As a drum salesman for over 25 years the most common phrase I hear from parents is  I want to buy my child a starter drum set, but not sure if they will stay with it, so what do you have that's cheap?

The truth this day and age is drum sets are out there for $200.00, now that's cheap!, great deal? good enough to start with?  how can a set be so low in price? Is this truly a good buy?

Here's some insight. First off, bottom line you get what you pay for. Drumming is a very physical instrument and the off brand sets will break down and cause frustration to the player.

Most off brand sets have very low quality metal parts or plastic parts that look like metal. I have seen plastic parts used in high stressed areas such as tom mount brackets and bass drum support legs. The bass drum holds up two other drums and takes allot of pounding. The bass drum legs are vital in keeping the set sturdy and lasting over time. If the bass drum legs fail, the set is un-useable.

I have also seen chrome covered plastic tuning lugs. The tuning lugs are under extreme pressure in order to keep tension on the drum playing surface. Plastic tuning lugs will crack and cause the drum head to become unusable. Again, it can be difficult to notice plastic parts due to the part having a chrome plated appearance.

Replacement parts can be hard to come by,  as the overseas sellers only ship complete sets to the stores that sell off brand sets. You can buy upgraded parts,  but the cost adds up fast and before you know it you are spending more then what a brand name set would have cost.

Quality built sets will have all metal parts NO PLASTIC. Bass drum will have at least 8 tuning lugs a side, 12" and 13" tom toms will have 6 tuning lugs per side, snare drum 8 to 10 tuning lugs per side. Wood or metal shell on the snare is fine, one is not better than the other.  16" floor toms will have 6-8 lugs per side. Sets with less tuning lugs then listed will be very hard to tune and stay in tune.

The color you see on the drum set is a plastic covering. All the drum makers use plastic covering on thier sets. There is a difference though. Low cost sets use a very thin plastic which will bubble and pop off the shell. Brand name sets use a thicker plastic and warranty the covering for a year. I have only seen the better quality covering go bad when a customer allowed the set to be in direct hot sun.

Other ways off brand sets cut costs is with drum head quality. They are very thin and extremely hard to tune up. Most modern brand name sets will come with a better quality drum head and a "muted" bass drum head which helps to achieve an excellent tone. 

Cymbals supplied with starter sets are usually low grade bendable, dentable quality. You will upgrade soon after, as they will sound horrible. Most brand name sets come with a non dentable,  better sounding cymbal that will work just fine for a year or two.

The bottom line is if you are 99% sure your child is not going to play drums for more then a week buy a $200.00 set, it will serve the purpose. If your child is taking lessons, shows a great interest in playing drum, then spend a little more and get a set that will sound better, last longer, and above all retain some resell value. The low cost set goes to the curb when done with, brand name sets go up for resale, and will help to finance the next set or thier next interest.

Price points, brand name sets at a nice discount will range from $399.00 - $599.00. The off brand sets price around $199.00 - $299.00.

Remember brand name sets will have a full warranty on drums and stands, replacement parts available, better heads, better cymbals, build quality better, hardware stronger, and better resale.

Good luck shopping, ask questions on the build quality and who makes the set. Stick with the major music companies and you will invest in a quality instrument your child will love to play and last for years to come.

Hope this helps, please CLICK YES at the bottom if it has. E-mail for any questions, glad to help.

Thank you,  

George's Pro Percussion