Help me buy a drum kit

[Warning]

My son's 14th birthday is coming up and we want to get him a drum kit. He's just started lessons so he's definitely a beginner. Ideally we'd like to keep the price below $300 if that's even possible. Should we get him an acoustic one or electronic? Any recommendations on specific models or brands?

[BaconTastesGood]

Under $300 and you're stuck with acoustic, but you'll be in hell. If you can raise the price a bit the Alesis DM6 will help you retain your sanity, and it's much easier to move around.

If he sticks with drumming you can then upgrade him to something better. Part of this will depend on your drum instructor as well if they have a bias against electronic drums (which definitely have a different feel than acoustic ones, but my niece is a decent drummer and she learned on and plays an electronic drum kit).

[shift6]

My son's 14th birthday is coming up and we want to get him a drum kit. He's just started lessons so he's definitely a beginner. Ideally we'd like to keep the price below $300 if that's even possible. Should we get him an acoustic one or electronic? Any recommendations on specific models or brands?

Buddy of mine (GMicek, many here know him also) in Sacramento is selling his older electronic kit. Let me know if you're around or in or near the area.

[JPR]

I don't know where you live, either, but I'm in Austin and have a Roland TD-6 I'd be happy to part with.

[Warning]

I'm in Illinois I'm afraid. While I'd be very interested in both, I'm guessing the shipping would be a lot.

[JPR]

Well, in that case, I would suggest that you start by checking your regional Craigslist(s) for drum sets, both electric and acoustic. If you're comfortable with Craigslist shopping, you can get a really good deal. Otherwise, I would have to agree with BTG that if you can possibly swing the money for an entry-level electronic kit, you will be much happier with it than the acoustic option.

[Mean Dr. Lily]

Electronic kits are great fun, and help keep things interesting as you can switch up the sounds to play different styles. Also, dads can geek out and plug them not a PC for midi fun. I have a nicer older set, and its nice to be able to play anytime without bothering the rest of the family.

Acoustic kits are better for really learning how to play the drums. The feel is much, much better, and there are different types of sounds that you can get from a real drum that electronic kits can't reproduce.

If he's planning on playing in a band, you'll need an amp for that electronic set.

You can get acoustic drums for relatively cheap, but the cymbals will kill you. Even mediocre cymbals are quite expensive. You should get a pair of hi-hats, a crash cymbal and a ride cymbal at the very least.

For acoustic, I prefer the entry level sets from a name brand rather than chinese knockoffs. Ludwig, Pearl, Yamaha, even PDP make decent entry level stuff that has better hardware and overall quality than a First Choice kit or whatever.

To echo an earlier response - buy used off of Craigslist. It will likely be the full kit and you'll save 50% over new.

One last thing - learn how to tune drums. It will make a crappy kit sound good. There's lots of how-tos on the net for that.

[jerri blank]

If space is an issue, you might consider finding a little "cocktail" or "jazz" kit like the Pearl Rhythm Traveler. That was my first acoustic kit after getting back to drumming, and it was perfectly serviceable. New ones come with mesh practice heads (in addition to regular heads) and rubber coverings for the cymbals, so you get the best of both worlds. Hopefully a used one would still have all that stuff as well.