In my new drumkit a real bargain? Guess how much it cost!

[jimcroisdale]

Hi all,

Just got a new kit off eBay. It is exactly what I've been looking for, pretty much to the last detail. Guess what I paid for it!

Here's the spec from the auction:

Drums:
Dixon brass Piccolo Snare
Premier APK Bass Drum
APK Floor Tom
APK Rack Tom

Hardware:
Iron Cobra Bass Drum Pedal (single)
Two Gibraltar Boom Cymbal Stands
Custom Low Boom Ride Stand
Premier Tom Stand (Don't ruin you bass drum sound by sticking a pole in it!)
Yamaha Snare Stand
Pearl Hi-Hat Stand (With rotating legs to allow double bass drum pedals etc to be fitted alongside the hi-hat pedal)
Tama Drum Throne (With back rest)
Doublers (Used to add cymbals to existing floor stands)
Tuning Key

All of the hardware is double braced for maximum reliability.

Cases:
All drums come in padded cases with soft lining.
All hardware stands pack into two "Protection Racket" padded cases.
The Iron Cobra has a custom hard-case.

Other Upgrades:
Evans heads on Snare Drum and Bass Drum. You don't need to stick pillows or sheets inside the bass drum as the dampening is built into the Evans "EQ" heads. This makes the bass drum much lighter to transport, but more importantly it sounds massive! All the drums are tuned to be dampened (i.e. no ringing noise) without sticking gaffa-tape or anything onto the heads.

Condition:
This drum kit has been used as intended - it's been on tour with several bands, so it does have some cosmetic scratches and scrapes to the black plastic coating and to the cases - but they've always been stored well and treated with fondness, so there is no actual damage to the important stuff, just a few scrapes as you'd expect from a proper drum kit that's been round the gigging circuit. The hardware is all in excellent condition as most of it was replaced relatively recently. The low boom stand for the ride cymbal is the bottom of a double braced stand with a hardware boom adapter. If you want to add more cymbals, I have some spare doublers, which you can use to add boom arms without adding more floor stands, which saves space and transport waste.

[j2dafo]

500 usd

[jimcroisdale]

Less.....

[mdjice]

Originally Posted by jimcroisdale

Less.....

$499

[jimcroisdale]

Haha, ok....

It was £315 - about $440 at the moment, with the exchange being so weak.

I think that's bloody good value when you consider what I'm getting. The throne and kick pedal alone would be £250 new!

Anyway, I'm chuffed to bits. Just need some sensibly priced cymbals to match and I'm all set.

Cheers,

Jim

[biggator6]

Nice deal! I paid about $500 for a Signia kit a little over a year ago (which is a pretty great deal) - but I didn't get all that hardware with it... $400 for an APK kit is an ok deal, but when you throw in all that hardware - it's a REALLY nice deal.

[j2dafo]

agreed. APK's are certainly no world beater. but they are extremely adequate and as a packaged deal, hard to go wrong.

to the OP, i've seen another thread where you are looking for "budget" cymbals, and you also just said you want "sensibly priced" cymbals. DON'T SKIMP on the cymbals. cheap cymbals will make your entire kit sound cheap. have patience and shop around. what is your budget for each cymbal? maybe we can make some suggestions.

[j2dafo]

oh yeah, and think about changing those top heads. i always got the best sound out of my XPK set with Remo Fiberskins on toms. Or regular Ambassadors.

[Jimbo]

Yes, the hardware made the score!

As for cymbals, buy used! As long as there aren't any cracks they are no different than new.....maybe a bit dirty, but you can clean them.

[orange]

I noticed that grahamrusselldrums has got an APK 4 piece shell pack for £120

[jimcroisdale]

Yeah, cymbals were my next problem.

I know cheap cymbals are a waste of money, but my budget was tight.

I searched on eBay but just couldn't find anything reasonable priced.

So I did a google search and found a branch of Cash Convertors (like a chain of pawn shops in the UK) in Falkirk in Scotland.

Zildjian ZXT's - not the best, I know, but ok.

14" hats
16" crash
18" crash
20" ride
18" china

All in good condition, for £140.

I guess time are hard up in Scotland, and they have to price things to sell locally. I've seen a set of ZXT hats alone go for £60 and a china go for £50, so I think I got another good deal.

Whaddya all think?

[orange]

Originally Posted by jimcroisdale

I know cheap cymbals are a waste of money, but my budget was tight.

I'd rather have fewer decent cymbals than loads of crap ones (same goes for the drums i.m.o)

Just because something's cheap doesn't make it a bargain.

[jimcroisdale]

I know, I know.

But the way I see it, if I really don't like them I can sell them on at a profit.

I could sell the china and one of the crashes and almost make my money back. So the remaining cymbals will effectively be free.

Anyway, I am just a beginner, even though I can tell the difference between good and not-so-good cymbals.

I suppose I'm also trying to avoid the 'all the gear and no idea' syndrome too. I've seen kids (and grown-ups) turn up at a gig with a massive expensive kit, cymbals all over the place, two snares, fancy coloured sticks, gongs...... And then they can't play, and they look ridiculous.

So I guess cheaper cymbals appeal to my sense of modesty. I don't need other drummers slagging me off for having tasty gear but no ability!

[jimcroisdale]

In fact, looking at eBay now, I reckon I could get around the £260 mark for the cymbals if I sell them individually.

I could actually trade my way up to some decent ones!

