Author Topic: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter  (Read 8553 times)

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Offline JustJen

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help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« on: April 29, 2016, 02:03:24 PM »
So, my daughter is 13 and is starting private drum lessons and needs a kit (she's been taking lessons in school all year and wants to kick it up a notch).

We're trying to figure out what the difference is between these two affordable PDP starter kits - one comes up in searches on Guitar Center's website, the other I have to type in the item number by hand to find... both are $399 but one is originally $699 and the other (that I have to type in by hand to find) is originally $923.97. I have no idea what the difference is and I don't want to just assume the one that had the higher original list price is better.

I'd be super grateful for any insight I can get. We're going out there tomorrow afternoon to make the purchase so time is short! :)

Thanks!

Originally $699 - PDP Centerstage: https://www.guitarcenter.com/PDP/CENTERstage-5-piece-Drum-Set-with-Hardware-and-Cymbals.gc

Originally $923 - PDP Z5: https://www.guitarcenter.com/PDP/Z5-Complete-Drum-Set-with-Hardware-Cymbals-Carbon-Black-1317311899940.gc#productDetail

edit - I see the floor tom on the Centerstage is 2" bigger than on the Z5. Not sure what else. The Centerstage is "mixed hardwood"/ "birch hybrid" and the Z5 is poplar...
« Last Edit: April 29, 2016, 02:32:00 PM by JustJen »
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Offline JustJen

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Offline PuffyPat

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #2 on: May 01, 2016, 11:32:10 PM »
in terms of quality these kits are essentially going to be the same. the only real difference i see is the tom sizes. the rack toms are 1" deeper on the Z5, but the floor tom for the centerstage is 16 compared to the 14 on the Z5.  the centerstage says the shells are a 'birch hybrid' but i couldn't find any further description, so i assume there are plys of both birch and polar, but i can't confirm that.
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Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #3 on: May 02, 2016, 04:31:27 AM »
Thanks! I went with the Pearl kit.
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Offline bosk1

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #4 on: May 03, 2016, 11:49:10 AM »
Sorry for being late to the party, Jen.  You can't really go wrong with any of those.  They all look like fine starter kits.  The one advantage (or disadvantage, depending on your point of view) of the Pearl kit that you bought is that it includes a throne, which the PDP kits apparently do not.  The upside is, now you don't have to buy one separately.  The downside is, the one they included is probably junk and will easily bend/break if her brother and his friends borrow it to play Guitar Hero and are a bit rough with it.  But since she is just starting anyway, not bad to start with a cheap one, and if she sticks with it and wants a better one down the road after she has been playing a bit, she may have a better handle at that point on what she wants. 

Another note:  To make it fun, she will probably want a few additional cymbals.  Cymbals and stands can be very expensive and can add up quickly.  Zildjian's ZBT series and Sabian's B-8 series are some good entry-level cymbals that sound decent and won't break the bank, and you can sometimes find combo packs that have a few cymbals for a bargain price (for example:  https://www.guitarcenter.com/Sabian/B8X-Performance-Pack.gc).  For stands, it is usually fine to go with a pack of lower end ones, as long as they are double-braced (which most are), such as:  https://www.guitarcenter.com/PDP/700-Series-Cymbal-Boom-Stand-2-Pack.gc   In terms of cymbals, everyone has their own preferences.  I wouldn't worry too much about hi-hats for now.  The ones that came with the kit may not sound great, but they should be passable.  Crash-rides are not the greatest.  They don't give that deep ping that you want from a true ride, and they don't quite give that great explosion and decay you want in a true crash.  I would try to find her a good ride and an inexpensive 16" crash.  I found a Sabian B-8 ride used on craigslist that I love (new: https://www.guitarcenter.com/Sabian/B8-Series-Ride-Cymbal.gc).  That will easily be enough to get started.  If you can only do one of the above right now for budget reasons, I would go with a good ride cymbal for now, and she can use the existing crash-ride as her main crash.  It may not sound great, but at least she can get the feel and basic sound as she gets comfortable playing.  The other reason to get a separate ride cymbal is that players generally position their crashes and rides very differently from one another, usually with the ride down lower on the right side (I have mine VERY low on a similar 5-piece kit, just to the right of the right-most rack tom and just above the floor tom) and the main crash(es) higher and directly in front.  Others may have different recommendations on cymbals and may insist that mine are dead wrong.  :lol  Like I said, every player has different preferences, and many insist that their preference is the best.  I am not going to say the examples I gave you above are THE way to go.  But they are solid suggestions. :)

