Drums

[Participant]

Hi all

My daughter (12) is getting into playing the drums. She's had a few lessons at a local music school and we want to get her a starter kit for Christmas.

It can't really be acoustic unfortunately as it would disturb us and our neighbours, who we like and are getting on a bit.

I believe my main choices are Tourtech (budget), Yamaha (middle), or Roland (higher end).

Is that right and would you have any recommendations for a kit please, say for around £400?

Thanks.

 

[NickK]

I have a Roland v-drums set. I found the mesh heads provide a better feel but the offerings have moved on since I got mine.

Other things to think about:
* throne
* kick pedal if they don't provide

Also one tip is if you find the kick noise too much, you can put a sheet of plywood down on top of 1/2 tennis balls with the kit on top of that to reduce the vibrations.

 

[Participant]

I have a Roland v-drums set. I found the mesh heads provide a better feel but the offerings have moved on since I got mine.

Other things to think about:
* throne
* kick pedal if they don't provide

Also one tip is if you find the kick noise too much, you can put a sheet of plywood down on top of 1/2 tennis balls with the kit on top of that to reduce the vibrations.

Thanks for this. What does this look like to you?

Roland TD-02KV V-Drums Kit Bundle

Bundle offer comprising Roland TD-02KV V-Drums Kit E-Drum Set Drum rack with 4 legs, cabling and drum key, Required surface area approx.: 120 x 80 cm Set configuration: 1x PDX-8 two-zone mesh-head snare pad, 3x PD-4 Mono tom pads, 1x Crash pad...

www.thomann.de

Includes throne, headphones, sticks, pedal and mesh. Seems quite good? £449.

 

[Maccy]

Honestly, at this price point I would be looking at used.

There’s a very good Facebook group called Just Drums UK Sale or Trade - have a look on there because you’ll get so much more for your budget.

 

[NickK]

Thanks for this. What does this look like to you?

Roland TD-02KV V-Drums Kit Bundle

Bundle offer comprising Roland TD-02KV V-Drums Kit E-Drum Set Drum rack with 4 legs, cabling and drum key, Required surface area approx.: 120 x 80 cm Set configuration: 1x PDX-8 two-zone mesh-head snare pad, 3x PD-4 Mono tom pads, 1x Crash pad...

www.thomann.de

Includes throne, headphones, sticks, pedal and mesh. Seems quite good? £449.

It will get her practicing.

The snare is mesh - so that will give the best starting point for ghost notes and rimshots etc.

I always find the cymbals a little weird feeling to real ones but that's not surprising. I see one of the cymbals has a stop so she can practice that (although it's not entirely the same feel as a doing it on a real one. The bigger kits simply add things like multiple zones and stop on each cymbal etc.

The toms are pads but given I've not used the rimshots on my mesh toms they will do for 99% of music.

The sounds from the controller will be good enough - later she will want an upgrade (I have a TD-6KX and that sound processor isn't as good as the upper models). In the end it will get her practicing with timing. If she can plug in her iPhone/pad/music and jam along then that's even better to get her using it in addition to the inbuilt metronome.

Throne looks good and adjustable. The only negative is the kick drum - it's a pedal rather than a real kick pedal onto a pad. Quieter but she may find there's some adjustment to a real pedal if she takes lessons. Good for quiet and a good starting point - although you may find she wants to upgrade with the kick pedal... it may be possible to add a bass drum pad at a later date (so you could look at that).

I paid a load more for my TD6-KX at the time to get the mesh snare (it was all or nothing), and I quickly added another cymbal. It's good that this has a mesh head for the snare.. it helps a lot with the nuances of snare playing (as much as an ekit can).

Personally it would get her moving. It's a known brand (thus spares and often kit can be upgraded within reason) and should be a good starting stepping stone.

As Macy has said - used would get you more.. a better processor (but older), and all mesh however in the end - it will be a stepping stone.

The other point - back in the day I remember taking this around to a mate with a xbox and connecting it up (he had a MIDI to xbox interface) so playing some of the games there with the real kit was fun! Now it's possible to connect to iPad apps etc to help learning etc.

 

[NickK]

Oh on the sticks..

I have both 7A and 5B.

7A - thinner diameter, lighter stick that's good for lighter stuff and smaller fingers
5A - general all arounder
5B - heavier (and thicker/heaver than a 7A) - good for heavier rock
2B - even chunkier than the 5B - heavy rock

I learnt with 7A then switched to 5B, however I quite like the thinner profile of the 7A.

You may want to add a stick bag in to that - if it has a strap on the top then even better - it can strap to the drums frame.

Keep an eye on the tip of the sticks. As they wear/chip the increased roughness can start damaging the kit. So worth having a spare set in reserve for a few months down the line. Cheaper for new sticks than a new mesh head or worse a completely new pad (as the rubber is not replaceable separately).

 

[jaybee]

Have a look at Alesis. Often get more bang per buck with them.

 

[Scuzi]

My young lad is 11 and started playing a couple of years ago. We started off with similar requirements and initially bought him a Yamaha DTX kit. He loved it but it very quickly became limiting as his drum tutor wanted to move him on to some techniques that couldn’t be done on the electric kit. We ended up buying an acoustic kit and fitting it with Remo Silentstroke mesh heads and low volume cymbals. Obviously it is louder than an e kit but it’s certainly within the realms of acceptable for the neighbours. He also says that he enjoys playing the acoustic kit so much more. Something to consider if you think your daughter will get into it seriously.

 

[Participant]

Hi all. Just got back from PMT in Birmingham.

