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Drums:
Having a top-of-the-line pro drumset is not critical for a student- most economy/student model drumsets by major companies (Gretsch, Yamaha, Tama, Premier, Pearl) are of much higher quality now than in the past, and it's usually not hard to get a decent sound from them (so long as they haven't been abused by a previous owner). Remember before you buy new: student level gear usually doesn't have the same resale value as pro gear does, so make sure you shop around for the best deal. Look for free shipping if you're shopping online.
A better option might be to buy used: you may be able to get a decent older pro-level set for the same amount you were going to pay for the new student-level set, or you may be able to get a screaming deal on the student drums.
Check the condition of used drums carefully- there are enough good cheap drumsets floating around that you can afford to be picky. I wouldn't buy a used set that appears any more than lightly used. Everything should be shiny, no scuffs on the finish. Heads can and should be replaced regularly, so don't worry if they're beat up (though that might be an indication of how well or poorly the owner cared for them).
A number of companies have come out with cheap compact kits for gigging drummers who don't want to schlep around a lot of gear. They're usually about the same quality of drum as the student or semi-pro lines but in very small sizes- 16" or 18" bass drum, 10" tom, 13" floor tom and 12 or 13" snare. They sound surprisingly good and can be found used for $300-400. They might be good option if you're not playing a lot of high volume music. The best deal on this type of kit seems to be the Tama Imperialstar Compact (till recently known as the Stagestar), which you should be able to get online for $450-500 including shipping. Other sets of this type include the Gretsch Catalina, Yamaha Manu Kache, and Taye Spotlight.
Avoid:
- Student drums by Ludwig, Gretsch Blackhawk, or by off-brands like Taye.
- Used student sets more than about 10 years old.
- "Power" (extra-deep) toms or single-headed toms; these have a specialized sound and I recommend against them for students. You're more likely to find these on student or pro drums from the 80's.
- Oddball finishes that may make the drums harder to resell when it's time to upgrade- natural wood grain or solid colors are best.
- Fiberglass or transparent drums. They sound terrible and, in the case of the transparent ones, look a little silly on most gigs.
- Single-headed toms or bass drum. Single-headed toms have a very dated sound that is not appropriate to most musical situations. If the kit was originally set up for 2 heads, but the owner removed the bottom ones, make sure he kept all the hardware (rims, lug casings and lugs) so you can put them back on.
Beware:
-Companies are constantly changing updating their lines, so be sure if the drums you are buying are student or pro models. A Google search on the company and series name of the drums may be helpful.
-For many years, the standard student-model drumset came with a 22" bass drum, 12" & 13" rack toms, and a 16" floor tom. There are millions of these drumsets out there, and it's often possible to pick up sets very cheaply, but avoid them if you can. Smaller drums (particularly a 14" floor tom and 20" bass drum) are usable in more situations, and more resalable.
A good beginner's set-up should include:
20" (or 18" or 22") bass drum
One (12" or 13"), or two (10" & 12" or 12" & 13") tom-toms (mounted on the bass drum).
One (14" or 16") or two (14" & 15", or 14" & 16") floor toms (mounted on legs).
14" (maybe 13") snare drum. 4" to 8" deep is usable, but I suggest sticking to 5" or 6.5" deep.
2 cymbal stands.
Snare drum stand.
Hi-hat stand.
Bass drum pedal.
Throne.
Tom mount, floor tom legs or stand, bass drum spurs.
Cymbals:
I advise my students to buy only top-of-the-line cymbals- you can't change the sound of a cymbal the way you can the sound of a drum, and most cheap cymbals sound pretty bad. They may be OK for the practice room, but you will soon want to replace them. Plus they are basically worthless for resale. Paiste has made some decent mid-quality cymbals that are good enough that you won't need to replace them for a few years, but you have to make sure you are getting the semi-pro and not student model cymbals.
Avoid:
- Cracked or warped cymbals. Cracks are usually found at the edge, radiating from the center hole, or with the "grain" of the cymbal. An irregularly-shaped center hole ("keyholing") is regarded as undesirable to cymbal nuts, but is acceptable to you: it does not harm the sound, playability, or long-term durability of the cymbal. If you hit the cymbal and there is any kind of rattle or sizzle (that can't be attributed to the stand or installed rivets), it has an invisible hairline crack and you should not buy it.
- "Economy" cymbals by any manufacturer.
- Any cymbals by brands other than those listed below.
- Heavy cymbals. Avoid anything with words like "rock", "power", "heavy" stamped on it. These sound terrible in any but very high-volume situations. Stick to medium-thin to paper-thin crashes, medium or light hi-hats, and medium, light, or jazz rides.
