Buying Guides
Best Drum Sets for Kids: Sizes by Age and What to Buy
The best drum set for a child is the one that fits them now: here is which type suits which age, what to check for safety, and how to handle the noise.
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Buying advice, comparisons, how-to guides and practice ideas for percussionists at every level.
Buying Guides
How Much Does a Percussion Kit Cost? A Comprehensive Guide
A school band percussion kit can cost under a hundred dollars or close to six hundred: here is what each kind includes and whether to rent or buy.
Buying Guides
Best Drum Kit for Jazz: A Beginner’s Guide
The best drum kit for jazz is a small 4-piece with an 18 or 20 inch bass drum: here is which sizes to choose, how to set it up and what it really costs.
Buying Guides
Buying Steel Tongue Drums and Steelpans: A Full Guide
A steelpan and a steel tongue drum are very different instruments: here is how they compare, which types exist and what to check before you buy.
Buying Guides
Handpans and Hang Drums for Sale: Prices, Types and What to Check
The original Hang is no longer made, so a new hang drum is really a handpan: here is what they cost, how to judge one and what to check before you buy.
Buying Guides
Best Electronic Drum Sets for Churches: What to Look For
Electronic drums let a church band play with energy at a volume the room can take: here is what to look for and how to connect one to the sound system.
Buying Guides
Best Electronic Drum Sets for Beginners: What to Look For First
A beginner needs mesh pads, a real kick pedal and a metronome, not hundreds of sounds: here is how to choose and set up a first electronic drum set.
Buying Guides
Groove Percussion Drum Sets: What Happened to the Brand and How to Judge a Used Kit
Groove Percussion drum sets are now found mostly second-hand: here is what we could verify about the brand and how to inspect and price a used kit.
Beginner Guides
Trap Sets and Drum Kits for Trap Music: What the Terms Mean and What to Buy
A trap set is an old name for a drum kit, while a trap drum kit is a pack of sounds for making trap music: here is the difference and what to buy.
Buying Guides
Sound Percussion Labs Drum Sets: How Does the Brand Stack Up?
Sound Percussion Labs is the budget drum brand sold only by Guitar Center: here is what its kits include and how they compare on paper with rival kits.