What do i need to get?

Ok i just got the Gretsch Catalina Club 4-Piece Shell Pack for x-mas and i'm not sure what else I need. I know i'll need cymbal stands including hi hat, cymbals, throne, sticks(derrr:freak: ), but does it come with a bass pedal or a snare stand or anything? I'm hoping one of you guys will know, i'm assuming "shell pack" means bare bones in terms of accessories...help a brother out! Thanks

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Also anyone recommend a somewhat cheap cymbal set? like 150-less...thanks guys. I've played on my drummers sets before but this is my first to own, welcome me to your world:D

I actually have the same kit, I love it for small gigs. You will need a complete hardware pack and cymbals...the Gibralter 5600 pack is a good choice, it's $200,and it includes a snare stand, high hat stand, two cymbal stands and a bass drum pedal, the quality of all of them are good enough to get you started. You'll need a throne, figure on $50-$200 for that...yes, $200 is alot of money for a "drum chair", but I have yet to meet anyone who regrets spending money on a quality throne. Then comes cymbals..you mentioned $150...I would scour Ebay for deal on used profesional cymbals, Zildjian As and Sabian AAs tend to go pretty cheap. You should be able to get Zil New Beat or Sabian Regular hats for about $80-$120 on Ebay, esp if the logos are mostly worn off. These will likely be the last pair of hats you'll ever buy, as they simply do everything well. you'll also want a crash and a ride, but I would hold off and just get one or the other now. A 16" or 17" Zil A or Sabian AA Thin or Med Thin crash will sound great as a crash and wuill suffice as a ride until you can save up a little more to get a real ride to complete the package. Expect to pay about $80-$90 for it used. You could also get the ride first, expect to pay about $100 for either companies Medium Ride, which is a pretty crashable ride. You can make bad drums sound decent (and despite the price, the Catalina Clubs are not bad drums) but you cannot make a bad cymbal sound good.

I see no reason to buy "beginner" cymbals ever, when used profesional cymbals can be had so cheap. You will never lose money on them, and if your techniche is sound they will last you the rest of your life.

I am not a Zildjian or Sabian patrisan, and I have nothing against Paiste, nor do I have anything against Ks, HHs, HHXs, Paistes, etc, they are all cymbals, but the best deals out there right now are used As and AAs, and they are as good a line as any other.

One other note,,lots of people try to sell junk cymbals on Ebay, for now, stay away from any keyholed, cracked or "repaired" cymbals. also avoid cymbals that don't retain the manufacturers stamp that says "Med Ride", "Thin Crash", etc..there are liars out there that will try to con you into thinking a B8 or ZBT POS is a profesional cymbal by simply polishing off the undesireable logos. In time you will learn how to identify lines of cymbals by sight, and even what each cymbal in a given line is by simply looking at the thickness, bell size in relation to diameter, etc. For the time being, buy only undamaged cymbals which exibit some wear, but not a complete loss of logos.

Hope this helps!

Mike

Thanks for all your advice, exactly what i was looking for:thu: Should i get a 14" or 13" hi-hat?

13", 14", 15", that's a personal preference question, they are all fine...though I guess with a small kit like yours I would stick with 13s or 14s just because everything else is small and easily portable, why stop the trend with your hats?

Ebay item # 7377830357 seems like a good pair of hats with a realistic buy-it-now price of $129. Keep your eyes open though, I snagged a pair of Sabian HH 13" hats a week ago for $80. Deals are out there, bun know for certain what you're looking at before you bid.

Item #7378332201 is a nice Medium ride for $89, the tarnish spots will come off with some cymbal cleaner and elbow grease..this is a nice sounding crashable ride.

MikeK has given you pretty sound advice.

I had a club kit and it is a great little giging kit. One thing that I highly recomend getting is a small kick lift. Like this

It makes a huge difference in sound and playbility.

There are a couple different brands that make them. well worth the money.

Hey if it were me I would go with 14" hats. But like the dude earlier said, it really is all about taste and what you think. My best advice is go to www.sabian.com if you want to hear some of their stuff. They let you hear a sample of all their cymbals. I think you can do the same at Zyldjan.