Best Acoustic Drum Sets

Acoustic Drums Buying Guide
Shopping Advice for Best Acoustic Drums
Drums are one of the most primal instruments in the world.  Drums can be dated back to 5500 BC as drums with alligator skins were discovered from Neolithic China, impressively dated drums to a time when they were predominately used by shamans and medicine men in ritual ceremonies.  Even before humans used drums, there are studies of animals, including monkeys and kangaroos that have used drumming as a form of communication.

In its most simplistic form, a drum is a shell that has a membrane, referred to as a drumhead, stretched over it and hit with hands, a stick or mallet to produce sound.  What started as a primal form of communication and ritualistic device or sorts has evolved into one of the most popular instruments in the world…the drumset.

The evolution of the drumset made it’s biggest leap in the 1840’s when percussionist started experimenting with ways to play multiple drums at the same time.  This movement was largely inspired by budget cuts to pit orchestras forcing drummers to find ways to cover more ground with less percussionists in the section.  What started as a way to accompany marching soldiers and silent films evolved into a standing drumset that was created in 1904 by Dee Dee Chandler of New Orleans.

In 1904 The Ludwig Brothers, founded Ludwig and Ludwig company introducing the first commercial bass drum pedal, referred to as the kick drum pedal, paving the way to the modern drumset.

SHOPPING FOR AN ACOUSTIC DRUMSET:

Shopping for an acoustic drumset is an exciting time.  Whether it’s your first drumset and you are looking for a drumset for beginners or you are a professional drummer adding a new kit to your collection or swapping out your old drumset for a new drumset, there are some important questions to ask before you buy a drumset.

At Music Minds we have tapped world touring drummers to help create a buyers guide that will help you decide which drumset is best for you.  Lettuce’s Adam Deitch, Mike Gordon Band’s John Kimock, and Adam Chase of The Chase Brothers have all weighed in on our buyers guide and we update the info as more professional drummers offer their expertise to Music Minds.

WHAT DOES A FULL DRUMSET CONSIST OF?:

While there are several ways to configure a drumset, a standard drumset consists of a bass drum, snare drum, tom toms, a floor tom and cymbals.  Depending on the needs of the player, which can be determined by the level they are at in their drumming or the gig they are player, the drumset can be bigger or smaller and can always be expanded.

A good drumset for beginners typically consists of the following:

BASS DRUM

SNARE DRUM

TOM TOMS

FLOOR TOM

HI HAT

RIDE CYMBAL

CRASH CYMBAL

HARDWARE

KICK PEDAL

THRONE

DRUMSTICKS

HOW MUCH DOES A SET OF DRUMS COST?:

Drumset can range in cost a great deal.  A drumset for beginners and many junior drumsets start at around $300 and can include everything you need to get started.  Sometimes the full packs do not include drumsticks or a drum throne but those are fairly affordable.  From there the prices go up and can cost into the millions if you are looking for custom and rare drumsets, especially if they were owned by famous drummers.

WHAT ARE THE BEST DRUMS IN THE WORLD?

Some of the best drums in the world are made by the popular drum brands:

Ludwig

Pearl

Yamaha

Gretsch

Tama

Sonor

Pacific Drums

There are more rare drums made by small drum makers like Craviotto and vintage drumsets made by companies like Slingerland and Rogers that are considered to be some of the best drums in the world.  The cost and availability make these hard to access for many drummers.

ARE DRUMS EASY TO PLAY?

Drums are fairly easy to grasp as drumming is such an instinctual, primal reflex.  Learning the basics and getting a beat down can happen with only 1-2 lessons.  With that said, the more intricate rhythms that require independence of all 4 limbs can be very challenging and take a long time to master.

IS THIS THE RIGHT DRUMSET FOR YOUR LEVEL OF DRUMMING?

Depending on whether you a beginner, intermediate or professional drummer, every drummer will have different needs.  For all drummers it is wise to make use of our buyers guide and balance the the following factors:

LOOK: 

While it may seem vain, it is important to have a drumset that has a look that reflects your personality and style.  It wouldn’t look right for a metal drummer to be using a 4 piece jazz drumset on a death metal gig, just as it wouldn’t make sense for a jazz drummer to use a 10 piece double bass drumset on a cocktail lounge jazz gig.

Beyond just the size of the drumset, there are a variety of colors and wood types, finishes and set up arrangements that can reflect a drummers’ personality.  If you never intend to play in public this might not matter as much, but even then you want to be able to look at your drums with loving eyes.

