Many beginner drummers encounter difficulties when deciding on their perfect entry-level drum kit. They strive towards expensive kits with various additional cymbals and toms, even get the double bass pedals, though all they need is a 3-piece set with a solid build.
When shopping for the best beginner drum set, make sure you consider the size of a drum set, as there are sets for kids and adults. Also focus on the hardware quality, the drums will need to sustain all the striking and kicking, so get the sturdy and reinforced kit. With weaker hardware, you might get drums falling off, cymbals too, or even nuts vibrating loose. We’ve looked at 34 different models and made a list of the 7 top picks, where the Gammon Percussion Adult 5-Piece Drum Set turned out to be of an exceptional quality.
Included: snare stand, hi-hat stand cymbal stand, chain-driven bass drum pedal, drummer’s throne, pair drum sticks, drummers key
This set is the adult companion to the smaller Gammon set below. It includes five drums – the bass drum, snare drum, floor tom, and two mounted toms. All drums are made from full-sized real wood shells and coated in a high-gloss black finish. Each drum pedal is chain driven and will stand the test of time and many practice percussion sessions. Included are two cymbals, one a hi-hat 2-12” cymbal, and the other a 1-14” crash/ride cymbal. In fact, upon arrival, this drum set has everything a drummer needs to start right away with easy instructions and very minimal setup.
Not only are all parts included, but over time as parts wear out and need replacement, the manufacturer can be contacted for new parts. Sound quality and percussion are much better than junior sets, and all drums are tunable for optimal performance.
Included: snare stand, hi-hat stand, bass drum pedal, pair drum sticks, drummers key
This drum set, which is perfect for kids or teenagers, comes with the number of drums found in an entire professional set; it’s truly a unique find on the market. Each drum – snare drum, two tom drums, 16” bass drum – is made with real wood shells and covered in the high-gloss black finish with a choice of chrome or black rims. Additionally, this set comes with a high hat-stand and two symbols – a 2-8” attached cymbal and 10” crash/ride cymbal.
Sound quality is much more than a toy – finished similarly to an adult’s drum set – but a little less percussive than a full-sized setup. Picture an entire drum set you might see in concert but made smaller and more suitable for an age range of 3 to 17.
However, some adults do prefer to play on a junior when they feel they’ve lost their touch on a regular sized kit; this setup does allow minor height adjustment of seat and drums for your convenience.
Included: round padded height adjustable drum throne, bass drum pedal, a pair of wooden drum sticks
This starter drum kit features a sleek modern design in metallic blue and comes in 5 pieces (which happens to be the entire set for a professional gig). Included in your purchase are the two mounted toms, bass drum, snare drum, and floor tom. Truly an all-in-one fully functional drum set, it’s designed specifically for entry-level drummers.
All drums are made from real wood frames and tough stretched plastic/acrylic which allows for an easy range of sound tuning. In a ‘set’, the pieces listed only count as the drums – which in this set there are five. Additionally, this set comes with two cymbals. The first cymbal is chain driven on a hat stand with an included pedal. The second mounts to drums and is a crash/ride cymbal.
Made closer to the ground and with drums grouped closer on the rig, this set is ideal for kids to teenagers (ages 4–14+).
Included: built-in rechargeable battery for 8 hours playing, headphones supported, dual speakers, MIDI OUT jack, USB MIDI OUT jack, roll-up design, 8 DEMO songs, 3 rhythms
Looking for the perfect gift to give your child, niece, nephew or cousin who has developed interest in hitting tables and walls to produce sounds. Well, here’s a perfect one to show that you are concerned about the intellect of that kid!
The Paxcess electronic drumset has nice sounds that your kids would love while playing. They can take it around for picnics, games or outings with their friends without any stress because it is foldable or can be rolled up like a mat. It also had good lasting batteries that can last 9 – 10 hours after a full charge! Indeed, enough time for any outdoor activity.
You do not have to worry about getting extra speakers if the drum is to be played outside, for audibility, the drumkit has an external built in speaker. At the same time, if you want to have a personal session woth yourself, you can also attach the headphones that come with it to your ears.
Your kids can have a similar experience of what it feels like to play an actual electrical drum set with the foot pedals that come with the Paxcess electrical drum set.
Other items that come in the box include, a USB port for charging the set, a rechargeable battery, 3 tom drums, 1 snare drum and a midi association.
