hi guys, im new and am thinking of either getting a pearl forum acoustic set or a roland td-4kx electronic set. as for the roland, ive realised that swee lee is rather over priced? isit? can i ship it from maybe the US to SG? will it be cheaper? how much would the shipping costs be ? thnx im just a newbie. need help haha
HELP :) where to buy drumkits?
- Thread starter barthead
- Start date
Hello!
I personally wouldnt recommend an electronic set because I've heard many people saying that the feel of playing on an electronic kit is different and much easier as compared to an acoustic kit. Not very good for the learning process I believe! I dont think shipping it in yourself might be cheaper in any way cause you'll still have to pay for all the shipping fees unless the kit is second hand. You can try looking around if you'd like! If your reason for buying an electronic kit is because you dont want to play and disturb your neighbours, a cheaper alternative could be the pearl rhythm traveller! Comes with complete sets of mesh heads for silent playing.
For acoustic kits, the pearl forum kit is not bad for starters. You could also look at other brands too, like tama and grestch. They also offer good drum kits. Also, if you dont mind a second hand kit, try looking under the classified ads!
Good luck!
I personally wouldnt recommend an electronic set because I've heard many people saying that the feel of playing on an electronic kit is different and much easier as compared to an acoustic kit. Not very good for the learning process I believe! I dont think shipping it in yourself might be cheaper in any way cause you'll still have to pay for all the shipping fees unless the kit is second hand. You can try looking around if you'd like! If your reason for buying an electronic kit is because you dont want to play and disturb your neighbours, a cheaper alternative could be the pearl rhythm traveller! Comes with complete sets of mesh heads for silent playing.
For acoustic kits, the pearl forum kit is not bad for starters. You could also look at other brands too, like tama and grestch. They also offer good drum kits. Also, if you dont mind a second hand kit, try looking under the classified ads!
Good luck!
faithsilence
New member
Look out for 2nd hand kits. Seen a few Pearl kits in the Classified sections.
mysteryunited
New member
Hi, if u would want to buy roland electronic kit, pls buy from swee lee, cos they got the warranty to cover you in case your cables break, td 4 cables are db 25 connector with the special roland 1/4 tip which cannot be bought else where, and most imptly swee lee can help u repair ur triggers if it spoiled, and pls do not ship from other countries as a friend of mine, bought at td 4s (rubber pad) thru usa for $999 us dollar = apprx $1500, but with shipping etc, end up = $2.1k while i bought my old td 4 (rubber pad) thru swee lee at $2k with a decent tama iron cobra jr pedal and pearl drum throne, just sharing me 2 cents, btw i dont work for swee lee, thks 
=Namrehs
yea i agree. i guess acoustic set is better? neh ive seen the rhythm travellor, would definitely rather get the forum. im actually looking at the PDP 850 series as well. is it any good? can it compare to the forum? and as for tama, is it the superstar or imperial star which is of the same range? how much are they? and yea, again is it comparable to the forum? thnx bro !
yea i agree. i guess acoustic set is better? neh ive seen the rhythm travellor, would definitely rather get the forum. im actually looking at the PDP 850 series as well. is it any good? can it compare to the forum? and as for tama, is it the superstar or imperial star which is of the same range? how much are they? and yea, again is it comparable to the forum? thnx bro !
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If im not wrong, the pearl forum would be comparable to tama's imperialstar. Both features 100% poplar shells and basically good kits for you to start with. Tama superstar is higher end as compared to the imperialstar and it features 100% birch shells and die-cast hoops! Im not too sure about the PDP 850 but it features birch shells.
Maybe to talk about the wood used to make the shells, maple wood is usually the most popular wood choice for drummers. Sound produced is more "warm" and has slightly boosted lows with smooth mid and high frequencies.
Birch has boosted high frequencies, slightly reduced mids, and a good low end punch for applications requiring extra presence and cut. Slightly "brighter" as compared to maple.
