Enter the Skins, Revisited

About a year ago, I embarked on a journey that I didn't know where it would lead.

In one of the first articles on TheParadiddler.com, "Enter the Skins", I entertained the notion that I was on a quest (well, it was more than a notion) to find me a drum set. I mentioned that at one point in my life, I had a drum set, but it was short-lived since my father grew tired of them very quickly (for the more extended version of the story, click here). I vowed someday to have a new set.

Well, many years later, I was finally in a position to buy me a kit. I did mention that I was on a strict budget, so I endeavored to find what I liked within my price range. There were a few directions I could have taken here. One, I could just buy a whole kit from a local music store. The plus there is that I could just buy it, take it home, put it together, and start playing. Also, if I had questions about the kit, I wouldn't feel so bad asking them anything about it, since I bought it there. On the minus side, usually this is not the cheapest route. Also, if you're new to playing, you may find that the kit doesn't sound like it did in the store, and you may need to invest in some education that will allow you set up the drums properly, tune them, and oh yeah: play them (something like Mike Michalkow's "Drumming System")! You may also find that those cymbals that came with the kit really don't sound very good, and you may end up buying cymbals of a different brand or quality anyway. More money spent that maybe could have been avoided.

Or you could order your kit online. You may be able to get a kit cheaper online than at the local store. You can look at the same kit and compare between different vendors, and even within different models within the same brand. The downer to this is that if you order drums, and you change your mind, it might be a pain to ship back because of their size. I know many people order drums this way, and I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it. But imagine that the bass drum arrives damaged, or it's the wrong color, or whatever the case may be - shipping that bad boy back would be a pain in the... well, back.

There is another route you could go as well: you could buy you kit piece by piece. You would make a list of the things you want in your kit, and you would keep your eyes open for any opportunity that comes along. Your list might look like the following:

5pc kit (the shells)
ride cymbal
crash cymbal
hi-hats
bass pedal
hi-hat stand
two cymbal stands
throne
drumsticks

The above list constitutes a basic 5pc kit. You've hence listed exactly what you want, and now you look for deals regarding each piece of the kit separately. I believe that this is the buying option to pursue if you want to spend the least amount of money for good quality equipment (best bang for the buck, as they say). In fact, making a list and buying the kit piece by piece is how I bought my kit, and I'm very happy with it! There's really only one piece of my kit that I'm not crazy about, but it definitely was not a deal-breaker (you'll have to read "To Crash-Ride or Not to Crash-Ride" to figure that one out!).

To buy a kit in the aforementioned way, however, requires something that seems to be more and more scarce these days. It's patience. If you want the best deal on the equipment you really want, you might have to wait for a good deal to come up. This is especially true if you know what brands you want right off the bat. For example, as far as the drums went, I wanted a brand that my favorite artists either currently play or played in the past. This had some advantages, the main one being that I already liked the sound of those drums, and two, a recognized brand more likely will have better support (this applies to most industries and markets, by the way). Any of the following brands would work for me: DW, Tama, Ludwig, Yamaha, and Sonor. Same story with the cymbals: Zildjian, Sabian, Meinl, or Paiste. These are not all-inclusive lists by any means, but it would ensure that I would focus on obtaining very good quality drums, while keeping my eyes open for a great deal.

There are also several sources where you could search for and purchase your equipment, such as:

Again, the above is not an all-inclusive list. But it's good to have options, because the more you have, the better the deals you can find. Let's also not forget private sales, which are usually found in the aforementioned Craig's List, local newspaper listings, and the like. Great deals can be found here, but you have to have a plan. You have to know what your limits are (financially speaking), what you're looking for; this will ensure you get the best price, for the gear that you prefer, and for the most part, you won't have to settle.

In the end, I got some great deals. You can see a complete description of my kit in this video. (It's one of my older videos, but it does the job!) On the kit in the video, I saved over 40% off buying from various sources, instead of just from one. I saved over 65% off the retail cost! On one of the items on my kit, I saved over 50% off of normal online prices, and over 70% off of retail - and it was brand new, not used! I think that's pretty significant, considering how tight budgets are these days. As far as the Arts go, many times it is the first cut in a budget. What to do with all these budding drummers?

I think it's important to have hobbies, distractions, activities to entertain the mind. It's very refreshing to do something you love to do (after doing the things you have to do). It gives you energy to get back and get done things that need doing. Maybe if the items we wanted were just a little cheaper, we just might take the plunge (for ourselves or for our children).

Well I'm here to help! I'm working on a publication, a how-to, if you will, on how to obtain the equipment we want, at the price we want. Many times we just want the newest, but the newest doesn't always mean the best value. Sometimes we want the cheapest in price, but that doesn't always mean a good deal. I will try to dispel the difficulties in buying the equipment we want, and show how to get them for a great price. Some of the topics that will be covered will be:

The key to finding great deals
How to pick what brands to buy
Purchasing methods, and pros and cons of each
Detailed, step by step examples that you can follow on how to buy equipment at great prices
and more!

I'll be the first to admit that I don't know everything there is to know about saving money buying drums, but I will show you exactly how I did it, so you can copy me. Most of what you'll learn can also apply to buying anything, not just drums. If any of you have experiences you want to share as far as how you got a great deal and think others may benefit, please e-mail me at omar@theparadiddler.com. I may include it in the publication and give you full credit if I do!

Ultimately, my goal is to show the readers how they can save huge amounts of cash on the equipment they want. We may have put the purchase of our drumming equipment on hold due to the economy, but with potentially so much to save, we might just be able to make that purchase after all! You don't always have to settle; there are many, many deals out there to be had. You just need to have the right tools and know where and how to look. So stay tuned to The Paradiddler! If you know of others that my benefit from this information, by all means, steer them to this article, sign up for the free newsletter, and be on the lookout for news of when the publication is to come out. Till then, have fun with what you have!

Interesting? Then pass it along!