CHEAP or EXPENSIVE Drums? Does It Matter?!

$500 or $5000...This video addresses the idea of putting the skills before the gear. SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHANNEL for more cool lessons like this one!

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ROB BROWN ENDORSES

[StephenTaylorDrums]

You're doing a great job with your channel Rob. Keep it up!

[SheldonKreger]

Cheaper drums are great, but cheap cymbals are terrible! If you are buying your first kit, spend your money on the cymbals, go cheap on the drums.

[davidfuller]

As a recording engineer my experience is that tuning, heads, and hoops/bearing edges matter a lot more sonically than the shell material.

Cymbals are the one thing that you do have to invest a lot of money into - no tuning a cymbal.

[ickysticky]

I've always maintained the ideal that it's the drummer who makes the gear, not the other way around. If you can tune drums, you can make cheap sets sound great. Nobody in the crowd knows if your set is worth $500 or $5, 000. If you're good, you're good. On the same note, great drummers deserve great gear, it makes it that much more enjoyable. But great gear doesn't make a player great.

[Escapism]

Cheap and expensive cymbals have a much wider range of sound quality/difference imo. Nice positive message!

[larsmombarg]

I'm a touring drummer and the only valid reason to use more expensive drums is the quality of the hardware, you don't want a tom arm breaking of during a gig or transport. Safe your money for good durable hardware, and stuff to make your drumming life easier en more comfortable

[SceneShiffer]

Rob : " This thing isn't gonna do anything until i hit them "
Snarewires * exists * :

[gmsdrmr]

Absolutely. Thank you. I used to leave my fancy Yamaha Recording Customs in the drum room and take my cheapie CB700 kit to gigs and guys would always trip. Guys would show up with their DW's but they'd sound like dog ass. If you have a tuning "concept" you should be able to make a cardboard box sound golden.

[sanityinaseaofmadness]

You're absolutely right about confidence, Rob. The more confident you are of your ability to play, the better you'll sound no matter what kind of kit you're playing. By now, everyone has seen the Benny Greb video where he plays a toy Sponge Bob kit, and as expected, he sounds great.

[jocquidixonmusicproduction]

i agree 100%
In my opinion, i say its best to really invest your money into a good snare & cymbals. I feel like if you learn how to tune, you can make any kit sound good, but thats not the case with snares and cymbals. Cheap snares & cymbals just sound bad no matter what lol

[DustyCowdog]

The reason that the sound tech didn't need to mess with your kit is because you know what the heck you are doing! Thanks for posting such an awesome video! And you are right, the musician is who makes the kit sound great. A good drummer can play a plastic bucket and make it sound good. I can't. This is the first video I have viewed from you.... it's a great find! Thanks! Take care brother!

[bobbydtv]

the idea of taking a 5000$ set of yamaha RC s to a gig that pays chump change aint happening with me, good video man

[RhymesWithCarbon]

These days, even "inexpensive" drums can sound unbelievable with decent heads & knowledgeable tuning. I heard a recording with Pearl Export drums played by a really really good drummer and they sounded incredible. This was a great explanation.

[ringmasterblaze]

Every time I get the urge to buy a new kit I watch this video to bring me back down to Earth. Thanks for keeping it real.

[dougbermingham]

I've been playing for 35 years on all kinds of kits (mostly Pearl). As Rob says, the most important things are the drummer, good tuning and understanding of tuning and good heads. Expensive kits are a goal not a necessity. Beautiful style of playing Rob!

[scootpittmantv]

100% agree. love watching your videos. thank you for being here. great smooth attitude. very encouraging.

[RyanAlexanderBloom]

My used Mapex M series often sounds the best of any kit on a bill. Case in point, last week between my old intermediate level kit and a newer, much pricier DW kit, other drummers in the room complimented my drum sound and bad mouthed the DW. The owner of those drums wasn't a bad player either, he was very solid in fact, but he couldn't coax a great sound from them.

[butchcassidy]

I bought a kit after not playing for thirty years. Put on some good heads and tuned em up and they sound great. I've got a couple of grand in the whole set up
I bought mid level with good hardware and am slowly up grading my cymbals. Everytime I get together with friends and play, they always complement me on how the kit is sounding better and better
It's a process that takes time and patience. And it's so much fun
I've learned a lot watching you Rob and want to thank you for the time and effort you put in

[LukeDatema]

You have an insane amount of control when you play

[jclevenger]

Rob has hit the nail on the head in this video. I have been playing for ages and had this notion I needed to have bigger better badder faster etc. Through bad fortune in the last two years, I had to liquidate all of my high end stuff. ALL OF IT. It pained me to have to do that. I can happily say I am currently playing a poplar wood SPL kit and I am extremely pleased with the sounds I have gotten out of it. It is all about tuning, technique, and THE PLAYER that gets a great sound.