Smallest kits

[od30]

I'm erring towards getting an HD-3 when they come out in the UK next month, but I'm tempted by the possibility of either a second-hand Roland TD3/4/6, a Yamaha DTXpress or an Alesis DM8. Does anyone know if these kits are substantially larger and noisier than the HD-3/HD-1? It's difficult to get any info at all on the footprint of the Alesis unit, and although I've read that the Roland kits can be set up to take up not too much space I can't really see how that works from photos online. I'm in a really restricted space so having a small kit is very important, however I'd like to get the best kit I can and the HD-3 is limited in terms of expandability... Any thoughts welcomed.

[danielrg]

I've not really compared them side by side, but my impression is that a TD-6 or DTXpress would probably be about twice the width. I do recall the DTXpress having a version that was really easy to fold up and put away. Or at least it was advertised that way. The TD-4 I sat down on at NAMM was pretty small.

With any of these kits your upgrade path is likely to be a newer kit with nicer pads. So I'd just look for the one that fits your space and your budget now. Down the road if you want to upgrade any of these kits, you'll probably find yourself looking at something with Mesh and interval control on the cymbals (for me, I can't live without that). But it depends on where you think you'll be in a year or so financially, and what you want to do with them medium to long term.

My impression is that the rubber on the Yamaha is slightly nicer than other rubber pads, if that means anything. A bit quieter, and a bit less painful to hit. I kind of prefer Yamaha for the low end stuff. It tends to give you more for a little less in my opinion. Just don't touch a TD-12 or higher if you want to stay within your budget (I had to replace my old DTXtreme 1 with a TD-12, costing me way more money than I had business spending on a drum set).

[od30]

Thanks for the reply, twice the size does sound quite a big difference, although if the Dtxpress can be folded up that helps. Looking at the TD4 I'm wondering whether the arms with the hi-hat and floor tom can be made shorter, or whether they're a fixed size, does anyone know? Given the space I have I think it'll have to be the HD-3, but I'd really rather get a kit that I can upgrade at some point...

[Tazed]

If you have a space larger than a small closet, you'll fit a TD-4 or TD-9 kit in it easily.
3ft by 5ft, possibly less, is about all you'll need (including throne) for a TD-4 kit.
They're very compact.
Don't get an HD-anything if you intend on really having a good go at drumming.
They're nowhere near realistic in size and layout. The novelty will wear off quickly.
I started on a TD-4, went TD-9, added TMC-6, went TD-12, double TD-12 and finally (when it comes through) will be a TDW-20.
That's about every configuration (plus SPD-S, SPD-30 and Korg WaveDrum) so I'm speaking from experience.
As a minimum, TD-4 (kit) or nothing, is my advice.



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[SHwoKing]

I agree with Tazed. My first kit was a used HD-1. I kept it for 1 month before switching to a DTX 900K. The pedals don't feel right and the layout is too tiny.

A good choice for this price range is the Yamaha DTX500K or used TD4 - DTX520K

[nitromullet]

Have you considered building a small kit around an SPD-30 like this?

http://www.vdrums.com/forum/showthre...30-Octapad-Kit

[od30]

In the end I saw an ex-demo TD4 for a low price so took a risk and went with that - I think it just about fits! It's a bit scruffy though and is missing a data entry dial, which I'm not too happy about. Haven't tried it yet but looking forward to getting it up and running. Thanks for the advice...