Roland drum sets are expensive, and there’s no avoiding that fact. While the brand makes some of the best e-kits in the world, drummers often shy away from them due to their price.
However, a Roland kit comes around occasionally that offers all the Roland goods along with an accessible price tag. That’s what the Roland TD-17 Series is. In this review, we’re going to specifically look at the TD-17KVX and break down everything that it offers.
The main feature of this kit is the powerful TD-17 drum module. It has technology and sounds that are based on the flagship TD-50 module, so you get the high-powered features that Roland’s top kits are known for.
The whole idea behind this set is that it’s a professional-level set that is a lot more affordable than Roland’s top-line kits, yet it provides many of the same sounds.
You get 3 versions which are the TD-17K-L, TD-17KV, and the TD-17KVX. Those are listed in order of price. The most affordable version has rubber pads while the other two have mesh pads. The big benefit of the TD-17KVX is that it has a dedicated hi-hat stand and superior cymbal pads. So, we’re going to stick with reviewing that version.
The construction of this kit is immaculate, and the mesh pads are the star of the show here. The most impressive pad is the PDX-12 snare drum pad. It’s a 12-inch pad that has a raised rim, making it feel more like a snare drum than the smaller pads that are used on other Roland kits.
You get PDX-8 mesh pads for the toms. These are classic Roland pads that have been used on many kits before. They feel great to play on.
The cymbal pads are fantastic as well, especially the ride and hi-hat pads. For the crash cymbals, you get CY-12C pads, which are large dual-zone pads. The hi-hat is a VH-10 pad that mounts onto a proper stand. It feels much better to play on than the hi-hat pads that simply attach to mounting arms.
The CY-13R ride pad is amazing. It’s large and it has three trigger zones, allowing you to utilize the ride cymbal to its full potential.
Lastly, a KD-10 is used for the kick pad. It’s a solid kick drum tower that is used in most of Roland’s upper-tier V-Drums kits.
The kit is held together by an MDS-Compact drum stand. This stand is incredibly sturdy, yet it’s small and portable enough for you to set the kit up in tight spaces. We love how the cymbal pads mount onto ball-and-socket joints. They make positioning the cymbals incredibly easy.
Unfortunately, a hi-hat stand and kick pedal don’t come included with the TD-17KVX. You’ll need to buy those separately if you don’t have them already. Those are the only pieces of gear that you’ll need to worry about as everything else is covered with the purchase of the kit.
The TD-17 drum module is surprisingly powerful. If you were to buy any of Roland’s drum kits that are more affordable than the TD-17, you wouldn’t get a module that is as extensive. That makes the module the main selling point for this kit.
You get 310 sounds to work with along with 50 preset kits. You can use those sounds to either alter the kits or create your own with the other 50 open slots.
There are extensive sound editing features that are based on Roland’s Prismatic Sound Modeling Engine. These features allow you to get a very personalized sound from the drums.
An amazing thing about this module is that you can do several things with Bluetooth capabilities. Firstly, you can stream music through the module without plugging anything in. This will allow you to jam to tracks with headphones on and let you hear the drums at the same time.
The Bluetooth feature also allows you to record MIDI notes wirelessly. If you have a laptop to receive the signal with, you won’t need a MIDI USB cable to do recordings, which is awesome!
In terms of pricing for Roland kits, the TD-17KVX is a fantastic option. It’s the type of drum kit that a pro drummer can get and be happy with all the pads and features. It’s more affordable than the TD-27, TD-50, and VAD kits, so it’s an excellent baseline choice for budget-conscious people.
However, it’s still expensive compared to competing kits from brands such as Alesis. While Alesis kits don’t feel as amazing to play on, their kits are much more affordable.
So, we’ll happily say that the price-to-value ratio is fantastic, but there are some cheaper options out there that many drummers would be happy with.
The Roland TD-17KVX is highly worth it if you have the means to get it. The main selling point of it is the TD-17 drum module. It’s such a powerful module to have, and it will allow you to do dozens of amazing things with the drums.
If you don’t want to spend as much money, you could consider getting the TD-17KV. It’s a few hundred dollars cheaper, but it doesn’t have the PDX-12 snare pad or the full rubber cymbal pads. It also doesn’t have a hi-hat stand. However, it comes with the same TD-17 module.
The Roland TD-27KV provides a significant upgrade from the TD-17 in all aspects. The TD-27 drum module is a lot more extensive, and the pads on the kit are far superior.
The kit is highly worth it if you have the funds for it. It costs significantly less than Roland’s flagship TD-50 kit, but it is just as usable in professional settings.
If you’re debating between the TD-17 and the TD-27, know that the latter costs $1500 more. That’s a huge jump in price! However, the digital snare drum with a dedicated snare pad is something that many drummers never want to go back from after using it. The 18-inch digital ride pad is also a huge benefit of the kit.
The Roland TD-17 drum kits came out in 2018. They were designed by Roland to be affordable V-Drums kits that offered many of the features that the higher-end kits do.
Since then, they’ve become incredibly popular, and many drummers use TD-17 kits in their practice spaces.
You need a drum module if you’re wanting to play electronic drums. The drum module is what produces all the sounds. Without it, you’d just have a set of rubber or mesh pads that make tapping noises.
Drum modules also have lists of features that help drummers practice, record, and perform. While some modules like the TD-17 module have long lists of features, others are fairly simple and they cause the electronic kit to cost a bit less because of this.
A good example of a kit with a simplified module is the Roland TD-07KV. It looks very similar to the TD-17KV, but it costs significantly less due to the simplified drum module.
Since the sounds of the TD-17 module are based on the TD-50 engine, they’re high-quality enough to work decently in a studio setting. If you’re recording a professional album, you should ideally use an acoustic kit.
However, the TD-17KVX is excellent for laying down tracks for smaller projects. It’s the perfect tool for a bedroom producer.
As the TD-17KVX feels amazing to play on, it works quite well for live gigs. It’s a great choice if you’re needing to use a quiet kit. It’s also a great choice if you need a kit that can play electronic sounds.
We prefer Roland’s VAD drums for live gigs, though. They look a lot better on a stage than the small V-Drums kits do.
If you can afford to get the TD-17KVX, we highly suggest you get it. It’s a lot more affordable than Roland’s higher-quality kits, yet it produces many of the same sounds and features.
With the dedicated hi-hat stand and the 3-zone ride cymbal, this is an e-kit that many drummers will love to have in their practice room.
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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