As you might’ve noticed, there are a lot of things to consider before you decide to buy a particular drum set for your kid. Starting from the basic things like the type, how many instruments should it have, recommended age group, height, and other preferences, you’ll need to really think it through before you’re ready to make the purchase.
And this can be quite burdening, especially when you already have a lot on your mind. So let’s list everything that you need to know about buying a decent drum set for your favorite musician.
General Tips
Depending on your kid’s age, drumming skills and height you can limit your search on a couple of hundreds. And that isn’t a good number to start looking for an ideal gift for your musically gifted child. So naturally, you’ll need to think about the specifics regarding hardware quality, drum weight, size, bulkiness, sound quality, durability, etc.
The most important thing is knowing what your kid needs. You can buy the best drums available on the market and still find that they aren’t for your kid because the bass drum pedal is too large, or due to limited expansion of the frame holding the cymbals, etc. Also when buying, be sure to get it from a verified store, whether online or a physical one. There are a lot of scammers out there that will try to sell you low-quality instruments while you’re under the impression that you’re buying original product.
Type
There are several types of drum sets and if you want to pick the one that your kid needs you’ll need to know their use. If you’ve been buying classic toy drums for your kid since he was a baby, chances are that they’ve developed a taste in playing acoustic drums.
The second ones are standard that include a bass drum, one or two cymbals, a couple of tom-toms, and a snare drum, and there are fusion drum kits that are basically a customized drum set for advanced drummers. If you know which music genre you kid is into then you’ll have no problems whatsoever picking the right product for them. Each drum set is unique, the drum heads vary in size and shape. A classic rock set includes a 22’’ bass drum, 12’’ quick toms, 14’’ snare toms, etc.
And lastly there are electric ones which are a lot more complex than their acoustic relatives. The difference in price is huge, but they have their benefits as well. You’ll be able to adjust manually the sound of each drum, as well as use effects and much more. The only question is whether or not your kid is interested in playing on such instruments. As you can notice every little detail matters. Check the specs in your “favorites” list to avoid making a mistake of buying the wrong drum set for your favorite little musician.
Sound and Overall Quality
The quality of sound that the instrument is making is extremely important for a drummer. The brand of the drum set usually implies whether they’re made out of quality material or a low budget one. Mapex Drums, Yamaha, Pearl, Ludwig, Tama, all of these companies produce top-quality drums. Although their products aren’t the cheapest on the market, at least you’ll know where you’ve spent you money.
As a parent you want only the best for your kid. So if you’re planning on investing in their music career you might as well get them a quality product. You’ll actually save money as quality drums tend to break less than cheaper ones. They are made to last, but more importantly to produce quality sound. Nest to that, with low-budget drum sets, you’ll constantly have to buy spare parts and additional hardware due to constant malfunction.
Price range
Now that you know which drum sets to focus on you should take the price range into consideration. If you want a decent beginner’s set you shouldn’t go shopping without 600$ in your pocket. Anything worth less than that will sound like a toy drum kit when played on, and you wouldn’t want that would you?
The price range goes from $600 to $1000, but if you want to try and save money, you should try assembling a custom drum set for you kid. Yes, it’s a bit more complex than walking into a store and buying a complete set, but at least you’ll get a fully customized product for your child. And they’ll definitely appreciate that. There is a reason why these beginner’s drum sets cost this much. It’s because they are really worth the money as your child will play on them for years without having to change a single part.
Customization and Adjustment
If you’re planning to buy a drum set for your 12-year-old son for example, you’ll need to think about customization and adjustment. Remember that your kid is growing constantly, both mentally and psychically, so they won’t be able to play on a drums that can’t be adjusted for more than a year or two.
The desired product must be able to adapt to your kid’s drumming style, height, and individual taste. This implies that it should have adjustable frames, spare parts, expandable drum heads, straps, etc. This way they can adjust the height of bass drums, cymbals, high-toms, low-toms, or any other piece themselves. Once they’ve grown over one size, they can adjust the drum set to use it properly.
