How to Buy a Drum Set

The Short Story

If you want to skip the analysis, here’s our recommendation:  For the lowest price on any full size drum set, buy the Pulse Pro 5 Piece Drum Set. This kit includes everything except the drum throne (the drummer's seat) and a pair of drumsticks.

For the lowest price on a name brand, high quality set, buy the Pearl Forum FZ drum set with black hardware. This kit includes everything you need including drumsticks. If you can spend more money without breaking the bank, you’ll get better sounding drums if you buy the Ludwig Accent CS Custom Elite set, Zildjian ZBT rock cymbal pack and the Sound Percussion drum throne (don’t forget the drumsticks).

The Medium Story

The amount of enjoyment you get from playing the drums is directly related to the quality of the set you play. Like many other goods, there are companies that mass produce low quality drum sets that end up in department stores, small music shops and online music stores. Spending a bit more money on a name brand, quality set will give you a much better experience than buying low cost, no-name drums. However, low cost drums are a great alternative if you are on a budget or you're not sure if drumming is for you.  For a little more than $300, you can buy a full size kit that will be good enough until you start playing professionally.

Taking the time to learn about the components of a drum set and how drums are constructed can greatly improve your buying experience. This will help you buy a drum set that fits your needs for the best value possible. If you buy a name brand drum set, you will enjoy your time behind the drums a lot more and, if you should ever decide to quit playing, the resale price will be better.

You will need to buy drums, cymbals, hardware, a drum throne, a bass drum pedal and drum sticks. Sometimes the bass drum pedal and drum throne are included with the hardware. When comparing prices, make sure that you have included the costs for all of these items. Name brand drums include TAMA, Pearl, Ludwig, Mapex, Sonor, Gretsch and Taye. Cymbal companies include Zildjian, Paiste, Sabian and Meinl. Look for standard drum sizes, measured by diameter. Standard diameters for mounted toms are 10”, 12” and 13”, floor toms are 14” and 16”, bass drums 20” and 22”, and snare drums 14”. Cymbal sizes are also measured by diameter. Standard diameters for cymbals are 16” and 18” for crash cymbals, 18” – 22” for ride cymbals and 13” and 14” for hi-hats. Most drum sets are not sold with drum sticks so you will need to buy sticks separately. Because of the variability in drum set ups and quality, I don’t recommend buying used drums for the first time buyer.

The Long Story

The purpose of this guide is to help you get a basic understanding of drum sets and provide you with enough information so that you can make an informed decision when purchasing your first drum set. We'll be examining the components of a drum set, providing a list of things to look for when buying a set and helping you understand the "language of drums." We hope you find this guide helpful as you embark on your journey into the world of drumming.

Parts of the Drum Set:
The drum set consists of three basic components: Drums, Cymbals and Hardware. Before finalizing a purchase, make sure that you have accounted for these three components. Common offers and pricing typically include one or two of the three components, such as, drums and hardware (without cymbals) or drums and cymbals (without hardware). Also, bass drum pedals and drum seats (called thrones) are not always included with the hardware. If you don't already have them, remember to buy drum sticks. Unless mentioned, drum sticks are not included with a drum set.

Drums:
The major drum manufacturers are based all over the world and include names like Pearl, TAMA, Ludwig, Gretsch, Mapex, Sonor and Taye. Drums are made from different woods and come in different sizes. Each drum consists of a wooden shell and plastic heads stretched across the open cylinder at each end of the drum. Hitting the drum heads causes the drum to resonate. As drummers, we are always striving to have our drums project a nice tone that is pleasant to the ear. Drum resonation and tone depends on the material and construction used to make the drums. To get the most resonance with the truest tone, it is best to have high quality wood, precisely cut bearing edges and a minimum amount of “stuff” attached to the drum shell. In this section, we will talk a lot about what does and doesn't make drums resonate.

Each drum in a set has a name, such as, tom (or tom-tom), snare, bass and floor tom. A typical drum set consists of one snare drum, one bass drum, one or two toms mounted on the bass drum and a floor tom. The snare drum sits flat between the drummer's legs and has metal wires (the snares) pulled against the bottom head of the drum to give a short, high-pitched rattle when the drum is hit. The bass drum has a low pitch and sits on the floor with one head facing the seated drummer. The bass drum pedal is a footboard attached to a mallet. This mallet hits the bass drum when the drummer presses their right foot (sometimes left) down on the footboard. Mounted toms are connected (mounted) to the top of the bass drum. They are tilted slightly toward the drummer so the heads are easier to hit. Floor toms are larger than mounted toms and are held up by legs that sit on the floor. This collection of drums (that is, snare, bass, mounted toms and floor tom) is sometimes called a shell pack. If you see a shell pack for sale, it is the drums only. Cymbals and hardware are not included in a shell pack.