[j2dafo]

seems like your mind is made up. you have been forewarned.

[jimcroisdale]

Originally Posted by j2dafo

seems like your mind is made up. you have been forewarned.

I don't understand?

[orange]

Originally Posted by jimcroisdale

I don't understand?

We thought you were posting for advice ? (or to gloat about a bargain buget kit).... I don't see anybody advising you should buy 'cheap'.

[jimcroisdale]

Absolutely right, and I agree. Sorry if it looks like I've asked for advice and then just done the opposite.

My point is that I can sell these on at a profit, which will increase my budget and allow me to look at the cymbals that you guys are talking about.

I thought £140 for the ZXT cymbal set was a good deal, whether they are viewed as being 'good' or not, they do sell regularly for a LOT more than this.

So like I say, I can sell the china and one crash and that will effectively pay for the whole set (I bet free cymbals sound nicer....), or I can sell them all and look at better cymbals.

Either way, it's all good.

I just don't have £500 to spend right now.

[orange]

have you tried the cymbals ? are you just buying them because of the price ? do you buy CDs of bands you haven't heard because they are cheap ?

Do you need that many cymbals...can you get by with a pair of hats and a crash/ride ? If you buy WISELY then you can get stuff that will last you a lifetme and be QUALITY. Plus quality gear retains its value far better than crap.

PS....example prices from recent ebay zxt listings

£20 - 20" Zildjian ZXT Rock Ride - Used on eBay, also, Cymbals, Percussion, Musical Instruments (end time 27-Jan-09 15:38:20 GMT)

£20 - 14" Zildjian ZXT Rock Hi Hats - Used on eBay, also, Cymbals, Percussion, Musical Instruments (end time 27-Jan-09 15:37:06 GMT)

£30 - Zildjian ZXT 20" Rock Ride and Bag on eBay, also, Cymbals, Percussion, Musical Instruments (end time 25-Jan-09 20:30:00 GMT)

I bet free cymbals sound nicer....)

er...... no.

[jimcroisdale]

Hey! No need to get like that! I'm agreeing with you!

In fairness, the examples you show from eBay aren't in good condition, are they? Mine are mint, so I would expect them to fetch more. There are a pair of hats on there at the mo for £60 with time left.

And of course I don't buy CD's of bands I've never heard because they are cheap!

I download them for free...... (joke.)

All I'm trying to say is:

1. I agree. Good cymbals are what I want and need.
2. I agree. Crap cymbals are a waste of time.
3. I can make money on this deal. Just because I bought them to sell on doesn't mean that I don't value or agree with you advice.
4. Of course free cymbals don't sound any better. That was an attempt at humour. Sorry, it won't happen again.

Jim

[j2dafo]

i really don't think it's worth the time of buying a ZBT package and then "parting it out" to make a bit of profit. your time could be better spent on playing paradiddles over different L & R foot combinations, or feverishly looking for old zildjian A's or paiste 602's. and plus, many people have gone down this road before and have either, 1) not made their money back, 2) ended up keeping some of the subpar gear and wondering a few years down the road why they still have it.

seriously not trying to give you a hard time. but you also said, "if I don't like them I can sell them." that worries me that you'll end up with these. If you are ever going to record with them, you will automatically create lots of problems and will be reading/posting here about how to get trashy cymbals sounds out of your close mics, how to get more drums in your room mics, and how makes the "warmest" mics for overheads. because that what cheap cymbals do.

but, if you are only wanting to practice with them, bash them a bit, and not gig or record with them, go for it. but I would at least still look for a used set of zildjian a's or sabian aa or aax's.

[mrbowes]

Nothing wrong with buying a cheap cymbal pack to get you started. I was there once, and I don't regret it because a) it allowed be to dive in sooner and b) appreciate better cymbals!

If you have some patience, you can find great deals on used cymbals.

For example, some of my cymbals:
70s Zildjian New Beat 14" hi hats - $125
80s Zildjian K 20" ride - $100
70s Paiste 2002 17" crash - $90

Granted, these were great deals, but this kind of thing happens all the time - you just have to be patient. The difference between these cymbals and my soon-to-be forgotten cheapies is night and day.

[jimcroisdale]

You're definately preaching to the choir now, as they say!

The set of Zildjian ZXT's that I have on the way are practically sold on already, and at a profit. I'll let you know how much when the cash changes hands.....

I'm currently watching on eBay:

Sabian AAX 16" & 18" crashes
Sabian AA 20" ride
Zildjian K 50's hi-hats
Zildjian Mastersound hi-hats
Zildjian New Beat hi-hats

etc etc......

Great stuff eh?

[chrisso]

Originally Posted by jimcroisdale

I'm currently watching on eBay:

Sabian AAX 16" & 18" crashes
Sabian AA 20" ride
Zildjian K 50's hi-hats
Zildjian Mastersound hi-hats
Zildjian New Beat hi-hats

That's a very diverse selection.
For one thing the 1950's K hi-hats are usually ££££££££ and are not completely suitable for rock playing. They can be dark sounding (in contrast to those Sabians and New Beats) and quite fragile.

[jimcroisdale]

The ZXT's arrived this morning. It has taught me a few things.

Good cymbals simply sound like all the records that you have ever listened to.

Bad cymbals sound like shit.

End of story.

I'm glad these are practically sold on already, because there's no way that I'm using them.

Humble pie duly eaten.

jim