Should I consider buying the DDRUM DD1's???

[Warren Wright]

I have been thinking about buying an E-kit for practicing at night at home ( so I dont disturb the neighbors) and also if I do decide to go back to playing in church during the Song and Worship services.

Does anyone have any experience with the DDRUM DD-1 E-drums? Ive heard that they changed suppliers who provide the circuit boards and that they are "flaky" now. Im not looking for all the bells and whistles - just a simple E-Kit that sounds good and is easily programmed and I have no idea of the quality or lack of said quality concerning the DDRUM DD-1s.

[Pearl MCX Man]

Better off to find a used well known brand e-kit ( Yamaha, Roland) this way you are sure to get reputable product.

[Drumbledore]

Ddrum way back a couple of decades ago had some pretty good feeling drum pads and modules that I would quite often muck around with at major drum shops.....but oh man, so pricey for a young drummer then! But the DD1 with it's drum pads and module? Hmm, not so sure, especially since you've pointed out that they changed the suppliers of their circuit boards. I think they've gone the same route as to what happened with Simmons. Simmons years back built a great reputation as one of the pioneering manufacturers of electronic drums, and an iconic image that will be forever linked with the 80's.....the hexagonal electronic drum pad....how cool did they look? But what's happened to them nowadays? The gear pumped out under the Simmons name (Dave Simmons, the original owner is currently seeking legal action over the acquistion of his name and company logo) that is marketed by Guitar Centre, from what I read, is nothing but Chinese manufactured product which hasn't exactly got a glowing reputation amongst both old Simmons drum connoisseurs as well as those who have bought them. I've a feeling that that is what's now happened to ddrum. Roland and Yamaha on the other hand have been around with a variety of well manufactured (and generally easy to handle) kits for a long while now, and if you're dipping your toe into the electronic percussion world for the first time, you will have very few if any problems with these. Just remember, like with acoustic sets, you get what you pay for. Pay well, you'll get a great practice tool. Skimp on the other hand, you'll get cheap and nasty.

[Warren Wright]

That was well put...and in a context I can certainly relate to. Ive seen a few Yamaha kits on Craigslist in Okc that are priced right and those I can actually test out "in house" before laying down the cold hard . Ive been a Yamaha acoustic drummer since 92' ...might as well stick with em on the E-kits as well.

[Warren Wright]

Well, a few days passed while I was considering which E-Kit I wanted and finally settled on the Yamaha DTX 500K - it was the bare bones version so I picked up one of the 3 zone 13" cymbals to use as a ride and picked up a Y-connector and plugged in the two included cymbals and they are now my two crash cymbals. One of these days I may upgrade to a better snare but for now, Im havin fun with it. In fact, this sunday, our band is playing a Steel Guitar Association show featuring our pedal steel guitar player and a friend of his who has been showing up at our regular dances to get familiar with the tunes we do and how we put em together. I dont have an amp yet but Im borrowing our bass players Peavey KB-100 keyboard amp that his wife uses from time to time...and it really makes that kit sound superb. A bit of tweaking on the EQ and volume knobs and my E-kit sounds almost identical to my Oak Customs - gotta love that~!

[SparrowBeat]

Great to hear Warren. Congratulations on the new kit. I've actually been looking into an ekit because I will be moving into an apartment sometime soon and want to still be able to practice. Would you recommend the DTX?