Drum Shell Wood:
Drum shells are made from all different kinds of wood and, in some cases, clear acrylic. The wood defines the characteristics of the drum sound. Maple drums tend to be louder, more defined with better sounding low frequencies. Birch and poplar drums are more mellow. Birch drums tend to carry both low and high frequencies well. The most popular woods for good-valued sets are birch, poplar, basswood and luan. Maple drums tend to cost more.

Wood is not only important for tone but also for maintaining the bearing edge which affects the tone of the drum. Drum heads are tightened down against both ends of the drum shell cylinder. The drum head is stretched over the “bearing edge” of the shell. The bearing edge is cut at an angle around each end of the drum shell and it is important that this edge be precise and even. Drums made from higher quality, harder woods have better bearing edges that allow drumheads to resonate more, resulting in a better sounding drum.

Drum Sizes:
Drum sizes can be confusing because American drum companies tend to put the diameter first and the depth second but the rest of the world does it just the opposite. The main dimension is the diameter. Snare drums are usually 14" in diameter and 5"-6" in depth. High-pitched piccolo snares are smaller and sometimes used in addition to a regular snare drum. Mounted toms range in diameter from 8” to 12” and floor toms are usually 14” or 16”. Bass drum diameter is usually 20” or 22”.

Stains and Coverings:
Drums can be stained, just like furniture. Drums can also be covered with vinyl wraps. Stained drums come in all colors and can have some very wild designs. Stained drums also tend to sound better because the wood must be higher quality in order to look nice and not having a covering allows the drums to resonate more. For drums with coverings, the glue and application technique can affect the sound of the drum. Drum coverings that are not adhered strongly to the drum shell will warp, rattle and keep the drum from resonating. Coverings come in all colors with all kinds of different designs (such as, metal flake sparkles).

Rims and Lugs:
Metal rims fit over the drum head and hold it against the bearing edge of the shell. Screws, called tension rods, go through the rim and are screwed into the lugs, which are half circles of metal attached to the drum shell. The tone of the drum head is changed by loosening or tightening the tension rods. The number of lugs vary from 6 on small mounted toms to 12 on a bass drum.

Cymbals:
A basic set of cymbals for a drum set include a pair of hi-hat cymbals, one or two crash cymbals and a ride cymbal. The hi-hat is a pair of cymbals that are opened and closed using a pedal controlled by the drummers left foot. It is located close to the left side of the snare drum. Crash cymbals are used for loud accents. One crash cymbal is usually located on the left side of the drum set, between the hi-hat and the left mounted tom. A second crash cymbal is usually located on the right side of the drum set above the floor tom. The ride cymbal is a larger cymbal located on the right hand side of the drum set, above the right mounted tom. It is used by the drummer to keep time or "ride" through a song.

Good cymbals have a pleasing tone, with lots of highs and lows. You want cymbals that resonate, but not for too long. Like hitting lots of keys on a piano, cymbals that ring too long tend to get in the way of the sounds of a drum set. Cymbals are made from a combination of metals called an alloy. The sound a cymbal makes depends on the metal alloy, the cymbals size and thickness, and the way the cymbal was shaped or “hammered.” Cymbals are made from brass or bronze alloys. Brass cymbals are cheap but do not sound good. They tend to be very flat sounding without much resonance. The B8 bronze alloy (also known as malleable bronze) is 8% tin and 92% copper. B8 is used for less expensive, but good sounding cymbals (such as, Zildjian ZBT cymbals). The B20 alloy (20% tin and 80% copper) is used for higher quality cymbals. It is sometimes called bell bronze. Major cymbal manufacturers are Zildjian, Paiste, Sabian and Meinl.

Cymbals are sized by diameter with the most common diameters being even numbers. Ride cymbals are 18”, 20” or 22”, crash cymbals are 16” or 18” and hi-hats are either 13” or 14” in diameter.

Hardware:
Drum hardware refers to the shiny stands that hold ride and crash cymbals, a hi-hat stand, and a snare drum stand. These stands are chrome plated and are priced by the sturdiness of the stand. Stands have three legs attached to a two foot vertical tube. Inside the vertical tube are usually 2 other two-foot metal tubes that can be pulled up (“telescoped”) to a desired height. For ease of packing the legs fold up and the tubes can be compressed inside one another. Each leg of the stand can have one piece of metal (single-braced) or two pieces of metal riveted together (double-braced). Double-braced stands tend to last longer and be less likely to fall over. They are, however, heavier to carry. In many years of playing drums in many different environments, I’ve never had a single-braced stand collapse.

Hardware can also include a bass drum pedal and a drummer's seat (called a "throne"). Because of the personal taste drummers have for these two items, they tend to be sold separately (that is, not as part of a hardware pack). If the drum throne and bass drum pedal are not listed with the drum set or hardware pack, you will need to purchase them separately.

Conclusion:
I hope this guide helps you make an informed decision about your drum set purchase. Feel free to ask your drum merchant questions if something isn't clear. It's better to take the time up front to understand what you are getting than to be disappointed and have to take the time to do an exchange.

May your drum set purchase be the first step to spending many hours of enjoyment playing music!