Electronic drum sets? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Electronic drum sets?

DemonPig

DemonPig

Do not cast your pearls before swine
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So there's this ($330 - sale price) set at Costco made by Adagio. On the manufacturer's website it's $600.
http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product..._Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-CA&Sp=C&topnav=

Has anyone used this kit? I'm not looking for anything at studio or stage level obviously but don't want to buy pure crap.
From my experience, when you're learning, it is well to practice using half decent equipment, otherwise poor quality may cause a lot of frustration.

... Or should I save up another $300 and buy a beginner Alesis, Roland or Yamaha instead?

And just in case someone comes up with the idea of a regular drum set, I live in a townhouse and don't need my neighbours hiring a hitman.
 
How serious are you about drumming? If it's not something that you'll outgrow/you have a real passion for it, then save up the extra dough to get the top of the line stuff (or at least the industry standard). It's well worth it when you get into the more complicated rudiments because that's when the quality's noticeable.

I've been into music ever since I was young (DJing, snare/drumline, piano, trumpet, etc.) and every time I decided to cheap out on something, I regretted it when I got better. Also, a good plus to buying the industry standard is that it usually doesn't lose too much value. A good thing about not settling for the cheaper equipment is that all the blame is on you if you don't get better - you can't use the instrument as a scapegoat.

When it comes to drums, I'm a big fan of analog, but if you really have to go electric, I'm saying save up a little bit more - the feel and sound quality will be better for the other brands that you mentioned. Oh, and I'd also be very weary of a bigger-ticket item like this not having any reviews online in this day & age...
 
It's something I wanted to have as a kid and never got a chance to. I've never played so no idea if I'll stick with it. That's why I'm hesitant to drop big bucks on a set.

You are right, one can pick up a quality used set and then possibly sell it for similar price but that's a niche market so I may get stuck with it for a while. At any rate I wouldn't want to spend more than $600-700 which is what you can find entry Yamahas and Rolands for, used. I don't know about this particular market but I do know that big name companies tend to out source their low-end products, hence a no name could be of the same quality.

And yes, I can't find any reviews anywhere. I mean it's quite cheap and it's Costco so I can return it with half the parts missing and mangled but it would be nice to know if it's garbage or if it's something that may still produce decent sound but simply doesn't have all the fancy options.

Adagio, by the way, makes electrical pianos and this is their only drumset.
 
DemonPig said:
I always struggle in winter. Summertime I work 2 jobs and ride a bike. Winter - 1 job, no bike. Need things to do. There's only so many times I can watch Family Guy over and over again.
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I hear you......this is why I snowboard. I tried drumming once at a party.....awkward as hell. Much harder than it looks. Wouldn't mind getting a kit and screwing around too but I don't think I can afford to spare the time for yet another hobby.
 
I bought my first kit a few months ago. Used Roland V-drums with a TD-10.... and it's become a bit of an obsession. I play other instruments and had a lot of experience with drums and drum machines so for me it was more about developing the muscles and muscle memory to play what's in my head.

Like you, I didn't want to spend much because I didn't know how much use I'd get out of them and seriously considered some cheaper kits. Now though, I'm really happy with the choice I made and really don't think I would have gotten into it so much if I had got a cheaper set. The feel of the snare and hats make it really fun to play... they are modeled rather than just sample playback. I payed over $1k but the newer, lower end lines should be just as good.
 
Yeah, I've done some more research and looked at few sets and that Costco one looks really cheap, especially the brain.

I'll probably save up a few hundred and buy something like a Yamaha DTXpress IV. Should be able to find that used for around $600 (new $1,000 +tax)
Or if I have no cash I'll pick up a used Alesis DM6 which should run me about $300-350 (new $600 +tax).
 
Been playing drums since I was kid. I've had many different kits over the years. I'm back to a traditional kit.
Played with a Roland with a while. They're nice to practice with and have a lot of cool features. For apartments/condos/t houses they're great. Compact and you're the only who hears it (minus the tapping on the pads) through your headphones (get good ones).
But... when playing live there is just no substitute for maple.
 
Rob said:
But... when playing live there is just no substitute for maple.
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maple specifically? our acoustic in general? I used to drum for years, but I was never at a level of sophistication to tell the difference between wood types.
 
I have a Tama Rockstar kit sitting beside a Yamaha Studio Custom maple set (7 ply I think). The difference is quite noticeable. The maple is much warmer and controls the tone a lot better and not a lot of sustain. The Tama (pressed birchwood) has a more hollow sound to it, not a bad sound just different. I love them both for different reasons.
 
I have a set of Pearl Forum Series in Smokey Chrome finish. Not the best kit out there, but still better than any electronic setup. Apologies to the OP, but electronic drums are just sacrilegious, IMO.

I understand you need to keep as quiet as possible due to your current living arrangement, but if you really want to get serious about drumming you'll need to get a real drumset sooner or later.
 
I was going to suggest renting a kit from Long&McQuade... just to see if you like it.

I've been thinking of getting a set with same reasoning (noise)... How do you like Roland so far?
 
DemonPig said:
So I ended up getting a used Roland TD-3 with a DW7000 double bass and an extra cymbal (for a total of 3 + the hi-hat).
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congrats! .....and a suggestion (if you want it).. Whatever you learn, practice it slow enough that you can do it perfectly and then speed it up. If you try to play faster than you can, you'll just be training yourself to play it wrong. It gets frustrating but it's worth it in the end.

have fun
 
mungo said:
congrats! .....and a suggestion (if you want it).. Whatever you learn, practice it slow enough that you can do it perfectly and then speed it up. If you try to play faster than you can, you'll just be training yourself to play it wrong. It gets frustrating but it's worth it in the end.

have fun
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Truth! Learn all the rudiments slow and let your muscles memorize the movements

Congrats on grabbing a set. This guy's great: http://www.youtube.com/user/freedrumlessons
 
All great advice above. The only thing I'll add is get yourself a good metronome and use it to practice. There's nothing worse than a wavering meter from a drummer, well maybe other than a singer who thinks he's Axl Rose!!! LOL!!
 
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