Before you can become the next world famous drummer, you’re going to need a drum set to display your skill on. And even though it may seem like a fairly simple task to buy a set, there are countless variables to consider when picking out a kit. Shell plys, wood types, and sizes are just a couple of things to consider. Every slight modification, even the smallest of details, can effect the sound a drum produces. It can help you a lot to listen to and play on different kinds of kits to determine what you like, and how big of a difference the type of wood, plys, et al have on a kit. A kit that I think sounds wonderful may sound horrible to you, so don’t take my, or anyone else’s word as a final answer. Test drive different types of kits before deciding which one you want to buy.
Before you can ask, “What kind of kit should I buy?” you have to ask yourself, “What kind of kit do I need?” Will you be playing rock or metal, or something lighter like jazz or latin? What your answer is determines what size of a kit you’ll need. Standard ‘rock kits’ usually come with a 14 inch snare, 22 inch bass drum, and toms at 12, 13, and 16 inch. Fusion kits are smaller, usually consisting of a 14 inch snare, 20 inch bass, and toms of 10, 12, and 14. As you might expect, the bigger the drum, both in diameter and and depth, the deeper pitch you can get out of the drum, and the smaller the drum, the higher the pitch. Also, the shallower the drum is, the faster attack it has. If you like your toms to be tuned mid-to-low, a rock kit would be for you, but if you want a higher pitch, you’d have a hard time tuning them higher while keeping a good tone.
Now that you know what size you need, it’s time to consider what type of wood you want. What type of wood a drum shell is made of is most likely the single most important variable about a drum. Oak, maple, and birch are the more high quality and three most popular types of wood on the market. Maple is the most versatile type of wood whether you’re looking for a high or low tuned set-up, and it can pack a lot of resonance. Birch is easier to tune, it’s also highly prized for recording the studio. Birch isn’t cheap, but of the ‘big three’ it’s the cheapest. Oak is the loudest of all types, it has a ‘boomy’ sound with lots of sustain. All three produce a nice sound in their own right, if you ask me, you really can’t go wrong with any of them. If you’re shopping on a budget and looking at cheaper kits, you may come across drums using woods such as popular and basswood. It bears repeating, before deciding on a wood type, test out different kinds of sets, if possible, before deciding.
Speaking of shells, you’re going to need to pick the ply number, the thickness of the shell, you want. The ’standard’ plys are 8-10 for wood snares, 10 for the bass, and 7-8 for toms. With thicker shell plys, the drum will be louder with more projection and tend to stay in tune longer than thinner shells. Thinner shells are quieter and have more of a wider tuning range. When deciding your desired thickness, the key is to find the right balance for your drumming needs. You could also consider steam-bent shells, they’re more expensive because of the more rigorous construction process, but you get your money’s worth as they have a truly great tuning range and sound tremendous.
You should also consider how you like/want your kit to be set-up. Usually drummers will have 2 toms mounted on the bass drum and 1 and a stand or legs, 2up 1down for short, or one of the bass drum and 2 on legs, 1up 2down. If you decide to have toms mounted on the bass drum, holes are going to drilled in the shell to accommodate the posts the toms will be mounted on, and extra holes in shells are never a good thing, they can choke out the sound you get from a drum. That said, it won’t completely kill the sound. While shopping around, you may have heard the term ‘virgin bass’, this a bass drum that does not have holes drilled or a mount on it for the posts. Something else to consider: if you do have posts sticking down into the bass drum, they could potentially get in the way and be a hassle if you decide to muffle with a pillow or blanket. If you want to avoid toms on the bass drum, you can get extra snare stands for them, or use clamps to attach them to a cymbal stand. As far as when you’re exactly playing on a kit, how and where you prefer to mount the toms depend on personal preference, once again, try before you buy.
The next thing to think about is the hoops, aka rims. Now, hoops don’t play as an important role on the overall sound, but they are some options you can pick from. There are three main types of hoops, flanged, die-cast, and wood. Flanged is by far the most popular, any drum set you buy will most likely come with flanged hoops, and you really get a good tuning range from them. Die-cast hoops are stronger, you can tune them very tightly without having to worry about them bending and flexing. Some drummers I know prefer them because of how they look, and they find that they tend to stay in tune longer. Wood hoops are also revered for their look, performance wise they tend to help achieve a duller attack, and on overall warmer sound. Another type of hoop is a reinforcement hoops, these are actually inside the drum shell near the bearing edge. Their main purpose is to stabilize the shell, preserving overall roundness. As drum-making technology becomes more and more advanced, the need for these hoops are minimal, but some drum makers, such as DW, still include them in some models. Drums with reinforcement hoops tend to have a higher pitch, they’re not needed, but you may want your kit to have them.
So now you’ve got a pretty idea of what kind of kit you want, now you’re thinking “Should I buy new or used?” If you are just starting at drums, it wouldn’t hurt to go used. If you start playing and then a couple months later you decide drumming isn’t for you, hopefully that won’t happen, but if it does, at least you saved a couple hundred dollars. Even if you’re not a new player, you can still find good deals on craigslist. You could also check out local music shops to see if they have used kits. If you’re not worried about your budget, buying new usually gives you a warranty if something is wrong with your set, and best of all you get that new drum smell. Just consider your budget when looking for a kit.
Let’s say you’ve decided to buy used, and you’ve found a kit you’re interested in. Obviously you’ll want to look it over before you decide to buy it, but what things should you look for to make sure it’s in good condition? First there’s the eye test, how does it look? Scratches and scuff marks on the outside of the shell(on the finish or wrap) won’t really effect the sound, just the appearance. Check out the lugs, hoops, and other hardware to make sure there’s no denting or rust. Use a drum key to turn all the tension rods to make sure they turn smoothly and aren’t bent. Ask the seller if you can take the heads off to check the inside of the shells for cracks and other damage, then put the hoops back on to make they slip right back on, if they don’t, either the hoops or the shells may be bent, either one will be a costly repair. Some of the *really* picky things to look at are the lugs. Lugs shouldn’t be in the middle of the drum, as that can hinder resonance. Snare lugs can be in the middle, because the tension rods pull off of each other to allow the snare to tuned as tightly as it usually is. Floor tom leg mounts also shouldn’t be in the middle. Bass drum spurs should be flexible to allow the drum to absorb the impact of the beater striking the head, but these two things won’t make or break a drum set.
Hopefully I’ve been able to simplify the drum-buying process for you. Just try to experiment on different types on sets to find the sound you like. Once you get your set, remember to check out FreeDrumLessons.com!
Note: This article was written by a member of the FreeDrumLessons.com drumming community. The overview was inspired by Jared & Dave’s drum show titled “Free Drum Lessons Live!“