Back to the stands and such for a moment.  In case it hasn't yet occurred to you, the cool thing with drums is that it can be a fun, never-ending journey to add pieces and reconfigure.  A drum kit is infinitely (within reason) expandable and customizable.  BUT that also means that with each piece you add, you also need to add separate hardware, which is separate and is also expensive.  New cymbal?  You need a separate stand or arm to mount it.  Cowbell?  You need an arm and/or bracket.  And on and on.  So there are additional costs associated that beginners often don't account for. 

Hope that helps.
« Last Edit: May 03, 2016, 11:56:53 AM by bosk1 »
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Offline kirksnosehair

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #5 on: May 03, 2016, 01:39:28 PM »
Thanks! I went with the Pearl kit.


Out of the ones you posted I would have chosen the Pearl too.

Offline Prog Snob

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #6 on: May 03, 2016, 01:40:37 PM »


Just kick that old guy off the seat.

Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #7 on: May 03, 2016, 04:45:51 PM »


Just kick that old guy off the seat.

He's already stepped down basically. :(
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Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #8 on: May 03, 2016, 04:46:30 PM »
Thanks! I went with the Pearl kit.


Out of the ones you posted I would have chosen the Pearl too.

:tup thanks, that's reassuring!
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Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #9 on: May 03, 2016, 04:49:55 PM »
Sorry for being late to the party, Jen.  You can't really go wrong with any of those.  They all look like fine starter kits.  The one advantage (or disadvantage, depending on your point of view) of the Pearl kit that you bought is that it includes a throne, which the PDP kits apparently do not.  The upside is, now you don't have to buy one separately.  The downside is, the one they included is probably junk and will easily bend/break if her brother and his friends borrow it to play Guitar Hero and are a bit rough with it.  But since she is just starting anyway, not bad to start with a cheap one, and if she sticks with it and wants a better one down the road after she has been playing a bit, she may have a better handle at that point on what she wants. 

Another note:  To make it fun, she will probably want a few additional cymbals.  Cymbals and stands can be very expensive and can add up quickly.  Zildjian's ZBT series and Sabian's B-8 series are some good entry-level cymbals that sound decent and won't break the bank, and you can sometimes find combo packs that have a few cymbals for a bargain price (for example:  https://www.guitarcenter.com/Sabian/B8X-Performance-Pack.gc).  For stands, it is usually fine to go with a pack of lower end ones, as long as they are double-braced (which most are), such as:  https://www.guitarcenter.com/PDP/700-Series-Cymbal-Boom-Stand-2-Pack.gc   In terms of cymbals, everyone has their own preferences.  I wouldn't worry too much about hi-hats for now.  The ones that came with the kit may not sound great, but they should be passable.  Crash-rides are not the greatest.  They don't give that deep ping that you want from a true ride, and they don't quite give that great explosion and decay you want in a true crash.  I would try to find her a good ride and an inexpensive 16" crash.  I found a Sabian B-8 ride used on craigslist that I love (new: https://www.guitarcenter.com/Sabian/B8-Series-Ride-Cymbal.gc).  That will easily be enough to get started.  If you can only do one of the above right now for budget reasons, I would go with a good ride cymbal for now, and she can use the existing crash-ride as her main crash.  It may not sound great, but at least she can get the feel and basic sound as she gets comfortable playing.  The other reason to get a separate ride cymbal is that players generally position their crashes and rides very differently from one another, usually with the ride down lower on the right side (I have mine VERY low on a similar 5-piece kit, just to the right of the right-most rack tom and just above the floor tom) and the main crash(es) higher and directly in front.  Others may have different recommendations on cymbals and may insist that mine are dead wrong.  :lol  Like I said, every player has different preferences, and many insist that their preference is the best.  I am not going to say the examples I gave you above are THE way to go.  But they are solid suggestions. :)

Back to the stands and such for a moment.  In case it hasn't yet occurred to you, the cool thing with drums is that it can be a fun, never-ending journey to add pieces and reconfigure.  A drum kit is infinitely (within reason) expandable and customizable.  BUT that also means that with each piece you add, you also need to add separate hardware, which is separate and is also expensive.  New cymbal?  You need a separate stand or arm to mount it.  Cowbell?  You need an arm and/or bracket.  And on and on.  So there are additional costs associated that beginners often don't account for. 

