Buying a drum kit is a very simple process in the modern world. You have so many options to consider, and each one has its own benefits and drawbacks. If you’re looking to buy a drum set, you should consider each avenue when making your decision.
The best places to buy drum sets are chain music stores, boutique music stores, online music stores, and secondhand marketplaces. When looking through all of those, you’ll be able to find a large selection of kits that will suit your established budget.
Chain music stores are big music brands with multiple stores in different locations. The most popular chain music store in the US is Guitar Center, as you can find dozens of Guitar Center stores around the country.
The cool thing about chain music stores is that they have a coherent feel across all of them, so you’ll feel very familiar when going from one to another.
Chain stores tend to stock the same drum brands at each of their locations. So, if you can’t find the Pearl kit that you want at one store, you could possibly drive to another to go get it.
Boutique music stores are individual stores with unique names and processes. There’ll just be one of them in a specific town, and they have an amazing personalized atmosphere.
It’s great to buy drum sets from these stores as a lot of them stock gear that you won’t find in large chain stores. You’ll be able to get drums from local custom drum companies. A lot of boutique music stores also stock rare vintage drums that are very hard to find.
The people working at boutique music stores are typically a lot more helpful than the workers at chain stores, which is what gives you a more personalized experience when buying drums.
Online shopping has become incredibly popular these days, and it’s very easy to order a drum kit from an online store and have it delivered to your doorstep.
The benefit of buying drums from an online store is that you have a much larger pool of choices. The downside of buying online is that you don’t get to try the drums out before you buy them.
However, there are so many high-quality videos of drum kits being demoed that you can easily get a feel for one before buying it. You just don’t get the physical experience, which a lot of people love.
Secondhand marketplaces allow you to buy used drumming gear. The cool thing about drum kits is that they don’t degrade very easily, especially the ones that are made by established drumming brands.
You can save a lot of money when buying a used kit compared to a brand new one. You can also score some sweet deals that you’d never find in a music store.
Chain music stores have secondhand sections, but the drum kits sold at those are typically more expensive than the ones sold at dedicated secondhand stores. You can find secondhand stores both online and in-person.
Sweetwater is undoubtedly the best online music store right now. They have an amazing sales team that will regularly phone you to see how you’re doing after you’ve already purchased a drum set.
Their customer service is unmatched, and the Sweetwater site has an impressive list of drum gear on offer. The site is also constantly getting new gear to add to its line.
Unfortunately, Sweetwater is only fully functional in the US. They do ship to different countries, but there’s a limited number of drum sets that are available for that.
Amazon is the largest online retailer in the world. The platform has everything you could possibly need, including your next drum kit. It’s incredibly easy to hop onto Amazon and browse through drum kits to buy.
The great thing about Amazon is that most of the drumming products have extensive customer reviews. So, you can read how people feel about them before buying the drums yourself.
The downside of Amazon is that they tend to pack keywords into product names to improve search results. While this is good for them, it can be confusing when looking for your own gear as the names aren’t short and distinct.
Reverb is one of the best places to find used drum sets. It’s an excellent platform for drummers to sell their gear, and you’ll always get a trusted sale when going through the platform.
You’re protected as the buyer, whereas other secondhand marketplaces can be a bit risky. If you’re happy to buy used drums, you should regularly look at Reverb to see what deals you can find.
Facebook Marketplace is one of the most popular secondhand online stores to buy anything from people, including drum gear. You can find some insanely good deals on Facebook.
There’s just a higher risk of being scammed. So, make sure to be as sharp as possible if you buy gear on it. Do your best to go and physically play the drums before you buy them.
Most music stores sell drum sets. When you walk into a physical music store, you’ll most likely find a drum department. You’ll then be greeted by a salesman who’s been assigned to the drum department that will be able to show you around and answer all your questions.
Online music stores also sell drum sets. It can be a bit harder to find a good drum set on an online store without anyone helping you, but most of them have numbers that you can phone to talk to a salesman.
Things you’ll need to consider while buying a drum set.
Shell packs only include a snare drum, toms, and a bass drum. If you buy a shell pack, you’ll need to buy hardware and cymbals to create a full drum setup. The cost of that can rack up quite quickly if this is your first drum set.
Full drum sets come with hardware, drums, and cymbals. These are the best option for first-time buyers, as they cover most of what you need. You may just need to buy a drum throne and some drumsticks.
Cymbal packs include a full setup of cymbals for your kit. Getting a pack is more affordable than buying cymbals on their own. If you get a shell pack, we’d suggest buying a cymbal pack to extend your setup.
Cymbal packs are mostly sold by the big cymbal brands, which are Meinl, Zildjian, Sabian, and Paiste.
If you buy a shell pack, you should also look for a hardware packs. These packs come with all the stands and components you need to set your kit up. They also include a bass drum pedal so that you can play the bass drum.
Most hardware packs just don’t include a drum throne, meaning you’ll need to buy that separately.
You won’t need to get a hardware pack if you get a complete drum set. The hardware that comes with those is typically very good.
If you can’t make a lot of noise, an electronic drum set is the best alternative to an acoustic kit. You can buy electronic kits in all the same stores where you can buy acoustic ones.
The benefit of electronic kits is that they come with most of what you need to play. You’ll just need to buy a bass pedal and drum throne, depending on which kit you get.
You’ll also need to get headphones or an amp, as they don’t make noise on their own as acoustic drums do. You need to plug the drum module into a source to hear the sounds coming out of it.
Check our guide comparing Acoustic to Electronic Drums.
You need to set a budget for yourself when buying a drum set. Your budget will determine which stores to check out. If you have a low budget, you’ll get the best drum set from a used marketplace. If your budget is high, you can get a good drum kit that is brand new.
When it comes to drum sets, you should spend more on cymbals than you do on the drums, as cymbals will make or break your overall sound.
To give a quick recap, buying a drum set involves getting one from either a chain store, boutique store, online store, or secondhand store. These are all great options to consider with different benefits.
Buying a drum set involves a lot of decisions. So, once you’ve found a good store to buy one from, make sure that you’re taking hardware and cymbals into consideration. You can always make upgrades to your drum set, and you can get those upgrades from all those stores.
Enter your name and email below to get instant access to our FREE eBook, “9 Powerful Tips To Get Faster On The Drums (And The Mistakes To Avoid!)”
Enter your name and email below to get instant access to our FREE eBook,
“9 Powerful Tips To Get Faster On The Drums (And The Mistakes To Avoid!)”
