Drums for alternative/indie rock

[thehymns]

I know nothing about drums, but I want to buy a kit to learn with and use in my modest home studio. I play mostly alternative rock/indie rock and I like something that has a full sound, but with a little bit of snap to it. I prefer wood over steel. I'm one of those people who would rather buy piece by piece instead of a full kit so I want to know what brand you drummer think makes the best floor tom, bass drum, and snare. For cymbals (something I know a little more about because I was endlessly shopping for them with my old band's drummer) I want to pick up Zildjian K Ride 20 Inch, Zildjian A Series Hi Hat and Sabian AA Thin Crash 16 Inch. Please help!

[Licketysplit]

Well first off most drum companies will make excellent drum kits, there isn't a specific company that makes a better floor tom or anything. Also you didn't mention anything about a budget..

For the type of shell I would choose a maple kit, just because its the pretty versatile and cuts well. And if I where you i'd buy a full kit because you'll get a better deal that way.

Assuming you have the money then this http://www.wembleydrumcentre.com/ind...pId=8826&cId=1 would be an excellent choice.

Or if you want a slightly cheaper set try out the Pacific line.
http://www.wembleydrumcentre.com/ind...pId=8569&cId=1

I own a Pacific and they're very good value.

Other companies to look into: Sonor, Yamaha, Tama, Pearl, DW (if you have the money)

[thehymns]

My budget is pretty tight, I'd probably be looking for something used. The reason I wanted to buy piece by piece is because I want to start off with just a 3 piece set (bass drum, floor tom, snare), hi-hats and a ride. I'm really into minimalist drumming...which is probably good because that's all I'll be able to do for awhile haha. Do drum companies make 3-piece sets?

[Licketysplit]

Umm i'm reall not sure. Ive never seen a kit like that. I'm sure cumstom companies do, but they will be pricy. Probably best to by piece by piece then like you said.

[tilinmyowngrave]

Originally Posted by thehymns

My budget is pretty tight, I'd probably be looking for something used. The reason I wanted to buy piece by piece is because I want to start off with just a 3 piece set (bass drum, floor tom, snare), hi-hats and a ride. I'm really into minimalist drumming...which is probably good because that's all I'll be able to do for awhile haha. Do drum companies make 3-piece sets?

1 tom? Toms can really help add a creative voice in drumming. WHats your budget?

[my2cents]

if your question were to be answered as asked, you'd wind up with:

X makes the best floor toms
Y makes the best snares
Z makes the best rack tom
etc.

will they sound good together? that's the question you need the answer to, and it's not likely that people are going to have enough experience with all the drum makers currently on the market to be able to answer. your money will be better spent buying a kit and trying different heads and tuning. a good floor tom can cost hundreds of dollars just by itself (even on ebay), and you probably won't be able to get one "on sale" as stores don't usually stock individual toms.

[DWkit]

Look around on e-Bay for Pearl Masters kits. They usually have some smaller used setups that people custom ordered and you can usually buy them at a decent price. I have a set of Pearl Masters and a set of DW's as well as a set of Premiers, and I've owned Tama, and Ludwig and played Yamaha's but the Masters bass drum sounded great right out of the box. All the others took a lot of tweaking and muffling to get the right sound. Tuning is going to be the most important element to making any kit sound good, so read up and be ready for some tedious searching for that perfect sound. Good Luck, Dave