Hope that helps.


:)

Thanks for all the input bosk, much appreciated! I knew those would be garbage cymbals but was hoping to go a little while before having to invest in anything else. We'll see how this goes.. first challenge will be getting a 100 lb. box inside, to the back of the house, and everything inside assembled. :lol I have no idea what I'm doing. I may post a HALP!! thread in a few days.
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Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #10 on: May 09, 2016, 05:28:17 AM »
I'm a little bummed out that I placed the order via Amazon Prime on Friday, April 29th and it still isn't here yet. How is that Amazon Prime shipping?

It said to allow 3-5 business days AFTER I placed the order.. so assuming weekends are excluded from UPS ground shipping time frames, that should've meant Monday, May 2nd was day 1, so Wednesday, May 4 was day 3 (the first day it could've arrived) and Friday, May 6th was day 5 (the last day it should've arrived).

Yet here we are... it even said they arrived in my town Friday night but then it showed that they wouldn't be delivered until Monday (today)...

There is a huge difference between Wednesday the 4th and Monday the 9th IMO. And I know from past experience that large UPS items aren't delivered until between 4-7pm in my area so it won't come until late tonight.

I have no idea what Amazon does in situations where stuff doesn't arrive when promised but I suspect there is nothing to be done about this in part because the first time I clicked to check tracking information, it warned me that it would arrive between Thursday and Monday (today). But that is NOT what it said before I placed the order, or upon completing checkout, so. yeah. pissed.
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Online Evermind

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #11 on: May 09, 2016, 05:41:53 AM »
I can't quite relate to this one since it's usually a month shipping to Russia, but Amazon is generally very customer-friendly. I waited for my package for three months once, assumed it was lost and wrote them about it; they've sent me a new one with the same items for free within a day from my initial complaint. And of course the "lost" package arrived after that (because that's just how life is :lol ) so when the new package arrived I had to send it back.
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Offline Cyclopssss

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #12 on: May 09, 2016, 05:59:12 AM »
 Looks decent enough. Just note there isn´t a crash cymbal and stand with these starter kits.
I remember buying this in 2003 when I had been playing little over 5 years for about 650 euro´s back then. There wasn´t a crash on this set either.  It still serves me to this day, actually. With them I bought a set of Sabian B8´s which came in a neat pack.



I worried if it would sound good, but actually all the toms sounded great. The snare needed some padding though. I recorded an entire album worth of material with this kit. The hardware still lasts to this day and it still has the same skins on it. Hope she enjoys her drumkit as much as I did mine.
« Last Edit: May 09, 2016, 06:07:13 AM by Cyclopssss »
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Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #13 on: May 09, 2016, 06:23:52 AM »
I can't quite relate to this one since it's usually a month shipping to Russia, but Amazon is generally very customer-friendly. I waited for my package for three months once, assumed it was lost and wrote them about it; they've sent me a new one with the same items for free within a day from my initial complaint. And of course the "lost" package arrived after that (because that's just how life is :lol ) so when the new package arrived I had to send it back.

of course! That's exactly how it would work for me as well. Except legally speaking if a company sends you something you do not have to return it. I bought my daughter a guitar on black Friday one year via a Groupon sale and the box they sent me seemed extra heavy.. opened it up and inside it were two more boxes, each with a guitar. I was told to keep the extra!
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Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #14 on: May 09, 2016, 06:25:30 AM »
Looks decent enough. Just note there isn´t a crash cymbal and stand with these starter kits.
I remember buying this in 2003 when I had been playing little over 5 years for about 650 euro´s back then. There wasn´t a crash on this set either.  It still serves me to this day, actually. With them I bought a set of Sabian B8´s which came in a neat pack.



