STW Drummers assemble! – beginner kit advice

So my Daughter is learning the drums at School and apparently is picking it up really well.

So looks like we might need to invest in a drum kit for her – Christmas request also…..

We’re looking at electronic due to space and also noise! – she can wear headphones lol

So far I’ve found these via google:

Gear4Music Digital Drums 400 Compact Electronic Drum Kit – £250

Roland TD-02K V-Drums Electronic Drum Kit – £290

Staying away form Amazon Specials as I want a decent warranty

As I know bugger all about drums what do you think of the above, and any other recommendations for under £300.

Thanks

I bought the Donner kit a couple of years ago to learn on, i can’t comment how it compares but did everything i needed, i ascertained that mesh heads were important

Don’t forget you’ll need a throne too which aren’t as cheap as you’d imagine

Bookmarked as my 16yr old daughter is in the same place…

Of those two, the G4M is the better value as it includes a throne for a lower price. Neither are going to be fantastic longer term, but they’ll be fine for learring the basics

So my Daughter is learning the drums at School and apparently is picking it up really well.

Bookmarked as my 16yr old daughter is in the same place…

Nurture those dreams fellas….

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I was going to say as a beginner either will be fine so go for the cheapest. But, of those two I think I’d go Roland, sounds will be better, and most important of all it will have some resale value when she either gets bored, or gets into it and wants to upgrade. 

An extra £20 will get you headphones and a throne that will do too as a kit, I’d go for that one for £309. 

I’d stick with Roland personally.

I own a (admittedly more expensive) Roland, and regularly lug it to my friends studio and set it up next to his godawful G4M kit. The problem I have with it is glitches and delays in the sounds coming out which is extremely off putting as a a drummer. May be fixed in more recent G4M kits, may even be an issue in cheaper Roland kits, but I’d gamble on the cheap Roland.

Oh, btw, bear in mind electronic kits are far from silent! So order yourself some headphones too 🙂

Most noise you might get from an electronic kit is from the bass drum pedal thudding through the floor. If you can avoid that, or live with it, then fine.
if she does stick with it, be prepared to buy an acoustic kit and cymbals somewhere down the line. Like bikes, they can start cheap and go up to eye wateringly expensive. And to transport her/them around, that job is a PITA. I sometimes wish I’d picked up a microphone when I was 15

My lad is a decent drummer and uses an Alesis Nitro Mesh, compact little setup for his Uni room. It’s great for that money, only negative would be that the mounting rig can be a bit flimsy. You definitely want mesh heads.
They’re around £300.

We tried a cheap Roland (£1000) years ago and it wasn’t great to be honest. The £6000 one was amazing though 😀

I bought a second hand acoustic kit for my wife when she wanted to give it a try, and I’m amazed at how quiet it is with the silencing pads on, but yeah, it takes up some room unless you get a compact travel one.

Also worth getting a practice pad, so she can do drills while you’re away from home.

My lad is a decent drummer and uses an Alesis Nitro Mesh

+1 My 11yo daughter has a second one of these at home for practise but uses and performs at music school on a full Acoustic kit.

My lad is a decent drummer and uses an Alesis Nitro Mesh

+2 for Alesis. We took advice from a family friend who’s a decent drummer. Alesis is great intro without spending a lot. We bought this Alesis Turbo Mesh setup for 8yr and 10yr old mini a11y’s a couple of Christmases ago. Brilliant and compact.

Bear in mind that neither of those include an amp either. You can play thorugh headphones, but if she is playing with others at some point then she will need an amp. You can use a guitar amp at a push (quietly), but really need something drum specific.

I used to be a drummer up to my twenties, but have nothing to add here sorry, except to say that we have a cool drum shop in my town called Dr.Um which I’ve always thought was great. Cool shop too and Victor who runs it is a ledge. (Leamington Spa)

@ally  that looks just the ticket for christmas…..330 with a throne and headphones. I guess she could use my 20w orange amp to start with?

There’s a reason the Roland kits have a good resale value, their quality is pretty much second to none.

Honestly I would go for a used Roland kit. The one you’ve linked is good to start if never played before, if she’s playing at school then she is not going to like the kick pedal, as it’s not a proper kick pedal. Mine is a TD-11KV which is out of your price range, but still sells for what I paid for it around 4/5 years ago when I bought it used.

There are versions between the linked and what you have, mesh snare is ideal but the electronic kits still don’t have the same feel as actual drums.

It will end up costing you more if she keeps at it, so busy used and you’re likely to get most of your money back when it comes to upgrade time.

@ally that looks just the ticket for christmas…..330 with a throne and headphones. I guess she could use my 20w orange amp to start with?

We used a soundbar donated by my sister – I think it must be plugged in somehow but can’t recall for sure. Kids can use it without issue/hassle so it must be straightforward though.

I used to be a drummer up to my twenties, but have nothing to add here sorry, except to say that we have a cool drum shop in my town called Dr.Um which I’ve always thought was great. Cool shop too and Victor who runs it is a ledge. (Leamington Spa)

I’ve been in that shop. It is indeed an drummers dream cave. All I can add to the above is go Roland if you can.

Like bikes, they can start cheap and go up to eye wateringly expensive.

Ha! What doesn’t! 🤣 

I’ve recently taken up archery… 🤷🏼

Thanks for all the advice – really appreciated.

Daft question though – what’s a mesh head?

from memory

they make the e drum more similar to a conventional drum head, like hte rebound of the stick and the way it reacts when hit, which i understood to be a necessaty essentially

what’s a mesh head?

The head is the top of the drum, the part you hit with a stick and that (on a real acoustic kit) makes the noise, that is amplified through the shell of the drum.

On cheaper electric kits this is a rubber pad. It doesn’t really feel much like a real drum, but is cheap to make and fairly robust.

On more expensive kits this is replaced with a ‘mesh’ pad, that stretches as you hit it and bounces the stick back, much more like an accoustic kit. It is more expensive and less robust, but most drummers prefer these.

If you already have an acoustic kit, you can get mesh heads in most common sizes too. Mesh heads are literally made of a mesh so that the air passes through them when you hit the drum, rather than being forced to the resonant head and therefore making a noise.
Practice cymbals are getting much better too, although they’re not cheap – like a mesh head they have squillions of tiny holes to reduce the volume.
strictly speaking, many acoustic drums have two heads – the batter head on the top of the drum that you hit, and the resonant head, on the bottom, that you don’t. Some drums – ‘concert toms’ – don’t have a resonant head.
the snare drum needs the bottom head, as that’s where the snare lives, and creates the distinct snare drum sound.
many bass drums (kick drum) don’t have a front resonant head, while others have a 5-6in hole where you can insert a microphone for recording or PA purposes – see below
my gigging kit: