A Guide to Buying a Drum Kit

It's worth noting that you're going to pay less for a smaller drum kit than for a bigger one, as less materials are used in creating the drums.

Material

Drums are usually made from wood, although some manufacturers use plastic for their shells. The type and quality of wood used is a good indication as to the quality of the drum kit. Here are some common woods and how they sound:

• Maple - perhaps the most sought-after wood in drum manufacturing. It’s versatile with a warm, bright sound. It sounds great on smaller drums as it produces warm, singing high/mid tones.
• Birch - the typical “studio” drum kit. Birch has a darker, less vibrant tone compared to maple and has a natural EQ which makes it suitable for studio work.
• Mahogany - enhances low end sounds so it is great for bigger drums such as bass drums and low toms.
• Oak - not a common wood in drum manufacturing but used by Yamaha in its Oak Custom line. These drums are incredibly loud and suitable for live performances with little or no amplification.
• Walnut - again not common but used by Tama in its Star Walnut kits. Similar to birch, it has a natural EQ but has a fundamentally lower tone.
• Poplar (bass wood) - a cheap alternative to maple. Most beginner kits are made from this wood.
• Bubinga - many drum manufacturers use more exotic woods such as bubinga as an outer ply for its stunning physical appearance. While this doesn't affect the sound too much, it enhances the look of the drum.

However, the wood used is not a definitive indicator of a drum’s quality. There are high and low quality grades of all woods, and you may see two kits made of the same type of wood at completely different prices. This may be due to the wood quality and features on the rest of the drum.

Shell Thickness

Besides the material, the shell thickness plays a pivotal role in the overall tone of the drum. Thicker shells are louder and dryer than thin shells, which have a more “vintage,” warm sound.

Hoops

The hoop is the part of the drum that holds the head down. The tighter the hoop is pulled, the higher the pitch. There are a few different hoop types and thicknesses that dramatically affect how the drum sounds.

• Triple flanged hoops are the most common ones. They have a warm, open sound with easily controlled overtones.
• Die cast hoops offer a more focused, faster sound and tend to have a greater tuning range. Due to their shape, these hoops do less damage to drum sticks than triple flanged hoops.
• Wood hoops have a dry, warm tone with fewer metallic overtones. Like die cast hoops, they do very little damage to drum sticks due to the shape.

The hoops thickness also affects the sound. Thicker hoops offer a more solid, cutting sound while thinner hoops sound more delicate.

Finish

The finish refers to how the drum looks to our eye. This doesn't affect the sound at all and is purely down to personal preference:

• Wrap drums are wrapped in a plastic covering, which is glued to the shell. This means that a wide variety of colours and effects are available, from fades to sparkles. This is a cheaper method for finishing drums and wrap drum kits tend to be cheaper than those with other finishes.
• Lacquer drums appear to have a more natural look as you can still see the wood grain. They have been highly polished, leaving a bright sheen.
• Matte drums are similar to lacquer drums in that they often have a natural look. However the wood hasn't been polished as much, so the appearance is more opaque.