I worried if it would sound good, but actually all the toms sounded great. The snare needed some padding though. I recorded an entire album worth of material with this kit. The hardware still lasts to this day and it still has the same skins on it. Hope she enjoys her drumkit as much as I did mine.

That is awesome! We were told that if we wanted to go high-end starter, to get a Sonor. We were trying to stick with low-end starter but the PDP for $399 versus the Pearl for $449 just seemed like a no-brainer to me. Fingers crossed that it turns out alright.. reviews suggest the cymbals are "Trash can lid quality" (lol) but then again she's still a beginner so I dont' think it will matter. And if she needs new cymbals for Christmas then at least I'll have an idea of a gift to give her for a change. :)
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Offline Cyclopssss

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #15 on: May 09, 2016, 06:54:22 AM »
Haha ´thrashcan quality´ that sounds rock ´n´ roll!. Actually it took quite some time before I even dared to call myself ´the drummer of the band´. But I still miss drumming dearly. The kit´s in my basement, disensembled, but I can set it up within an half hour if I want to practice a bit. Some damping mats are handy also.
From the ocean comes the notion that the realise lies in rhythm. The rhythm of vision is dancer, and when you dance you´re always on the one. From the looking comes to see, wondrous realise real eyes....

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #16 on: May 09, 2016, 07:56:01 AM »
I can't quite relate to this one since it's usually a month shipping to Russia, but Amazon is generally very customer-friendly. I waited for my package for three months once, assumed it was lost and wrote them about it; they've sent me a new one with the same items for free within a day from my initial complaint. And of course the "lost" package arrived after that (because that's just how life is :lol ) so when the new package arrived I had to send it back.

of course! That's exactly how it would work for me as well. Except legally speaking if a company sends you something you do not have to return it. I bought my daughter a guitar on black Friday one year via a Groupon sale and the box they sent me seemed extra heavy.. opened it up and inside it were two more boxes, each with a guitar. I was told to keep the extra!

Well, I know, but it seemed a right thing to do I guess.
This first band is Soen very cool swingy jazz fusion kinda stuff.

Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #17 on: May 09, 2016, 09:35:00 AM »
I can't quite relate to this one since it's usually a month shipping to Russia, but Amazon is generally very customer-friendly. I waited for my package for three months once, assumed it was lost and wrote them about it; they've sent me a new one with the same items for free within a day from my initial complaint. And of course the "lost" package arrived after that (because that's just how life is :lol ) so when the new package arrived I had to send it back.

of course! That's exactly how it would work for me as well. Except legally speaking if a company sends you something you do not have to return it. I bought my daughter a guitar on black Friday one year via a Groupon sale and the box they sent me seemed extra heavy.. opened it up and inside it were two more boxes, each with a guitar. I was told to keep the extra!

Well, I know, but it seemed a right thing to do I guess.

Absolutely agreed. I was pleasantly surprised when told (twice - once was a DVD they sent me two copies of, instead of two different seasons of the same show - they replaced the duplicate and said to keep it so I sold it on eBay) to keep the mistake item. I'd feel guilty and couldn't enjoy something if it was sent to me by mistake and I didn't say something. I only mentioned it because I didn't know until the second time that happened that I had no legal obligation to return the item, so I figured I'd pass on that tidbit in case anyone else didn't realize that technicality.
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Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #18 on: May 09, 2016, 09:37:36 AM »
Haha ´thrashcan quality´ that sounds rock ´n´ roll!. Actually it took quite some time before I even dared to call myself ´the drummer of the band´. But I still miss drumming dearly. The kit´s in my basement, disassembled, but I can set it up within an half hour if I want to practice a bit. Some damping mats are handy also.

