdrum-size can be used in any musical context. Some good and not incredibly expensive drums with 20" kicks are e.g. the Yamaha Stage Custom and the Tama Silverstar - to name just two.

One of my drumsets is a Starclassic Birch/Bubinga with a 20x14 kick. Works great with rock, pop, latin and jazz. So, go to a store and try some 20" kick drumsets.
 
Wave Deckel said:
There are quite a lot of options here. Best advice I can give you: Look for a drumset with a 20" kick. That bassdrum-size can be used in any musical context. Some good and not incredibly expensive drums with 20" kicks are e.g. the Yamaha Stage Custom and the Tama Silverstar - to name just two.

One of my drumsets is a Starclassic Birch/Bubinga with a 20x14 kick. Works great with rock, pop, latin and jazz. So, go to a store and try some 20" kick drumsets.
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I really like the Yamaha hardware so I am really considering the Stage Customs.
 
malletchild said:
I really like the Yamaha hardware so I am really considering the Stage Customs.
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A lot of us here like the Yamaha hardware - their stuff is just solid. I've had my old Yamaha 7-series stands for years now and they still work like new. I'm a Pearl endorser but this Yamaha stuff has been the best so far. You can get whatever drums you want, but you can get just the Yamaha hardware, you know ;)
 
The discussion about brands is very similar to discussing brands of cars. Each brand makes small cars, family cars, SUV's, sports cars, etc. some are made locally, some in Europe, others in Japan, Korea, China. There are also boutique custom makers too. All if this also applies to drums.

So its hard to say one brand is best. A high end kit from any well known brand is going to be excellent, while each will have a slightly unique feel.

The discussion about spare parts, extra drums, etc. is quite important, so a long established brand/model is more likely to have parts available for years to come.
Mid range kits from Tama, Yamaha, Pearl, Ludwig, Gretsch, Sonor, DW and Mapex are made in Taiwan, (with one or two exceptions) and they are all good quality, well built, good sounding kits.

I agree with the 20" bass drum. Easier to carry around, versatile for many styles of music. Not quite as deep as a 22, but still loud and solid epnough.
 
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