So you’ve been hammering away at your first drum kit and are ready to move on to something that offers you a little bit more. While beginner drum sets are great for starting off, you’re skills have progressed and you are looking to enhance the quality of your sound.
While it may be tempting to immediately begin looking for the best professional drum sets, it makes more sense to find a kit that will allow you to continue honing your drumming techniques while searching for a style and sound all your own.
Not only will these intermediate drum kits allow that, but they will give you the opportunity to experience the sound and quality of the best drum brands at a price that fits your budget.
We researched and put together a list of the 5 best intermediate drum sets.
These kits will give you best bang for your buck!
We will help you find a great looking kit capable of producing beautiful sounds as you continue on your journey to becoming a better drummer!
Our first acoustic drum kit on the list, and wow, what a beauty!
Pearl is a very well known and respected brand in the industry. The Pearl Decade drums are made with maple drums which is what will offer an incredible sound.
Not only is the wood excellent for producing the tones you are seeking, but they have an awesome sunburst finish that makes you look professional too!
The Decade DMP927SP is a kit that offers you the opportunity to experience one of the best drum brands at a mid level price.
The main draw with this particular kit is the use of high quality materials for the shells and lugs, producing clear and resonant tones.
Besides the durable construction, the Pearl Decade Maple Drum Kit comes with a lifetime warranty, making this a great road worthy set.
One thing to keep in mind when considering this set is that you are purchasing the shells only. This can be a good thing if you have particular preferences as far as hardware and cymbals go.
Our site offers an excellent article on choosing the best cymbal pack and double bass pedals.
Our second offering is actually an electronic kit. Now that you’ve gotten comfortable behind the drums you may want to consider choosing an electronic set over an acoustic. Both have their advantages, and you can check our in-depth guide about electronic drums.
The Roland TD-17KV Gen2 is a very good intermediate kit that offers many great features that would make it a solid choice for your next drum set. Though they are compact, they offer a good realistic and natural feeling in terms of the playability. This drum set is not built to mirror the setup of an acoustic set. The reality is that the most expensive kits tend to mimic flawlessly the sensation of playing an acoustic set.
Never the less this option is an excellent start to the electronic world.
Learning drums is about building the habit of correct motion, so if you intend to move back and forth between an acoustic set and this one, the Roland TD-17KV Gen2 has does a good job.
Roland has built into TD-17KV-S a large variety of preset kits that have been sampled from real instruments therefore offering high quality authentic sound.
Not only can you use a variety of the onboard kits, the set offers you the chance to customize any aspect of sound, even down to the smallest details, such as the snare buzz.
Just be aware you need to consider purchasing some good headphones, in ear monitors or speaker.
When deciding what the best intermediate drum sets for the money were, Gretsch Drums Catalina Maple were another kit that stood out. The Catalina maple is a five piece drum set.
The number of pieces in this set as well as the size of drums make it more compact and portable than other kits.
This is a set that is perfect for gigging or practicing where space is limited.
Though the set is more compact it does not sacrifice in sound quality or volume. The combination of the all maple shells with remo drum heads offer versatility in sound based off of your attack.
Softer hits will produce sharp and clear tones while a heavier hit elicits full open sounds. Gretsch Catalina Maple CM1-E605-WG is another shell set, so keep in mind cymbals and hardware will not be included.
As far as intermediate drum sets go, the Ludwig Element Evolution interested us for a number of reasons.
Ludwig is a very well know drum band, their kits have been used by the cream of the crop when it comes to rock music, including Queen and Led Zeppelin.
Ludwig’s Element Evolution Drum Kit is a great option for an intermediate set because it includes everything you need to get started immediately!
This is a full size kit that includes all hardware and cymbals. The cymbals are not anything cheap or dull sounding, they are USA made Zildjian Cymbals.
The included hardware is also very nice, including some very solid legs and mounts. The Ludwig Element Evolution drum set offers a a big and low sound that makes it ideal for rock.
Our fifth and final drum set to consider is the Tama IP52KCMB Imperialstar. The Imperialstar is another great candidate for best intermediate drum kit because it offers everything you need.
It not only includes the shells, but also the cymbals, hardware and drum throne. As we mentioned before, do not get tricked into believing the more money you spend on a drum set the better it will be.
You need to keep in mind that at an intermediate level you are looking for a drum set that will allow you to quickly get set-up while offering good sound quality.
QUALITY AND FEATURES:
The size of the Tama Imperial stars drums make it a midsize set-up but it offers a lot of power and projects well.
In spite of having a smaller set-up than a full size kit, the hardware allows the positioning of the drums, particular the rack toms, to still have the seem feel and comfort as a larger kit allowing for fluid and comfortable range of motion.
When looking to purchase an intermediate set there are a number of things to look for.
The quality of the shells as well as the components included in the kit are important things to consider.
Drums are considered by many to be one of the more difficult instruments to learn.
Beginner kits are great for that reason, as they offer very basic set-ups that allow you to get comfortable.
But now that you have some experience under your belt, it’s time to find a drum set that will allow you to develop your skills while offering better sound quality.
As always, youtube will be a wonderful resource from a visual standpoint, but we have gone ahead and put together a short list of tips that will allow you to quickly get started or at the very least follow along with any of those videos.
You have a brand new beautiful kit and it only makes sense that you want to keep it looking great. Here are a few basic steps to ensure it stays looking sharp!
So there you have it!
Five great offerings from the best drum brands on the planet. These drum kits are perfect for the someone looking to upgrade from their beginner set-up to something that will be offering them a chance to grow musically and boost their talents.
Our team has thoroughly researched these offerings and we hope you find among them something that works for your style and budget!
Leave us a comment below if you have any doubt.
Drum Teacher
Brett Clur has a Drum Performance Diploma from Trinity College London has been playing drums for over 20 years. He is passionate about advanced concepts and uses his years of experience to teach his students about them. While he is a full-time drum teacher, he is also working on growing a YouTube channel where shares his insights. You can see him playing there, or on Instagram where he posts daily videos.
Find useful lessons, tips and reviews for any drummer. From beginners to professionals there’s always something new to learn and improve. Join our Newsletter for exclusive advice!
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