My cousin’s son will be 13 in January. He’s been playing on a practice pad for a year now. I guess there’s a real snare for him to play on at school. And his parents have pretty much paid off the “Bell Set” (I think it’s a glockenspiel) they rented to own. And it sounds like the boy has the fever. Give him 2 pencils he’ll drum on something. 2 carrot sticks, long french fries, it doesn’t matter.
Now, his parents are considering getting him a drum kit for his Bar Mitzvah. Now, all mom knows about drums are is that they’re loud. I’ve been in bands as a guitarist where I’ve become somewhat familiar with them. I’ve tried them out a bit. Not much I’ll be the first to admit, but I told my cousin that if she didn’t mind, I’d do some research for her. I think I know some of the questions to ask, at least. So, that’s what I’m doing here now.
Back in my day, what seemed like a good set was a 4 drum Ludwig kit. Bass, snare, floor tom, and tom that fit on the bass (is there a specific name for that kind of tom tom?). For cymbals, they wanted Zildjian; 16" high hat, 20" crash, and a 22" ride. One guy I played with had “sizzlers” on his ride, but I never saw anyone else with them.
So, is that a good starter set nowadays? I’m thinking if he stuck with a practice pad for a year, it’s worth getting him a kit, he won’t let it collect dust. What size mounted tom should he get? I suspect there are more brands a little less expensive than top of the line. Paste cymbals? What are the good (not necessarily great) brands around now? They’re not wealthy and would rather pay less than $1,000. I did a quick google and saw a new 5 piece (2 mounted toms, I guess) for $600 and a used 4 drum kit for $300. She said she didn’t mind a gently used kit, she didn’t mind having to replace the heads.
Oh, and what about model years? Will stores try to clear out last year’s kits to make room for the new model year? And if so, when does the new model year start?
Not a drummer, but the drum on top the bass drum is called a “riding tom,” Paiste has an “I” in it, and the phrase “Gently used kit” almost made me nasal the keyboard.
If the tom is mounted on the bass drum, it’s usually called a “rack tom” and toms on the floor that stand on their own are called “floor toms.”
For a 13 year old just starting out, the small kit you mentioned should be fine. You can always add pieces later on based on preference (more toms, cowbell, wind chimes, more cymbals) and or skill level.
As for the size of the toms, they’re usually standard when you buy a kit. Most likely a 10, 12 and 14" set of toms with a 22" kick drum and a 14" snare. Here’s a link to a great starter set that’s reasonably priced : PDP Z5 Drum Set with Cymbals
Best brands (IMHO) are Ludwig and DW, but they can get very very expensive. Well into 5 figures when you add in custom hardware and such.
I never gave much thought to model years. Once he starts playing a kit on a regular basis he’ll develop his own style and preferences, so that will determine future purchases and how much $$$ to spend.
For a first kit for a kid under 16, I’d recommend finding a decent used set. I got a perfectly serviceable kit (bass, snare, hi hat, 2 rack toms, floor tom, ride cymbal) for $240 thru Craigslist.
Seeing as how I am not a drummer (just a guy who makes noise with drums), this was fine for me. As I learn I’ll replace or add to the kit until I have a huge whopping 38 piece kit with a hoverthrone (in my head I’ll have this someday).
I went through several used kits before I got my recording customs. The thing to pay attention to is what shape the hardware is in. If it’s in bad shape the rack Tom(s) will slip out of place, the cymbals will flop over, a pedal will come apart in the middle of a song, etc. With the drums themselves all you need to do is replace the heads from time to time and learn to tune them. I would maybe concentrate spending more on the snare and cymbals. Cymbals can be expensive but they last forever if you take care of them. Bad-sounding cheap cymbals are uninspiring and can kill the sound of the whole band.
I laughed when my cousin said “gently used” and told her “Hell, you do understand the idea is to pound them with sticks, right?”
My nephew in law was a sort of professional drummer. He had a day job, but the band he was in was a house band in a club in LA (well, they’d play 2 weeks, then the other band would play the next 2 weeks, then repeat) and they did an annual summer European tour. They even played at the Cavern in Liverpool. And they recorded a couple of CDs. He said they might have broken even. That lasted until my niece got pregnant with twins.
Anyway, he said Ludwig, Tama, and Pearl are good and make starter priced kits and a 4 or 5 drum kit will work well as a starter. He also said 14" high hat, 16" crash, and 20" ride would be good. He further said Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend, and ZZZound are available online and are competitively priced.
Now, it seems the boy’s best friend also is a drummer. Okay, now I remember guitar playing buddies and I guess this is the same sort of thing. Non-musicians won’t understand. Anyway, this friend’s parents are drummers who met when they were both in the Ohio State marching band. I asked, my cousin is friendly with them, so there’s someone she can go to for help putting it together and stuff.
Cousin sort of flipped out when I mentioned she’d want to get cases too for when he’s in a band and wants to practice. She never figured he’d want to play in a rock band. And then I told her if she didn’t get cases, that means the band would always have to practice at her house. So, that got her on board with the cases right away. Do cases generally come with a kit? I’m not talking airline cases, but something to put them in to load into a car.
BTW, Guitar Center and Musician’s Friend are the same company. Sam Ash is another excellent retailer that you can find online if they don’t have a store in your area; I can vouch for them as I’ve been a customer here in Las Vegas, in NYC and online for a couple of decades now.
I concur with the others. My personal kit is a Tama. One nice thing about Tama is their excellent hardware. The thing that will break the bank is cymbals. My parents didn’t get me any cymbals when I was a kid and I really wish they had. I didn’t play on my drums much because it isn’t much fun without cymbals. So, be sure to get some kind of cymbals. They don’t need to be Zildjian Zs. Get anything. Sabian B8 is better than nothing at all.
IME, no. I’ve never seen them be included. On the other hand, most drummers I’ve worked with haven’t needed cases. Drums usually ride well in a vehicle, as long as you learn to stack them right. My current drummer has a Rodgers set that’s older than I am. He’s been playing shows with them for almost 20 years without cases, and they still look good.
Now, if other people are going to be handling your drums, or if you’ll be stacking them in a van with everyone else’s equipment: I’d recommend cases out of the box.
