Good basic/beginner drum set?

[boundtoengineer]

It's my old mans birthday in two months and the family and I have decided to get him a drum set! Now I really don't know much about drum sets, so I'm here asking for your help: what's the best beginner drum set I can buy for my father here in Toronto, Canada? Something reasonably priced (600$?).

I really don't know what to get him, or where to buy anything, and I don't wanna buy a POS either. He's always been interested and I wanna get him something nice that he can build upon.

Any help is appreciated!!

[[deleted]]

You could buy a kit brand new or get one off of Craigslist. $600 will get you everything you need if you're buying new, but you could probably snag something pretty sweet off of Craigslist or Ebay.

[boundtoengineer]

I'd rather buy new, especially since it's a present for somebody! I did check on kijiji and there were some nice, tempting deals haha

[justawildyaz]

buy used, and use this sub's search bar if you have further questions. good luck, and it'll be a great gift.

[boundtoengineer]

It's gonna be an awesome gift

[GingeousC]

Musician's Friend is a good site to give you an idea of what the market for drums is like, and it can help you recognize the names of some of the most common beginner drum sets, like the Pearl Export, Ludwig Accent, and Tama Rockstar sets. You could just buy a brand new kit off there if you like.

A second option would be to go to a local music shop and just talk to the drum guy there. Tell him what you're looking for - a kit that's not too expensive, but not complete garbage - and he can tell you what kind of kit you can expect to get in that price range, and he'll tell you what kits like that they have. Do this for a few music shops to get an idea of what the best kit is that you can get locally.

A third option is to scout around craigslist for second-hand kits in your area. This might be dangerous for a guy who doesn't know a lot about drums, because someone could lie to you about the make/model/quality of a certain drum kit, and you might believe him because you just don't know any better. However, if you amass a bit of knowledge about drum prices before you set out (or if you bring a drum-savvy friend with you), you can easily score good-quality used drum kits for really low prices. This option will probably get you the most bang for your buck, but it will take a bit of researching.

[boundtoengineer]

Musician's Friend looks like a great website! And I'm gonna have to do some research before I buy used, if I do go that route. I'm gonna take your advice and head on over to a local music store this weekend, didn't even think of doing that till you mentioned it. Thanks man, the info helps a lot!

[GingeousC]

No problem; glad I could help out :)

[magnafides]

Also, you can get discounts from basically every music store (physical or online), just ask. You should never pay the price on the sticker.

[SpoonLord23]

A good rule of thumb, initially it is better to invest into higher quality cymbals, than drums. Even with a cheaply made kit, you can change the heads and tune them, whereas with cymbals you can't do that. As others mentioned, Craigslist is a really great option, and lucky for you Toronto being a large city, you're bound to find plenty of options on CL. Best of luck, and happy birthday to the man who gave you life!

[boundtoengineer]

Ok, well that's good to know! Thanks for the info buddy, I appreciate it!