If you are a professional drummer, you definitely want to consider how your drumset will look on stage.  There is a reason why Dennis Chambers has a canary yellow drumset.  It matches his flashy style and hence his personality.  Billy Martin’s drumset has a look that reflects the jazzy funky style and vibe of Billy.

Fall in love with your drumset when you see it and then make sure all the other needs are met before committing.

SOUND: 

The sound of a drumset varies based largely on the type of wood and the amount of plys used in the shells of the drums.  Drumheads can also affect the sound of a drumset.  What we at Music Minds suggest is to listen to your favorite drummers and figure out what tones speak to you the most and find out what drumset they play.

Alot of drummers love Carter Beuford of Dave Matthews Band.  Carter uses Yamaha drums.  While you might not be able to afford his exact drum kit, knowing that he plays Yamaha drums means that Yamaha is a good place to start looking.

If Robert “Sput” Searight is your favorite drummer you will want to consider TAMA drums as those are the drums that he uses.  Feel free to ask questions in our comment section if you are not sure which kit your favorite drummer uses and we’ll see if we can help out!

In our reviews of drumsets we include an analysis of the sound of each drumset.

FEEL: 

The feel of a drumset is not what the drumset feels like when you touch it with your fingers, but how the sticks respond and how it feels to play the drums.

If you are a beginner drummer, you might not know how a drumset feels as you have limited or possibly no experience playing drums.   That is why we included “feel” in our buyers guide.  Our professional drummers are sharing their feedback on the feel of a variety of drumkits so that we can report that information back to you so you can make the best decision for yourself.

DURABILITY:

Whether you are a touring drummer or you are just drumming from the comfort of your home, you want to get a drumset that lasts.  If you are a touring drummer, you will most certainly need a drumset that can handle the wear and tear of the road.

For this, we look at each drumset, examine reviews and source our network of professional drummers for feedback to make sure you are getting a drumset that can handle whatever you are going to throw at it.

If you are just drumming from home, you won’t necessarily need all the heavy duty hardware and the type of drumset that a professional touring musicians will need.  We still provide guidance in our buyers guide, regardless of level, to make sure that you aren’t buying something that will fall apart within days of buying it.

Obviously, a drumset under $500 wont last as long as a drumset under $1500, but quality vs. price is something we put a lot of time into considering in our buyers guide.

COST:

Drumsets can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, with the most expensive collectors vintage drumsets costing in the millions.  In our cost analysis we look at whether or not the cost reflects the value of the drumset.

WHICH DRUMSET SOUNDS THE BEST OUT OF THE BOX?

Most drumsets sound rough out of the box, even the great expensive drumsets.  Most drumsets come with cheap drumheads that are not intended to be used long term.  With that said, some drumsets sound decent from the get go.

Moreso, we have to consider the level of the drummer and what their needs might be.  A beginner drummer might not have the developed ears to hear the difference between one drumset and another.  For the beginner, it’s most important that it’s easy to set up and get going and doesn’t sound like complete crap.

For any drumset, the best way to improve the sound out of the box is to invest in decent drumheads.  A cheap drumset and can sound pretty solid with the right drums heads.  In the same vein, an expensive drumset can be tweaked to perfection with the right drum heads.
Best Acoustic Drums Reviews & Prices

#1 Tama Cocktail Mini

#2 Gretsch Catalina

#3 Pacific Drums’ New Yorker

#4 Sonor Martini

#5 Sonor Safari

#6 Yamaha Stage Custom Bop

#7 Questlove Ludwig Breakbeats Kit

#8 Pearl Roadshow

#9 Ludwig Accent

#10 Ludwig Jr.

Even with the excitement surrounding the technology of electronic drumsets, nothing has replaced the traditional drumset as the most popular form of drumming. With the added competition and advances in manufacturing, (some for better, some for worse) there are a ton of great and not so great options for drumsets for all skill sets.

This section reviews acoustic Drumsets that cover the more traditional drum set which are full kits that include a bass drum, snare drum, tom toms, and the necessary hardware for the drums.

For beginners and intermediate drummers, there are several drumsets under $1000 to choose from with several drumsets under $500 on the market that have a value that highly exceeds the price. There are also cheap drumsets that just flat out suck and wont inspire you to play and that’s just a waste of money.

For the professional drummer, spending a lot of money on drums we love is a given, almost an addiction based on necessity. But not every drumset is worth the expense and sometimes we just need a trusted ear or drummer to let us know what they think before pulling the trigger on buying the drumset that we’ve had our eyes and ears on.

---

View All Acoustic Drums and Reviews