Included: round padded height adjustable drum throne, bass drum pedal, a pair of wooden drum sticks
With a three-piece design – including a mounted snare drum, mounted tom, and floor tom – this exceptionally sleek set is professionally made but comes at a very affordable price. This would make an excellent Christmas present for a young beginning drummer who has never played any of the three included drums before.
Designed with real wood frames and covered in plastic/acrylic elements, each drum provides excellent percussive sound which is ideal for the learner to the mid-level musician. Mounted with the three drums is an 8-inch crash/ride cymbal, which can take no time at all to learn and incorporate into regular drumming.
This set is ideal for kids aged 3 to 8 years, and the look is more of a toy than a professional set. However, it’s the perfect model for any young drummer to start learning on. Additionally, it takes up very little space in a house or small apartment and is very easy to transport.
Included: cymbal stand, hi-hat stand, snare stand, bass drum pedal, throne, 2 tom holders
This drum set is designed to be mounted on double-braced hardware both to withstand the impact and tension of constant drumming and to keep from vibrating and changing or muting the rich, organic sound.
Built with a professional 5-piece performance worthy design, this rig includes two mounting tom drums (the first 1 x 8 inches, and the second 12 x 9 inches), a mounting snare drum, base drum, and floor tom. Each drum is multi-ply real wood with double-layer oil skin, and the two tom drums are 9-ply poplar shell for a more powerful tone.
The base drum pedal is chain driven, as is the pedal for the included hat-stand and cymbals. Another mounting cymbal comes with the hardware and moderately easy instructions for self-installation of all components. Each drum features chrome rims and double-braced legs (those which are mounted), for a sleek modern design which looks great in your house and on stage.
For the money, this drum set matches its cost with exceptional materials and design which provide amazing quality percussive sound.
Included: drum stool, bass drum pedal, drum key, and drum sticks
If your kid is just starting out, this may be one of the best junior drum kits for your little learner. However, it also comes in a larger size perfect for adults.
When you make a purchase, your two options will be a 5-piece set with 16” pieces (perfect for kids 3 to 8 years old) and the second option with 5-pieces at 22” (best for teenagers and adult players).
Built with a solid design combining dual reinforced stands with double-braced legs, this model will withstand the pounding onslaught of a beginner to expert drummer. Each drum is uniquely designed – for example, the bass drum features an extended tension/tuning range for lower base frequencies – and comes with straightforward instructions for easy mounting.
This set includes: base drum, two mounting tom drums, mounting snare drum, and a floor tom with pedal; all drums are made with real wood shells with a double-layer oil skin. Additionally, the set has a high-quality hat-stand and cymbal with a chain-driven pedal, as well as a mounted crash/ride cymbal. Many of the mounting angles can be adjusted for preferred play and contagious sound resonance. No musician, beginner or intermediate, could go wrong with this set.
In the above reviews, we mentioned many items and features which might leave a beginner’s head spinning from all the new information and questions they have. In the following buying guide, our goal is to help answer some, if not all, of these questions.
Many beginners prefer to start learning the drums on a limited set – which generally means a 3-piece set that only includes the snare drum, base-drum, and a single mounted tom. These beginner sets also usually have a single mounted cymbal.
Now, the reason a beginner might consider a limited set is because it’s relatively cheap for first learning the drums, and it doesn’t overwhelm you with the number of drums and new sounds and combinations professional drummers will have to learn.
When you’re just starting out, the key features of an entry-level set only need to be a snare drum, cymbal, and either the mounted tom or base.
With these three, you’ll discover an entire range of percussive sound which is already incorporated into almost any song you may want to practice. The best example of a beginner drum set with only 3-pieces is the Mendini by Cecilio 13 Inch 3-Piece Kids/Junior Drum Set.
More professional drum sets, on the other hand, will most certainly include all five pieces for performance – the snare drum, both mounted toms at different sizes for different sounds, the floor tom with a lower beat, and the base drum. Other necessary elements which will improve sound and quality are the two cymbals that should come with a professional kit. The first is the mounted cymbal, played at close range with your sticks, and then the second cymbal operated on a pedal (ideally chain operated) is built into the tall hat-stand (which is part of the hardware – explained below).
Before taking a look at the items listed below – with the purpose and uses of each explained – consider this advice on what to look for in ideal drums and cymbals. The best drums will be made of real wood – preferably several-ply thick – and will often be covered in plastic or acrylic elements. Some drums will be wrapped and have a double-layered oil skin. These drums are even better because they sound more organic and age slower.
The type of wood used in each drum may depend entirely on the buyer because different woods can enhance or change the sound – if you’re interested, reach out to the manufacturer and ask them from what wood their drums are made.
