Children's Drum Kits

[rafspielman]

For practical reasons -- practicing and recording demos -- I thought it'd be handy to pick up a kid-sized drum set that'd be easy to move around and not too loud. Seems like hitting the garage sales would be the best way to go, but I wanted to see if anyone had any opinions on the topic, regarding what's out there. Obviously, sound quality is not the top priority, but I'd like to get the best-sounding(and least breakable) cheap kit I can.

[jckinnick]

I had one about two years ago for this same reason.

[playonbrother]

not a children's kit but i used to have a yamaha manu katche junior kit. brand new they go for around $800 so i'm sure you could find one used for a decent price. i actually used it on an ep i cut. that kit was really awesome. i sold it to my lighting designer for $200 or so. i wish i still had it!

later,

al

[Freakmagnet451]

These seem to pop up often at Goodwill or Salvation Army. I bought a nasty little Chinese set for $35, kept the snare and the Sonor drum throne (Score!!). I also have an antique child's snare drum I found at.....the Antique Shop! It has calfskin heads, was beat up looking and $12. I always check the thrift stores for percussion, anything that is loud or annoying tends to get put in the toys section and sold for pennies.

[linus]

A childrens kit is going to sound like... well, a childrens kit. I suppose if you manipulate the signal you could fatten it up but it will never sound like a full sized kit.

On the other hand it might sound bitchen' in a different way.

The Ludwig Junior kit is pretty cool. Not sure if they still make it but once you change the heads and upgrade the crap hardware (cymbal stand, kick pedal) it is an interesting sounding kit.

A quick search on Ebay turned up one new one for 250 total including shipping.

You could also piece together a little kit from drums you found at rummage sales/craigs list/ebay. You could retrofit a floor tom as a kick drum if you want a REALLY small kick.

[allbaldo]

Gretch makes a small kit that I've wanted for the kids, and for me sometimes too. The kick might be a 16 or so. Sounds pretty good, and I don't think it cost much. I don't think it was intended as a children's kit, but it would sure be great for one.

[fremitus]

my brother bought my neice a ludwig 'junior' kit and it sounds surprisingly good and can be found for a bit over $200 no problem. The hardware isn't rugged enough for rock and roll like the hip gig kits, but for something to get by with it's not too shabby. put a decent piccolo snare and some better brass on there and your in business. here's a picture of trask sitting at the kit:

[Rigsby]

That's totally the sort of kit i was after a while back, had very little joy. Found plenty of terrible tiny kits for small children (which are fun in themselves but not what i was after). In the end i carried on building up a full-size kit with bits and pieces i gradually bought. It's pretty great but takes up more space than i'd intended and it's too loud for my ears when i'm playing with sticks.