Drumming is a great hobby to get into. It’s never too late to start learning how to play the drums. If you’re an adult, you’re going to need to get a set of drums that fits you and allows you to learn and make progress.
If you’ve been playing drums for a while, you’ll still need a good kit that will fit your adult frame.
We’ve put a list together that will help you choose a drum kit that will work very well for you as an adult.
PDP is a drum company that is a sub-branch of DW, one of the main players in the drum world. PDP manufactures drums with the same high quality of DW, but at an affordable price. The Concept Maple is a 7-piece shell pack from PDP that has huge value for money.
This is a big kit. It comes with a 14” snare, 3 rack toms that are 8”, 10” and 12”, 2 floor toms that are 14” and 16” and a kick drum that is 22”. You could set this whole kit up to have a massive kit or you could set it up as a smaller kit and choose which tom sizes you want.
The maple wood gives these drums a dark and warm tone that sounds very musical. The toms sing and the kick drum is deep and punchy. They stay in tune a long while before having to be retuned.
The kit comes with pillows to muffle the bass drum, which is a great feature!
The snare drum isn’t the greatest sounding snare out there, but you can’t really complain with how much you’re getting for the price.
Overall, this kit sounds a lot better than how much it costs.
For more about PDP Concept Maple Series Set, check our guide on PDP Drum Sets
Gretsch is one of the oldest drum companies out there are known for producing high quality drum kits. The Catalina kit includes a 14” snare, 8″, 10” and 12” rack toms, a 14” and 16″ floor toms and a 20” kick drum.
This kit has short maple shells that have an explosive sound. The wide-ranging tone of the drums makes them very versatile, meaning this kit will fit well in any style of music.
The kit sounds huge, but doesn’t take up too much space. This makes it a great option for someone who doesn’t have a big practice space.
The one downside to the kit is that the toms can be quite difficult to position comfortably.
For more about Gretsch Catalina Series Set, check out our buying guide.
One of the trade offs of being an adult is that you probably live in a house or apartment somewhere. Sometimes this means that you can’t make a big noise that will bother your neighbours. This is where electronic drum kits come in! They’re a noise-friendly solution to playing the drums. We’ve put the Roland TD-17KV X on this list since it is an affordable intermediate-level electronic kit that has many great qualities.
It’s a 5-piece setup that has a hi-hat and 2 cymbals. The drum pads are high quality and have great response and feel. The toms are mesh drum heads and the snare drum has a mesh head surface, making it feel like an acoustic set.
The TD-17-L drum module has 50 preset drum kit sounds and 310 sampled sounds to work with. You can import your own sounds as well and also edit the onboard sounds. You can add EQ, compression and reverb. There are endless possibilities!
The one downside to this kit is that it doesn’t come with a kick pedal.
The electronic drums aren’t going to sound or feel as good as acoustic drums, but they’re a great solution to noise worries.
For more about this Roland set, check out our full buying guide.
The Ludwig Element Evolution is a 5-piece kit that is a one-stop shop for a drummer looking to buy a new drum kit. It comes with drums, hardware and cymbals.
The kit includes a 14” snare, 10” and 12” rack toms, a 16” floor tom and a 22” kick drum. It also includes Zildjian cymbals, which are rebranded ZBT cymbals. This includes a pair of 14” hi-hats, a 16” crash and a 20” ride.
The poplar shells give the kit impressive attack, long sustain and musical harmonic overtones. These drums sound very good for their price. The stock drumheads aren’t the greatest, so the drums will sound a lot better once the heads are replaced with higher quality ones.
The kick drum sounds great without muffling, producing a warm and rounded tone.
The kit comes with very sturdy hardware that is going to keep it securely together. The cymbal stands have boom arms, allowing for more manoeuvrability.
This kit is a great option for beginners, providing an affordable base to work from. The only thing it doesn’t come with is a drum throne. Check out our drum throne buying guide.
For more about Ludwig Element, my in-depth review of the kit.
Pearl has been one of the main players in the drumming world for a while. They’re particularly known for providing fantastic sounding low-tier kits. The Pearl Roadshow falls under this category. It’s a kit aimed at beginners that comes with cymbals and hardware at a seriously affordable price.
