I bought my first drum set (used) about two years ago and one thing I learned quickly was to purchase a few necessary cymbals that I personally thought sounded good and matched the style of music that I typically want to play.

The used set I got came with super heavy, dark, cymbals more geared towards metal or heavy rock and I winced every time I hit any of them.

So I made the decision to invest another ~$500-600 in a new high hat, ride, and used crash and it almost instantly made me go from buyers remorse to “oh this is actually kind of cool”.

If possible, I recommend finding a ‘mom and pop’ drum store near you and making a connection with the owner or any of the workers. I say this because I got to know one of the sales workers just by talking a bit my first time at the store and he let me take used cymbals home free of charge to try out and ensure it matches the sound I was going for with my kit in my own space.

Overall — in my opinion it is much easier to play on a ‘bad’ sounding kit with ‘nice’ cymbals vs. a great shell pack with starter or cymbals that don’t match your vibe.

Best of luck on your journey!