Looking for a better deal and the best price for everything is what we always wanted. That’s why we tend to look for the best cheap drum sets or the cheapest gears possible.
While our team is looking for the best drums in the market, we also ensure that they are the best deal.
Cheap drum sets don’t always mean low-quality or bad drums. Sometimes, they are either toned-down or they are junior sets.
We present to you 10 drum sets here, a combination of adult set and junior sets, so you can pick the ultimate one for your needs.
At the end of this article is a buying guide for you to become more knowledgeable in choosing the best drum set at a cheaper price.
Let’s get started.
Contents
Here are the best cheap drum sets for all ages and budget
- Gammon 5-Piece Drum Set
- Mendini Junior Drum Set
- Ludwig Questlove Drum Kit
- Mendini MDS80
- Gammon Junior Drum Kit
- Alesis Drums Nitro Mesh Kit
- GP Percussion Junior Drum Set
- Lagrima 5-Piece Drum Set
- Pearl Roadshow Junior
- Best Choice Products Drum kit
Runner Up | Editor's Choice | Also Great |
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Gammon 5-Piece Drum Set
Gammon is a great brand of affordable drums and their Gammon 5-Piece Drum Set isn’t just great, but it offers the best value for your money. It’s a complete full-size set with 22-inch bass drum, 14-inch snare drum, 16-inch floor tom, and 12- and 13-inch mounted toms.
What we like about this set is the memory locks on the mounting hardware, which allow you to tighten the drums in place to save your preferred position. At least, you don’t have any trouble finding your optimal playing heights in case you need to dismantle the setup. Available in black and blue colors, this drum set allows you to play right out of the box.
- A complete set to play right out of the box
- Has the decent sound quality
- An affordable full-size drum set
- Drums aren’t the best quality
- Stock drum heads need upgrades, especially with frequent use and abuse
- Cymbals are small and seem to be very light
Mendini Junior Drum Set
Want something cheap, but useful? The Mendini Junior Drum Set is the cheapest 5-piece drum set in this list, yet it has a few exciting features we don’t want you to miss so we include it on the list. It’s a full-size drum set recommended for kids 2.5ft to 5ft tall and for short adults, as well.
This set includes 16-inch bass drum, 8-inch, and 10-inch tom-toms, along with 12-inch floor tom and a 10-inch matching snare drum. Our young drummers and those young at heart (height) can play right away because the hardware, stands, drum throne, and drum sticks are included. An easy-to-follow setup instruction is there, too.
- Drums are playable and have good sound quality
- Easy to set up because of the comprehensive instructions included
- Not just for kids, but also those beginning adults with a shorter profile
- Low-quality cymbals, which might need replacement
- Pieces won’t stay in play, need constant tightening
- Not a good choice for regular practice
Ludwig Questlove Drum Kit
Although Ludwig is a famous drum manufacturer, you can also find the best cheap drum sets from the company. One of their desirable drum sets is the Ludwig Questlove Drum Kit, which is a 4-piece drum set for kids aged four to 10 years old. Kids will surely enjoy the quality drums, including the 16-inch bass drum, 12-inch snare drum, and 10- and 13-inch mounted and tom drum, respectively.
These drums are made of 7-ply Poplar shells with 45-degree bearing edges, no wonder you’re getting a great response. If you’re into rimshots, the triple-flanged hoops can serve you well. Though it’s designed for kids, some adults enjoyed playing this too.
- The drums have a killer sound
- Complete drum set for kids and adults, alike
- Small set, good if you have space issues
- To enhance the overall sound quality, you need to replace the cymbals
- Original drum heads won’t give you better results
Mendini MDS80
An all-in-one cheap drum set is best not just for the pocket, but for starters, as well. You don’t need to buy the accessories or the cymbals, because the Mendini MDS80 has it all.
It’s a 5-piece adult set with cymbals, 22-inch bass drum, 12-inch, and 13-inch tom-toms, 16-inch floor tom and 14-inch matching snare drum. These drums are made of cross-laminated poplar shells to achieve great resonance, warmth, and versatility.
- Stock heads are surprisingly good
- Though the sound may be subjective, it’s great for home practice
- A nice drum set for teens and adults
- Not an ideal drum set onstage
- As with drum sets here, stock cymbals aren’t good
Gammon Junior Drum Kit
Gammon offers another cheap drum set, which seems to be a great choice for starters. Packed with everything you need, the Gammon Junior Drum Kit has 16-inch bass drum, two mounted tom-toms, a floor tom, and a snare drum. Drums are made of real wood shells, so your kids can have real playing experience.
