I am not a fan of mesh heads. The new Yamaha DTX900 has excellent heads, and the Yammie stuff is less expensive than the top of the line Roland.
I will let others comment on the Rolands.
hi everyone! i am looking to get a used e-kit but not sure which direction to go. i have played the Roland TD-6,10,20. but not in a long while. of course i want the mesh pads. but what i really would like is the kit that will be the closest to the feel and stuff to an acoustic(trigger response). i want to use it for live stuff and my acoustic for recording, or vise versa. but that's what i would like help with. I'm not familiar with the Yamaha's or any other e-kits out there.
if you can't keep time... then your just making noise!
I am not a fan of mesh heads. The new Yamaha DTX900 has excellent heads, and the Yammie stuff is less expensive than the top of the line Roland.
I will let others comment on the Rolands.
Yamaha DTXtreme III FrankenXpress w/ various pads and cymbals
Pearl Eliminator w/Vater Bomber
Roc-N-Soc Motion
Vater 7A Sugar Maple
Simmons DA-200S
Sony MDR-7506
MacBookPro Core2 Duo 2.33,4gb,500gb w/SD2, Reason 4, and LE9
http://s591.photobucket.com/albums/ss358/Charlygo/
Go roland if you want mesh heads, if you want any info on the yamaha DTXPlorer I own it. (the lowest end of ekit from yamaha)
-Ben
If you must have mesh....then you're pretty much limited to roland, hart, pintech and the original DTXtreme RHP if you can find one (it didn't come w/ mesh..came with real heads originally....but you can convert it to mesh...that's what I have and did)....I've owned both major brands (roland and yamaha) and personally I prefer the drum sounds of yamaha modules (a little more realistic IMO)...especially the DTXtreme III module....also what are you looking to spend..cause that may limit your choices...
Last edited by scorch whammin; 03-06-2010 at 06:41 PM.
I dont have good advice if you are absolutely set on mesh,but i would strongly reccommend Yamaha cymbals and a DTXtreme III module
well i really don't have to have mesh heads. i was under the impression that they were the most realistic,but from how this sounds, Roland is overrated. i just want a kit that feels and sounds good. i did some reading on Yamaha and its not bad price wise. the money is not a big issue but it is a factor. i have a ton of money in my Yamaha acoustic kit, and don't want to be too skimpy on the e-kit. i like the idea of the realistic sounds of the module,and the "cheaper than Roland" stuff.
if you can't keep time... then your just making noise!
If money is not too big an issue...look at the Yamaha DTX950K...it's the latest and greatest offering from Yamaha...the drum pads are made of a compound called TCS..textured cellular silicone...from what I've heard from people that tried them at NAMM 2010...they feel very realistic (to real drums) and also are very quiet (i.e., stick noise)....they should be in the stores late March/early April timeframe
Last edited by scorch whammin; 05-19-2010 at 07:20 PM.
Best? There really is no such thing. So many variables like what you want it for, how much you can afford, the best "feel" for you. The latter is somewhat answered by you wanting mesh. Do you want to purchase an entire kit or piece something together?
www.myspace.com/rubberuniverse
Yamaha module + Pintech drums =
When it comes to e-kits, Roland is the Harley-Davidson, meaning it has respect throughout the industry and holds a good resale value. I put my kit together on e-bay and added my acoustic cymbals and I've used it live. I've had a lot of compliments on the sound and there are a lot of different kit options in the module. I didn't like the mesh pads so I went with the PD-9's and PD-7's. The only downfall to them is on the snare it's hard to get a good sounding single stroke roll. That may be because of my TD-8 module (which is an older unit). I use a pintech kick trigger which has been very reliable. It's all mounted on a Gibraltar rack. I've never played the Yamaha kit or any of the others so I can't comment on them. All the drummers in my area look at Roland as the standard in e-kits. Hope this helps a little.
