Quote (Eep @ Nov 28 2009 05:10pm)
I suggest making an investment. You are better off buying a quality set of drums in case you DO decide to really get into it.
Also, they resell easier if you don't get into it.
As for price range, I'd say around $1200 or a little more. You ideally want a set consisting of:
1 Hi hat + Stand/pedal
1 Bass Drum + pedal
1 Snare drum + stand
3 Toms - High, medium, floor + stands (the high/medium toms are usually on a RACK and sometimes therefore are referred to as RACK toms, the floor tom will need a stand however)
1 Crash Cymbal + stand
1 Ride Cymbal + stand
1 Drum Throne ( GET A GOOD ONE! The more comfortable you are, the more you will want to play)
Sticks, obviously ( I might suggest starting out with some nylon tipped sticks )
Lengths/brands are up to you. I suggest, like many others will, learning how to replace the heads on your various drums and modding them a tad. Which you can find guides for online no doubt.
This is all my opinion of course. Some people might suggest Electric drums which, too, are also good to start on for much cheaper, but they wear out very quickly and don't really teach you much technical stuff. (Unless you want to spend $4000 on a top of the line e-kit which is CLOSE but still can't mimic a real acoustic kit)
Quote (Lifesong @ Nov 28 2009 07:59pm)
I honestly started with a set by a company by Pacific and as I became more serious, added onto it by buying new cymbals, remo drum heads, a new bass pedal, etc. The original set was about $400 and is worth quite a bit more with all the upgrades. That's honestly what I would recommend.
I agree with both of these guys. I have a set of TAMA, they're inexpensive and easy to add to, but they aren't really performance grade. You can change that with a decent set of heads and some dampening, but if you're going to go for it, I suggest spending some time trying out different sets at your local store.
I find that alot of shells sound the same....hoops and all that change it slightly, but if you want quality, you're gonna pay for it.
To begin with though...4-800 will get you a great set of drums. Cymbals are a whole other deal lol. They've got some package deals that come with them, but they're almost always crappy.
Agian, spend time trying them out before deciding. You may like one brand over another when you hear them.