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help me out here.


Tyler☮

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alright, so im trying to save up some money to buy a drum set, problem is i don't know shit about them, nor do i know anyone that does.

so basically i'm looking for one that costs about $500-$650. i don't need anything fancy, just the basics with a hi hat, crash and possibly ride.

if anyone can help its greatly appreciated  :-)

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Basically, if you're looking for a cheap, beginner set it'll most likely include: 2 rack toms, 1 floor tom, 1 bass drum, 1 snare, hi hat and a crappy 'crash' ride. Now. ALL DRUMS can sound good (or, as good as they can get) with the proper tuning and head choices. Room choice plays a big factor, too. What cannot be modified are those shitty cymbals that will come with that kit. You may have fun with it at first, but as you mature as a player, and see videos of drummers, etc. you will want to change them over.

The two 'beginner' levels of cymbals that aren't complete trash are Sabian's XS20 series and Zildjians ZHT series. You can buy these cymbals individually or in sets which usually include 14" hats, 16" crash and a 20" ride. You're often better off buying them in these pre-packs because it's usually a little cheaper and you usually get some sort of bonus (cymbal bag, sticks, head, whatever, depends). Also, you should look into ebay/craigslist for used cymbals of higher quality, you may be surprised of what deals you can fine.

Here's a PDP kit with Sabian cymbals for $699. PDP is under DW, one of the biggest drum companies in the business, and they have really upped their QC over the past years too. If you need any advice on anything in particular, I'll be glad to help you out!

http://drums-percussion.musiciansfriend.com/product/PDP-Mainstage-5piece-Drum-Set-with-Sabian-Cymbals?sku=712905

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thanks a bunch man! yeah i've heard that PDP makes good beginner kits. also, would you say that Sabian cymbals are good? ive heard they're not really good but the guy who told me that isn't really reliable.

Well, the sketchy thing about that site is that it doesn't tell you what series they're from. I'd say call if your interested for more details if they're "Camber by Sabian" run away and never look back. I had Sabian's lowest end, B8's for years before I finally upgraded. They did the job for me for what it was. I was also 14 at the time.

The dude who told you sabian cymbals aren't good isn't a knowledgable dude. I play high-end Sabian exclusively right now. I even have one of their Prototypes that never went into production - absolutely fabulous cymbal. What kind of music will you be playing? I can get a lot more in detail the more info you can hit me up with!

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thanks a bunch man! yeah i've heard that PDP makes good beginner kits. also, would you say that Sabian cymbals are good? ive heard they're not really good but the guy who told me that isn't really reliable.

Well, the sketchy thing about that site is that it doesn't tell you what series they're from. I'd say call if your interested for more details if they're "Camber by Sabian" run away and never look back. I had Sabian's lowest end, B8's for years before I finally upgraded. They did the job for me for what it was. I was also 14 at the time.

The dude who told you sabian cymbals aren't good isn't a knowledgable dude. I play high-end Sabian exclusively right now. I even have one of their Prototypes that never went into production - absolutely fabulous cymbal. What kind of music will you be playing? I can get a lot more in detail the more info you can hit me up with!

for sure! yeah what i've heard is that sabian and zildjian are the best. but i'm mostly going to be playing i guess what you'd call rock? i mean stuff like the beatles, rolling stones and just basic beats for songs im working on. maybe some blink though i know it'll sound nothing like travis with his 13 different cymbals. but yeah i don't know if that helps at all.

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We'll, ultimately you'll want to go for a brighter sound. In professional lines, Zildjian offers Avedis/A Custom and Sabian offers AA/AAX. All 4 of these brands have been used by the groups you mentioned above. Luckly, lower end cymbals carry similar bright properties - but with a little harsher overtones, and less variety in models. I would highly recommend Sabian Xs20/Zildjian ZHT in that case.

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im considering looking around at pawn shops first, i'm too stoked on getting these that i don't know if i can wait long enough to get $700 haha. any things to look out for on used drums?

9/10, if it's at a pawn shop already, it's junk. Sites like kijiji, craigslist, ebay will get you not only better quality, but usually better deals. One strategy: Inquire about what kind of set it is in the pawn shop, then go online to check the retail price, then haggle from there. Or, just take pictures and post it here, and I'll lay whatever I know down for you.

As the old saying goes 'you get what you pay for'. My personal advice, hold out and save. You'll feel much better after it's all said and done.

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Go on craigslist. That's where I got my drumset and it was a great deal. You can usually find a full drumset there for like $200 or $300. And then you can use the rest of your budget to upgrade the heads and the cymbals and you'll have a pretty good drumset.

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  • 3 weeks later...

alright so this is what i ended up getting. complete impulse buy, but my good friend who played drums for years was helping me out. i still need to buy a snare stand, cymbals, cymbal stands and a kick pedal. but i thought this was a good start:

tumblr_lm1bqylLqG1qbto9fo1_500.jpg

PDP M5 set

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