MAPEX - Orion Classic Series / Transparent Diamond Blue
ROLAND - TD-8, PD-9's, PD-7's
GIBRALTAR - Rack system
IRON COBRA - Double pedals
ZILDJIAN - Custom Z's, Custom A's
EVANS - Hydraulic heads
El Cheapo - sticks
hello,i m a fan of Roland's products too,but recently i have tried Jobeky drum and it s great,same sensation that my pd-125 but the Jobeky has a real drum look,it s cheaper and you can choose your wraps and lugs,i use a 12"x5" black pearl and i have ordered and other,i ll like to change all my pd85bk by jobeky 8"x5"
If money aint an issue,take a look at the DTXtreme III Special or the DTX900 or 950.They are all cheaper than Rolands top of the line(TD-20),and IMHO sound better.
Gotta put my 2 cents worth in. Price is the key,how much do you have to spend ? I've owned a hart 64 pro , 2 yamaha sets , 5 roland and 3 DIY sets using roland module and cymbals ! Outta these For store bought sets the hart or td10 are the bomb ! For compactness , ease of transport and setup I'd say a td6 . But for the best all round looks feel and total coolness the DIY wins hands down ! I like mesh heads the rubber heads I have played were...well rubber. In all fairness I have not played the new yamaha so I can't say and I'm sure they are improving all the time I will say I am a big fan of yamaha drums in general !
E Drums !! !
There are no loud instruments just loud players !
Protect Your Hearing !!!!
wow!! this is so much great info. this will help tremendously for my search for my personal e-kit. i just might look into the idea of building my own from parts, or maybe i don't really know now. but that's what i wanted, feedback to give me choices!!thanks a bunch guys.
if you can't keep time... then your just making noise!
drum fusion- I'm putting together a "modern" ekit and I should have all of my pieces next week. I put quotes around the word modern because I had a low budget ekit back in the mid 80s when the kits first came out. As far as todays standards are concerned, ekits stand far better today than back in the 80s and much cheaper too.
Just to give you a ball park figure, I didn't buy the latest and greatest and money was a BIG concern for me since I sank most of my $ on acoustic kits. My goals for the ekit is to practice quitely, enjoy some different drum sounds and most importantly for me is to start collaborating with a friend who plays guitar and together with my TASCAM DP-02 8 track digital recorder, we can start laying down some orginal tunes played silently in his cramped apartment. The joy I'm about to experience is silent playing all inside the world of my TASCAM 8 track recorder.
I found these Yamaha DTXpress IV pads used for $542 US$
Which include the following:
• 3 TP65 single-zone pads
• TP100 3-zone snare pad with controller knob
• PCY150S 3-zone ride
• Cymbal pad
• 130SC 3-zone cymbal pad
• PCY130 single-zone cymbal pad
• RHH130 stereo hi-hat
• Controller
• HH650 hi-hat stand
This will be mated to a used Yamaha DTXpressIII module I bought for $175 and I have spare Gilbraltar rack pieces to hold the pads and cymbals in place.
Again, this isn't the latest or the greatest but it will suit my needs until me and my buddy make our first hit record lol.
So just a tad over $600 US$, I pieced myself a kit.
Good luck on the build.
Last edited by late8; 07-28-2015 at 12:24 PM.
wow!!!! that IS cheap! that's not a bad set up either. i will definitely look into doing that and just upgrade later. cool man!
if you can't keep time... then your just making noise!
When shopping for a used drumkit, and this is especially true with electronic ones.. Make sure to set your budget limits and needs before shopping, that way you know exactly what you are able to have and don't spend money you don't have to. That said, I generally go by the "buy the best you can afford" rule with most gear. With used gear this isn't always reliable due to the condition. You would also do well to remember to go to a drum shop and try all the sets you're interested in, it's an excellent way to learn what feels right.
