Call for opinions: How much would YOU pay for a custom drumset?

How much would YOU pay for a custom drumset? (All figures in SGD)

  • Below $1,000

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • $1,000 - $1,249

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • $1,250 - $1,499

    Votes: 1 5.9%
  • $1,500 - $1,749

    Votes: 1 5.9%
  • $1,750 - $1,999

    Votes: 3 17.6%
  • $2,000 - $2,249

    Votes: 2 11.8%
  • $2,250 - $2,499

    Votes: 2 11.8%
  • $2,500 - $2,749

    Votes: 1 5.9%
  • $2,750 - $2,999

    Votes: 1 5.9%
  • $3,000 & above

    Votes: 6 35.3%

  • Total voters
    17

elevenine

New member
Assuming you could specify the shell sizes you want, choose from a good selection of hardware types (tube lugs, iso-mounts, etc are all an option), and customise the finish (sunbursts, wraps, etc)...

Would you seriously consider a custom drumset, and how much would you pay for it?

What if you could totally customise the finish with a personal design or get a designer to put the finishing touches on your shells? Would you pay more for that and if so, how much more would be reasonable?

If you're wondering what this is about, I'm gathering feedback for a marketing project - but I figure it might make for an interesting discussion as well!

So feel free to comment but do include your proposed figures too! Thanks! (:
 
I voted for $3,000 and above.

Reasons:

1. I didn't think any amount below $3,000 would suffice. In fact, I would require more.
2. I've the means to spend, but I can't justify paying this amount for a drum set just yet. With the current lack of time to even practice and lack of skill and technique. My dad will kill.
3. Have a kit done up to my specifications - Uniqueness
4. I have a rough idea what I want in a kit.

I'd design the kit myself. Wouldn't be exactly hard to do so. It would be very Craviotto-ish. Wood hoops, inlays, natural finish. Haven't decided on the wood yet. Either Maho, Cherry or Walnut. Sizes would be as follows:

10"x8" 12"x9" 13"x10" 14"x10" 16"x12" 18"x14" 20"x14"

Wood hoops all round. Vintage chrome tubes. Inlays on hoops and shells.

Good quality shells alone should hit $3,000, or thereabouts.

I estimate the entire kit to cost around $8,000?
 
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That is a tough question to answer as specifics are not there:

For example, how many pieces ? SGD3000.00 would be high to pay for a minimalistic jazz kit but it would be cheap for the gargantuan that Jeepers would like :)
 
The whole idea of custom is that you would be able to specify how many pieces you want, etc etc, so the idea isn't to tie yourself down to a "standard" configuration but rather, how much would you be willing to spend personally on trying to get your desired kit, or as close to it as possible.

So if you're lucky like jeepers and can seriously consider a massive kit like that, go for it! But if you're like most people (myself included, heh), you're limited most importantly by budget, hence the poll options were bracketed at $1k-$3k.

Let's hear more rationales like jeepers - very much appreciated! (:
 
10"x8" 12"x9" 13"x10" 14"x10" 16"x12" 18"x14" 20"x14"

With the above sizes I mentioned, there are many variations I can play around with.

I can easily mix and match, getting a 3-6 piece kit.

The 16" 18" and 20" would be bass drums. The 16" could be a floor tom if required (say I decide to do up a 13" 16" 20" setup)

Different sizes for different venues.

And I have say this, but I don't play on such huge setups. Currently I'm playing a 3 piece. Snare, floor tom and kick. Never went more than a 5-piece. Not my thing.
 
If you're wondering what this is about, I'm gathering feedback for a marketing project - but I figure it might make for an interesting discussion as well!

I see where you are going with this.

I am approaching this from a different viewpoint. While I know the hardware, finish, etc are important, my current "thinking/want" is more of that how a specific custom set is tuned for a specific environment.

In other words, I would pay good money for, say, a tuned-by-Simon Phillips for a Toto Tour OR a tuned-by-Stanton Moore for one of his New Orleans Funk/Jazz gig in a small club. It really doesnt matter if those shells played by them are Poplar or Maple but it would have been well-tuned by those masters for "that" environment for "that" type of music.

Those hand-tuned sets would by my ideal of a custom drumset :) and I would pay good money for them. I know my idea is a little bit different and probably odd one out from the rest but I prefer to think of buying good sound (to my ears) and not hardware.

