Buying a studio hit. Need help!

[sloper]

What's up slutz!

I'm looking at buying a kit for the studio and i'm picking up drums lessons for myself. I have a budget of 2k MAX, and i'm thinking of either.

1. Cataline Maple (or Ash) and buying a Ludwig Black beauty snare to go with it.

or

2. The Gretsch Renown and (due to budget) no Black Beauty.


I love the black beauty snare drum, and i've played the Catalina, the only piece of the puzzle i'm missing is the Renown. I can't find a set here in town to play and i'm wondering if they're worth the extra $$$ and if the snare will keep me happy.

Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thanks guys!

-slope

[biggator6]

Honestly,
for 2k - buy an older 3-ply ludwig/rogers/slingerland that isn't in 'collector' condition (recovered, etc) for cheap.. maybe $500. That will sound as good or better than anything you can get new for 3x the cost.

Spend the rest on a couple of snares and some nice hardware and cymbals.

Buying used drums you will save yourself a ton of money - I paid roughly $500 for a set of mid-90's Premier Signia maples (original price in the 3k range).. do yourself a favor and go that route.
"-)

[BLUElightCory]

I'd go with a Tama Starclassic (Birch or Maple, depending on what type of sound you're after) and the Black Beauty. New, these should total less that $2000, used obviously less.

Starclassics are made really well and sound excellent, and Tama's hardware is second to none (which is a great quality in a recording kit).

[sloper]

I've been scouring the local used market but haven't found much. Lots of people selling off their old exports i've noticed...? At one point i thought these were an ok entry level kit for $1000.

I love the look of the Starclassic too but no one in town has this kit on the floor for me to play.

I'd still love to hear peoples thought on the Catalinas and Renowns and how they compare to each other. BlueElightCory, would you say that the Renowns are comparable to the Starclassics?

Last but not least on the cheaper side, what's a good direct competitor to the Catalina? I was also thinking about the mapex Pro M's, anybody with experience on these? Anything else?

Thanks again guys!

-Terry

[biggator6]

Where are you located?

Check out DrumForum.org • Index page - there's usually some good kits for sale over there - and the guys will help you find what you're looking for.
"-)

[sloper]

Sweet! I'll check it out.

Thanks!

[chrisso]

Originally Posted by biggator6

Honestly,
for 2k - buy an older 3-ply ludwig/rogers/slingerland that isn't in 'collector' condition (recovered, etc) for cheap.. maybe $500. That will sound as good or better than anything you can get new for 3x the cost.

Spend the rest on a couple of snares and some nice hardware and cymbals.

Absolutely spot on. thumbsup

[rebuskyle]

Originally Posted by biggator6

Honestly,
for 2k - buy an older 3-ply ludwig/rogers/slingerland that isn't in 'collector' condition (recovered, etc) for cheap.. maybe $500. That will sound as good or better than anything you can get new for 3x the cost.

Spend the rest on a couple of snares and some nice hardware and cymbals.

Buying used drums you will save yourself a ton of money - I paid roughly $500 for a set of mid-90's Premier Signia maples (original price in the 3k range).. do yourself a favor and go that route.
"-)

I completely agree with you....used drums will allow you to purchase better snare & cymbals (which is where you'll REALLY notice the difference). You should look to spend AT LEAST as much on a good snare and cymbals to outfit the kit.

I would DEFINITELY suggest you do a good bit of research on whatever "used" kit you get. If you go with vintage stuff you'll need to make sure you inquire about the bearing edges and if the drums are "out of round"...b/c if either of these are a problem you'll end up putting twice as much into the kit to make it sound decent. This goes for replacement parts as well...make sure whatever kit you get is one that you can still purchase replacement parts for.....

That is.....

unless you'd like to join us over here in "vintage land" and believe me....the rabbit hole is DEEP.

Best of luck...I'm sure you'll get something great if you listen to half of the folks on this board

Cheers,
kyle

[sloper]

Thanks a lot for all the replies guys... very appreciated!

I've given the used market a good look over the past few months and i'm afraid i'll be buying a new kit. Probably a Gretsch Club Mod (4 piece) because it's small, has a virgin kick, and sounds the best of everything i've tried, a used Black beauty snare, and some used cymbals or an A custom Pack from ebay.

Peace!

-slope