The kit includes a 14” snare, 10” and 12” rack toms, a 16” floor tom and a 22” kick drum. These drums are made from poplar wood and produce a solid attack. The kit also comes with a pair of 14” hi-hats and a 16” crash/ride. These cymbals don’t sound great, but they’re a good starting point for beginners.
The best parts of the kit are the kick drum and snare drum. The kick drum has a low range and produces a warm thud. The snare drum has good power and attack, but responds very well dynamically.
Pearl hardware is solid, and this kit comes with that solid hardware.
The Pearl Roadshow is a great drum kit for beginners. If you’re an adult that has decided to start playing drums, this kit is a great option.
For more about Pearl Roadshow, check out customer reviews on Amazon.
A great drum set is going to be one that will last a long time. Drums are an investment, so it’s good to get one that won’t break or rust. You’ll be playing on it a lot, so it needs to be durable.
Another thing that makes a great drum set is the sound. It needs to sound good. More expensive drum sets are going to sound better. It all depends on what type of wood it’s made from and the quality of the shells. As an adult, you need to decide what your budget is and get the best sounding drum set that you can afford.
The “best” drum set brand can vary depending on personal preference, style, and budget. However, brands like DW, Gretsch, and Pearl are highly regarded in the drumming community. PDP, a sub-branch of DW, offers high-quality drums at an affordable price, as seen in the Concept Maple series. Gretsch is known for its high-quality kits, like the Catalina series, and Pearl is renowned for excellent sounding lower-tier kits, such as the Pearl Roadshow. Each of these brands has its unique strengths and caters to different needs and preferences. If you want to learn more about the best drum set brands ceck this guide.
The best size for an adult drum kit depends on your available space and musical requirements. A standard kit size, which is a good starting point, might include a 14” snare, 10” and 12” rack toms, a 16” floor tom, and a 20” bass drum. However, if space is a concern, you might opt for a more compact setup. Larger setups are great if you have more room and want a broader range of sounds. Ultimately, the size should match your comfort and the style of music you intend to play.
Determining the “best-selling” drum set of all time is challenging as sales data can vary and is not always publicly available. However, brands like Pearl, Yamaha, and Ludwig have historically been very popular and have produced some of the most widely used drum kits. For instance, Pearl’s Export Series has been known for its popularity among both beginners and professionals, making it a candidate for one of the best-selling drum sets.
The price of a good drum set can range significantly based on factors like brand, quality, materials, and included components (like cymbals and hardware). For beginners, a decent entry-level set can cost anywhere from $400 to $1,000. Mid-range sets, which offer a balance between quality and affordability, might be priced between $1,000 and $3,000. Professional, high-end drum sets can exceed $3,000, especially if they are custom-made or include high-quality cymbals and hardware. It’s important to remember that sometimes, higher-priced sets don’t include cymbals and additional hardware, which can add to the overall cost.
A good drum set for beginners is one that comes with included cymbals and hardware. Not all drum sets include those things. The higher quality drums only get sold in shell packs.
So, as a beginner, you’re going to need to get a kit that comes with cymbals and cymbal stands. You can’t have a drum set without cymbals. There are a lot of entry-level kits that include these that sound really good for their price.
Remember, the right drum set can significantly enhance your playing experience, so take your time to make an informed decision.
We’ve also done a list of the best kits for children here. A lot of these drum kits come as shell packs, meaning you’ll have to buy cymbals separately. You’ll find our cymbal buying guide here.
If you’re an adult beginner, learning to play the drums will be one of the best decisions you will ever make. It’s fun, helps with hand-eye coordination and fuels the create side of your brain. It seems a bit weird to start something as an adult, but you won’t regret it.
If you’re a seasoned drummer that is looking to buy a new kit, the kits on the above list are all great options.
So, go out and spend your adult salary on some drums!
Drum Teacher
Brett Clur has a Drum Performance Diploma from Trinity College London has been playing drums for over 20 years. He is passionate about advanced concepts and uses his years of experience to teach his students about them. While he is a full-time drum teacher, he is also working on growing a YouTube channel where shares his insights. You can see him playing there, or on Instagram where he posts daily videos.
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