Good cheap stuff? how do you drummers do it?

[Rimshot]

No offense taken

thats a little harsh man! what about providing a common tonality and a matched sound? the kid is still a kid and cymbal packs should be fine for him i'd hope. it also helps save money like the guy is shooting for. (im not trying to attack u rimshot, the rest of what you said was ace )

I am a bit of a stickler on cymbals and I spend a lot of time searching for just the "right voiced" cymbal for the job. A lot of drummers just think of their cymbals as rude "time ride" of "effects" things, but I consider them to be very important musical instruments and they can make or break the sound of the percussion with a piece of music. I have never been satisfied with any cymbal pack that I've ever seen or tried, but maybe that's just me.

I also believe that just because a young person is learning, they shouldn't have the added disadvantage of bad sounding equipment. A lot of folks disagree with me on that one, but I have always felt that if you put a fine instrument in a young student's hands, they will suddenly treat their playing a lot more seriously and temper the harshness that is typical of youth. But I guess you're always going to have kids that are going to bash anything.
Bad hat cymbals and a bad ride are torturous to anybody. I consider these the most important to start with. A good bright crash is a nice addition. Anything after that will come with experience and need. If you shop around well, you can select and pick up those necessities without breaking the bank. As others have said, Zildjian "A's" are a pretty safe bet and will teach the drumming student not to wallop their cymbals.

 

[c0r1n]

Why spend the money?

For the beginner, the Sabian B8Pros are pretty damn good, and the packs are cheap enough. He just needs the basics at this point anyway, hats, a ride, a crash, maybe two. Let him build on that, replacing them as he goes, as his ear improves... and if he's cutting lawns or flipping burgers for each new one, he'll appreciate them all the more.

 

[isfahani]

Eh, I disagree... Better to spend the money on decent used real cymbals that will hold their resale value than those entry level versions, they're a waste of money: They sound like shit to begin with & NO-ONE in the house is gonna like hearing them, they get worse with playing, and when you go to upgrade, you are stuck with 'em. Bad deal, lose-lose situ IMO

I also believe that just because a young person is learning, they shouldn't have the added disadvantage of bad sounding equipment.

Truer words...

Speaking of bad sounding equipment, lots of these new 'entry level' kits (Pearl Export) have these cheesy pseudo-suspension mounts on them, which don't really do that job right - aside from giving the impression they are suspending the shell, what they do is add an extra lb or two to an already overweight shell `(plastic wrap + too-large hardware) causing it to choke. The less mass attached to a shell the more it can resonate. Cheap or expensive...

I just got a used 5 pc Yamaha Stage Custom off of craigslist for $250, it's a little beat up, needs a good cleaning & complete reheading, but the whole kit, including the 4x14 steel snare sounds pretty damn good. TWO-FIFTY! A decent, name brand new entry level kit from GC or wherever is going to cost you twice that much, plus you have to buy all new heads cause these companies can't be arsed to put decent real heads on them. REMO brand indonesian or taiwanaland heads DON'T count.