Advice for buying drums for my daughter

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 2:25 am

I am a complete noob when it comes to drums and drum kits. My youngest daughter really wants me to buy her some drums. I thought I would buy her a cheap drum kit made for smaller kids.

Any suggestions?

damienblair17 · Post by **damienblair17** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 2:32 am

If she's serious about drumming, spend a little extra on a full size kit. Like a good starter guitar, if it's a quality piece she'll be able to continue to use it once she moves on past the "beginner" phase. PDP, Sound percussion, and Ddrum make decent starter kits, all around $300 US.

Billy3000 · Post by **Billy3000** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 2:34 am

I believe they make them in different sizes depending on age and how big your kid is. How old is she? The youngest drummer in any of the rock bands I've taught for my company was 9 and he handled a full sized kit perfectly fine. He was pretty small too, I thought he was younger than 9. I'd recommend going to guitar center and seeing what she can handle there. I'm pretty sure they usually have kid's size sets if you want to have her try one out, or if she's old/big enough to handle a regular size kit, see if she feels comfortable on one.

StevePirates · Post by **StevePirates** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 2:59 am

I'd recommend a full size kit. They are easier to sell if this turns out to be a passing phase, and you won't need to buy a new set once she outgrows them if this turns out to not be a passing phase.

My first kit was a set of Yamaha Stage Customs, and they make a really good kit for beginners.

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 3:20 am

My daughter is only 4 years old so I think I will have to get the small kit.

I saw this one at Guitar Center and it seemed a good size.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/PDP-Player- ... 1484193.gc

I might check on CL as well.

StevePirates · Post by **StevePirates** » Sun Jul 17, 2011 3:28 am

Yeah, at 4 years old, you want a kids' kit for sure.

Haze · Post by **Haze** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 3:44 pm

We sell those PDP kits at best buy, the hardware on the kit is cheap! Wouldn't recommend it normally but for a 4 year old to learn on I imagine it will do alright. Check CL to see if you can find a used full sized kit for the same price or cheaper though, wouldn't hurt looking.

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 3:58 pm

The little Pearl Rhythm Traveler kits would probably work in this application.
It's a perfect compromise between a real deal kit that could be resold fairly easily seeing as it is a legit kit that could appeal to an adult that has space or transportation concerns but it can be set up in a way that is comfortable for a child to play. They don't sound half bad, either.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 10:09 pm

laterallateral wrote:The little Pearl Rhythm Traveler kits would probably work in this application.

+1

They sound great, not too loud, not too big, silent practice solutions provided.

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Mon Jul 18, 2011 10:31 pm

You could always get a little jazz kit, as they're a bit smaller, but still full size.

I think for beginers, it's easier to get away with cheap drums, but invest a little more in decent cymbals. With a good head, a cheap shell will sound fine or even good, but crappy cymbals are just frustrating as all get out.

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 1:15 am

I found this set that was $150 yesterday and is now $100. I called on it but someone is on their way to look at it. I will know in an hour whether or not it's gone.

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/msg/2492922009.html

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Tue Jul 19, 2011 3:19 am

I barely missed that drum set so I will continue looking.