I like your version better! I said Trash can but Thrash can makes me re-think it being a problem. :p

I better ask now.. what are damping mats? (Hey we're all a noob at some point :D )
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Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #19 on: May 09, 2016, 09:38:56 AM »
PS I may (or may not) be trolling my front window for the next many hours while waiting for the tell-tale sound of an approaching UPS truck. But my bet is on "may". Or "will". Or more accurately, "am". :lol
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Offline bosk1

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #20 on: May 09, 2016, 02:00:20 PM »
I better ask now.. what are damping mats? (Hey we're all a noob at some point :D )

Thin rubber mats that are cut to the sizes of each of the drum heads to muffle the sound so that neighbors and parents do not go insane from the noise while your kid learns to play.  Think about it:  It's not like a guitar, where you can practice with it unplugged or with headphones.  Drums make noise.  LOUD noise.  The mats help.  And they have wedge shaped ones for the cymbals too.  You still hit the cymbal rather than the mat, so you still get that satisfying feeling of beating the crap out of a metal object with a stick, but the dampener keeps it from making quite the same loud crash sound. 

For example:  https://www.walmart.com/ip/24680757?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=12&adid=22222222227018335887&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=52288602975&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=79372918215&veh=sem
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Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #21 on: May 09, 2016, 03:55:54 PM »
I better ask now.. what are damping mats? (Hey we're all a noob at some point :D )

Thin rubber mats that are cut to the sizes of each of the drum heads to muffle the sound so that neighbors and parents do not go insane from the noise while your kid learns to play.  Think about it:  It's not like a guitar, where you can practice with it unplugged or with headphones.  Drums make noise.  LOUD noise.  The mats help.  And they have wedge shaped ones for the cymbals too.  You still hit the cymbal rather than the mat, so you still get that satisfying feeling of beating the crap out of a metal object with a stick, but the dampener keeps it from making quite the same loud crash sound. 

For example:  https://www.walmart.com/ip/24680757?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=12&adid=22222222227018335887&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=52288602975&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=79372918215&veh=sem

my prayers have already been answered. it's been together for less than half an hour and I have already uttered the phrase "I may need to go on medication". :lol

(and she and I did it all ourselves. :hat )
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Offline Cyclopssss

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #22 on: May 09, 2016, 04:17:58 PM »
Nothing more to add to what Bosk1 said.. Don´t know how these things are called in American.
From the ocean comes the notion that the realise lies in rhythm. The rhythm of vision is dancer, and when you dance you´re always on the one. From the looking comes to see, wondrous realise real eyes....

Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #23 on: May 09, 2016, 05:15:22 PM »
Nothing more to add to what Bosk1 said.. Don´t know how these things are called in American.

I'm so glad you brought it up! Those are definitely something I need to look into getting some of. :)
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Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #24 on: May 09, 2016, 05:38:54 PM »
ta da:



(hope it's reasonably well assembled - seems okay so far!)
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Offline Cyclopssss

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #25 on: May 10, 2016, 04:28:11 AM »
Damn, that looks like rockstar material already. And to be honest, if you can go with one of the 'big brands' why not? As long as those bassdrum legs are fastened and in ballance, she will be ready to rock.

(I once played a gig on a flat boat, no kidding with slanting sides, so I had to tape everything to the floor so it wouldn't start sliding all over the place.)

Those mats are great, btw, not only do they give great noise reduction, but because of the rubber material it gives great return-action when you hit them.

 :metal
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Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #26 on: May 10, 2016, 05:10:32 AM »
Damn, that looks like rockstar material already. And to be honest, if you can go with one of the 'big brands' why not? As long as those bassdrum legs are fastened and in ballance, she will be ready to rock.

(I once played a gig on a flat boat, no kidding with slanting sides, so I had to tape everything to the floor so it wouldn't start sliding all over the place.)

Those mats are great, btw, not only do they give great noise reduction, but because of the rubber material it gives great return-action when you hit them.

 :metal

I have a hard time walking on a boat, I couldn't imagine playing drums on a boat! Haha that's great, taping them down and just rocking the situation.

I had a choice between two kits with a $50 price difference and one brand everyone told me we would probably have to upgrade for her in a year or two (the PDP kit) while the other brand, everyone said she would be able to use as long as she wants to with just a cymbal upgrade (the Pearl kit) so I decided to spend a little more now in order to save a lot more in the long run.

I figure most drums are probably bought used so if I buy these new and she outgrows them or loses interest, I should be very easily able to sell them and get most of my money back, since I would be selling them as "one owner" drums. But I can't imagine anyone would ever sell such a nice drum kit unless they had to move into a smaller place and ran out of room. Otherwise they are too much fun to ever get rid of.