- "Ping" ride cymbals. Also "dry", "flat" or "mini-cup" rides. These have their uses, but should not be your first ride cymbal.
- Unlathed cymbals. These will have a smooth (except for the hammer marks) surface; lathed cymbals have a circular grain running around them. They look great and can sound great, but many of them have a specialized sound you aren't going to want for your first cymbals. Many of them tend to be on the heavy side as well. Avoid these until you're experienced enough to know what you want from a cymbal.
- Flashy, exotic-looking cymbals. Some companies dress up their junk with flashy finishes. Most companies offer 'brilliant' finishes which are safe to buy.
Tips:
- Don't be afraid of cymbals that are dirty or dull-looking, or that have the silk-screened logos worn. They can be cleaned (with Ajax or Soft Scrub), and are often where you get the best deals. Everyone likes to have shiny new cymbals, but remember that the sound is the important thing. All cymbals get dirty and dingy after a few years' use.
- The best bargains are likely to be filthy old A. Zildjian, Sabian AA, or Paiste 2000 (or 505, possibly 3000 or 2002) cymbals from the 80's or early 90's.
A good beginner's set-up:
- 20" (or 22") medium ride
- 18" (or 16" or 17") thin to medium-thin crash
- 14" (or 13" ) medium hi-hats
Brands:
Zildjian - A., A. Custom, or K.
Sabian - AA, AAX, HH, or HHX
Paiste - Paiste's lines have changed dramatically over the years, so research carefully before buying. Avoid 404, Bronze and Brass lines. In the past the 2002, 3000, Sound Creation, 602 and Signature series were pro; 2000 and 505 were semi-pro; 404 were budget. Tip: you should be able to get a great deal on older 2000's or 505's.
Istanbul or Bosphorus - High-end cymbals mostly suited to jazz. Fantastic cymbals, but pricy and maybe not ideal for a beginner.
Meinl - They do make good cymbals, but they also make some junk, so it's probably best to avoid them until you know what you're looking for. Their Byzance cymbals are high-end jazz cymbals, and the very interesting (but specialized) old Dragon line were made from chinese castings. Avoid Avanti and Raker.
Hand-hammered ("K" type) vs. machine-hammered cymbals:
Hand-hammered cymbals (K. Zildjian, Sabian HH, Istanbul, Bosphorus) typically have a warm, dark sound while machine-hammered cymbals (A. Zildjian, Sabian AA) tend to be more bright and cutting. Hand-hammered cymbals are more idiosyncratic, and can vary widely in sound. Some of them are extremely dark, exotic and trashy-sounding, which a student may not want, so they should be chosen with care. Don't buy them without being able to play them first. Machine-hammered cymbals are more predictable, and it's hard to go too wrong buying them (so long as they aren't too heavy).
Sticks:
For snare drum and practice pad, the classic stick is the Vic Firth SD-1 General. As I've mentioned, you should not use these on drum set or for any other application where they're going to get beat up. One pair of Generals should last you for years.
For drumset, any wood-tipped hickory or maple stick in the approximate weight range of a 5A to a 5B will do. I use Vic Firth SD-9 Slammers (a medium-sized maple stick) or VF American Classic 5B's (hickory). Vater makes good, inexpensive sticks.
For marching, any major manufacturer's 3S or equivalent. If you're playing in a drum line, marching band or drum corps, check with your instructors first- they'll probably want all of their drummers using the same kind of stick.
Avoid:
- Very heavy or very light sticks. You may need to use them if a playing situation requires it, but for general practice medium weight is best.
- Sticks with nylon tips. These give an unpleasantly bright sound when played on a cymbal.
- Sticks made out of Oak, which are more rigid and pass along a lot of shock to your wrists.
- Colored sticks, which are of poor quality, leave paint chips everywhere, and make ugly marks on your cymbals and drumheads.
Drumheads:
The coated Remo Ambassador is the standard drum head for the snare drum and toms. Other companies (Evans and Aquarian) make an equivalent head, but I haven't found them to be particularly durable. For bottom heads, use clear or ebony Ambassadors (or the equivalent by Evans or Aquarian). Some students seem to be disturbed by the normal overtones of a drum (which are more noticable when you're playing the drums than they are when you're listening listening to a record)- for a little bit duller sound on the toms try using Remo Emperors. I suggest avoiding heavier 2-ply heads like Pinstripes and Hydraulics. Heavier heads or heads with built-in muffling are fine for the batter side of the bass drum.
