Comparison Information

COMPARISONS TO THE “NAME BRAND” ENTRY LEVEL DRUM SETS BY PEARL, TAMA, YAMAHA, AND LUDWIG   

All entry level drum sets come with single ply drumheads on the batter side (the side you hit) and resonant side (the bottom of the drum). Ours do as well. Drumhead life depends on how hard and how often a drummer hits and plays their drums. Single ply drumheads generally don’t last very long. When a batter side drumhead becomes dented and loses its sound quality, it’s time to replace the drumhead. A few entry level drum sets come with higher quality single ply drumheads. The higher quality is in the resonance of the head and the hoop strength. A single ply drumhead will wear out quickly regardless of the resonance quality or hoop strength. Single ply is simply, single ply. We recommend replacing worn out single ply drumheads with two ply drumheads. Two ply drumheads are more durable than single ply drumheads. The cost difference between single ply drumheads and two ply drumheads is approximately $1.00 to $2.00 more per drumhead depending on the size. It’s worth spending a few extra dollars for two ply drumheads. Two ply drumheads will last longer and also help control unwanted overtones because they’re heavier. Two ply drumheads are an excellent choice for children, teenagers, and heavy hitting drummers.

The resonant side drumhead (the bottom of the drum) may never need replaced. The combination of a two ply drumhead on the batter side and a single ply drumhead on the resonant side of a drum sounds excellent. The only abuse a resonant side drumhead takes is when it’s moved around the house or transported without a case.   If a drum is transported in a case, the drum is protected. It is possible to get a few stick marks on the resonant head when tuning the head. Any stick marks can be cleaned off to keep the head looking new.

All drummers have different preferences when it comes to drumheads. It is assumed that the original drumheads on any drum set will be quickly replaced by the drummers preferred drumhead style and manufacturer. That being said, it’s an effective way to make drum sets a little more affordable. Single ply drumheads are popular in the studio and with jazz drummers. When properly tuned and played with finesse (not strength), single ply drumheads sound great. They're just not the best choice for children, teenagers, and heavy hitting drummers.

You may have read reviews on the internet regarding entry level drum sets.  One of the most common complaints is about the drumheads.  They don't last and they don't sound good.  This is an easy problem to fix and is common to all entry level drum sets.  It's amazing what a new set of quality two ply drumheads will do for the sound of an entry level drum set.

Cymbals

Some entry level drum sets come with cymbals. As is the case with drumheads, it is assumed that cymbals will be replaced by the drummers preferred cymbal size, type, and manufacturer. Therefore, most of the cymbals that come with entry level drum sets (particularly junior drum sets) are not the highest quality cymbals on the market. There are entry level drum sets that come with higher quality cymbals, but with a higher price. Generally speaking, entry level drum set cymbals should be considered “targets” for the beginning drummer. Their sound quality varies by manufacturer, but most are adequate for the beginning drummer. These cymbals actually serve their purpose well. They provide the beginning drummer with cymbals to strike while they are learning to play their drum set. These cymbals can take a lot of abuse and should last until a drummer is ready to upgrade their cymbals. We offer cymbal packs that are a step or two above most of the entry level drum set cymbals.

Some of our junior and student drum sets don't include cymbals (or a drum throne).  Some of these drum sets are lower in cost than the drum sets that include cymbals and thrones.  Others are the same price or a little more because they are a better quality drum set.  They may include better drum shells and better hardware.  We offer drum sets with cymbals and drum sets without to offer our customers a choice.  Many of our customers prefer a better quality drum set and choose to purchase cymbals separately.  Others like the convenience of purchasing a drum set complete with cymbals.

 Hardware

Entry level drum set hardware is very similar regardless of brand. Cymbal, snare drum, and hi-hat stands are offered in student, single braced, and double braced styles. Student stands are a bit lighter duty than single braced stands. They also don’t have as wide of a base when the legs are extended. Single braced stands are lighter in weight than a double braced stand, but equally as sturdy. All three types of stands are excellent stands. It’s a matter of preference for a drummer whether they want single or double braced stands. Double braced stands are heavy. When transporting double braced hardware, there is a lot more weight to carry. Single braced hardware offers nearly the same sturdiness as double braced hardware with a lot less weight. The base of most single braced and double braced stands are the same size. It is nearly impossible to hit a cymbal on these stands and knock the stand over. Student hardware is lighter, slightly smaller, and very affordable. Although the base of a student stand is a little bit smaller, it is still nearly impossible to knock over. Again, all entry level drum set cymbal, snare drum, and hi-hat stands are very similar. Simply compare the pictures.

