Need starter drumset advice (set for young children)

[slejhamer]

Greetings Drum Chat,

I'm looking for some help choosing a low budget (<$300 US) kit for my children. Not really sure what the "right questions" are to ask, but here's the situation:

My daughter is seven and has expressed a strong desire to play drums; surprisingly my wife gave the OK and we've signed her up for lessons. My son, age 4, says he also wants to play, but you know kids can be fickle ... that said, he loves banging away on the church drumset after services (I'm the bassist in our band. No bass player jokes, please.)

I think my wife thought the $60 Toys R Us sets would suffice, but I was able to convince her that a toy set wouldn't hold up well or sound good. With Grandma kicking in a little birthday dough, I was able to bump the budget up to $300 total (including throne, sticks, etc.)

I was looking at the Ludwig "Junior" 5-piece set, which has gotten some okay reviews. Also my buddy Bish (yes, the same guy you might already know ) pointed me to a 4-piece set with a bigger bass drum (20", vs. the 16" in the Ludwig) which would allow some room to grow into.

I've been looking at used gear on Craigslist (DC / No. VA), but haven't found anything suitable in my limited price range.

I did get in touch with one guy who has a junior-sized SP set with some upgrades (Remo ebony heads, a more sturdy snare stand, better hi-hat cymbals) at a good price, but I just want to make sure I consider all the angles before committing.

So, I'm just popping in here for advice on what to look for and think about in choosing a kids' starter set.

There a good chance I'll try to learn with my daughter, as our band's drummers don't consistently show up for practice and there are times when I can fill in ... if I can figure out some basic playing. But, that's neither here nor there; the kit we buy will be for the kids.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[kaosotis]

I think most will agree with Bish. I would try to get a used kit slightly above the Ludwig Jr. kits.

One kit you can look for is Tama Stagestar or Compact Imperialstar. It's a very decent quality smaller kit we started my son on. They come with cymbals (which aren't great but they get the job done). They used to be about $400-$500 new so you might be able to find one used for your budget.

The upside is they are actually decent entry level drums, just more compact, so a child could grow with them. My son had a set from 9-13 (and he's tall). Just switched him to a mid-range kit.

I think in general I would try to find a bigger brand name compact regular set. SP isn't bad, but sometimes the "junior" sets aren't as good a quality.

The issue is really whether you want to replace the drums in about 2-3 years because your daughter is big enough to play a full size set.

Good luck.

[MartyM]

Slejhamer, all i can say with your budget is stay with a real drumset for juniors, NOT the toys are us stuff as you already alooted to..the reason for that is if your daughter decides to be a cheerleader instead ( example ) then you can always recoup some dough...even less expensive drum shells with new heads on them will be fine for learning. drum heads are not that expensive..under $ 20.00 for most sizes, and you really only need to have good batter heads, not so much reso heads for beginners..that my opinon, hope this helps some..and if she is that interested..cudos to you and your wife for letting her play..most parents cringe when child wants to play the drum..

[shoedaddy]

Now is a good time to be a buyer, what with the economy being what it is. You should definitely be able to find a deal on "real" kit versus a "play" kit these days. A set of Ludwig Accents, for example, would be much better than a kiddie kit, and you can probably find something like that used around for close to your price range. Then they have something to grow into. Guitar Center's website lists different used kits at the various stores. I'm not sure what other sites do, but there's a lot of good used stuff around right now at very good prices.

[DantheDrummer]

Maybe you should look into buying a used kit. and if necessary replacing the existing heads. ? just an idea mate

[slejhamer]

Hey thanks folks, yes I'd definitely like to buy "used." That way if I have to upgrade in a couple years, I can resell without losing much money. But I'm surprised at how few used sets are available right now; maybe the back-to-school crowd grabbed up the better low-priced kits.

Aside from price, my main concern is size. I'll be taking the kids out this weekend and will have them sit down at a few sets to make sure they're able to play.

[Bish]

Hey, Slej, Welcome to Drum Chat.

[evenodds20]

just bought my 1 year old a gretsch catalina club. good price. as soon as a mod approves my thread u will see pics.

[DLDante]

Hmmm. $300 is a pretty tight budget. The Ludwig Jr. isn't too bad of a set. I've seen it set up at my local Sam Ash and it's certainly the best kiddie kit I've seen. The only problem is I'd imagine your 7-year-old is too big for it, but your 4-year-old will probably be quite comfortable behind this kit.

