So far, I'm having pretty good luck with my mass-manufactured Ludwig kit. It's a Ludwig Accent Combo, with various extra cymbal stands, an added 10" tom (Pulse), and a total of 6 cymbals, not counting the hi-hat. All in all, I think I've spent somewhere around $850 (plus shipping for a few of the smaller pieces that I ordered later).
Here are some things I've learned during this experience....
Stands:
1. Don't buy straight stands. You'll only end up adding a grabber arm later....
2. The Pearl PPS31 Cymbal holder (
http://www.drumcentral.com/hardwarepics196.htm) is
not what you are looking for. Don't even think about it.
3. pdp cymbal stands really, really suck.
4. Some Ludwig cymbal stands also suck---including the one that came with this kit. After adding a $20 boom adapter, it is at least usable, but it feels like it's on the verge of falling over.
5. Apparently, almost all cymbal stands suck... but sandbags help, particularly on carpet.
6. A mic stand makes a decent cymbal/drum stand in a pinch; my $40 Tama mic stand is sturdier at holding a 10" tom, a 16" cymbal, and a 10" splash than my double-braced cymbal stands (each holding just a single 16" or 18" cymbal). Sad. Really f***ing sad.
Heads::
1. Factory heads all suck. Well, the snare head was okay. The tom heads weren't horrible, but never sounded that great. I replaced them all with pinstripes anyway, and it made a world of difference. (That, and I spent more time tuning them better, which probably helped a lot....)
2. Factory heads all suck. Particularly Ludwig's bass drum heads. There's nothing quite like having a crease on both heads straight out of the box and having to tune it higher than my lowest tom to get rid of it. I now have a Ludwig head with a port on the front and
a Remo ebony pinstripe on the batter side. Much happier.
General::
1. Pulse add-on toms have lousy mounting hardware. They use these rubber grommets to hold the drum in place. It's really hard to get it just right where they stay. Next head replacement, I'm drilling holes in the side and fastening the mounting hardware into the drum.
2. Pulse "Paiste 357" cymbals are really good for the money. I got their cymbal pack at Musician's Friend, and added an 18" crash. I think the 18" is my favorite of the bunch.
3. Pearl: great drums, not great cymbals.... (Though it may have been a bad choice of models, not sure.) Both the 16" crash and 10" splash cymbals I have make me feel like I'm hitting a very smooth trash can lid.... No body to the sound at all.
4. You can never have enough Tama mic stands. I'm up to three so far. Thinking about making it 4.
5. You can never have too
few of those $20 Nady stands. Those things barely hold themselves up without a mic. Again, sandbags help.
6. Never understimate the power of string and clothespins for shock-mounting a microphone on the cheap.