There are so many drum sets available in the world that it can be difficult to choose one. With several drum brands producing top-quality kits, we’re very spoilt for choice as drummers.
In this article, we’re going to look through some of the absolute best drum kits in the world. You don’t get much better than these, so pay attention to everything they have on offer. Let’s get to it.
Top Picks For the Best Drum Sets:
19th April 2024
The DW Collector’s Series Purpleheart is one of DW’s most pristine drum sets. It’s undoubtedly one of the top sets in the world.
The drums have unique Purpleheart wood shells that produce a fairly complex tone compared to standard wood shells. The sound has a great balance of projection, sustain, and sensitivity.
It’s a giant 7-piece kit that comes with 3 rack toms, 2 floor toms, a snare, and a bass drum. The snare drum alone is worth more than most drum sets around.
You get all the DW hardware good with this kit such as the Collector’s Series turret lugs, the True-Pitch tuning rods, and the magnetic snare throw-off.
It’s the perfect drum set.
However, it costs over $7000, making it one of the most expensive drum sets in the world.
The TD-50KV2 is the latest flagship V-Drums kit from Roland. It’s undoubtedly the top electronic drum kit out there, boasting features and sounds that aren’t available anywhere else.
Starting with the TD-50X sound module, this thing has everything you could possibly want. With 70 preset kits and 900 stock sounds, you already start with so many possibilities. It has a very clever sound editing tool that allows you to tweak those sounds as much as possible. You can also import your own sounds for more variety.
In terms of physical features, the kit has the highest-quality drum pads that Roland offers. The PD-140DS snare pad, KD-180 kick pad, and CY-18DR ride pad are all highly impressive. The rest of the pads are great as well.
When playing this kit, it literally feels like you’re playing the best electronic drum kit in the world.
The Pearl Masterworks program is a program where you can design virtually any type of drum kit you want from Pearl. They give you full customization over your kit. However, sometimes Pearl sells pre-made Masterworks kits for people to buy. This Heritage kit is one of those.
It’s an incredible drum set that has a mixture of maple and mahogany shells. These shells are only 4-ply shells, making the drums incredibly punchy and full of low-end.
The kit has popular hardware features from Pearl like the FatTone hoops and the STL low-mass swivel lugs.
The kit has 8 pieces in total. You get 2 snare drums, 5 toms, and a bass drum. It’s the type of kit that will stop you from ever needing to buy another kit again.
The Sonor SQ2 is another incredible kit on the list. The SQ2 Series works similarly to the Masterworks Series. You can get these kits custom-built just for you. However, you can find some fantastic pre-made ones as well.
The particular kit that we’ve linked here has thin maple shells that are topped with African Marble veneers to make it look absolutely stunning.
The kit has top-quality Sonor hardware features like the T.A.R tom mounts, TuneSafe lugs, and 2.3mm Power Hoops that bring out great attack from the drums.
This is the kind of kit that you’d want in your recording studio. It sounds so good in every musical setting.
The Ludwig Vistalite Zep is a tribute kit to the famous rock drummer, John Bonham. Bonham died in 1980, but his legacy has lived on right until today.
This kit has loud and punchy acrylic shells. They’re loud and intense, perfect for hard rock drumming. They’re also packed with low-end punch thanks to their sizes. The rack tom is 14” while the floor toms are 16” and 18”. The bass drum is a massive 26”.
The kit also comes with the famous Ludwig Supraphonic snare drum.
Overall, this is the perfect kit to get if you’re looking for a vintage rock vibe.
The Tama Star is the flagship kit from Tama. It’s the best kit they have on offer, boasting all of their best design features. We’ve put the walnut version of the kit on this list as the walnut shells are incredible.
The shells give the drums a natural EQ’d tone, making them sound amazing in any room you put them in. They’re very easy to tune and they tend to stay in tune for ages thanks to the solid construction of the kit.
The drums come equipped with premium die-cast hoops that give the drums a very crisp tone every time you play them.
This is undoubtedly one of the best walnut kits that you’ll find on the market. Unfortunately, this shell pack doesn’t come with a snare drum. You’ll need to buy one of those separately.
