Choosing an acoustic kit for A to E conversion.

[Eric J]

HI, first post here, but been a lurker for some time.

I'm trying to decide on buying an acoustic kit for conversion to electronic. I've been playing on a Roland TD-11KV and slowly upgrading the components, new snare (PD-125), new hi-hats (VH-11), new Ride (CY-15R), and new stands. It's nice and everything, but I think I'm ready to start thinking about an acoustic conversion.

My initial thoughts are to set up a 4 piece kit (BD, SD, RT, FT) with some 628drums mesh heads, triggers (ddrum or Roland) and wire everything up to the TD-11 module. I'll keep the 3 Roland cymbals I have now.

$500 is the approximate budget for the acoustic kit, new or used. Basically, I think all I need is the shell pack, since I already have all the other hardware. I guess I don't want a total piece of s**t kit, but I was thinking that getting something in the $400-500 range would be enough to get something semi-decent?

A few examples I saw just looking around:

Sonor Bop 4-Piece Shell Pack - http://www.guitarcenter.com/Sonor-Bo...91-i3583311.gc
Yamaha Gigmaker 5-Piece Standard Shell Pack with 22" Bass Drum - http://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha-G...56-i1626462.gc
Pearl Exr 5 Piece white onyx Drum Kit - http://www.guitarcenter.com/Pearl-Us...44-i3758864.gc

Does it really matter how much to spend on an acoustic kit if I'm just planning on converting them to electronic anyway?

[perceval]

Does it really matter how much to spend on an acoustic kit if I'm just planning on converting them to electronic anyway?

You pay for parts quality... but as for sounds, nope, no matter of course.

[TheYardbird]

Well, do you play an electronic kit because you have limited space or just because of noise limitations? If you don't have much space I would recommend somekind of bop-kit, maybe do as I did and buy a used Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz kit, it's a 4pc with a 18" bd, 14"ft and 12"tt, and the normal 14" snare, it doesn't take up much space and if I'd want to I could go on eBay and buy a 10"tt or a 16"ft to add to the kit since those were the add-ons available. But for now I have a tiny, tidy 4 piece kit with Triggera Intriggs as triggers, I went with internal triggers for the more stealthier look. A Pearl Rhythm Traveler could also be a really sweet kit to convert since it's super compact, and it's a regular 5pc kit with all the drums mounted on the bassdrum so you need even less stand and stuff that takes of floorspace. Sorry for the wall of blabbering text, for some reason these forums won't let me make spaces inbetween lines when I post from my phone.

[Eric J]

You pay for parts quality... but as for sounds, nope, no matter of course.

Exactly. I guess I'm just wondering if it's dumb to pay too much for a kit for A to E. I mean, I could pick up a PDP Concept 5 piece for $729 (which I really love the look of), but is it worth paying $729 for the hardware alone, since the sound of the shells obviously doesn't matter?

Well, do you play an electronic kit because you have limited space or just because of noise limitations? If you don't have much space I would recommend somekind of bop-kit, maybe do as I did and buy a used Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz kit, it's a 4pc with a 18" bd, 14"ft and 12"tt, and the normal 14" snare, it doesn't take up much space and if I'd want to I could go on eBay and buy a 10"tt or a 16"ft to add to the kit since those were the add-ons available. But for now I have a tiny, tidy 4 piece kit with Triggera Intriggs as triggers, I went with internal triggers for the more stealthier look. A Pearl Rhythm Traveler could also be a really sweet kit to convert since it's super compact, and it's a regular 5pc kit with all the drums mounted on the bassdrum so you need even less stand and stuff that takes of floorspace. Sorry for the wall of blabbering text, for some reason these forums won't let me make spaces inbetween lines when I post from my phone.

It's primarily about noise. I'm fairly confident that I can fit a 4 or 5 piece acoustic kit in the space I have now. I think getting a smaller kit such as the Sonor BOP or the Gretsch Catalina with an 18" kick would easily fit in my space, but I also think I could fit a standard rock kit with a 22 Kick Drum,

[New Tricks]

If I were starting from scratch, I'd pick up the least expensive used kit I could find. I'm not much into how pretty it looks. I am looking for function.

Ideally I'd find a 20" kick because I have become accustomed to having my rack toms low on my E kit. I'd look for a smaller than 14" snare also because I don't dig my thighs scraping on the snare sides. I'd also install the hardware to rack mount everything possible because you can land everything exactly where you want it without stands getting in the way.

I converted part of the kit I already had. When I do another one, these would be the changes I'd make ^ I also might remove the reso heads so I could nest the drums inside each other for transport

[hairmetal-81]

As said, you pay mostly for build-quality (especially hardware) and looks. Gretsch Catalinas are cool kits, that silver Sonor kit is no slouch either, but IMO that white onyx Pearl EXR would be a real winner!

(Too bad it appears sold...!?)



HTH

[hemiboy]

Good enjoy! Going to bed soon . Have fun, love you! What are you watching, anyway!

[Eric J]

If I were starting from scratch, I'd pick up the least expensive used kit I could find. I'm not much into how pretty it looks. I am looking for function.

Ideally I'd find a 20" kick because I have become accustomed to having my rack toms low on my E kit. I'd look for a smaller than 14" snare also because I don't dig my thighs scraping on the snare sides. I'd also install the hardware to rack mount everything possible because you can land everything exactly where you want it without stands getting in the way.

I converted part of the kit I already had. When I do another one, these would be the changes I'd make ^ I also might remove the reso heads so I could nest the drums inside each other for transport

This one here has a 20" bass drum and seems really well reviewed for the price.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha-G...52-i2234212.gc

I could also conceivably keep the Roland PD-125 snare as it's only 12" (although my initial thoughts were to use it as a "secondary snare" on the left side of my hi hats.

