Ancient Astronaught wrote:TempusEdaxRerum wrote:I'm thinking of getting an averaged price drumset soon.
What would you guys suggest for doom that isn't too expensive that I'd feel like I would have to be a professional drummer to rationalize buying it.
Pearl Export series if your on a budget, if you can stretch it a bit more I say the Tama B/B (Birch / Bubinga) series is phenomenal.
I wouldn't worry about size too much. I'd stay away from 22/12/14 (small average), but no one will be complaining if you're on a 22/13/16 kit. Of course if you can find a nice set with a 24" or 26" bass drum, more power to you. Old Ludwigs/Slingerlands/Gretsch are great. For newer drums, listen to what the real drummers say. The same size issues apply to snares; a regular 5x14 snare will be fine, even for the doomiest of dooms. But should be easy to find a 6.5 x 14 if you want to go that route. Part of my moderate attitude toward drum set size comes from the fact that I'm an inexperienced drummer and that volume can't help you if you can't play that well.
Cymbals are frickin' expensive, but there are millions of old A series Zildjians and AA series Sabians out there used, and some of them are very cheap. Used cymbals may be fatigued/about to break, but new cymbals break too. Don't worry about getting a cymbal with a keyhole-shaped center hole. If you mount it properly it should hold up unless it's really bad, so mildly keyholed cymbals can be a great deal. Any crack, however, will get bigger very quickly, rendering the cymbal unusable. In a pinch, you can get piles of cracked cymbals from people for free, or buy a stack of them for $25. They may sound a little off and they won't last long, but if the price is right, they can be good to bash on.
If you have to buy new cymbals, I like Sabian XS20s because they're cheap and they're cast and they sound good to me. They don't come in large sizes, though. I know many people who are far better drummers than me who play Zildjian ZBTs & ZHTs, Sabian B8s, etc or whatever's cheap. They don't sound as good as more expensive cymbals, but at doom volumes, you're mainly looking for projection and they fuckin' project!
Finally, don't worry about getting too many drums/cymbals at first. I went for a 4 piece, hats and a 20" ride cymbal that I used as a crash/ride. Kept me from getting confused