With E-Kits, it's probably just me being picky but I have never found "the perfect one" for me. The Alesis DM5 has 12 interchangeable inputs, very good value if you plan to expand or like to use different configurations than what you can get with another module. The downside is reports of sensitivity issues, but I would just as soon learn the settings or purchase their trigger i/o so I could battle this. They aren't as rugged as a Roland, but any gear treated well will last you many years. The Alesis is the most affordable out of this group IMO.
The Yamaha DTXplorer/DTXpress, as well as their upper level DTXtreme kits are fantastic for a few reasons. Rubber pads for a different, less bouncy feel than Roland or Hart's mesh design. The quality of sounds is impressive, and I found the hi-hat relatively simple to use.(a major selling point) Unfortunately, all of these series aside from DTXtreme limit you with your inputs- which won't be a factor if you prefer the setup their input configuration supports. Fairly priced too, and that's always a plus.
The Rolands are excellent, plenty of sounds and options to play around with. A real popular choice, they come with mesh or rubber pads depending on which model you get. The amount of inputs they give you is not bad, and they have nice connectivity options if you are interested in linking to other units or connecting to a computer. Some of them have some nice features, such as a metronome and a tuner so there will be lots of playing around with the settings and features to do. I own a td-7 module, and it is very rugged to have lasted me this long. Like the Alesis, it also has good add-on capabilities because of it's tmc-6 trigger converter optional add on unit.
Some things to keep in ask or research on this item when shopping:
1) Condition of wires, module, and included power supply?
2) Price of item when it was new?(this isn't all that important as a guideline because used prices on gear can vary to different ranges)
3) Features you are looking for in the set, and how responsive it is and feels when you're playing?
4) Ease of use- Is this module hard to figure out, do you need a manual?
5) Expandability- Are there add on trigger units available in case you decide to add onto it later, and what else will the module support?
6) Availability of Parts- If something should break,(let's hope it doesn't) will it be easy enough to find replacements or something to add on.
Just a few things to consider, and happy shopping!
Last edited by Russ; 03-13-2010 at 08:31 AM. Reason: major typo
ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
Snares: 4
RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
Forum Rules
DrumBum
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You actually have that backwards.....the DTXplorer limits you on inputs (to what pads came with kit), the DTXpress allows you to split inputs (dual zone to single) on toms (for adding extra voices/sounds), the DTXtreme has the most inputs on the market (of any brand)....16 inputs (1 of those is for hihat control) and all of them but one are multi zone (dual &/or triple zone)...so you can split some of those up if you so desire (to add even more sounds/voices)....the one zone that's not...is actually splittable also for double bass/kick drums....with 16 inputs (nothing split) you can build a setup like this....
Last edited by scorch whammin; 03-13-2010 at 09:59 AM.
ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
Snares: 4
RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
Forum Rules
DrumBum
No metronome?
The Rudiments
BREAK THE RECORD!
"Only the mediocre are always at their best"
"All im going to do is go on and do what i feel"-Jimi Hendrix
I see someone is cutting and pasting again.
Yamaha DTXtreme III FrankenXpress w/ various pads and cymbals
Pearl Eliminator w/Vater Bomber
Roc-N-Soc Motion
Vater 7A Sugar Maple
Simmons DA-200S
Sony MDR-7506
MacBookPro Core2 Duo 2.33,4gb,500gb w/SD2, Reason 4, and LE9
http://s591.photobucket.com/albums/ss358/Charlygo/
Sorry Scorch, it wasn't directed at you. The offending party knows full well.
Yamaha DTXtreme III FrankenXpress w/ various pads and cymbals
Pearl Eliminator w/Vater Bomber
Roc-N-Soc Motion
Vater 7A Sugar Maple
Simmons DA-200S
Sony MDR-7506
MacBookPro Core2 Duo 2.33,4gb,500gb w/SD2, Reason 4, and LE9
http://s591.photobucket.com/albums/ss358/Charlygo/
ZildjianLeague/LP/Aquarian/Mapex/Pearl
Snares: 4
RIP- Frank, Wolvie, Les Paul
Forum Rules
DrumBum
No metronome?
The Rudiments
Bookmarks