Here’s Everything You Need to Make A Great Custom Drum Kit
There are plenty of good pre-made kits available on the market for almost all price points and experience levels. But many drummers find that they prefer to create their own custom kit, or at least make modifications to their store-bought model. And as it turns out, there’s a lot of research that goes into crafting your own kit from scratch.
Most drum kits can be broken into 4 main components:
- The hardware
- Shells
- Breakables
- Extensions
The number and made of pieces that you’ll need will depend on the type of music you want to make and the venues you’ll be playing. Below we’ve compiled information and listed some of the best pieces in each category to help you build the perfect kit.
- Hardware
Hardware includes drum stands, cymbal stands, and drum pedals – basically, the more bulky items used. To help you pick the right music equipment, see the guides at Best Cover Ever to choose something that fits both your experience level and budget. This is where you decide the size and configuration of your kit, which will be based on what you need it for.
Stands like the Ultralight DW 6000 is made to fold up for easy transport and storage, which are perfect for traveling to practice or different venues. Others, like the Gibraltar 4700 PK series have features like double braced legs for a sturdier, more permanent setups like a recording studio.
- Shells
These are the meat and potatoes of your kit – your bass drums and toms. The average kit has one or two bass drums and two to three toms of varying heights. When looking for types and brands of drums, you’ll want to consider:
- The style of music you want to play
- The length of the kick you’ll need
- The tune
One of the best bass drums out there is the Yamaha Stage Custom Birch. It’s known for its adaptable usage and high-quality sound output, which makes it great for almost any user. When it comes to toms, anything from the Remo line will be good for rock music, while the Evans G1 is great for jazz.
- Breakables
Breakables include all of the other things that would come standard in a kit, like cymbals, sticks, snare drums, and stools. These allow you to truly make your kit personalized to your specific needs.
When it comes to sticks and stools, you just need to make sure you pick whatever fits your grip best and feels comfortable. They shouldn’t have too much of an impact on your sound as long as you feel comfortable with them.
Two of the best cymbals to get in 2019 are the Paiste Masters Cymbals and the Sabian Artisan Cymbals. These have been voted best for most diverse sound and overall usage, meaning they’ll be a good fit in almost any drum set.
The best snare on the market right now is the Yamaha Stage Custom Birch Snare. Like their bass drum, it is known for its sound quality and range of use.
- Extensions
Extensions are any other percussion instrument that wouldn’t come in a standard kit, like tambourines, cowbells, and chimes. Not every drummer needs all or any of these – it really all depends on the genre and what other elements you want to throw into your sound for fun.
If you are looking for extensions, you can’t go wrong with the RT8120 Studio Bar Chimes from RhythmTech. Pearl’s PCB1030 Primero Rock Cowbells are a solid choice for any playing style, and when it comes to tambourines, nothing beats the RhythmTech RT7420 Hat Trick G2.
Each of these products was rated highest in their respective categories for their sound quality and versatility. They can be used for pretty much anything and sound great doing it. If you’re looking for a more specific product or sound, try visiting your local drum store for expert help!
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