I use Remo Renaissance heads on my toms, which may not be the most durable heads in the world if you play very loudly, but they have a very nice warm sound which I prefer to the Ambassadors.
Where to buy:
Musical equipment:
Trade-Up Music (Portland)
Portland Sheet Music Co. (Portland; sheet music and books)
Seattle Drum Shop (Seattle; tell Gerry Garcia I sent you!)
Lone Star Percussion (online/mail order)
Musician's Friend (online)
Amazon.com
Avoid:
Apple Music, Guitar Center and other "super-store" type places.
Tip:
For musical gear, pros generally expect to get a discount of 40-50% off retail for everything they purchase new- drums, stands, sticks, cymbals, heads. Be sure to ask the saleman what kind of discount he's giving you. If it's less than 25%, you should consider taking your business elsewhere.
CDs:
Music Millenium
Everyday Music
Amazon.com
Drummers to listen to:
Note: This is the world's barest sampling, and heavily biased by my age and personal tastes!
Bonus! View my list of favorite records!
Rock/pop:
Ringo Starr (The Beatles)
John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
Stuart Copeland (The Police)
Keith Moon (The Who)
Jazz:
'Philly' Joe Jones (Miles Davis)
Art Blakey (Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers)
Max Roach (Sonny Rollins)
Billy Higgins (many Blue Note artists)
Jack DeJohnette (Keith Jarrett, Gateway, many ECM artists)
Tony Williams (Miles Davis)
Elvin Jones (John Coltrane, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter)
Modern/studio/fusion:
Peter Erskine (Weather Report, Jan Garbarek)
Steve Gadd (Chick Corea)
Vinnie Colaiuta (Frank Zappa)
Brian Blade (Wayne Shorter)
Rock/pop:
The Beatles
The Rolling Stones
Led Zeppelin
Cream
The Velvet Underground
The Police
The Who
AC/DC
Nirvana
Frank Zappa
The Ramones
Le Tigre
Jazz:
Miles Davis
Thelonious Monk
John Coltrane
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
Sonny Rollins
Charles Mingus
Bill Evans
Bill Frisell
Paul Motian
Joe Henderson
Weather Report
Pat Metheny
Ella Fitzgerald
Billie Holliday
Soul/R&B:
Stevie Wonder
Sly Stone
James Brown
Aretha Franklin
The Meters
Parliament/Funkadelic
Herbie Hancock
Latin:
Cal Tjader
Antonio Carlos Jobim
Ray Barreto
Poncho Sanchez
Country:
Patsy Cline
Johnny Cash
Willie Nelson
Conway Twitty
Records to buy:
Rock/pop:
The Beatles- Revolver, Rubber Soul, any
AC/DC- Back In Black, Let There Be Rock, Highway To Hell
The Police- Regatta De Blanc, Ghost In The Machine, Zenyatta Mondatta
Led Zeppelin- II, IV/ZoSo, Houses Of The Holy
Nirvana - Nevermind, In Utero
Velvet Underground - self-titled, White Light White Heat, Andy Warhol
Frank Zappa - Apostrophe, Overnite Sensation, Sheik Yerbouti (just watch out for the adult language!)
The Who - Live At Leeds, Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy, Who's Next, Tommy
Cream - Disraeli Gears
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland, Are You Experienced?
Jazz:
Miles Davis- Kind Of Blue, Workin', Steamin', Cookin', Relaxin', Round About Midnight, Nefertiti, Four And More, My Funny Valentine.
Sonny Rollins- Saxophone Colossus, any with Max Roach.
Art Blakey- Moanin', A Night In Tunisia, The Big Beat, any on Blue Note label.
Ahmad Jamal- Live At The Pershing, any with Vernell Fournier on drums
John Coltrane- My Favorite Things, Coltrane Plays The Blues, A Love Supreme, Giant Steps, Blue Trane.
Thelonious Monk- Monk's Dream, Criss Cross, It's Monk's Time
Bill Evans - Everybody digs..., Explorations
Soul/R&B:
James Brown - Star Time, Jungle Groove
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions, Songs In The Key Of Life, Talking Book
Parliament - Tear The Roof Of This Sucker
George Duke - Reach For It
The Meters - Funkify Your Life
Sly Stone - Greatest Hits, Fresh, Stand!
Herbie Hancock - Headhunters, Thrust
Drum books to buy:
See the "what to bring" page books and links for purchasing online.
Drum lessons by Todd Bishop
toddbishop@cruiseshipdrummer.com
(503)380-9259