You can be patient and scour Craig's List for a few more weeks. The only problem with that is that Craig's List seems to be littered with Pearl Exports selling for more than they'd cost brand new (well, in my area anyway). But, for around $300 you should see people selling adult-sized Sound Percussion or Groove Percussion sets with cymbals and all. Not the best stuff in the world but enough to get your kids playing. I also see the kiddie kits posted for $50 - $100 usually. The kiddie kits are never spectacular, but for $50 your 4-year-old will be more comfortable behind the kit and he beat the Hell out of it without you caring.

[slejhamer]

just bought my 1 year old a gretsch catalina club. good price. as soon as a mod approves my thread u will see pics.

Saw the pics; extremely nice, but this will show my complete ignorance: what about reaching the bass drum and hi-hat pedals? How is it possible for someone that young with a set that size?

[gonefishin]

Hey sleg ,your story was doin' real good till you slipped in Bish..............

Sounds like you already have some good advise youre following and I agree 300 is a little tight but the kids are young and have a record for changing their minds , so looking for used is an excellent idea .

Keep looking and something will pop up eventually . Best of luck in your search ,welcome to DC and as soon as you get a set for the kids I can almost guarantee you'll be spending as much time as the kids playing them .

[Russ]

gretsch makes affordable kits with smaller jazz sizes like 18" bass drums if thats the case

[slejhamer]

Hey sleg ,your story was doin' real good till you slipped in Bish......

Yeah I figured that would either put me in good graces or in the dog house ... But I'm sure you know he's a good guy!


Well we did end up with a junior-sized Sound Percussion set, used, for $150 including sticks and a small throne.

Honestly, with the 16" bass drum, it's just right for my 7 year old. Not based on my experience, of course, as I don't have any, but based on a bunch of "how to set up your drum set" videos I've watched on youtube. Grain of salt ... but I think we'll easily get a couple years out of it, as there's plenty room to adjust things higher.

It's an older set; the snare stand was upgraded a while ago, and it has black Remo Ambassador heads except for the bass drum, which has an Evans head. The hi-hat cymbals were also upgraded to Sabian, and sound alright. The only clunker is the ride cymbal (if that's what you call the one that mounts on the bass drum in these junior kits.) The guy we bought the kit from said the hi-hat stand is not great, but it functions smoothly and we don't notice any shortcomings.

Also, the guy we got it from has done some teaching, and he put together some very helpful beginner materials for us. More than enough to keep us busy until my daughter's lessons begin in a few weeks. So, a bit of value added!

And most important, the kids are having a blast with it!

[Michael]

Yeah I figured that would either put me in good graces or in the dog house ... But I'm sure you know he's a good guy!


Well we did end up with a junior-sized Sound Percussion set, used, for $150 including sticks and a small throne.

Honestly, with the 16" bass drum, it's just right for my 7 year old. Not based on my experience, of course, as I don't have any, but based on a bunch of "how to set up your drum set" videos I've watched on youtube. Grain of salt ... but I think we'll easily get a couple years out of it, as there's plenty room to adjust things higher.

It's an older set; the snare stand was upgraded a while ago, and it has black Remo Ambassador heads except for the bass drum, which has an Evans head. The hi-hat cymbals were also upgraded to Sabian, and sound alright. The only clunker is the ride cymbal (if that's what you call the one that mounts on the bass drum in these junior kits.) The guy we bought the kit from said the hi-hat stand is not great, but it functions smoothly and we don't notice any shortcomings.

Also, the guy we got it from has done some teaching, and he put together some very helpful beginner materials for us. More than enough to keep us busy until my daughter's lessons begin in a few weeks. So, a bit of value added!

And most important, the kids are having a blast with it!

Wow..glad to hear that! I will also do the same thing for my future kids

by the way..PICS!!! :D

[evenodds20]

In this picture he is on my Pork Pie Throne. He has one that is LOW to the ground. when i sit on it my knees almost touch my chest.
Well as far as him reaching the pedals, hes just gonna have to grow into it i guess. its one of those learning things. he def knows what to do. i say if i work with him, he could be the next tony royster jr. right now hes focused on either the hands or the feet. for instance, he will get behind my kit and work the bass pedal or hi hat, then get on the stool and ride for floor tom and snare at the same time. he knows what to do but until he grows enough to reach, he will just work on what he can i guess.

sometimes i see him working the pedal while standing and hitting whatever drums he can reach. but sittin on his throne he has trouble. i ordered a childs throne from amazon i believe, and it goes as low at 10". he can reach one pedal while sitting but not both. so go figure.

[Bish]

Slej, thanks for the update.

[Russ]

he looks like he might have trouble reaching the bass pedal