do i really need a name brand drum set?

Question

here's the deal: i play bass in a street punk band. our drummer left us on bad terms because of a drug addiction and huge ego problem. we need a drummer and have been looking for about a month now but it's hard enough to find someone who likes street punk, let alone likes it and knows how to play the drums.

so our guitarist decided that she would teach herself the drums since guitarists are so much easier to replace than drummers. she's a really talented musician (completely self-taught on both guitar and bass) so we're not worried that she won't be able to drum. plus, one pro of being in a punk band is the fact that you don't have to be the best at your instrument as long as you make it as loud and fast as possible.

my question is, do you honestly think that for a street punk band we'd need to get a quality name brand set, or would a no-name brand work just as well. it's not as if she's playing for the boston symphony orchestra or anything, so i personally don't think that it needs to be *the best of the best* but i wanted other peoples' opinions.

i found a reputable website - musician's discount warehouse - that sells gammon drum sets. i've never heard of them before (of course i'm not a drummer...the only brands i recognize are pearl and dw) but from what i've seen they're okay as far as drum sets go and they're pretty inexpensive at $260. since i'm the one who's going to be buying the set for her, i want to make sure that i'm making a smart purchase.

what do you think: should i go for it and pay out the $260 for the drum set or should i keep looking for something better (and more expensive) with a brand name?

Answer 1

I don't think you necessarily need to buy a brand name set, especially for a punk band. When my current band first started, my drummer bought a used 5-piece set for $350 from a local music shop - it's not a big brand, and it's not an amazing set, but it's good enough. As the band makes money, we've slowly been replacing parts of his set with nicer pieces.



I would recommend hitting up a used music store before buying online, that way you can test out the set/brand before you buy it. It would suck to pay a bunch of money and then find out that the set won't work for what you're trying to do. If you do decide to buy online, you should check out Musician's Friend, they have everything you could ever want for pretty good prices. I think they'll also do payment plans in some cases if you can't pay it all up front.

Answer 2

pearl is really worth the money. two of my friends have pearl sets and i love them. i love punk and since punk dosnt really need alot of drum set accents you should go with a pearl

Answer 3

I would get the cheap one, and save up to get the expensive one later - because the cheap one may not last as long. On the other hand, they may be fine.

Answer 4

depends on what u like :) i really like pearl and yamaha and i'll tell u they are worth the price