Poplar is a less expensive wood as compared to maple and birch but it does sound similar to both of them. Slightly closer to birch i believe.
Someone correct me if im wrong!
See what you would like as the wood and the sound produced matters more!
Maybe to talk about the wood used to make the shells, maple wood is usually the most popular wood choice for drummers. Sound produced is more "warm" and has slightly boosted lows with smooth mid and high frequencies.
Birch has boosted high frequencies, slightly reduced mids, and a good low end punch for applications requiring extra presence and cut. Slightly "brighter" as compared to maple.
Poplar is a less expensive wood as compared to maple and birch but it does sound similar to both of them. Slightly closer to birch i believe.
Someone correct me if im wrong!
See what you would like as the wood and the sound produced matters more!
=Namrehs
yup, ive checked the reviews of the tama imperial star, the reviews are all quite good. but do they include cymbals? heard that they came along with meinl cymbals? is it? my friend also told me to have a look at the ludwig accent. wonder if they have it at swee lee? any suggestions? somehow, leaning towards the tama right now
yup, ive checked the reviews of the tama imperial star, the reviews are all quite good. but do they include cymbals? heard that they came along with meinl cymbals? is it? my friend also told me to have a look at the ludwig accent. wonder if they have it at swee lee? any suggestions? somehow, leaning towards the tama right now
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I dont think they come along with meinl cymbals. Of all the kits I've heard of when buying first hand, they have their own pearl/tama etc cymbals which are pretty bad sounding. Haha. Those are called stock cymbals. Only way you can get good quality cymbals like meinl/sabian/zildjian/paiste etc would be buying second hand from under the classified ads! Some kits in the classified ads come with good quality cymbals. Else you can just shop for the used cymbals individually!
Personally, i kinda like the imperial star. I have a pearl target and i ever thought of changing to the imperial star when it was first released but then after some time, i grew to like my target. Haha!
Im not too sure about the ludwig accent cause i've never tried it before. Not really into ludwig kits but their snares are worth looking into. Haha. You can check out the kit if you'd like!
Personally, i kinda like the imperial star. I have a pearl target and i ever thought of changing to the imperial star when it was first released but then after some time, i grew to like my target. Haha!
Im not too sure about the ludwig accent cause i've never tried it before. Not really into ludwig kits but their snares are worth looking into. Haha. You can check out the kit if you'd like!
drum_hobbyist
New member
Have you gone to Ranking Sports to check out the drums and the cymbals? Pearl Forum is $999. The Meinl HCS series is the best brass cymbals around. Meinl bothers to put up the HCS on youtube to proof a point.
xtanha1rrmx
New member
I have a Ludwig accent drum, my guess is that it compares with forum/imperialstar (my only kit, can't really say).
I suggest get second hand cheap drum kit, and spend a bit more on mid to high-end cymbals. With good drum heads your kit won't sound too bad, but you can't improve your cymbals easily
The superstar at swee lee is 1400 iirc, so IMO a better deal than the imperialstar if you getting a new one. Kinda expensive either way.
I suggest get second hand cheap drum kit, and spend a bit more on mid to high-end cymbals. With good drum heads your kit won't sound too bad, but you can't improve your cymbals easily
The superstar at swee lee is 1400 iirc, so IMO a better deal than the imperialstar if you getting a new one. Kinda expensive either way.
meinl hcs? any idea how much they are for like the pack? for cymbals im actually looking at the sabian xs20 and zildjian zht. haha. i will go check check out ranking one day! thnx
@ xtanha1rrmx, are u sure the superstar is that cheap? i thought it was around 1800-1900. i know thats the better set than the imperialstar which was 1300 the last time i checked. haha. i guess i will get a okay kit with okay cymbals then upgrade when i DO get better. hahas. thnx
xtanha1rrmx
New member
I have no idea how much meinl hcs is, Sabian XS20 (was it $700 + at swee lee?)is pretty good but like all new cymbals are very expensive. You could get second hand pro-cymbals for that price.
