Help help!
I started playing drums and I really like it. Now I am thinking that it will be nice to buy drum kit, but I really can't choose the best..
Here I found several options, can you express your opinion about them and maybe recommend something another?
Here is the link with options: Best Beginner and Junior Drum Set Reviews

My son runs Yamaha Stage Customs.  Stage Customs are good enough to run until you decide to turn pro.   So offhand not knowing the Gigmakers I would say go Yamaha.  If you can swing the extra coin look at the Stage Customs.

Companies like PDP and others are now making pretty nice cheap maple kits. Get a lowend maple kit then snare drums get trickier. 300 or so on a late 60's Ludwig supraphonic and call it good.

Agreed on Stage Customs, especially for only $250 more than the Gigmaker. Basic shell pack starts at around 650ish for an all birch kit (they're basically a rebranded birch custom absolute). One of the best features of this kit that you don't find in most mass production kits is the amount of add on drums you can buy to customize your setup. Want an 18 floor tom? You can buy one. Want a 24 bass drum? you can buy one. Want a 16 rack tom? you can buy one.

If you tell us what your budget is we might be able to help narrow it down, and keep in mind with shell packs no hardware or cymbals are included so you have to factor that into the cost too.

I'm a total DW fanboy, so count me as a +1 for PDP.  I have a PDP Platinum set (since discontinued, as they essentially eliminated that as their top end PDP kit and introduced the DW Performance series as an entry level DW kit...the two overlapped in their intended market).  Great kit, excellent sound for the price.  I'll stack that up against higher end kits from Tama and Pearl any day.

So if you are just interested in entry level kits, absolutely look at PDP.  The other kit to look at is Mapex.  Also excellent value, well built, great sounding drums.

If you actually want "the best" and are willing to pay for "the best", DW all the way.  Their Performance kit as mentioned is an excellent budget minded set, but the Collectors series is where it is at.  You can order a custom made Collectors kit and specify everything from the sizes of the drums to the orientation of the inner plies to customize the sound.  Nothing sounds better than a DW.  Just expect to pay through the nose for it.  My DW Collector's kit is the last kit I'll ever need to buy.  (*emphasis on need.  I could see myself buying another Collectors for other applications, because I'm an addict.)

Having a bought Gretsch custom kit before they went cheap and dumped their distributors for mass retail and started selling low end kits, I may have another opinion of best.  I considered DW when I bought this kit.

I recently played on of their (Gretsch) low end kits.  It didn't suck.  I'd take one over a Pearl Export any day of the week for a low end beater kit, that's for damn sure.

hmm,

I think all the companies make a decent starter kit nowadays.


But,
I am a PEARL fanboi,so what do I know...





The Shell material,bevel of the Rims,and Head selection play a critical factor in all of this.


You "might" find a $30 drum that sounds good for a while,but how does it hold up over time and abuse?

My Pearl MLX is 30 plus years old,and still sounds great.

Longevity and Quality


Pearl's Export series was okay back in the day...YMMV

My son now plays Metal on a nice Pork Pie Kit.
He had a Pearl Export for the first 2 years.
He's brutal on Cymbals so that's an added cost.

@Rudison

That is almost entirely a technique thing BTW.  There is absolutely no reason why any drummer regardless of genre should break cymbals regularly.  Glancing blows, always always glancing blows.

And though it seems contrary to what a lot of drummers think, thin cymbals often hold up much better than thick heavy cymbals.  There is a lot more flex in a thinner cymbal.  They tend to crack less because of it.  They usually sound a lot better.  If your technique is sound, buy once cry once applies...you'll get better sounding cymbals that last longer and save a ton of money in the long run.

I've broken maybe 2 or 3 cymbals in the last 15 years, and I play metal.

Gretsch: Renown Maple
Pearl: Reference Pure
Yamaha: Recording Custom
Sakae: Almighty Maple or Birch
DW: Collectors maple
Tama: Star Maple

Agreed!!!
He's getting better.
They are playing out tonight, he's been practicing the set list all week.

OP hasn't come back.


Yamaha Recording Custom or PHX
Ludwig Classic Maple
Mapex Saturn V
Premier Series Elite Maple Concert
Sonor SQ1 or SQ2
SJC Custom