Which out of these is the best......

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tukkis
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Tukkis

Tukkis

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Tama Swingstar
Yamaha YD
Pearl Forum
Mapex V Series

also which of these cymbal packs is better
Zildjian ZBT Pro
Sabian B8
Paiste 402

please don't say any other brands or more expensive ones as these are the only ones on my price range

by the way I play rock/punk music

Thanks
Tukkis
 
here's my own personal judgement on this......

as far as the kits go....I'm not too familiar with the quality/sound of all of those kits...I don't like Pearl's tom mounting hardware so I personall wouldn't go in that direction. I owned an 80's Tama Swingstar for years and thought that it was great-sounding kit for a good price. don't know anything about the Mapex's

my advice would be to get out to a music store and play the kits....see what YOU like - how they sound, the hardware, etc.


the cymbals -

I actually tested all 3 of those lines this year, as I was buying a starter set of cymbals for my brother -

All 3 sounded like crap...but personally I liked the Sabians the best. I ended up finding used GOOD cymbals (not budget line) for not much more than the new budget-line's - that is the direction that I would go in....if you buy the 'cheap' varieties - you're probably going to find yourself wanting to buy 'real' cymbals in the not too near future anyway - and, IMHO, used cymbals are normally just as good as their new counterparts (as long as they're in good condition, obviously)....

have fun!
 
I also don't know about the drum kits listed here. I play a Yamaha custom and it's OK, but like the Pearl comment before, I don't like the tom mounting. I would look at the Tama or Mapex kits.

On the cymbal packs, they're usually crap. First set of cymbals I bought new was a ZBT pro pack and it turned out I just went back to my old used and unmatched cymbals simply because they sounded better. I suggest finding a store that has used cymbals and take 'em off the rack and hit 'em. That's the only way you can get the one that sounds like you want it to. ust because it's used doesn't mean it won't sound good. It'll get the job done and you won't be stuck with a sound you don't particularly like :)
 
Candidly, it is difficult to establish what is "best" between the 4 drum models and 3 cymbal models you are looking at. They are all fine companies - but I'm sure you realize these are all entry level drums and cymbals.

I believe all of these kits are Bass wood or Mahogany (or a combination) so the primary difference (beyond the company brand) would be the hardware. I think the Pearl and the Tama come with better bass drum pedals. As a rule I tend to like Tama and Yamaha hardware.

I suspect the Pearl and the Tama would maintain the best resale value (based on name and reputation).

In any case, I would suggest including enough in your budget to replace the batter heads with better heads (as an example Remo Pinstripes or Evans G2's) - all of these entry level kits come with cheap heads and better batter (say that 3 times fast) heads will improve the sound by at least 50%.

The cymbals are a toss up - but I think the B8's sound a very slight bit better than the ZBT's or the Paiste. The problem is - you can always get a "cheap" drum set to sound better with better heads and good tuning - but cheap cymbals are cheap cymbals and there is nothing you can do to make them sound better.

But the important thing is - get the drums and learn to play them - you can always upgrade at a future time.
 
Don't get the sabian b8 pack.. they suck. I don't have any experience with the others though. As far as drums go, I think the Mapex's are good..

Scott
 
Thanks guys for the replies

I tested them all out and I have to say that the Tama was the better one for my type of music.

Also there is a second hand cymbal shop right next to the drum shop so I will definately take a look in there. I really like the Zildjian A and A custom line so I will try and look for them.

Thanks
Tukkis
 
Swingstar is probably the best of the ones you've named. their hardware is actually quite good this time around and the snare drum is fairly decent too. pretty much all the cymbals you mentioned suck so it would be hard to recommend something. you said not to mention any other options but pearl exports are pretty damn good for the price too. musiciansfriend has a sweet 7 piece promo kit right now for around $600-$700 with a beautiful fade finish.

before you pull the trigger though I would recommend researching some better quality kits and looking on ebay. after you get the kit and start playing well you'll wish you had better shells and cymbals. check ebay for cymbals too, you can get the good stuff if you're patient.

vaughn
 
How serious are you about playing??
wanna get good, sound good and record someday? DONT SETTLE. why buy crap now just so you have to buy better later? buy good shit the first time around if your serious. One of my ex-guitarist bought a mid line digitech processor a few years ago, and now he needs to record, so he had to go and get a better processor.
if i had bought the yamaha stage custom i have now years ago instead of a used ludwig (it was nice tho) i would have saved the money and bought a yamaha maple custom absolute 5 years ago when i bought the stage custom.
and right, cymbals are cymbals and they are static. shitty drums can be brought up to sounding good. cymbals are what they are. and the cheap ones not only sound like crap, they break in half the time.
don't settle. look on e-bay, the paper, the bargain news. theres a forum here to buy and sell equipment, look there
 
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