Drummer checking in. I’ve bought a few kits and restored a few, so I’ll try to help out until someone, more experienced checks in.
The kit you’ve linked to is okay. The pros are that you get everything you need, all at once. The cons are that some of those pieces you will outgrow or just not like all that much once you’ve been playing.
I would second the notion to go out and find a good used kit. Every drum manufacturer makes entry level models now, even Gretsch. Drum Workshop makes a very competent line called Pacific.
Here’s my take on a few of your questions.
Mapex is a perfectly fine company, more of a mid-range drum line. Drum tone is determined by a lot of things; shell material, thickness, number of plys, dampening caused by mounting hardware, sharpness of bearing edges, diameter and depth of the drum, top head thickness and tension, bottom head thickness and tension. That said, with some practice tuning, you can coax a lot of sound out of a drum.
I personally own a 24" bass drum, and I would encourage you to stay away from those for now. For no other reason than they are hard to tune, and the head selection is a little more limited. You’ll be able to walk into any drum store and get a 20 or 22 inch head. A 24 you’ll have to order.
“Fusion” kits are the oppostie of the rock star kits of the 80’s. Drum styles go in cycles, and todays trend is tomorrow’s has-been. In the 80’s everyone wanted deep tom drums (the ones mounted above the bass drum). meaning, the depth of the drum was greater than the diameter. Nowadays, they’ve gone to shallower dimensions. The kit you linked to is a very “standard” size. 22" bass drum, two toms, 12 and 13, a 16 floor tom and a 14 snare. Fusion kits, as Daddy times two says, have a smaller size. Usually a 20 in bass drum (or even 18), 8" and / or 10" rack toms, 14" floor tom. Snare size of 14" is pretty universal, but again you can get smaller or larger if you really want, and if you really want to spend all of your time trying to find head for them.
I think you’ll outgrow the hardware that comes with the Mapex kit pretty quickly. And the cymbals? Again, daddytimes two nailed it. A cymbal is what it is. And crappy ones sound bad forever. Don’t forget, every manfacturer makes good and bad, for the most part, so just because it says Zildjian doesn’t mean anything.
If you’ve got the cash, get a decent shell pack for 300 to 400. I haven’t looked, but lines like Tama, ludwig, pacific and mapex are fine starting points. Don’t get hung up on wood types. At this price range, you’re only going to be able to afford laminate plys, but those are fine! Really! I had $300 Apollo kit that I put $150 worth of new head on and made it sound great. Higher end kits are maple. I have a big gretsch kit, but to be honest, it’s really hard to tune and have it sound good. When it’s in tune, it’s a thing of beauty. But I literally spend a few hours tuning EACH DRUM. You don’t want to do that, do you?
The other thing I don’t really like about the kit you linked to is the two toms are 12 and 13. Again, this is standard, but I personally have never liked the 13 tom and am waiting for this trend to go away. Not enough distinction from the 12, in my humble opinion. But, each his own. It’s a personal bias.
I’d spend another $300 to $400 on cymbals. Again, they are what they are, and cheap ones sound that way. There’s nothing wrong with visiting pawn shops and trying some out. Just inspect them carefully, check all the edges for nicks. Look especially for something called “keyholing” . Look at the hole in the center of the cymbal; if it’s not perfectly round, forget it. This is a result of a cymbal on a stand without a plastic sleeve between the stand and the cymbal; eventually, it wears part of that metal away, and it will split shortly.
I’m partial to Zildjian, though I also own Bosphorous and Paiste. A nice set of Zildjian A cymbals will serve you well in almost any setting. Stay away from Z, they are unlathed and made for heavy hitters (you have to hit the sh*t out of them to sound good, tap them and they sound like crap).
Some pitfalls to avoid:
Avoid the lure of double braced hardware. I bought all Drum Workshop double braced hardware. My snare stand weighs 14 pounds. Carry that a few times and you’ll hate it. Unless your gigging, or have a roady, single braced is fine.
If you buy a used kit, the only thing you should give a crap about are the bearing edges, the part that the head touches. Well, not the only thing, but if the edges are damaged, the drum will be an endless headache. Older drums have rounded edges, which produces more of a thud, newer ones have sharper edges, which have more attack.
Get a good throne. You won’t get far with independence if you’re worried you’re going to fall over.
Don’t be afraid of old gear. If someone offers you and old rogers bass drum, take it. And give it to me.
Go online and look up Professor sound’s drum tuning bible. read it. read it again. You can get radically different sounds out of drums by your head weight and tension. I’ve talked to plenty of touring drummers who still have the first kit they ever bought, and record with it. Drummers of the 60’s played and recorded with gear you couldn’t give away at a Guitar Center.
If you have the luxury, and any cash left, get a decent pedal. This is truely an individual choice, with no two people agreeing. You could spend $200 on a bass drum pedal if you wanted to. Your pedals are 1/2 of your connection with the drum kit.
Okay, I’ve prattled on too long. Keep us posted and write specifics and I’ll try to answer as best I can.