And now I don't have to worry about ideas for gifts for her at Christmas and her birthday! I can always just add another cowbell or something. :D
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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #27 on: May 10, 2016, 07:41:49 AM »
And now I don't have to worry about ideas for gifts for her at Christmas and her birthday! I can always just add another cowbell or something. :D

Is she running a fever or something?
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Offline Logain Ablar

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #28 on: May 10, 2016, 07:59:00 AM »
Just spotted this thread.  That Pearl kit looks really nice :). I got my 8 year old son a drum kit on Saturday, second-hand from gumtree. He's been going to lessons for a few weeks, and praticising on pots and pans wasn't cutting it any longer.

He loves it, and hasn't stopped playing it since, but man it is loud! You can hear it outside the house, even with all windows and doors closed, so I had to go and warn the neighbours. Both sets of neighbours said they were fine about it, but we'll see..  :lol

I've ordered some of those foam pads from ebay - let's hope they cut down the noise level!  :tup

Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #29 on: May 10, 2016, 08:02:17 AM »
And now I don't have to worry about ideas for gifts for her at Christmas and her birthday! I can always just add another cowbell or something. :D

Is she running a fever or something?

:p
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Offline JustJen

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #30 on: May 10, 2016, 08:03:09 AM »
Just spotted this thread.  That Pearl kit looks really nice :). I got my 8 year old son a drum kit on Saturday, second-hand from gumtree. He's been going to lessons for a few weeks, and praticising on pots and pans wasn't cutting it any longer.

He loves it, and hasn't stopped playing it since, but man it is loud! You can hear it outside the house, even with all windows and doors closed, so I had to go and warn the neighbours. Both sets of neighbours said they were fine about it, but we'll see..  :lol

I've ordered some of those foam pads from ebay - let's hope they cut down the noise level!  :tup

Heh yeah you can hear these outside the county I think. :lol
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Offline Logain Ablar

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #31 on: May 10, 2016, 08:11:02 AM »
Just spotted this thread.  That Pearl kit looks really nice :). I got my 8 year old son a drum kit on Saturday, second-hand from gumtree. He's been going to lessons for a few weeks, and praticising on pots and pans wasn't cutting it any longer.

He loves it, and hasn't stopped playing it since, but man it is loud! You can hear it outside the house, even with all windows and doors closed, so I had to go and warn the neighbours. Both sets of neighbours said they were fine about it, but we'll see..  :lol

I've ordered some of those foam pads from ebay - let's hope they cut down the noise level!  :tup

Heh yeah you can hear these outside the county I think. :lol

I hope you don't live in an apartment!  :lol

I taped some tissue to each drum, because the internet told me to  :P. It's stopped them ringing out as much, but still not enough to bring them down to a "parent friendly" volume. Will see how we get on, but I don't want to dampen his enthusiasm either!

Offline bosk1

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #32 on: May 10, 2016, 08:44:53 AM »
Looks great, Jen.  And it looks like you did a pretty good job setting it up, as well.  She will make adjustments and find what works best for her, so I wouldn't worry about getting it "perfect."  There really isn't such a thing.  One thing a lot of people get wrong with that type of 5 piece setup is splitting the rack toms too far apart.  Looks like you got them pretty close together, which is great.  The only little things I would suggest is that it looks like the floor tom is tilted slightly away from her (although it could just be the perspective), so I might change the tilt on that.  Also, you might try having her bring the snare and the hi-hat in a little closer so she isn't twisted as much toward the left.  It kinda feels cool having everything spread out and having the kit feel big, but having it more compact is actually much easier because it requires less movement and twisting from side to side to hit whichever piece you want to play. 
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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #33 on: May 10, 2016, 08:59:01 AM »
DON'T FORGET THE ROTO-TOMS
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Offline bosk1

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Re: help me choose a starter drum kit for my daughter
« Reply #34 on: May 10, 2016, 09:42:27 AM »
My question is:  What are those strange devices on the bookshelf to the left?  The ones that appear to be large plastic things encased on cardboard sleeves with movie titles on them?
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