Fantastic mind blowing music shop, but I am now £750 poorer as we have ordered her a Roland TD07 something kit with stool and peddle.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[sidimmu]

For a cheap start electric kit, check out a brand called Donner.
Only started a few years ago, but seen some people reviewing them and they seem well above quality level for their price. #

This is their site;

Electronic Drums

We are pleased to offer the newest electronic drum sets for beginners in Donner UK. Explore and buy suitable digital drum sets for your music dream.

idonner.eu

The issue you might have is finding one though, not a lot of stock about.


Edit: Just seen you bought something already, my apologies! Hope the daughter enjoys! Let us know if you need help with Double pedals

 

[Scuzi]

Hi all. Just got back from PMT in Birmingham.

Fantastic mind blowing music shop, but I am now £750 poorer as we have ordered her a Roland TD07 something kit with stool and peddle.

Thanks for the advice.

Nice kit. I’m sure she’ll be very happy with that!

I’ll warn you though, it can get expensive. I thought we were all done when we got the acoustic kit but in pursuit of very specific cymbal sounds for recording, I’ve recently been rinsed for a similar amount. With the Roland you should be able to dodge that for a while.

 

[Maccy]

Lost count how many thousands I’ve spent on drum gear over the year, Roland TD27 and my DW Collectors are just a couple of “small” purchases

 

[ianh]

In a step well known to PC folks, owners of Electronic Drums often get "G.A.S" attacks - Gear Acquisition Syndrome - and, like Maccy above, I have spent my fair share moving from a "beginner" kit like the Roland TD-3 in the mid 2000's, through to a TD-6 before finally stopping at a very heavily modded TD-12 with custom sounds, custom drums, custom cymbals etc when I realised the next "step" up was worth £5k+ which was just, to me at the time, silly money.

I eventually sold up after about 10 years due to lack of space/time but every know and again I find myself on Jobeky's custom E-Drum website looking at prices

 

[sigma]

Ah, my kit is locked away and I'm still very much a learner (or non-learner)

 

[redeye]

stopping at a very heavily modded TD-12 with custom sounds, custom drums, custom cymbals etc when I realised the next "step" up was worth £5k+ which was just, to me at the time, silly money.

I know that feeling. I bought a TD17-KVX in 2018. I've changed pads, bought new drum sounds etc. I've given up modding it now as I yearn for an accoustic kit and there are just so many things that don't feel right trying to play on this edrum kit, now I'm 5 years in.

We ended up buying an acoustic kit and fitting it with Remo Silentstroke mesh heads and low volume cymbals. Obviously it is louder than an e kit but it’s certainly within the realms of acceptable for the neighbours. He also says that he enjoys playing the acoustic kit so much more. Something to consider if you think your daughter will get into it seriously.

I've got a garage now at last and I'm thinking of doing exactly that. I haven't heard Slientstroke's in real life but do you still get a good feeling of the tone of each drum? Can you still easily have music in ears and hear the drums over it? I really hope it can work as I'd then sell my TD17 and would be able to afford something really nice.

Other option is to try and build an isolated area in the garage and have normal heads, but that's a ton of work and the place is rented.

 

[Scuzi]

I know that feeling. I bought a TD17-KVX in 2018. I've changed pads, bought new drum sounds etc. I've given up modding it now as I yearn for an accoustic kit and there are just so many things that don't feel right trying to play on this edrum kit, now I'm 5 years in.




I've got a garage now at last and I'm thinking of doing exactly that. I haven't heard Slientstroke's in real life but do you still get a good feeling of the tone of each drum? Can you still easily have music in ears and hear the drums over it? I really hope it can work as I'd then sell my TD17 and would be able to afford something really nice.

Other option is to try and build an isolated area in the garage and have normal heads, but that's a ton of work and the place is rented.

Yeah it can work. We found that a bit of gaffer tape over the heads made a world of difference. The toms can be relatively quiet but it works out fine. Check out my sons videos, the ones not in the studio are on the silenced home kit:

He plays the music through a speaker and plays along with ear defenders or earplugs. Seems to get on okay. He does say he prefers the feel of traditional heads much more but the silent strokes are less of a compromise than an electronic kit.

 

[Journey]

Didn't want to create another thread, but I just picked up a used Yamaha kit, based around the DTX502 drum module, I think it is the 552 kit but not totally sure. There was no kick pedal with it so I bought a Tourtech one as I was told this would be fine.
It also came with a Roland PM-03 drum monitor and assume extra cables.
Total was £285 plus the pedal, was I ripped off, know nothing about drums and it was an impulse purchase for my guitar playing child?

TIA.

 

[ristac]

Hi all. Just got back from PMT in Birmingham.

Fantastic mind blowing music shop, but I am now £750 poorer as we have ordered her a Roland TD07 something kit with stool and peddle.

Thanks for the advice.

Lethal having a budget and walking into a specialist shop, you just know you’re going to come out having spent “too much”.

Hope she enjoys it

 

[Scuzi]

Didn't want to create another thread, but I just picked up a used Yamaha kit, based around the DTX502 drum module, I think it is the 552 kit but not totally sure. There was no kick pedal with it so I bought a Tourtech one as I was told this would be fine.
It also came with a Roland PM-03 drum monitor and assume extra cables.
Total was £285 plus the pedal, was I ripped off, know nothing about drums and it was an impulse purchase for my guitar playing child?

TIA.

You got a relative bargain. Nice work! Hope your kid enjoys it as much as mine does!

 

[Journey]

You got a relative bargain. Nice work! Hope your kid enjoys it as much as mine does!

Thanks, wasn't at all sure and no literally nothing about drum kits. I am sure it will be very much appreciated it as a way of making yet more noise (music I hope) in the house.