Best Entry Level Drum Set for Beginners

If you or your child is interested in learning how to play the drums, you will probably want to get a better understanding of what exists in the market and what to look for when searching for the right beginner drum set.  Drum kits come in many sizes from a 1 piece set to a 5-piece or more.  There are several different drum manufacturers as well.  The list below will give you a starting point to help you find the best entry-level drum set that will best fit your needs. This isn’t the complete list of drum sets available, but it will provide you a list of the top ten top-rated drum sets.

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Gammon Percussion Full Size Complete Adult 5 Piece Drum Set with Cymbals Stands Stool and Sticks, Black Check Amazon
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GP Percussion GP50BL Complete Junior Drum Set (Blue, 3-Piece Set) Check Amazon
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Mendini by Cecilio Complete Full Size 5-Piece Adult Drum Set with Cymbals, Pedal, Throne, and Drumsticks, Metallic Black, MDS80-BK Check Amazon
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Mendini by Cecilio 13 Inch 3-Piece Kids/Junior Drum Set with Adjustable Throne, Cymbal, Pedal & Drumsticks, Metallic Blue, MJDS-1-BL Check Amazon
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Pearl RS525SCC706 Roadshow 5-Piece Drum Set, Charcoal Metallic Check Amazon
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RockJam RJ103-BK 3-Piece Junior Drum Set with Crash Cymbal, Adjustable Throne & Accessories, Black Check Amazon
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Tama New Imperialstar 22 Inch Bass Drum 5pc Complete Drum Kit (Hairline Blue) w/ Stage Master 40 Series Hardware Check Amazon
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Best Choice Products 3-Piece Kids Beginner Drum Set w/Sticks, Chair, and Drum Pedal - Red Check Amazon
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Gammon 5-Piece Junior Starter Drum Kit with Cymbals, Hardware, Sticks, Throne - Black Check Amazon
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Yamaha Stage Custom Birch 5pc Drum Shell Pack - 20" Kick, Honey Amber Check Amazon

Best Entry Level Drum Set For Beginners to Buy

1. Gammon Percussion Full Size Complete Adult 5 Piece Drum Set with Cymbals Stands Stool and Sticks, Black

5 piece drum set

The Gammon Percussion is a great beginner 5 piece drum set for people of all ages, anyone who has a passion for drumming can dive right into it by using the Gammon Percussion. The firm offers full product support and also supports many local music events. The assembling process is quite confusing and frustrating because nothing is pre-built. You will have to assemble each and every part of the set in order to bring it to a working condition.

Apart from the assembling process; the drum set is excellent for any user. If you are looking into this drum set then you are either just starting or you have a tight budget. And so It is important to keep in mind that this is not a professional drum set so it doesn’t produce the “professional studio quality” sound, however, it doesn’t produce a “toy” type sound either.


2. GP Percussion GP50BL Complete Junior Drum Set (Blue, 3-Piece Set)

junior drum set

The GP Percussion GP50BL is an excellent 3 piece drum set for kids of all ages, which is why it is called the “junior drum set”. Even adults can play the GP50BL but it is clearly not for professional use and definitely not for studio use. With a glossy blue color finish, a 10″ cymbal & high hat and bass drum pedal it truly is an experience to play the GP50BL. The drum set comes with a standard junior throne, so if you are an adult you might have problems fitting on the throne as it is designed for kids.

Overall the build quality is excellent however, there have been a few complaints stating the pedal screws tend to become loose over time. Nevertheless, the drum set is meant for kids and it easily lasts for over two years for the majority of the customers. At the low price point, it is an excellent value for money.


3. Mendini by Cecilio Complete Full Size 5-Piece Adult Drum Set with Cymbals, Pedal, Throne, and Drumsticks, Metallic Blue, MDS80-BL

The Mendini MDS80-BL 5 piece adult drum set by Cecilio is one of the best drum sets on the market for people who are just getting into drumming or for teens who enjoy drumming as a hobby. The MDS80-BL has Cross laminated poplar shells with Black powder coated triple-flanged hoops and lugs.

The assembly isn’t very user-friendly but if you read and follow the instructions then you should not encounter any major issues. The build quality is pretty impressive however, there have been multiple complaints relating to the cymbals. A majority of these complaints claim that the cymbals don’t make the right noise (or that it sounds like the back of a frying pan). Nevertheless, it is a great product, to begin with, and it definitely serves the purpose considering it is a drum set for teenagers and not for professional drummers.

4. Mendini by Cecilio 13 Inch 3-Piece Kids/Junior Drum Set with Adjustable Throne, Cymbal, Pedal & Drumsticks, Metallic Blue, MJDS-1-BL

The Mendini MJDS-1-BL by Cecilio 5 piece adult drum set is the perfect birthday gift for kids between who are aged between 3-8 years. The MJDS-1-BL is available in many various colors (the colors are super-attractive for young kids) including metallic blue, metallic red, metallic green, metallic black and even metallic purple. The Mendini drum set features an 8″ Cymbal with cymbal arms which makes it suitable for young kids.

Most of the junior drum sets in the market are difficult to assemble. However, The MJDS-1-BL is one of the most “easy to assemble” junior drum sets available in the market today. The set also includes a junior throne with adjustable height so the throne should be good for any kid regardless of the height of your child. It is an amazing set for kids to have fun with, however, you have to keep realistic expectations from the drum set as it is not for adult/professional use.

