Advice on buying first drum kit

Can anyone give me some advice on buying my first drum kit. I am looking at a Mapex Venus Plus kit that seems good value but would appreciate some input from more experienced drummers and information about other makes. I have been drumming for three years and now need a kit for some gigs so I need something that is pretty good. My budget is £ 600 or $900.

Thanks

Andy Goring

I am looking at

I don't know much about Mapex, I know Portnoy tried one of thier kits then went back to Tama. I would buy from an established brand name, Pearl, Ludwig, Tama, Yama, DW,Premier. You can always get a budget kit from some one. If you are going to take it on the road, get cases too. And I wouldn't take my pristine maples shell kit on the road with me, get a birch or something less expensive cause its gonna gets some dinks. An electronic kit maybe used is also an interesting option.

I have

What have you been playing on for the last 3 years?

My opinion on a good first kit would be a Pearl Export Series, it is in your price range and comes with tough hardware and will be able to stand upto gigging a lot. Great kits, check out the website for more info.

I've been using Premier's (Royale APK) on the road for 15 years now. I am always complimented on the sound. I spent a little more money for top-of-the-line Yamaha Wood snare but the kit itself has stood up and made me tons of cash.

You should think about a used kit though. Your money will probably go a lot further.

Best of luck!

Pearl's Export is great. Get the Export Select if you want a nicer finish, but it's about the same, about $50 difference, maybe a bit more. The yamaha Stage Custom is also a nice kit, about the equivalent to the Pearl, and same price. Good cymbals are Zildjan or however you spell it, however you will end up paying a lot, at least from the ones I've seen in Sam Ash. Sabian ones are good, B8 Pro or Pro cymbals are nice. The good thing about drums is that you can replace one drum at a time if you don't like the sound. It applies just as much to the export kit, however it sounds great even without any upgrading. Above all, try not to get a lower priced kit. You'll be much better off with this one, and it has a much higher resail price. The kit and its hardware are well worth the extra.

Happy drumming

TJ