Gretsch Catalina Maple kits are quite popular, especially amongst gigging drummers. The maple shells on this set provide warm sounds that are balanced and powerful. The tuning range of each drum is impressively high, making this kit quite versatile.
The drums have round 30-degree bearing edges that add to the warmth along with a bit of dryness. At the end of the day, you get a touch of the vintage sound that Gretsch drums are known for.
The sound you get from these drums sounds much higher-quality than what you pay for. That’s the reason for the Catalina being one of the best intermediate kits.
The stock drumheads aren’t great, though. You’ll need to change those to get the best possible sounds from all the drums.
You’re looking at the most sold drum kit of all time with the Pearl Export. These kits are massively popular, especially for beginners thanks to their low cost.
The drums are made from a mixture of mahogany and poplar shells. Poplar shells are inexpensive shells, but the mahogany adds a sense of higher-quality warmth and tone.
The kit uses Pearl’s Superior Shell Technology to ensure great sounds and extended durability.
You also get a full set of Pearl P-830 series hardware. This is the most heavy-duty hardware you’ll probably ever find coming with an entry-level drum set. You only need to get a set of cymbals and then you’ll have a full and ready drum set.
Although it’s a beginner kit, it will work quite well for intermediate players as well.
The DW Performance Series Low Pro is a fairly unique drum set. It has incredibly shallow drums that don’t have resonant heads. The idea is to have a portable kit that still sounds full and big. DW have somehow managed to do it with this kit.
The kit folds up and can be packed into one or two bags very easily. The drums sound quite punchy, yet musical enough to work in all settings. The 12” snare drum, in particular, sounds amazing.
This is exactly the type of kit that you’ll want if you’re limited for space on a stage. It could fit in most tight corners quite comfortably.
It’s a bit more expensive than the other portable kits available on the market, but it’s arguably quite worth it.
Before getting to the kits, it’s important to establish what makes a good set. A drum set is made up of a few things. These include shells, hardware, finishes, bearing edges, hoops, and aesthetic design choices.
A good drum set succeeds in all these features, boasting excellent details. A good drum kit always sounds amazing in every setting you play it in.
Now, let’s get to the drum sets.
There are several high-quality drum brands that distribute drum kits all over the world. There’s no definite answer to which one of those is the best. Every drummer has varying preferences of what they like in drums, and different brands cater well to those preferences.
However, there are some names that are more popular than others. These would be brands such as Tama, DW, Pearl, Yamaha, Sonor, Mapex, Ludwig, and Gretsch.
There are also boutique drum companies that are popular such as A&F Co, C&C Drums, and Pork Pie Percussion.
Professional drummers typically need to use kits that are versatile and sound good enough to work well in every setting that they play in. This means they need professional drum kits that have been designed to do the job.
High-end drum kits will always be the best options to use in professional gigs. High-end cymbals are also vitally important in these settings.
Drum set cost vary according to the types of drum sets you’re looking at. A good way to look at it is to separate them according to the tier they’re in. Beginner kits usually cost between $200 and $600.
Intermediate kits can cost from $600 up to $1500. Professional kits have the biggest price range. Some will cost $1600 while others can cost up to $10 000.
When buying an expensive kit, you’re paying for the higher-quality design features and the more intense manufacturing process that goes into making the kit.
Hopefully you’ve seen from this article that you can buy a good drum set no matter what your budget is. While a Pearl Export can’t compete with a Pearl Masterworks, it can definitely serve you well if you’re a beginner who is just starting out and needs a good drum set.
Most of the kits on this list are dream kits for every drummer. If you can’t buy one now, make it your goal to buy one eventually. Work hard towards that goal and make it a reality for yourself.
Remember that you’re going to need a good set of cymbals to go along with your pro kit. You’ll also need hardware to hold everything together.
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.
Find useful lessons, tips and reviews for any drummer. From beginners to professionals there’s always something new to learn and improve. Join our Newsletter for exclusive advice!
11407 SW Amu St Suite #ABM436 Tualatin, OR 97062
There may be affiliate links on this website, which means we may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to our readers.
© All rights reserved Copyright 2024
Subscribe to our ninja mailing list and get a Free E-book!
Subscribe to our ninja mailing list and get a Free E-book!