I went to Swee Lee/Ranking about a month back, this is the prices I got:
Swee Lee - Tama Imperialstar 1240, Superstar 1480, Ludwig Accent 850, Pearl Forum 7pc 1300, Vision 1800/1950 (different wood)
Ranking - Gretsch Catalina 1500, Pearl Forum 5pc 1000. Also sell Evans G2 pack for $50.
All above are really expensive, you could be paying half or less price for used kits.
I went to Swee Lee/Ranking about a month back, this is the prices I got:
Swee Lee - Tama Imperialstar 1240, Superstar 1480, Ludwig Accent 850, Pearl Forum 7pc 1300, Vision 1800/1950 (different wood)
Ranking - Gretsch Catalina 1500, Pearl Forum 5pc 1000. Also sell Evans G2 pack for $50.
All above are really expensive, you could be paying half or less price for used kits.
faithsilence
New member
Superstar Hyperdrive is around 1.8k+ IIRC, Superstar alone is ard 1.5-1.6? It is decent kit which shld be able to last u for awhile. Spend a little more to get a decent kit rather than get those really budget and after awhile u get sick of the sound or something.
A Yamaha Stage Customs Birch is ard 1.5k now, personally I think that is a good buy too.
I'd personally get the tama superstar and xs20 pack if im going for first hand! xs20 is quite a good deal for its price. very good sounding cymbals as compared to other cymbals of that price range. But yet again, getting second hand would save alot more. You can always get a first hand kit and second hand pro cymbals!
just curious, xtanha1rrmx, what does the evans g2 pack consist of? :O
just curious, xtanha1rrmx, what does the evans g2 pack consist of? :O
hmm, i guess the pearl forum and the imperialstar is still the best choices so far. for, cymbals actually looking at the zildjian zht or the sabian xs20, maybe see when swee lee got sale haha. the zildjian's saw them at yamaha@520. was wondering what kinda heads are good and affordable? but that would come later i guess haha. will use the stock ones first since im a beginner
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heads you'll have to explore and try out different types to see which you like best! if im not wrong, the zildjian zht series is made from sheet bronze and the sabian xs20 is made from cast bronze. cast bronze is used to make the zildjian K and A series so i strongly believe that cast bronze cymbals are way better than sheet bronze! someone correct me if im wrong! i personally find the zht series too bright and cutting for me while the xs20 crashes sound really good. still, you should try out the cymbals yourself and see which series you prefer!
with a budget of at least 600-700, im sure you can get pro second hand cymbals you know. at least hi-hats, 2 crashes and a ride if you find good deals! i started out without any knowledge on drums and didnt really look for much help and advice from anyone else other than the sales person. he advised me to get the solar by sabian set as it was good for beginners so i just went along. Now, i regretted listening to him because nobody would want to buy secondhand entry level cymbals and with the amount i spent, i could easily get a secondhand pro cymbal and still get some change back! eventually, it's all up to you! choose what you like best! it's the sound produced that matters most!
with a budget of at least 600-700, im sure you can get pro second hand cymbals you know. at least hi-hats, 2 crashes and a ride if you find good deals! i started out without any knowledge on drums and didnt really look for much help and advice from anyone else other than the sales person. he advised me to get the solar by sabian set as it was good for beginners so i just went along. Now, i regretted listening to him because nobody would want to buy secondhand entry level cymbals and with the amount i spent, i could easily get a secondhand pro cymbal and still get some change back! eventually, it's all up to you! choose what you like best! it's the sound produced that matters most!
faithsilence
New member
For boxset, try the Istanbul Mehmet Samatya series. Good price, good sound. ZHT are not worth the money IMHO.
xtanha1rrmx
New member
I believe the evans pack is 12, 13 and 16 clear, although they might have other sizes or coated instead. Sounds like a pretty good deal to compliment a new kit.
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