I am a lifelong musician (guitar and bass) and have decided to take up drums. Need advice on a good beginner's set. My drumming idols are Charlie, Ringo, Pete Thomas, etc....not any hard rock guys. John Lennon Plastic Ono band is my favorite album for drum sounds, so you get the idea of my tastes. Any recommendations for snares/cymbals/sets would be appreciated. Intent is to play on my own recordings, rather than play in bands.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-11-06 06:20 by 71Tele.

my advice.
paiste cymbals
remo drum heads
ludwig kit but keep the ludwig heads on the bass drum
ludwig sticks

some people will tell you zildjian cymbals but i always thought paiste have a better sound and last longer.

if you don't have money to frankenstein everything all together right now just buy a ludwig kit and everything and when you have money change the drum heads, etc



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-11-06 07:00 by keefriffhard4life.

funny i just looked without knowing for sure but carl palmer also recommends ludwig drums, remo heads and paiste cymbals. he recommend pro-mark sticks though. you can research and see what drummers like what gear.

ginger baker also used ludwig kits.

charlie watts uses remo drum heads but prefers gretsch kits and zildjian cymbals with vic firth sticks.

Can't go wrong with a new Ludwig kit. They are amazingly affordable these days. I'd advise to start with the cymbals that come with the kit and upgrade the ones whose sound you are not happy with.

The way you mic and record the drums will probably have a much greater effect on the sound of your finished product than the brand of cymbals. And although Charlie might disagree, don't be scared to tune the drums to get notes which resonate well with the other drums and your ear. Good luck.
peace



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-11-06 07:18 by Naturalust.

Appreciate the advice. Heard a lot of good things about old Ludwig snares, and their new sets as well. My problem is I am a sucker for vintage gear (all my guitars are vintage) but don't want to spend too much on drums.

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71Tele
Appreciate the advice. Heard a lot of good things about old Ludwig snares, and their new sets as well. My problem is I am a sucker for vintage gear (all my guitars are vintage) but don't want to spend too much on drums.

Thankfully the vintage drum market isn't quite as absurd as the vintage guitar market. If drum kits looked good hanging on the wall you'd be in trouble.

Check this sweetie out:

[olympic.craigslist.org]

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Naturalust

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71Tele
Appreciate the advice. Heard a lot of good things about old Ludwig snares, and their new sets as well. My problem is I am a sucker for vintage gear (all my guitars are vintage) but don't want to spend too much on drums.

Thankfully the vintage drum market isn't quite as absurd as the vintage guitar market. If drum kits looked good hanging on the wall you'd be in trouble.

Check this sweetie out:

[olympic.craigslist.org]

Wow. And close enough to me to drive there and pick them up.

My first one was a Premier. I loved that.

I play a very small kit, very inexpensive and the sound is pretty good for the price. Premier and Gretch drums mixed (I travel with the Gretch 18" kick, one small premier tom, a premier floor tom, and a 13" Mapex snare). I have the Premier kick (which sounds slightly better/ richer but is heavier for travel) at home with the Gretch toms, for practicing and home recording. There are some nice inexpensive new-ish kits that have a feel of older vintage drums. While I like the sound of, say, a nice old early 70's Slingerland or Rogers kit, I find the sound of the drums I travel with to be satisfactory and the hardware very reliable. When I played older kits, I was constantly dealing with missing parts, stripped lugs, etc. As for cymbals, I have always been a Zildjian guy, but really, just go find stuff you like and cost-wise, I never ever buy new cymbals because they are so incredibly ridiculously over-priced. I hope you find something you like and practice, practice, practice!! The world needs more solid groovers.

71 Tele-
keep a lookout on ebay, get a good Rogers or Slingerland or Ludwig, or Gretsch! kit ..if you're thinking vintage..also you probably know a lot of musicians, someone will know someone who has a kit for sale..

80's Japanese kits, like guitars, are also very well made..tend to be bigger drums..get what you want, and don't think they all have to match. a kick drum from Ludwig, a Tama snare..same with cymbals..its all in the vibe and the sound..

get a good hi hat stand that wont make noise, same with kick pedal.

x



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-09-08 17:24 by vudicus.

Lots of good ideas here. I think a relatively inexpensive (but good) set is the way to go for until I play a little and figure out what I like. Going shopping this week!

Thats funny, Vudicus.
In mid 70's I bought a Gretch as well - because of Charlie.
Now I have a mixture of DW/ Pearl and a Ludwig snare.

edit I still fondly remember that first Premierwhich was from 69/70 as well.
But like you I tried a few over the years. Been thinking of going back cause the Premier sound was great.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-11-07 18:40 by CousinC.

I've got a mid-1970s Rogers kit - two toms, floor tom and kick drum. I had a Ludwig snare but somehow I lost it. I sold off my cymbals, which were all Zildjian, of course, and Vic Firth sticks. Once I stopped playing drums for demoing songs I sold off parts of the drum kit.

Supposedly a friend of mine gave me a kick pedal that Charlie Watts used on the 1965 tour or something like that.

DW Drums would be the best choice for the budget-conscious. I have seen three-piece starter kits selling (used) for less than two grand. You can build up from there over time without breaking the bank.

And Neil Peart uses them so you know they can take a pounding.

Anyone checked out the Ludwig Breakbeats set designed by Questlove? I've heard good things about it, and the small size makes it good for my practice space.

OK Tele, don't keep us in suspense....what did you end up buying? Thx.