Advice to First Time Buyers.

The most commonly asked question of a drum salesman is ‘What second-hand drum kits have you got?, I don’t want to spend a lot, we don’t know if he’ll carry on with it’. Believe me this accounts for most of my enquiries, certainly phone enquiries. Unless you strike incredibly lucky with a second hand kit you will almost certainly end up with a load of useless junk.

If you are looking for a beginners kit go for a new set up. You will get everything you need from £249. This will include the kit, cymbals and a stool. You should add to this, for reasons of sanity, a set of practice pads and drum lessons. Please do not skip the drum lessons. This is the one thing that will ensure continued interest. They should cost you approximately £20 an hour on a one to one basis. If you can’t find a teacher phone your local Musician’s Union, they should be able to help.

What is a Drum Kit and what makes A Good One?

A drum kit is really a collection of different percussion instruments put into a handy, playing format, developed over the last 85 years. It would typically consist of bass drum, floor tom, hanging toms, snare drum, hihat cymbals, crash cymbal and a ride cymbal.

All these items would be supported and mounted with hardware. This would include cymbal stands, hihat stand, snare drum stand, tom mounts and a bass drum pedal. As this is supposed to be a brief introduction to drums I will summarise qualities to look for as follows.

Most drums consist of a shell with 2 heads and 2 tuning rims. Look out for the spec on the shells. What is it made of? Is it a good quality timber laminate? What are the rims and tension boxes like, are they substantial?

The snare drum is the most important drum in the kit and potentially the most expensive. This can be made of wood, steel, bronze or brass and comes in varying depths though normally in a 14” diameter. All these materials give uniquely different sound qualities. Check out as many different specs as you can. This is the engine room of the kit and the band.

Make sure the Hardware is Substantial

Single-braced is a single piece of metal construction on the legs and double braced is two pieces together for added strength. I personally prefer light hardware but again have a good look round at what’s available. The bass drum pedal should feel light and positive. It’s worth spending a bit more on this item.