Thinking about buying Drums

[Diamondhead]

You can buy a cheap electronic kit for basically nothing these days. I'd spend a few hundred on an entry level kit now. If you are still interested after a year and want to get seriously good, buy a real kit and rent some practice space with friends.

I know lots of guys that have bought expensive electronic kits and given up. You really need an acoustic kit and people to play with or it gets boring.

[Kavvy]

Originally Posted by Diamondhead

You can buy a cheap electronic kit for basically nothing these days. I'd spend a few hundred on an entry level kit now. If you are still interested after a year and want to get seriously good, buy a real kit and rent some practice space with friends.

I know lots of guys that have bought expensive electronic kits and given up. You really need an acoustic kit and people to play with or it gets boring.

Thanks for the advice! This one runs $639 before tax, but the durable and quiet thing might be a selling point for me.

[Jawbone Hill]

Hi Kavy,

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts I have the Roland HD-1... nice to see it's come down in cost from when I bought it! For me, it's been an 'almost' perfect practice kit. I've drummed for over 10 years, and while I would never gig with it the HD-1 has been an easy electronic kit to transport and takes up very little room in my apartment. Here's my quick list of the pros and cons of this kit:

Pros
- Smallest footprint you'll find for an electronic kit
- Simple... easy to put together, and then it's just sit down and play.
- Mesh snare drum - the mesh pads have the most realistic feel of all the pads available, so this is nice to have (at least for the snare).
- Pretty easy to transport.
- Quiet. As the bass drum pedal doesn't 'strike' anything to make a sound, there's no vibration that comes from the pedal so the only noise comes from hitting the pads with your drumsticks.
- The sounds aren't perfect, but they're definitely good enough to get started... I'd say they are better than what you would find for a comparable used kit.

Cons
- Can't upgrade. This is probably the biggest con for me. I like the form factor, but there isn't much you can do with it unless you get into VSTs (basically, sounds on a computer controlled by midi)
- The form factor isn't for everyone. I'm a shorter guy (5'8"), so it's the perfect height for me. I've heard of taller people finding the fit a little awkward, so definitely try this out before you buy!
- The bass drum pedal does take a bit of getting used to. While they do a nice job of emulating the bounce of the pedal hitting the bass drum, it's not quite perfect (the 'bounce' in the HD-1 is created by resistance on a spring).

When it comes down to it, I don't know if I would buy it in your position without trying it first. The bass drum pedal doesn't react 100% like a regular pedal would, so for someone just building their technique this might throw you off a bit more than someone who had already established their bass pedal technique. That being said, you might find it really comfortable. I found it really comfortable, and found I didn't really have to change my technique at all.

If this salesman is willing to let you try it for 10-15 minutes in a store (or if you've already tried it), then go give it a spin and see if it will work for you. Or, call around to other music stores in the area and see if someone has a demo that you can try or rent for a month. It might be worth a bit of money to rent and make sure it will work for you.

Good luck!
Scott

Originally Posted by Kavy

Hey all,

Thanks for all your previous advice on this topic. I haven't moved into my condo yet (couple months) or bought a drum set, but I had my first serious trip to the store today and the guy got me on the Roland HD-1 V-Drum Lite.

He said it is the only kit he would use in a apartment, as the kick pad doesn't exist, its just a pedal (exuse the probable improaper use of terms by me). According to him, some on this forum, and my research online, its the vibration from the kick pad which causes most apartment issues, not the actual hitting of the electronic drum.

It is also Rolands cheapest and has 10 kits in it, and he says is the most durable by far of the <$1000 kits.

Does anyone have any comments on this set-up, for or against?

Thanks!
Kavy

[Kavvy]

Originally Posted by Jawbone Hill

Hi Kavy,

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts I have the Roland HD-1... nice to see it's come down in cost from when I bought it! For me, it's been an 'almost' perfect practice kit. I've drummed for over 10 years, and while I would never gig with it the HD-1 has been an easy electronic kit to transport and takes up very little room in my apartment. Here's my quick list of the pros and cons of this kit:

Pros
- Smallest footprint you'll find for an electronic kit
- Simple... easy to put together, and then it's just sit down and play.
- Mesh snare drum - the mesh pads have the most realistic feel of all the pads available, so this is nice to have (at least for the snare).
- Pretty easy to transport.
- Quiet. As the bass drum pedal doesn't 'strike' anything to make a sound, there's no vibration that comes from the pedal so the only noise comes from hitting the pads with your drumsticks.
- The sounds aren't perfect, but they're definitely good enough to get started... I'd say they are better than what you would find for a comparable used kit.

Cons
- Can't upgrade. This is probably the biggest con for me. I like the form factor, but there isn't much you can do with it unless you get into VSTs (basically, sounds on a computer controlled by midi)
- The form factor isn't for everyone. I'm a shorter guy (5'8"), so it's the perfect height for me. I've heard of taller people finding the fit a little awkward, so definitely try this out before you buy!
- The bass drum pedal does take a bit of getting used to. While they do a nice job of emulating the bounce of the pedal hitting the bass drum, it's not quite perfect (the 'bounce' in the HD-1 is created by resistance on a spring).

When it comes down to it, I don't know if I would buy it in your position without trying it first. The bass drum pedal doesn't react 100% like a regular pedal would, so for someone just building their technique this might throw you off a bit more than someone who had already established their bass pedal technique. That being said, you might find it really comfortable. I found it really comfortable, and found I didn't really have to change my technique at all.

If this salesman is willing to let you try it for 10-15 minutes in a store (or if you've already tried it), then go give it a spin and see if it will work for you. Or, call around to other music stores in the area and see if someone has a demo that you can try or rent for a month. It might be worth a bit of money to rent and make sure it will work for you.

Good luck!
Scott

Scott/Jawbone,

Thanks as per last time, now that I zoned on your previously recommended brand/model, it is good to hear a little bit more about the specific pros/cons!

Despite the lack of my ability, and learning on this set may hurt my technique a bit, I think I have to choose it because of the quiet factor!

Is it really that quiet, as in I can expect pretty much no complaints from downstairs?

[Jawbone Hill]

Hey Kavy,
I don't really see how this model could bother your downstairs neighbour. The vibrations that you're worried about come from the bass drum pedal striking a rubber or mesh pad. It's that strike that would send the vibrations down through the floor. As the Hd-1 had no 'strike' in the bass drum pedal, there's nothing to create a vibration. You'll still get the clacking of the drum sticks hitting the toms & cymbals, but that won't make enough noise to seep through apartment walls.

Good luck with your purchase! It really is the perfect unit for a small apartment, and it's been the perfect practice kit for me.

Scott

[Kavvy]

Rented to own the roland HD0-1 lite yesterday... $50 plus tax for one month, 60% of which goes to my purchase if I buy it