This is a guest post Kent Aberle who has been a mentor and friend of mine for a while – he’s also an awesome Atlanta session drummer

Merry xmas!  This time of year gives birth to many new drummers as kids all over the world walk downstairs to their first drumset under the tree.

If you are playing Santa this year and buying your child his or her first drumset, or even 2nd drumset for the teenage drummer it can be a stressful situation.  There are so many choices now at different prices.  Don’t stress!  The beauty of the many choices is that there is something for every budget.  So, the first thing to do is decide your budget.

Beginner $350-$700.  2nd kit or teenager $700 to $1100.

The beginner is usually going to need everything including drums, hardware (stands,pedal, and seat), and cymbals.  I highly recommend not spending less than $349 on a drumset with cymbals.  Anything lower than that is usually a brand that doesn’t have a history, parts, etc and the quality will be poor.  The $350 drumset usually will consist of a 5pc drumset, hardware, and cheap cymbals in 3 or 4 finishes.  The cost cutting for this kit is done on the cymbals.  They are usually a no-name cymbal that will work for a child to beat on but they have no musical value.  This kit will do well for someone of the age 10-14 yrs old started on a smaller budget.

The $699 range will include upgrades all around.  The drums are better, the hardware is better, and there is a major upgrade in cymbals.  This price range is recommended for drummers in the 13-16 year old range.  This kit will last a lifetime if it’s well maintained, and would make a great 2nd kit for any drummer for the practice space, or just jammin w/ friends.

My favorite range of drums is the $700-$1100 range.  This range is great for any drummers if the budget works and will give the drummer the most value, selection, and playability.  This range offers kits made of birch, maple, and mahogany.  There are many different configurations available as well as finishes.  Most of these kits don’t come with cymbals.  However, good sounding cymbal packs start at about $250.  If you spend $750 on the drumset w/ hardware and add the cymbal pack, you have a professional looking and sounding setup for only $1000.  This price range is even better for the 2nd kit.  If the hardware from the first drumset is still in good shape, you can purchase a shell pack and really see an upgrade in drums.  This kit will last a lifetime and is great for any drummer of any skill level of any age.

It is a great time to be a drummer either starting out or getting that step-up drumset.  When I was a kid there was either cheap stuff or really expensive stuff.  Today’s drum market has something for every budget.  Stop in to your locally owned drum shop or music store and see for yourself.

Kent just released a new drum instructional DVD “Technique and Musicality For The Weekend Warrior”, which is available for purchase on his website: www.kentaberledrums.com/the-dvd.

No need to take too much time doing that since there was a great piece written about it already.

My good friend Kent Aberle wrote up a great article that should help those of you who are looking to buy a new kit and decide between birch and maple.

From the article:

One of the most common questions that I am asked is what is the difference between maple and birch. All of today’s large drum companies like Pearl, Gretsch, Mapex, Tama, and Ludwig (in no particular order) have semi-pro and high-end pro level birch and maple kits available. The way I like to describe the difference, having owned and gigged on maple and birch kits, is the difference in the “ooom.”

To read the full article click here and go to the Ken Stanton Website