My ds wants a drum set for his birthday.

[Frontier Mom]

He will be 12. I need advice and/or suggestions.

 

I don't want to spend a fortune if I don't know whether he will stick with it or not. However, I don't want to quench his desire either.

 

Have others bought sets and where should I look for good prices? Also, if you bought them, did your kids stick with it?

[Part-Time Homeschooler]

I've seen drum sets at Walmart and Sam's Club that were under $300. They are starter sets, nothing fancy at all, but would be great for a youngster who is just starting out.

 

I hope this helps!

[mktkcb]

my take is that you should find a music store (or whatever) that has drum instructors, and ask what the typical progression is for kids learning drumming. Seems to me that kids start out with a drum pad to learn on, the move up to real type drums. I personally wouldn't spend bucks on a drum set without my child having first put in the time with an instructor. I don't have a drum player, but my dd (then 13) rented a violin for a few months before we invested in a decent instrument. Also consider letting him pay for part or all. As in "prove to me how much you really want this".

Kayleen

[elegantlion]

Try looking online at Musician's Friend. I've found that they always have good reviews of different products, that would give you a place to start looking. I've ordered several things from them, although not drums, and their service has been exceptional. I would definately visit local stores to give your ds a feel for the set. If you attend a church ask for store referrals from your worship leader.

 

Then buy yourself a set of headphones at the same time :D.

[crazycoffeechic]

http://www.samash.com/

 

This is where we getting the guitar set, it should be here today and he just ordered it Saturday.

[Sandra in NC]

I have been anti-drum ever since. Needless to say our drummer-neighbor played at all hours of the day and night. Noise is something that has no concern for privacy or property rights.

 

Be aware that it's a LOUD instrument and all your neighbors will notice that your son has drums. Even if your son plays in the basement (like my neighbor!) or someplace you think is somewhat soundproof - it's not.

 

Unless I lived in a remote area without neighbors, I would limit practice times to daylight hours.

 

I'm sorry for this cautionary post, but I think that sometimes we don't realize how efficiently sound travels.

[RhondaM.]

Ebay! Vex Drums! Good quality starter set. The drum shells are beautiful and made from mahogany or maple (can't remember which)

 

We got everything he needed (hardwear too) for under 400.00. It is a cheap price but NOT a cheap set!! And it isn't a set of kiddie drums. They are really nice. Oh...and he did not have to bid to get it at this price..it was under the Buy It Now section.

 

My dh mentioned that it is best for a kid (who any beginner) to not have more than 5 shells to start with. It is overwhelming to them. I don't know the reasons behind all this..he is repeating what his bad to the bone drummer brother has told him. :-)

 

Anyway...good luck. And have fun. Don't forget to buy yourself some ear plugs! LOL

[Tracey in TX]

What quality are you looking for? Used or new?

 

DD got drums for Christmas. We spent $100. It is a cheap set, but we didn't think she'd stick with it. If she desires something better, we'll search used for a great set later.

 

Have fun listening as he grows in his skills :)

[RhondaM.]

Oh yes, you are soooo correct. My neighbors can hear my ds playing and I just hate that. We do limit his playing. He is not allowed to play much after 8PM, NEVER past 10PM. And never, ever early in the AM. We try not to let him go on and on with the beating either. I let him play about 30 minutes then I've had enough! If it is annoying to me then I know it must really bother them.

[Frontier Mom]

I found a local music store and thinking of getting him a good quality snare drum with a rubber pad to keep the noise level down. He would have access to a drum set at church so, if he takes some lessons and practices, he can do the loud stuff at church alone.

[sweetbaby]

We purchased our drum set from a friend in our church. He owns a music store and sells used/new items. I would say check the consignment music stores first. Some may have used sets in there. Get with a clerk and check the choices out. Oh, get some ear plugs too! LOL

[momee]

I felt the same way you did initially. WASTE of money.

Now my son AND my husband are key in our worship ministry in our church.

I've had several people tell me ds is definitely gifted.

Go for it! They have to try lots of things when they're young or you won't know what they're good at right?

 

Also, ds just spent his first paycheck ever on a Fender guitar. I again, initially thought, waste but quickly shut my mouth:tongue_smilie:

 

We got our first beat up set from trading post (community resell paper) and the second, though quite a bit pricier from our church as they were buying a new really! nice set and sold it to ds because they saw he was "their" drummer.

 

Drum lessons? Birthday presents from both (they're expensive) grandmas!

Otherwise, we couldn't have affforded all of it.

[Miss Marple]

Check out MusiciansFriend.com. My son took lessons for a couple of years and this is the site that his teacher recommended. We purchased a very nice set for a great price. I have a rather noisy household, so the drums don't really bother me...but I did move them from the living room up to the 3rd floor playroom.

[Guest Shanna]

Once you know what you are looking check out Craigslist for sets.

[Deidre in GA]

i recommend you DON'T buy a set right off. my son (14) went through this last year. had a burning, obsessive desire to play the drums. i sent him to a rock band day camp for a week. he loved it and insisted that he wanted to play the drums. so i bought him a practice pad and sticks, and called around and found a good teacher. i learned a lot from talking with the teacher. drum lessons usually start with a snare drum and sticks. this will suffice for many months. most music stores rent them; ours would have been $5 a month for the first three months. after that, we could purchase a snare and the rental fees would apply.

 

by now it was two months into the obsession and though he was playing the pad and air drums, he had other things happening that prevented the lessons from beginning. by the time his schedule freed up, the fascination has passed. the drum pad and sticks have joined the other occupants of his interest graveyard like the skateboard, the violin, and the gecko.

 

find a teacher. rent a snare. buy sticks. drum sets are expensive. hold off until he's spent some time with the committment.