Used Drum Kit recommendations

[Rmgreg]

I've been out of drums for a bit and recently picked up a very nice Roland TD-30 kit with Tama iron cobra double bass pedal. I play mainly rock and some country and would like to get a good pro level acoustic set for a music shed I'm building. I will likely buy used, something with at least 3 toms, Snare 3-5 cymbals. Are there any new kits that are reasonably priced that i should condisider? I was leaning towards DW, Pearl, Tama or Ludwig in no particular order. Any advice on particular series to watch for or avoid? I see alot of the K series cymbals. Is that a good all around choice? Advice, tips or recommendations appreciated.

I just saw a 57 piece used DW set for $2k online that has mics, amps, cymbals, roto toms and more. Seems like a crazy good deal

 

[bpaluzzi]

Just FYI: Those are definitely not DW drums

 

[Rmgreg]

Just FYI: Those are definitely not DW drums

Good to know. That's what the listing said. I thought it was too good to be true

 

[lossforgain]

Good to know. That's what the listing said. I thought it was too good to be true

Yeah -- and the seller calling it a "57 piece" is a giveaway that they either don't know anything about drums or that they live in their own world. The "piece count" should reflect drum shells only.

I'm not sure what your budget is, but if you're going to spend 2k on the whole set including hardware and cymbals, you're definitely going to need to buy used to get something more pro-level. You may be able to find a good deal on a used Ludwig Classic Maple or a Pearl Masters or a Tama Starclassic Performer in the 1k-1.2k range, leaving the rest for cymbals and stands. If it were me, Classic Maple or Starclassic Performer is what I'd buy.

 

[bassanddrum84]

Ludwig Epic Series Blonde Fade | Clark | Reverb

24, 14, 13, 16, 18” shells. 3 Decabons. 20, 19, 18, 17, 16” Meinl Classics Custom Extreme Metal Series Cymbals w 14” Hats. 18” & 14” Wuhan Chinas. 8” Wuhan Splash. 13” X-Hats w 6” bell. All black Mapex hardware.DOES NOT include throne, main HH stand and pedals. Mint condition!!!

reverb.com

 

[cashmanbashman]

Just FYI: Those are definitely not DW drums

absolutely not DW

 

[Tama CW]

Keep an open eye on Reverb, Ebay, FB, and CL in your region. Buy the best deal in a quality drum set with pro cymbals and hardware. That's your best deal. Buy one of those 5-10% of kits that are priced well enough where you essentially get the cymbals or drums for free. It happens a lot. There are crazy good deals all the time. Be patient and keep looking until one pops in your area and you are the first to call. Real DW kits in my region are in the $2000-$2500, with most of them sitting. And that's just for the shell packs. You can probably land a nice, unmolested, vintage Gretsch, Rogers, Slingerland, Ludwig 50's, 60's, 70's kit fully equipped in the $1000-$2000 range. I ran into a wonderful mint 7 piece Tama Starclassic Performer (all birch) Cherry Wine 2005 kit on Ebay (10,12,13,14,16,22, snare) earlier this year for $595....located only 1 hr from me. Only 2 of us bid on it. Yes, good deals can pop anywhere.

 

[Rmgreg]

Yeah -- and the seller calling it a "57 piece" is a giveaway that they either don't know anything about drums or that they live in their own world. The "piece count" should reflect drum shells only.

I'm not sure what your budget is, but if you're going to spend 2k on the whole set including hardware and cymbals, you're definitely going to need to buy used to get something more pro-level. You may be able to find a good deal on a used Ludwig Classic Maple or a Pearl Masters or a Tama Starclassic Performer in the 1k-1.2k range, leaving the rest for cymbals and stands. If it were me, Classic Maple or Starclassic Performer is what I'd buy.

I'd prefer to spend $3500 or less all in. I just stumbled on that listing a $2k. The Ludwig and Starclassic were high on my list. I am planning to likely need to get my own cymbals. Any thoughts on those?

 

[Rmgreg]

Keep an open eye on Reverb, Ebay, FB, and CL in your region. Buy the best deal in a quality drum set with pro cymbals and hardware. That's your best deal. Buy one of those 5-10% of kits that are priced well enough where you essentially get the cymbals or drums for free. It happens a lot. There are crazy good deals all the time. Be patient and keep looking until one pops in your area and you are the first to call. Real DW kits in my region are in the $2000-$2500, with most of them sitting. And that's just for the shell packs. You can probably land a nice, unmolested, vintage Gretsch, Rogers, Slingerland, Ludwig 50's, 60's, 70's kit fully equipped in the $1000-$2000 range. I ran into a wonderful mint 7 piece Tama Starclassic Performer (all birch) Cherry Wine 2005 kit on Ebay (10,12,13,14,16,22, snare) earlier this year for $595....located only 1 hr from me. Only 2 of us bid on it. Yes, good deals can pop anywhere.

Nice and yes that's how I make all purchases. I got my mint Roland TD-30 for $1,000 by shopping around and being willing to drive 5 hrs to BFE. I was unsure about the vintage sets so I'm glad you mentioned them. I'm pretty "vintage" myself so I've always liked the older sets with some history but didn't know if there had been improvements in quality or technology in newer sets. I play a silver sparkle older Ludwig set in lessons that he said was a mid range set and I really like the look and feel.

 

[lossforgain]

I'd prefer to spend $3500 or less all in. I just stumbled on that listing a $2k. The Ludwig and Starclassic were high on my list. I am planning to likely need to get my own cymbals. Any thoughts on those?

Cymbals are certainly personal preference. Pro level baseline stuff would be Zildjian Avedis or A Custom, or Sabian AA or AAX. The Sabian stuff in those lines can often be had for great prices.

 

[Rmgreg]

absolutely not DW

He listed it is a DW but it's PDP by DW double Drive set

 

[Rmgreg]

Any thoughts on this Gretsch kit? https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...catalina-maple-shell-pack-7-pc-silver-sparkle

 

[Rmgreg]

Cymbals are certainly personal preference. Pro level baseline stuff would be Zildjian Avedis or A Custom, or Sabian AA or AAX. The Sabian stuff in those lines can often be had for great prices.

Like these?

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/25005XCPB--sabian-aax-performance-cymbal-pack

Or

Sabian AA Performance Cymbal Set - 14/16/21 inch - with Free 18 inch Crash - Sweetwater Exclusive

4-piece Cymbal Set with 16" Crash, 14" Hi-hats (Pair), 21" Ride, and FREE 18" Crash

www.sweetwater.com

Or

Zildjian A Custom Cymbal Set - 14-, 16-, 18-, and 20-inch

A Custom Cymbal Pack with 14" Hi-Hats, a 16" Crash, and a 20" Medium Ride, Plus a Bonus 18" Crash

www.sweetwater.com

 

[lossforgain]

Like these?

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/25005XCPB--sabian-aax-performance-cymbal-pack

Or

Sabian AA Performance Cymbal Set - 14/16/21 inch - with Free 18 inch Crash - Sweetwater Exclusive

4-piece Cymbal Set with 16" Crash, 14" Hi-hats (Pair), 21" Ride, and FREE 18" Crash

www.sweetwater.com

Or

Zildjian A Custom Cymbal Set - 14-, 16-, 18-, and 20-inch

A Custom Cymbal Pack with 14" Hi-Hats, a 16" Crash, and a 20" Medium Ride, Plus a Bonus 18" Crash

www.sweetwater.com

Those are the series I mentioned, but used ones can be bought for much less if you look around. There are some here for sale on the forum, or Reverb/eBay, Guitar Center’s used website, etc.