For instance, the Pearl RS525SCC706 5-Piece Drum Set is made from poplar wood which is low cost but creates a brighter sound. Another thing to consider about each drum is its tuning range, the larger the better, so that an artist who is trying to find a specific sound can easily tune their instrument in a number of different ways. Some manufacturers will tell you how to do this yourself, or whether their drums can be adjusted for purer percussive notes.
Cymbals are also important to consider, mostly because these instruments wear down the quickest and will need replacing soonest of all your equipment. Ideally, you’ll want both cymbals, one mounted and the other on a hat-stand, because this gives you a full range of beats which you otherwise wouldn’t have. Additionally, the mounted cymbal should be larger than the hat-stand cymbal because it makes a louder ‘crash’ noise which is common for drumming.
The bass drum is the tonal heartbeat of the drum set and should not only set the low-end pulse for the groove but be a foundation for the rest of the complete drum setup. Most, but not all, base drums include a kick-drum pedal feature. One of the models with the best bass drum is the LAGRIMA 16 Inch 5 Piece Drum Set with its double-layer oil skin.
The mounted toms create somewhat of a punchy tone which can set a perky beat and, since both toms are of a different size, will create almost a percussive harmony between the two. For junior beginners, some of the best tom-drums to get are those which can easily be tuned. Consider the Mendini by Cecilio 16 inch 5-Piece Kids/Junior Drum Set.
The snare drum is the voice of the drum set and captures everything from the loudest accents to the softest “ghost” notes. What you want in an ideal snare drum is a snare which is sensitive enough for drumming at any volume. The most sensitive snares come with more professional models such as the Gammon Adult 5-Piece Drum Set.
Usually, the largest tom in a drum set is 14 to 18 inches in diameter. They tend to have detachable metal legs for freestanding use and can even be suspended from a tom or cymbal stand. These drums mostly use pedals – the best pedals being chain driven – and make some of the deepest vibrating sounds.
Many in-store sets come without cymbals because professional drummers prefer to custom pick their cymbals based on the preferred sound of the music they play. Different cymbals include the ride cymbals, crash cymbals, and hi-hat cymbals. Splash and China cymbals have also become very popular in the last few decades.
For beginners, as well as most intermediate players who play a range of musical genres, the two cymbals you’ll need are the crash and hi-hat cymbals. From the above examples, all drum sets except for the 3-piece junior set include these two cymbals.
This depends on the size and configuration of the drum set. Sets most ideal for adults will be listed as 22” piece sets – generally a space of 5 feet with a height of about the same. Although kids can learn on these larger kits, drum sets which are designed for a kid’s height and reach will tend to include 16” pieces. The design itself per adult or kid will be closer together or farther apart depending on height and length of reach (arm length).
Consider hardware which is sturdy and reinforced. Both the LAGRIMA 16 Inch 5 Piece Drum Set and the Pearl RS525SCC706 5-Piece Drum Set feature double-braced mountings and double-braced legs. With weaker hardware, you might get drums falling off, cymbals too, or even nuts vibrating loose.
Get a warranty which is long enough for you or your child to test the drums naturally over a long period – preferably a year or longer – so that if any breakage occurs, your purchase will be somewhat covered or more secure. Take care with limited warranties and read all the fine print. One of the drums above with the longest warranty is the Gammon 5-Piece Junior Starter Drum Kit, perfect for your rambunctious teenager.
Based on reviews we’ve read, research we’ve done, and the preference of most beginner to professional drummers, the top three models on this list are:
Gammon Adult 5-Piece Drum Set is best for its professional design, price, and set up specifically for adults. This model would be great for performances and concerts. It is easy to set up and comes in one box for effortless transportation to gigs and other events. It includes high-quality drums in the contemporary 5-piece set, as well as some of the best-made cymbals available for beginner to intermediate drum sets.
Gammon 5-Piece Junior Starter Drum Kit is perfect for kids or teenagers and comes with the number of drums found in an entire professional set. Each drum – snare drum, two tom drums, and a 16” bass drum – is made with real wood shells and covered in a high-gloss black finish with a choice of chrome or black rims.
Mendini by Cecilio 13 Inch 3-Piece Kids/Junior Drum Set. The budget pick on our list, this drum set is ideal for smaller kids who are just starting out and learning the basics of rhythm and percussion. If they’ve never played any drum before and are only now being introduced to the snare, tom, and bass drum, this setup would be perfect for them.
