Drum Kits -- Best Price; Great Review

Individuals ready to purchase a drum kit, be it their first or otherwise, need to take stock of many considerations. All drum kits are designed and carry a price tag relative to what they will provide for a particular player. It's also important to take into consideration that a drum kit is not just the sum of its shells. Hardware and cymbals are equal contributors.

For the sake of focus here, however, let's look at the drum kit as the shell pack itself. Bass, snare, rack and floor toms.

Sure, they may look super attractive but a high-end shell kit is simply not for a beginner-to-intermediate player. He or she is not going to make use of all that is encompassed in, say, a DW birch shell kit with craft-made Istanbul cymbals. It goes the other way as well - a well-learned and experienced drummer wouldn't consider an entry-level Westbury or CB percussion drum kit. You need to be more aware of what you can bring to the kit rather than what it offers you.

There are many quality beginner-to-intermediate drum kits out there. Of them, the Pearl Export series, Tama Rockstar and Ludwig Accent are notables. The Taye Rock Pro and Mapex Q and QR series fit this bill as well. Typically, they feature maple or mahogany shells that are "middle of the road" in quality. However, they offer a consistency and forgiveness when it comes to tuning. There are more than a few others that will equally arm you for the first stages of your drumming development.

Once your hands are beginning to obey your head, it's time to upgrade. There are many quality drum kits that fall into the "mid-range" category. Drum Workshop's PDP Pacific Drums and Sonor's Force 2000 series drum kits are of that designation. There are a host of others that do as well. One feature these step-up drum kits will always have is independent-suspension tom mounts for uncompromised sound quality. They will also typically come equipped with better stock heads, more versatile necks and higher quality lug nuts.

High-end pro quality drum kits like Pearl's Master Series, the Tama Starclassics and DW Customs, among others, are the cream of the crop. They boast the best wood shells, A-level components and purchaser options for custom sizes and configurations. By the time you're ready to look at one of these top-tier drum kits, you'll have an idea of what you want and where to find it. If maintained and cared for properly, it may be the last drum kit you'll ever buy.