Of course, after I get those hardware, the biggest challenge for me would be to play like them ;) but that is another topic for another day :)

My 2 cents worth but I think it may add a different spin to your marketing project :)
 
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It would definitely depend a LOT on the quality of the shells- I would definitely pay much more for a Vaughncraft than a Keller. In fact, right now I'm planning a custom kit project, thinking of ordering shells and building it.

A set of shells for a standard 5-piece kit done by Vaughncraft would cost around US$2300 for the shells alone. Then again, Vaughncraft is possibly the top producer, or at least among the best, in the world; even big companies like Pearl or Black Swamp percussion buy Vaughncraft steam-bent shells.

Hardware is surprisingly expensive, too. A lug from one of the big companies can easily cost over S$30. Pearl higher-end lugs, such as on the Masters series, are around S$40+, while Sweelee quoted me S$66 per lug for the Warlord series snare drums (yes, this means that during the Sweelee Half Price sale, it's cheaper to get a Warlord series snare than to buy the lugs for the snare =O) On the other hand, cheap made-in-china lugs can be obtained for less than S$10 each. Somewhere in the middle, you can get custom-made lugs for between S$10 to S$20. Of course, if you're getting custom, you'll probaby want top quality. You'll also have to look at the different types of lugs- most of the custom made ones are insanely lightweight, which is generally good all-round. So you'll be looking at another S$100+ per drum, for around S$600.

Then, there's hoops and mounting hardware. You can either go flanged steel, or die-cast or wood. A pair of flanged hoops would cost between US$30+ to US$50+ for each drum, depending on how big the drum is, while die-cast or wood hoops cost 2x to 3x that amount. So you'll be looking at a minimum of US$200 altogether for the hoops. Mounting hardware, well, since we're going high-end again, we'll probably be looking at RIMs mounting, which would set you back around US$300+ altogether. Adding in tension rods, bass spurs, floor tom legs... this would be around US$550 for the drum hardware.

So far it's gone up to around US$3000+, almost S$5000, for the raw material cost alone. Now, let's start talking about the cost of workmanship (trust me, dye-ing, staining, lacquering and all is a horribly tiring and time-consuming job and deserves to be charged a premium- plus, most custom-builders would want to cover the capital they spent getting the specialized equipment they bought to help them do this)

Add in the hardware, like snare stands and cymbal stands and pedals and all, and you can probably be looking at S$8000+++ easily for a high-end custom 5-piece kit. And if you compare this to the high-end kits from big companies...

On the other hand, if you simply get Keller shells, you'll be looking at much cheaper options. It all depends on what kind of stuff you get. I'm also set on building a small 4-piece acrylic kit in 10x7, 14x14 and 18x14 sizes (and using my existing snare); the shells will set me back only about US$500 (as compared to in the thousands) and since there's less drums, there'll be less hardware costs too...





What interests me right now, though, is how much someone would be willing to pay ME to build a custom kit for him (or her) =P





Edit: By the way, the Vaughncraft-shelled kit that I'm planning to build is in 10x8, 12x9, 14x13, 16x15 and 20x16 configurations. I will be using my own snares, hardware and so on, so I'm just getting a shell-pack and rims mounting. That alone will set me back around S$6000 or so (and I'm doing the dye-ing and lacquering myself) and so I'm frantically trying to save up the cash to get it.
 
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Great insights so far! I had no idea there were people willing to spend that much on a custom kit. If I ever had the good fortune to own a Vaughncraft or similar, it would probably be too precious to gig with.

That said, I wonder if there's a market for decently priced custom drums (<$3,000) that you would be proud of and willing to show off and play for gig after gig...after all, that's what it's about eh? (:

Another thing I wanted to explore was the idea of customizability in the sense of custom artwork on shells and stuff...it makes sense in today's highly targeted and personalized marketing environment that perhaps people would consider a statement of their personality on even their drums to be a factor that makes them want to own a custom set. Any thoughts?
 
That kind of finishes are usually what makes the price shoot up.

Anyway, one thing that I think could have a market here might be acrylic kits. It isn't currently marketed. I'm quite interested to build a few acrylic kits and try to sell them. They have an amazing visual impact.
 
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