As said, you pay mostly for build-quality (especially hardware) and looks. Gretsch Catalinas are cool kits, that silver Sonor kit is no slouch either, but IMO that white onyx Pearl EXR would be a real winner!

(Too bad it appears sold...!?)



HTH

Yeah, that one looked pretty nice considering the price, but I can't tell if it's sold or not. There are also a couple of candidate kits on Craigslist near me (like a 5 pc 2005 Sonor Birch kit for $450). I may go used in the end, it's just hard to do research with used kits in mind, since you don't know how long they'll be available.

[allanjohn]

I think you have two choices: do you want a decent shell pack that you can resell (ie, needs to be good acoustically), or just something cheap to host your e-triggers. If it's the latter, then second-hand is the way to go. There are heaps of bargains out there - people who have bought entry-level kits and realised they don't cut it - or kids have lost interest.
My first A2E used a Pearth Rhythm Traveler and it worked fine, but I was toying with the notion of playing acoustic gigs from time to time. I managed to find a second-hand DrumCraft 4 Series kit in Fusion sizing which was a great host for an E-kit and no slouch acoustically.

[Eric J]

Yeah that's a good point about resale value. I suppose I'll eventually sell these drums again at some point and a cheap acoustic won't hold it's value as well.

I'm thinking going with a 20 BD and a 14 FT is the way to go, since it'll take up just a little less space than a standard 22 BD rock kit with a 16 FT.

I also found this one that looks pretty good. A bit on the higher end of the price scale for me, but nice.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha-S...34-i3644511.gc

[perceval]

Here are two other kits (if you want to buy new) that would be really good for an A2E conversion:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums...t-with-cymbals
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums...rum-kit?pfm=sp

For me, I have always liked the toms on cymbal stands, instead of bass drum mounts...

[Eric J]

Here are two other kits (if you want to buy new) that would be really good for an A2E conversion:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums...t-with-cymbals
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/drums...rum-kit?pfm=sp

Definitely! Added to the list.

For me, I have always liked the toms on cymbal stands, instead of bass drum mounts...

Yeah, me too. I'm definitely planning on doing that with the A to E kit.

Here is another big contender. Again, a bit high on the price range, but I like the smaller sizes (especially the 14 x 12 FT).

http://www.lonestarpercussion.com/Dr...FeUF7AodCRUAbQ

This one also seem to have some halfway decent color options, something I haven't found with the other kits (not into sparkl-y or candy colored kits). Bonewhite looks great with black hardware. The Smokewood is sort of a grey that looks pretty cool too.

[TheYardbird]

I decided on my Gretsch Catalinas mainly because they look great imo. If I had a kit that I didn't find good looking I would most likely get bored of playing it, it's hard to explain.
I agree with going with a mid-range kit since you will have a sturdy kit of good quality that you could sell for some nice cash if you decide to get another kit in the future. I decided on the kit I bought mostly because of the classy look as mentioned but also because the Catalinas are a great bang for the buck, same goes for about every kit linked in this thread.

I don't know about where you live but here in Sweden I could probably sell my Catalinas for the same amount of money as I paid when I bought them (2nd hand ofc) if I just keep them in good shape, mid-range kits doesn't seem to loose much value over time around here for some reason.

And another thing that made me go for a jazz-sized kit with a 18" bassdrum was that I read somewhere on these forums that triggering bigger sized bassdrums could sometimes be a bit tricky. I don't know if this applies to all kinds of triggers but since I'm using side-mounted triggers I didn't want to take any chances.
And besides, I wanted a vintage-looking kit made into electronic, can't go wrong with jazz-sizes then! :P

[hairmetal-81]

The question I like to throw in here, is whether you actually prefer stands over a rack-system? Just something to keep in mind - you may be better off with a shell-set.


HTH

[Eric J]

I decided on my Gretsch Catalinas mainly because they look great imo. If I had a kit that I didn't find good looking I would most likely get bored of playing it, it's hard to explain.
I agree with going with a mid-range kit since you will have a sturdy kit of good quality that you could sell for some nice cash if you decide to get another kit in the future. I decided on the kit I bought mostly because of the classy look as mentioned but also because the Catalinas are a great bang for the buck, same goes for about every kit linked in this thread.

I don't know about where you live but here in Sweden I could probably sell my Catalinas for the same amount of money as I paid when I bought them (2nd hand ofc) if I just keep them in good shape, mid-range kits doesn't seem to loose much value over time around here for some reason.

Yeah looks are a factor here. I mean it doesn't make a huge amount of difference functionally, but I definitely want something that looks nice. Not DW-nice, but good enough. That's one reason why I'm looking hard at the Mapex Mars 5-piece. Its good looking, comes in the right sizes/colors and it's in a price range I can live with.

And another thing that made me go for a jazz-sized kit with a 18" bassdrum was that I read somewhere on these forums that triggering bigger sized bassdrums could sometimes be a bit tricky. I don't know if this applies to all kinds of triggers but since I'm using side-mounted triggers I didn't want to take any chances.
And besides, I wanted a vintage-looking kit made into electronic, can't go wrong with jazz-sizes then! :P

So what do you mean by "tricky"? Most of the kits I'm looking at have 20" bass drums. Is that going to cause a problem with the Roland side-mounted triggers?

The question I like to throw in here, is whether you actually prefer stands over a rack-system? Just something to keep in mind - you may be better off with a shell-set.


HTH

Definitely prefer stands to a rack.

[fulrmr(Daniel)]

Ive built many size kick drums....14-22" they all trigger just fine. Its the feel that can sometimes throw folks off. Sometimes larger shells need a bit more dampening to stifle the bounce... but this also depends on the head and head tension....and trigger placement. Not really "tricky" you just have to plan ahead some. DIY is almost always trial and error even when following a successful recipe.