4/24/2022
This question comes up a lot, and to be honest, many don’t like the answer I give them. Frequently I will hear students, parents of younger students, and semi-pro drummers, looking for advice on what drums they should buy. Many people feel the answer is subjective and there are so many choices, but I feel the answer is pretty straightforward.
The brand and sizes you choose depend on a couple of important factors, specifically, what kind of music do you want to play, do you prefer a high and tight or low and thuddy sound, and do you want the drums to retain their value over time. Brands are somewhat important in that some have a reputation of quality around them or legacy name, while others may have varying quality of shells and hardware, or adapt to current trends which will seem very dated in 10 years or less. I play Canopus drums because they are the finest quality drums available, sound the best for the wide variety of styles of music I play, and are by far the easiest to get in tune. However, a brand new pro Canopus drum kit might cost you between $2,000-5,000 which may not be in the cards for some. While this may sound steep, it is that way for a reason. These drums will hold their value, are loaded up with incredible Japanese technology and attention to detail, and most importantly sound so much better than the competitive brands around.
Let’s talk about sizes for a moment. Back in the 60’s, a standard drum set would include a 22” bass drum, 12” or 13” rack tom, and a 14” or 16” floor tom -very versatile sizes. In fact, a lot of the famous drum sounds we associate with the Hard Bop style (Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, “Philly” Joe Jones) were played on larger drums that you’d see in a rock of today rather than the “bop” kit sizes (18” bass, 14” and 12” toms). Just do a quick Google image search of drummers from that era and you will find that Ringo, Ginger Baker etc. played similar setups. What size drums you need depends on the kind of music you want to play and the sound you are going for. The bop size drum sets of today are available everywhere and are quite affordable ($500-800). The argument I hear a lot of times from some players is “I can get this little bass drum to sound as big as my old Ludwig 22” so why should I haul that thing around?. I see them playing an 18” bass drum with a Powerstroke head on the batter and a port hole/pillow situation, I promise you, this isn’t what an 18” bass is for.. There’s a reason drummers like John Bonham favored bass drums 24” and larger. You are losing depth and tuning range with those economy sized kits. So this brings me to my first point. If you want a classic sound, get a kit that is similar to what your favorite drummer played in that style. If you are looking to play small combo jazz music, I would get an 18” bass drum, 12”x8” rack tom, and 14”x14” floor tom. If you want that drum set to do what Keith Moon’s set did with The Who, then you fell for a marketing ploy. The drums will not have the available tuning range found in a larger size (don’t lie to yourselves guys) no matter what heads you use. This is especially true for the micro-bop kits. I see a lot of the Sonor Martini or comparable kits out there. Drummers putting two ply heads on a 10” rack tom and 13” floor trying to get sounds like a rock set. It’s not going to happen. Along the way you’ll be sacrificing authenticity and most importantly, tone. Smaller drums work best for higher tuning or low and “slappy” sounds, while larger drums can be tuned lower, or tuned tightly for a short but rich sound. The second point is that a knowledge of tuning and learning how to get any sound on a standard Coated/Clear Remo Ambassador (or like-head) will be necessary. Outside of fringe sizes such as micro-bop or insanely large (24”x20” bass drums for instance, or 80’s Power toms), you can get so many sounds on a drum if you just know how to tune. While having an expensive drum set is a wonderful luxury, at the end of the day, your sound is in your hands.
So if you play jazz mostly, I’d opt for a standard “bop” configuration, 18”x14” bass, 12”x8” rack tom, 14x14” floor tom. If you play mostly rock/alternative/pop then shoot for a classic 22”x14”(or 16” deep) bass drum, 13”x9” rack tom, and a 16”x16” floor tom with legs (lose those stand mount floor toms). If you play it all? In my opinion the most versatile drum set configuration of all (as long as you can tune) is 20”x14” bass, 12”x8” rack tom, and a 14”x14” Floor tom. This will cover your jazz gigs, cocktail into pop sets, rock, funk, anything in between. I would invest in two sets of drum heads so you can switch sounds when needed. I am not endorsed by any drum head company but have played Remo heads almost exclusively since I was a kid. You should own a set of Remo Coated Ambassadors (top and bottom, all drums), and a set of Remo Coated or Clear Emperor (for toms) with a Clear Powerstroke Batter for bass drum. Those two sets of professional quality heads will cover ALL of your tuning needs. Don’t fall for the marketing traps of heads with venting perforations, special coatings, or worst of all - color. One of my golden rules when it comes to sticks and heads, learn how to get a sound on equipment that could be found around the world.
Why people don’t like my answer: A lesson I have learned while researching cameras (my other passion) is that you can not buy your way into being a better photographer. Similarly, you can not buy your way into being a better drummer. Focus on your craft first and when your skills or budget allow you to make an equipment upgrade, then go for it. I remember seeing a video of Brian Blade on YouTube where he was in another country playing on something similar to a High School Ludwig Accent kit. He still sounded amazing because he is a spectacular musician. Learn to play, learn to tune. Secondly, don’t expect to get the same sound out of drums that are much bigger or smaller than the tuning range you have in mind. Micro drum kits are convenient but aren’t going to move the kind of air that larger ones do. I choose drum sizes because of tuning and the sound I want to offer on stage. In fact, larger drums are more versatile because they carry more tone when cranked up or when the tension rods are about to fall out. One exception is that in a recording situation, all of this goes out the window. The recording studio is a great place to experiment with the tuning ranges of any size drum. You’d be surprised what you can get away with. I recently recorded a singer/songwriter album on my Canopus NV60-M1 bop kit, tuned super low, with some muting, and it absolutely rocked. Drums felt huge on playback. On the contrary, I also like them tuned so tight that sparks come off of the heads in a modern jazz or bop situation. They are such great instruments, they do it all with ease. Don’t get me wrong, plenty of great sounds can come out of 10” rack toms, 16” bass drums, and everything else, at the end of the day, it’s how you use it creatively.
My top recommended drum set today for the professional, semi-pro, or if you are just looking for a fantastic quality kit which blows away anything else in the price range, is the Canopus Yaiba. It’s an exceptional quality drum set with packages of versatile sizes depending on what you play. https://canopusdrums.com/en/
If you are in the market but looking for something that still sounds great at a lower price point, consider a vintage set from the 60’s. I have played vintage drums since I started and still have an affinity for their warmth, tone, and classic looks.