Electronic Drum Kits - Buyers Guide - Click

Guide to buying drums

The First rule to buying any Musical Instrument is; Buy the best you can sensibly afford but not so much that you worry about the cost

The Second rule is buy a branded quality instrument that will last a long time, gives you loads of pleasure and will always have a real value either to trade in or sell if you find it's not for you.

Electronic Drums Vs Real Drums

Benefits of Real Drums

• Acoustic drums are very expressive
• Acoustic drums have a wonderful rich sound
• Acoustic drums look amazing

Downside to Real Drums

• Acoustic drums are loud, so much so it's always advisable to wear ear protectors when practicing, especially youngsters
• Acoustic drums take up quite a lot of floor space
• Acoustic drums limit the amount of practice time not really family friendly

Benefits of Electronic Drums

• Volume can be controlled with Electronic Kits,headphones can be used and they are easy to record
• Electronic drums offer a choice of hi quality kits
• Electronic drums have a host of additional features for practicing

Downside to Electronic Drums

• Only the more expensive Electronic kits look as good as Acoustic kits
• The sound and feel of an Electronic kit is not as natural as an Acoustic Kit
• Pad size is smaller on Electronic Drum Kits

What Drum Kit Do I Need?

Best Drum Kit for Beginners

Lots of choice here from both Yamaha and Roland, Our advice is to stick to the top 2 manufacturers, at least you guaranteed quality and great resale prices if it doesn't work out

The feel is all important, there is a choice of pad types;

• Rubber: Rubber pads are the most common on the cheapest beginners drum kits. Most people prefer the mesh but the 'bounce' of the rubber pads is probably closer to a real drum kit.
• Mesh: By far the most sought after pads as they feel really nice and are the quietest. The bounce of the heads is a lot more than a real kit so bear in mind you might have to adjust when you play a real drum kit
• Silicone: This is a Yamaha only pad and offers a much closer feel to a real drum kit but somehow doesn't feel quite as nice as the mesh heads. If you mainly play acoustic drums but want a practice electronic kit the silicon pads are a serious consideration

A little more info on the mesh heads

Not all mesh heads are the same - Yamaha Mesh heads and Roland mesh heads feel different - Roland Mesh heads feel different as you go up the range moving from 2-ply on the lower models to 3-ply on the top models

A little more info on pads and pad sizes

The larger the pad the better it is to play however be aware that the lower Roland pads have a plastic inner surround that doesn't do anything.Roland specifications are for the pad area only.

Rim Shots

Rim shots are available on mid priced models and not lower end models. Rim shots are used by drummers as they advance and want more expression in their drumming

Sound Quality and number of kits

Both Roland and Yamaha have a range of modules. As the range goes higher there will be significant improvements in sound quality, number of kits and features. There will be several models associated with a module. Modules are the brains of the kit.

Tuition / Practice features

This is an area where Yamaha excel on their DTX400 series with an app that will actually help you read sheet music, surprisingly it's only available on the DTX400 series (as of 23rd Aug 2022) but is expected to be rolled out to the higher kits in time. Just search 'Yamaha DTX402 Touch' on any app store, It's free and you don't need a drum kit to see what it can do.

The Roland modules have training features built in that allow you to test your timing and natural clock. There are other free apps available for electronic drums but they're often subscription based.

Bluetooth receive is available on all Roland Kits TD07 and above, it's only available on the Yamaha DTX10

So what would be the best starter kit? A kit that's going to keep you practicing and playing! Here the electronic kits excel.

• You can practice quietly
• You have loads of different kits for different styles of music
• You can play along with music on your phone
• A whole host of tuition facilities
• It's easy to record yourself and save the song for playback later
• It's family friendly which means more playing time

There's an awful lot to consider when buying an electronic drum, please feel free to call us or email anytime and we can assist you find the right instrument for you, so much is dependent upon personal choice and lifestyle

You can't beat going into a drum store and actually seeing, hearing and feeling a drum set, we have loads of kits on display and you're always welcome to call in - no appointment necessary. We are easy to find and it's easy to park with forecourt parking for 7 cars. We are a destination store which means you get personal relaxed and informative chat with a product expert and no pressure.