is this a good set for a beginner to indermediate player?

http://www.rondomusic.bigstep.com/item.jhtml;$sessionid$Z0OISSQAAAQ5XTZENUEZPQWPERWRJPX0?UCIDs=850849%7C947289&PRID=1044338

thanks its for a friend

nope.........piece of junk

Ah...........more sage advice on the merits of entry level kits without the benefit of explanation or reasoning. I bet that was helpful!

The link on agogo's post was a little more useful and contains some well written suggestions. However, I think he was having a brain fart when he wrote this; "Depths of bass drums can vary, from 14" to 18", but 16" is now the most common.."

actually, 18" depth bass drums haven't become popular until recently. Saying 16" depth is most common is not that far from the truth.

Yeah i know my answer was short, but at least i answered the question. First, you need to give us a ballpark figure as to what you're looking to spend. Second, keep in mind that you're going to need to spend more money on good cymbals than on a kit.

The best beginner/intermediate kits are made by name brand companies and here are some:

pearl forum, mapex venus, tama swingstar, sonor force, yamaha yd........

I agree. Having never played a SX kit, I can't say they definitely suck, but more times than not, you get what you pay for. Any of the kits stapes mentioned will likely be much higher quality, more durable, better sounding kits. Not only that, if your friend decides after a year he doesn't like playing the drums, a name brand kit will have better resale value. His best bet would be buying a used Pacific FS, Tama Swingstar/Rockstar, Pearl Forum/Export, Yamaha Rydeen/Stage Custom, etc.

Sorry, but I disagree. Any STUDENT kit is going to sound lame and be frustrating. Doesn't matter what brand. They are all made pretty much the same. And advising someone that any student kit (like a Pearl Forum) is a GOOD kit for an intermediate drummer is bad advice. A student kit may be all someone can afford, but that doesn't mean that it is good. They aren't intended as anything other than a practice kit. A step up from student kits are entry level kits like the Pearl Export. Entry level kits don't sound as good as professional kits, but they sound good enough that you can gig with them. Lots of drummers do. Intermediate kits (like Pearl Sessions) are usually thought of as lines falling between the top of the line kits (Pearl Masterworks) and entry level kits.

Why buy a new student kit when you can buy lots of better used kits for less money.

If you dont' have much cash and insist on buying new, Pacific has a birch kit (FS) that is a pretty good buy. I haven't played one, but there have been a lot of good reports from people who have. Being all birch, it should sound a better than your typical entry level or student kit.

Stapes is right about cymbals. You can't learn to play a cymbal by playing on cheap cymbals. There is no substitute for good cymbals. In most cases, you are better off with one good cymbal than any amount of cheap ones. You can't go wrong starting with Zildjian A's or their equivilent (like Sabian AA). Used cymbals are harder to find because they sell fast, but you should be able to find used A HiHats just about anywhere because there have been so many made over the last 40 years and if not abused last a lifetime.

Something else to think about. If you stick with a more popular name brand, when it comes time to upgrade then you will see more return on your investment which can be used for your next step up.

Yes. Yes, you did. Well done. It was also short on usefullness and totally unecumbered by the ravages of thought. At least I annoyed you enough to make a half hearted and vaguely helpful attempt at a reply.

Here's mine.

To the original poster; go for something unfashionably vintage, chances are, the price you pay now for a remarkably well made kit (like the ones today's 'top line' manuafacturers charge several thousand for...) is the price you'll get back for it in a few years when you decide to move on elsewhere.

I own one and it sounds pretty darn good.

Here's an idea, kiss my ass. WTF is your problem.

If you noticed, i posted a second time........

A lot of vintage kits are NOT well made, the technology used to mass produce drums has changed quite a bit over the years. A lot of vintage stuff is going to be out of round and in need of bearing edge recutting. Unless you know what you're looking for, the chances of finding something of quality is low without the proper knowledge. I don't think this is worthwhile for someone starting out....

In addition, i realize that kits i mentioned were more beginner than intermediate kits, however the original poster gave the impression he was looking for a quality beginner set for a drumming newbie (considering the kit he wanted an appraisal of). If this is NOT the case and you have a decent budget, then i suggest the following kits:

pacific cx, mapex pro m, tama rockstar custom, yamaha stage custom advantage, pearl export select.......

These kits are all perfectly giggable and will stand the test of time. I have a lot of experience with mapex gear, and i think they are some of the best values out there. A mapex pro m will give a great kit to learn on, and it will serve well in a band and even in a studio. I've also played quite a bit on the yamaha stage custom advantage, and that kit has an awesome sound as well. I'd take either of these kits over the pearl and tama, but that's just me.

I just want to reiterate one important thing: MAKE SURE YOU ARE PREPARED TO INVEST 1 to 2 TIMES AS MUCH ON CYMBALS AS ON THE DRUMS YOU BUY. Crappy cymbals can't be improved, a not so hot kit can be with good heads.

Thanks for the offer, but I don't swing that way. But don't give up, I'm sure you'll find a consenting partner in this regard....

My problem is; you missed out the '?' on this pointless question!

Yes I did, which is why I made reference to it in my earlier reply.

No - of course they are NOT, they're not made any more!! Oh, sorry, you meant 'weren't'.....well, you're still wrong.

You're not kidding!

Well said!!

Now, why didn't you just say all this in the first place? Now pick all those teddies up and stop frothing, it's not good for you.

...lord almighty, someone here is trying to start a fight for no reason.

Not me. I don't want to get into a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.

hasnt there been 432432 topics about this in the recent past? you guys gotta start scrolling through the {censored} and reading what has been posted.

And I thought stapes used to be an ass...

yeah seriously...

I was just wondering if you were the front end of an ass ?

Dave, I think he must be the non 'speaking' end............

Do you always set yourself up for punchlines by using two different screen names?

What was the point of even posting to this topic? Unless you know something about drums (which you haven't proven thus far) then why don't you do the world a favor and take a bath with a plugged in toaster.

Ooops! It's the other end!

(btw - I'm not DtD and I'm pretty sure he's not me either)

Get a grip crackhead. We're not even on the same farking continent.

When you know as much about the industry and drums in general as Mike does then the universe will be about done and I can laugh as you get sucked into one of the few remaining supermassive black holes.

For your information young pup, this is Mike's site : www.session-drummer.com and this is mine : www.davethedrummer.com

You don't have to be able to read as there are loads of pics. Look at them. With your eyes open if not your brain.

Damn brits.

That's me !

Kind of ironic that a thread started by someone called PeaceLovinHippy would turn into a flamefest.