Tom mounting arms on entry level drum sets are also very similar. There are different styles of tom mounting arms depending upon the brand. Our drum sets tom mounting arms are nearly identical to the big name brands. Look at pictures of different brands of drum sets and compare the similarities.  We offer drum sets with suspended tom mounts. Suspended toms resonate more freely than toms that have the tom arm mount attached to the shell. It’s a personal preference whether a drummer wants suspended tom mounts or tom mounts attached to the shell. They both resonate freely. A suspended tom resonates a bit longer. 

Bass drum legs (spurs) differ from drum set to drum set.  Junior drum sets have lighter duty bass drum spurs than full size, more expensive drum sets.  Young drummers don't really require a heavy duty bass drum spur.  They don't kick the bass drum that hard.  The more you pay for a drum set, the heavier duty the bass drum spur.  Ours fall into this catagory as well.  Many better bass drum spurs include a spike that digs into carpet for drummers with a heavy bass drum foot.  The rubber end of the bass drum spur can be adjusted to expose the spike.  Many drummers that have spikes on their bass drum spurs don't even utilize them.  It's really a matter of personal preference.

Final Thoughts

There are many factors involved when choosing a drum set to purchase, particularly for a young or new drummer.  At AffordableDrums.com, we feel cost is one of the most important factors.  Should a parent purchase a new drum set for their child and spend between $600 and $800 for a name brand drum set?  Should they take a risk in spending that much money when they don't know if their child will continue to play the instrument?  We don't think so.  We feel that parents (who are not drummers themselves) may not be aware of the excellent value of drum sets such as the brands we carry.  We feel our drum sets are an excellent value for the money spent.

Other web sites and music stores call the drum sets we sell "stencil" drum sets.  This means that they are inferior quality drums made by the same manufacturer who simply slaps a different name on it and sells it to multiple drum companies.  This is not accurate.  There are multiple manufacturers of "stencil" drum sets just as there are multiple name brand manufacturers.  Our drums are not all the same, just as name brand drums are not all the same.  Other web sites and music stores also discount the obvious advantages of purchasing a value priced drum set.  They are in business to sell the name brands they carry.  We are in business to sell quality cheap drum sets to kids, teenagers, and drummers on a budget.  Cheap, as in affordable.  Not cheap in quality.  We refer to them as value drum sets.

We believe there are advantages to purchasing a value drum set instead of a name brand drum set.  Value drum sets are hundreds of dollars less than name brand drum sets.  They offer drummers an affordable way to own a quality drum set that will last year after year.  If a value drum set is purchased as a first drum set for a young drummer, it won't be the last drum set they play or purchase.  Ask any experienced drummer how many drum sets they have owned or currently own.  More times than not, it's multiple drum sets.  Musician's like variety whether it's owning a number of guitars, keyboards, or drums.  A different instrument for different musical applications or simply because they like having more than one instrument.  A value drum set will continue to offer value when a drummer upgrades to a more expensive drum set.  A value drum set can be passed down to a sibling who also wants to play drums.  It can serve as a second drum set to be left at the house where a drummer's band rehearses.  Many drummers purchase a value drum set for just that reason.  We really appreciate the many possiblilities that a value drum set can offer.

The drummers at AffordableDrums.com currently own both name brand and value drum sets.  We like them both.  Is a name brand drum set better than a value drum set?  The answer is yes, and no.  Yes, name brand drum sets are better quality than value drum sets.  They better be considering their cost.  However, their higher cost isn't entirely related to superior quality over a value drum set.  Name brand drums have to be better in order to entice professional drummers to endorse their drums.  They also advertise heavily to maintain their brand recognition.  These are costs that ultimately get passed along to consumers.  Most value drum set manufacturers don't have professional drummers endorsing their products and don't advertise heavily.  They leave it up to websites like ours to promote their products.  Therefore they don't have as many costs to pass along to consumers like the name brands do.  That's why value drum sets are so affordable.  Lower cost and comparable quality makes a value drum set an excellent alternative to a name brand.  

All of us have favorite name brands of jeans, purses, shoes, toilet paper, power tools, shampoo, etc.  Most of us also have "off brands" that we have found to be comparable to name brands.  We purchase them all the time because of their cost and quality.  Through trial and error, we've all found items that are comparable to the name brands.

At AffordableDrums.com, we've done the work for you.  We offer drum sets that we feel are comparable to the name brands for an affordable price.  The higher priced drums on our website offer the exact same features and quality as Pearl, Tama, Yamaha, and Ludwig entry level drum sets.  All of our other drum sets also offer comparable features and quality to these name brand drums.

Our Comparisons Information Page is the opinion of AffordableDrums.com and is not necessarily the opinion of the manufacturers or distributors of the products we carry.