$700 budget - New or used kit- Suggestions?

gbondo9

gbondo9

p3n
I used to play drums years and years ago, and I had a nice Peral Export series that I liked very much. I sold it when I picked up a guitar and circumstances dictated I choose one or the other.

Years later, and my wife and I just bought a new house - and it has a nice big basement for me.
So Im going to buy a drumkit again.
I havn't considered myself a drummer for over 10 years now, and I never really payed much attention to drummer gear/brands the way that I obsess about Guitar gear and recording gear.

So my budget is about $700 (give or take). I'm looking at both new and used stuff - although Im leaning towards something used for the bang/buck factor.

At first glance of the local classifieds, I see several Pearl EXR kits, and Mapex V Series in my price range, and a couple of cheaper Ludwig kits, and of course, the Pearl Export series now offers a range of kits in my price range on MF. (I realize too that cymbals are going to cost mucho extra...another reason for going used)

Does anybody have any suggestions for this price range? I'm obviously going to go play any kit before I buy it, and research is always in order, but some experienced drummer opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Todd
 
You're not going to find much these days with $700....new or used. Now, you can find a great used set for that kind of money, but it won't have cymbals. You can get a new set for $700...but it'll be new crap. I don't know...that's just not much money for a complete set. You may get lucky...good deals do exist, but don't hold your breath. For a used set of mid-level drums with a small selection of pro-level cymbals, you can expect to drop around 1100-1300.
 
TheBigGiantHead said:
You're not going to find much these days with $700....new or used. Now, you can find a great used set for that kind of money, but it won't have cymbals. You can get a new set for $700...but it'll be new crap. I don't know...that's just not much money for a complete set. You may get lucky...good deals do exist, but don't hold your breath. For a used set of mid-level drums with a small selection of pro-level cymbals, you can expect to drop around 1100-1300.
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What kind of names/brands/models am I looking at for the price range you mentioned?
 
there are a ton of drumsets that are avail for low $$$ If you are just getting back into it you don't need a top level set. However you are going need to spend some $$$ on cymbals eventually. But you can always buy cheap ones to hit until you can invest in the right cymbals, besides you are going to have to get used to tuning, playing and so on before you can really decide what type of cymbals to buy and for what reason. I would look at the sonor force series (maple+basswood) pacific birch kits or maple, Pearl ELX, to name a few. There are kits made of solid maple for that now. + look for kits w/hardware. The cymbals csn wait. Get better drums first.
 
I'm talking about Yamaha Stage Customs, Tama Rockstars, Pearl Exports...that sort. They're good, but not awesome, and will always require an additional investment in quality heads.

NEW mid-level drums: 700-900
USED mid-level drums: 450-650

NEW mid-level cymbals: 350-450
USED pro-level cymbals: 400-500
 
700 wont get you too far for new, used is definately the way to go. I got a Pearl World Series 8 piece set for $750... of course it didnt come with cymbals, but it was still a great deal...
i recommend going to your local music store, and see what used sets they got.
go with a pearl, tama, or yamaha, NOT ludwig...
at least i dont like their sound until you get into the higher price range
 
I would say a Pearl Export. With the right heads they can sound awesome. The new ones have alot of nice features as well as really nice finishes. Check ebay, as there are usually a decent amount of export kits on there as well as some great deals on pro cymbals.
 
ahh no i hate pearl exports...
maybe if u mod it a lot, but in general, as a stock kit, it sounds like a plastic toy. VERY light
 
pacific makes some good kits and some for pretty cheap you might be able to find a set with some zildjians a series maybe cx or so for 800, great for the money
 
tbone36109 said:
pacific makes some good kits and some for pretty cheap you might be able to find a set with some zildjians a series maybe cx or so for 800, great for the money
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Pacific does make some Amzing kits for the money, the MX series is good and also the Cx, although the cx is really just more money for the nice wrap it has, if your going more for sound i would stay away from the CX just cause it is more money just for the looks. for the money your looking at spending i would get a nice FS Series kit, they sound good and look great in my oppion. and then buy some nice zlidjian cymbals and your set.


here Are some links on some suggestions i would have >

Cymbals:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7411380545&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Drums:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7413464084&fromMakeTrack=true
 
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Without a doubt, buy some used, but decent drums. Then prepare to spend double that for good cymbals!!!
 
mtx records said:
Pacific does make some Amzing kits for the money, the MX series is good and also the Cx, although the cx is really just more money for the nice wrap it has, if your going more for sound i would stay away from the CX just cause it is more money just for the looks. for the money your looking at spending i would get a nice FS Series kit, they sound good and look great in my oppion. and then buy some nice zlidjian cymbals and your set.
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yeah the cx mx and most of the lx are the same drums just different cosmetics(all of the midline-highline pacifics are the same except some of the most expensive have some different size options and slightly better hardware)
http://cgi.ebay.com/Pacific-by-DW-C...ryZ64438QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem at $202 and one day left this one is a steal full cymbals and cx kit
 
Thanks you guys for your replies so far. I like what I am looking at. I've seen some good deals on cymbals on ebay too.
I like the look of Pacific drums so far, and the Taye drums I found said they were solid Birch-Basswood. Both are in my price range. Im still keeping an eye on some Pearl Exports as well.

What do you guys think of the 4 pack Cymbals on MF?

Sabian $209

Zildjian $219

Thanks again,
Todd
 
i saw qutie a nice looking sonor kit for about £250($350-$400), only thing is, it had a metal snare, doesn't matter too much though. And check out Stagg dual hammered cymbals. I've got a set of them and i love them. I've played "nice" cymbals before, but prfer these, especially the price. Don't even look at the SH series though, lol.

Kit
Cymbals
 
spend money on cymbals yahhhhhh, I'm a bit of a cymbal snob & had to grudgingly admit that stagg make some very acceptable stuff for not a lot spent

I bought an 8" splash to replace my cracked Sabian & it cost me £15 (dunno what that is in dollars)

as a starting point they really can't be sniffed at for the price
 
slidey said:
spend money on cymbals yahhhhhh, I'm a bit of a cymbal snob & had to grudgingly admit that stagg make some very acceptable stuff for not a lot spent

I bought an 8" splash to replace my cracked Sabian & it cost me £15 (dunno what that is in dollars)

as a starting point they really can't be sniffed at for the price
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Yeh. If you are just starting and don't have much money they have the SH range which are extremely cheap, but do sound it(still, just for practice they do the job). But they're higher range stuff like DH, and the rest(i'm guessing, never actually played anything but SH and DH)can be compared to the top makers(zildjian, sabian etc), in my opinion. It just depends on what you like/want from them. I'm not too keen on my hats n ride, mainly because i tried to save money and get a 19" crash/ride instead of a proper ride, and 12" hats, but I've been able to tune the sound with well placed duct tape on the bottom.
 
I love Mapex personally... If I had 700 and I was just getting a kit (no cymbals) I'd pick up my set again! I have a Mapex M series birch... I almost had to sell it and that made me almost cry... http://www.music123.com/Mapex-M-Birch-Fusionease-5pc-Drum-Set-i341275.music Used you should be able to find the shells around 600 (guessing). I pieced my cymbal kit together and ended up with some various mid-high leval cymbals... I like my kit, but I'd like to upgrade my hats and get a couple new crashes from the Sabian Paragon line...

Anyway, I like Mapex, and my vote is go try that V series out... Don't pay too much though...I can get a new V series here in Canada for about 550...you shouldn't pay more than 400US for a used kit - unless it comes with cymbals...

Jacob
 
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