Small and easy to transport drum kit

I'm seriously considering the Sonor Players set for rehearsals. Has anyone bought them yet, and if so, what are your thoughts around the 12x20 bass drum?
 
Based on my experience with the Safari (which is the same kit as the Players, only a 16 x 16) for rehearsals I think you'd love it. Just switch out the heads with one ply batter and clear reso and the sound will be much richer. I'm ready to get the Players in the near future due to the larger but more compact bass drum, although many on the forum have used the Safari kit for gigs. You'd need to adequately mic the bass drum and it will get the job done for small-mid sized gigs.
 
A concert tom type kit could be easier to transport at least take up less room in the van,truck,etc.

something else to ponder.

Bonzolead
 
drumdevil9 said:
14 inch "bass" drum. The madness is spinning out of control. Soon kits will include a microscope to find the kick.
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Naw, the smallest it can be is about 4" to accommodate the beater head. ;-) But just think, drum shells you can haul in your glove box. ;-)
 
+1 for the Taye Go-Kit.

Also, Pearl has the... Rhythm Traveler? Something like that, very shallow concert toms, small snare, 18x6 kick. Sounds pretty good when I played one once.
 
You are always going to make some kind of sacrifice when looking at small "portable" drum kits. Over the years, I've tried almost all of them. From Yamaha Hip Gigs to Modern Drum shop nesting kits. Over the summer, I purchased a Ludwig Breakbeat kit as another possible portable option to wheel around the city or use for smaller low volume gigs where space may be limited. I have to admit that I'm quite impressed with this little kit!! It sounds surprisingly good and is a true joy to play.

Dont get me wrong, It's not going to replace my Clasic Maples or any of my vintage WFL kits, but it is by far the most enjoyable of the "small" drum options I've tried. The toms are resonant and warm sounding throughout the entire tuning spectrum. Tuned low for rock and funk these things sound HUGE, yet sing beautifully tuned high for jazz. The bass drum has surprising low end presence and a very pleasing thump.

I have found myself over the past few months taking this little guy out on more gigs then I ever thought I would and have recieved nothing but compliments on how good it sounds...and it actually fits in one drum case (the ProTec CP200WL) so I end up showing up to the gig with one drum case, one hardware bag and a cymbal bag...ONE trip!!! For under $400 you really can't go wrong!!! Especially when you consider how expensive some of the other portable options can be with very little (if ANY) improvement of sound and playability.
 
RickP said:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BpmGso06imc

I would take the Whitney Nesting Penguin kits over any of those listed previously. These are great drums , extremely portable, lightweight , ease of setup and portable not to mention they sound great. These would be my next kit.
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Agreed. One of the very few options that are specifically designed for the purpose. Like all designs that have a focussed goal, the results are superb. That said, you get what you pay for, & the Whitney's, although reasonably priced IMO, are considerably more expensive than either scaled down standard constructions or split shells with clamps.
 
Hi Michael (and others) -

As an intermediate drummer looking for a set to practice on, would the stock heads that come with the Breakbeats be sufficient?

Thanks!
 
tunnelman3 said:
Hi Michael (and others) -

As an intermediate drummer looking for a set to practice on, would the stock heads that come with the Breakbeats be sufficient?

Thanks!
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I played a set with the stock heads at PASIC this past weekend and it sounded pretty good- they were tuned quite well. They might not be the best to gig with, and the toms are going to sound pretty dead no matter what with those faux-pinstripes, but they'd definitely work for practice.

Now, try some G1s or Ambassadors on there, and you can probably get some more tone!
 
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tunnelman3 said:
Hi Michael (and others) -

As an intermediate drummer looking for a set to practice on, would the stock heads that come with the Breakbeats be sufficient?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Certainly they'll work for practice but I expect you'll grow tired of the sound fairly quickly. I tapped on a Breakbeats at a store the other day and I thought it sounded awful especially the floor tom. Terrible choice of heads IMO. Real pinstripes might work but these cheap ones sound like feces. Even the resos sounded dead to me.
 
tunnelman3 said:
Hi Michael (and others) -

As an intermediate drummer looking for a set to practice on, would the stock heads that come with the Breakbeats be sufficient?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

IMO The stock heads are fine for practice, except for the snare. I had to change the batter head on the snare to get a sound that I was happy with (I tried a coated PS3 that I had lying around and tuned it high - it has a nice funky pop now).

The kick sounds decent with the stock heads but needs some careful tuning to get the best from it. It improved a lot when I changed the heads too.

The toms do tune up pretty easily even with the stock heads and I still have them on my Breakbeats kit. Of course as they wear out and get replaced with 'proper' heads, they will sound even better.
 
ncc said:
I'm seriously considering the Sonor Players set for rehearsals. Has anyone bought them yet, and if so, what are your thoughts around the 12x20 bass drum?
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20" x 12" is a great size. Certainly something I prefer to any 18" bass drum. If not especially well designed, they can be a little one dimensional compared to a 14" deep drum if the fundamental isn't strong, but at this price range, that's nit picking.
 
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