5. Pearl RS525SCC706 Roadshow 5-Piece Drum Set, Charcoal Metallic

The Pearl RS525SCC706 is a good but expensive choice when considering buying an adult drum set. However, at a high price point, you get an excellent drum set which is not only almost pre-assembled but also comes with many extras like a standard drumsticks bag and posters. One of the best features of the Pearl RS525SCC706 Roadshow is that most of the sub-devices are pre-tuned including the snare and rack toms.

A lot of time is saved since it comes almost assembled out of the box, and so you won’t face assembling issues which is a common issue for most of the other drum sets. With a 9 ply, 7mm Poplar Shells & 1.2mm Triple Flanged hoops drumming with the Pearl Roadshow truly offers a one of its kind experience. The drum set comes with heads and double braced hardware.

6. RockJam RJ103-BK 3-Piece Junior Drum Set with Crash Cymbal, Adjustable Throne & Accessories, Black

If you are on a super tight budget, or if drumming is just your child’s hobby and you are not willing to spend a lot on it then the RockJam RJ103-BK is the drum set for you. It is one of the cheapest junior drum sets available in the market, but don’t get me wrong; the quality is excellent. The junior drum set comes with a standard junior throne which should be good for kids between the age of 3-7. This truly is a good value if you’re looking for the best entry level drum set for a beginner.

Obviously, you shouldn’t be expecting a premium product, but at the low price point, it is much more than you would be expecting. The overall build is quite impressive however, there have been a few complaints about the foot pedal being too stiff for young kids. However, a little fiddling should fix the issue, or you could contact the customer support and they would help you fix the problem

7. Tama New Imperialstar 22 Inch Bass Drum 5pc Complete Drum Kit (Hairline Blue) w/ Stage Master 40 Series Hardware

The Tama New Imperialstar is more towards the higher end, and although it might be a little pricey; it definitely is an excellent value for money. With an 18″ x 22″ Bass Drum, 8×10 & 9×12 Rack Toms, 14×16 Floor Tom, and 5×14 Snare the drum kit is all that you need to start jamming and creating your catchy tunes.

The drum set is super easy to tune and assemble. It is literally the perfect drum set for teenagers, the only issue is that it is louder than the usual drum set and so if you are getting this as a gift for your child then you might have to shift him a little far away from your bedroom. The drum set comes with a standard drummer’s throne, and so it is suitable for almost anyone who wants to jam.

8. Best Choice Products 3-Piece Kids Beginner Drum Set w/Sticks, Chair, and Drum Pedal – Red

This drum set is one of the most durable drum sets in the market, with a chrome-plated hardware and an all-wood composition you shouldn’t have any issues with the drum set no matter how hard a child hits the drum with the drumsticks. The eye-catching design of the drum set looks like a professional drum set which should make kids feel like they are real drummers.

The build quality is premium, and you shouldn’t have any issues with the screws and bolts. The only issue which a majority of the customers face with this product is that it is really difficult to assemble. It can take hours and hours to get the drum to a working condition mainly because of the assembling process and you need to fine tune the drum set too.

9. Gammon 5-Piece Junior Starter Drum Kit with Cymbals, Hardware, Sticks, Throne – Black

The fairly priced Gammon junior drum kit is the ultimate 5 piece starter drum set for kids. The drum set is available in various glossy colors including black, blue, pink, and red. You can also choose the color of the rims but you only have two colors to select from; black and chrome.

One thing to keep in mind when purchasing this drum set is that it is perfect for kids but not at all suitable for adults, because it does make a sound which is more toy-ish than is realistic. The assembling process is pretty straightforward and the drum set is very durable so it can handle a few severe hits considering a child hits it.

10. Yamaha Stage Custom Birch 5pc Drum Shell Pack – 20″ Kick, Honey Amber

The Yamaha stage custom Birch drum shell pack is a beginner level professional drum set. The build quality feels premium, and the drum set is pretty durable, moreover, it is priced fairly more towards the low price point for a professional drum set. It is important to bear in mind that this isn’t a high-end professional drum set and so while it is perfect for small gigs and small concerts; it isn’t suitable for professional studios which are going to produce music for movies or other big budget productions.

The drum set doesn’t come with cymbals, stands, or kick pedal, and throne, while it is a good investment for anyone who’s just started getting into professional music, you should consider an upgrade after a while. There aren’t any major issues with the drum set except for the fact that the packaging is done very poorly, overall it is a great product.

Conclusion

The above list gives you a great starting point in your quest to find the best entry level drum set to fit your needs.  If you are looking to learn and grow playing the drums, I would recommend a 5-piece set, but if you’re not sure if your desire is all there, I would probably recommend starting with a 3-piece drum set.  All the drum sets are highly rated customer reviewed drum sets.  The Pearl Roadshow 5-Piece set is a beautiful entry level kit with a smaller bass drum. These drum kits are suited for people of all ages.

I have a degree in engineering and am passionate in helping people find the best products for the money using my own personal experiences. I'm a father, son, brother, uncle, coach, husband, and engineer who loves to spend time with his two boys and beautiful wife. In my free time my passion is to help others. I love anything and everything technology and spend many hours researching products that I have interests in for myself, my family and friends. My hope is that my time spent researching products will help you save time and money so you can free up your time and spend it doing what you love to do most!

1 Comment
  1. I wish your list took into account the variety of electronic drum sets that are out there these days they’re growing in popularity and I feel like you’re missing the boat by not including them in your list.

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