A set of used Matadors would be more worth your money in my opinion. Still a decent starter drum though.
I had some Pros say that one used Matador for $200-$300 is better than three bad drums. I have a set of Aspires and I will play them until I am ready to spend $1000 or more on a set of more heavy duty and warmer sounding drums.
PS:
I think I "play them"... just don't ask my wife and five kids if I play them or just bang on them.
I totally agree. The Matador's are excellent drums for the price and can totally be used in a professional setting. A used set can easily be picked up for around $300. The aspire line is a great starting place though; however I'd advise against spending alot of money on new skins and suggest saving that $$ for a drum upgrade. It's really the no name brands you need to stay away from. Used congas don't really fetch a big price, usually half the cost of new, so it is pretty easy to find a quality set for cheap.
is a set of 3 barely used aspires with stand worth 350?
or should i hold off for a better line as a beginner?
just got the call right after my last post.
i'm able to get all 3 with stand for 250.
i know how must pros feel about the aspires
but for the price and being a true beginner,
i am going to take them.
thanks for you advice and help.
it's truly appreciated.
I bought my daughter (24yrs old) an LP Aspire Djembe (key-tuned) this past Chirstmas - she loves it.........she's just starting out though. It's kind of a nice sounding drum. They're made out of Siam Oak or Thai Oak (common names for the Rubber Tree). Not anywhere near as much bass as you find in the heavy carved wood cord-tuned variety. But not a bad drum to start with(from Santa ).
Gary
boy am i getting clobbered on another site for my decision to purchase
my aspires.
they might be the most hated drums.
Thanks - I'll email Ralph.
A thick cowhide hu. I tucked some thick LP (Thailand skins) flats on the drums lately - and what a fight with some of them! It's not easy to tuck the old style rims. I got it done - but I was sweating pretty good after.
I bought some of the new lugs (a coulple of my original lugs stripped) and they don't seem to work as well as the old good-quality lugs. Even after lubing the new lugs really well I had a few lock up on me and the only way I got the lug off was to take all the others off and unhook it and throw it away. I've ordered a few more ( the ones with Valje stamped on them). I would prefer the older ones. Do you know where I could get any? I'll email Ralph too regarding this.
Gary
Ranger, don't let 'em get to you. As Gonefishin said, we don't flame people around here at Drum Chat. I started drumming on a ddrum D2 kit. It is the cheapest of kits, and gear snobs would have had a field day with me, but I had to find out if I had the talent before I risked a bigger investment. I have since upgraded my drums - and cymbals - but that first kit was the right call for me, just as the LP Aspires can be the right call for you. Only you can make that call, but remember that if it gets you going, it was the right call!
Oh, and I've got LP Aspires, and for now I am quite happy with them.
Quoting gonefishin: Just have some bacon with ya when you go pick her up..........youre an instant chick magnet.
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A thick cowhide hu. I tucked some thick LP (Thailand skins) flats on the drums lately - and what a fight with some of them! It's not easy to tuck the old style rims. I got it done - but I was sweating pretty good after.
I agree a thick hide can be a pain in the rear to tuck, having a second person really helps. My first tuck job took me an hour to get the darn nuts on the lugs. From my experience, the older traditional rims are actually much easier to tuck than the newer comfort curve style rims. I really like the rounded rim on the new California Gon Bops, they look very comfy and easy to tuck.
I'm pretty sure I know which site, you dealing with professional Latin conguero, some of the best teachers, owners of vintage conga shops and mule skin dealers. They all have great knowledge of the conga "religion" and can be very helpful with any issues pertaining to the subject although their hands probably may not touch anything less than a mule skinned Jay Bereck or Volcano drum so of course their going to beat ya up on the subject. I was the power engineer for five years for two stages and I've actually seen local bands use Aspires and they sounded great! It is a beginner drum but it's the best beginner out there but that's just my opinion.
L4C
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