This drum set is perfect for smaller players, especially those who have zero experience playing the drums. Though it’s kind of cheap, you can’t expect the drums to sound fantastic.
- Drum set can sound like a pro with proper tuning and care
- Made of real wood shells, not plastic
- Hardware is reliable, the metal knobs hold tightly
- Drum heads need replacement
- Requires more time to set up
- Cymbals aren’t that useful
Alesis Drums Nitro Mesh Kit
The only electronic drum set on the list, the Alesis Drums Nitro Mesh Kit, is the best, yet, cheap drum set in the history of electronic drums. They are much quieter, so you can practice anytime without waking up your neighbors and your family. We include an electronic mesh kit on the list because maybe you’re eyeing one, but don’t have the budget for the $1000+ kits.
It’s an eight-piece configuration with 8-inch dual-zone snare pad, three 8-inch top pads, and three 10-inch cymbals (ride, hi-hat, and choke). We like the Nitro Drum module with 40 classic and modern kits, 60 tracks, and over 350 expertly curated sounds. Additionally, you’ll also enjoy the metronome, sequencer, performance recorder, and other features to aid your learning.
- Cheap mesh drum kit, but has good quality
- Setup is very easy, even to those without any know-how
- A lot quieter than an acoustic drum set
- No advance features like different sounds on cymbals
- Double bass pedals don’t work for any player
- Bass drum isn’t of good quality
GP Percussion Junior Drum Set
GP Percussion Junior Drum Set is advertised to be reduced in size, not in quality. This 5-piece drum set comes everything your little ones need to start making drum beats at a young age. It has a 16-inch bass drum, 12-inch floor tom, 8- and 10-inch ride tom, and 10-inch snare.
We’d compared this drum set with Gammon and Mendini’s and it has potential in terms of sound. You can get decent sound without spending time tuning the drums. How much more, if it’s properly tuned?
- Drums sound good even, without better tuning
- A complete drum kit your kids to start playing right away
- Nice setup and seems solid, except the hardware
- Limited options in terms of colors
- Cymbals are almost totally useless, but some kids don’t care
- Hardware is less sturdy than other drum kits in the list
Lagrima 5-Piece Drum Set
Would you believe that you’ll get a cheap drum set with high-grade drums? Believe it or not, Lagrima 5-Piece Drum Set is just under $300, but offers a lot of great features not just for beginners, but for professionals, as well. We love the full-size setup with 22-inch bass drum, 12- and 13-inch tom drums, 14-inch snare drum, and 16-inch floor tom.
All drums are made of real wood shells with a high-gloss finish that makes them look like a real professional drum set. You’ll find interesting craftsmanship here, with the presence of the ringing chord at the bottom, which causes the surface to resonate when the drum is played. Hence, you can get desirable sounds from this set.
- Screws can be adjusted to enhance the resonance effect
- Bass and toms are adjustable to find the best playing position
- Excellent sound quality with better workmanship
- Setup isn’t easy, especially without instructions
- Not all parts came with good quality
Pearl Roadshow Junior
Pearl is one of the brands we trusted. With its years of experience, whether it’s the professional or the Pearl Roadshow Junior drum set, we know it’s a total package. Not very different from the professional set, except that the junior drum set is designed for kids and entry-level drummers.
So, you’ll get 16-inch bass drum, 12-inch snare, 13-inch floor tom, 10- and 8-inch mounted toms.
Drums are sturdy, as they are made of White Poplar shells. They are also easily tunable for kids to have a powerful playing experience. For the convenience of our small drummers, all stands in this drum set are height- and angle-adjustable.
- Reliable and playable set for 10 years old and younger
- Made of great material and solid construction
- Height- and angle-adjustable stands for a better playing experience
- Difficult to set up without any instruction’s manual
- Could be challenging to get the tuning on spot for starters
Best Choice Products Drum kit
You don’t need to have a 5-piece or a 4-piece drum set when you can start with the basic — 3-drum set. The Best Choice Products Drum Kit offers you a child-friendly drum set, including a 12.5-inch bass drum, 8.5-inch and 10-inch mounted toms. This is more than enough for your child to learn the basics of drumming and make a few simple beats.
What’s great about this set, it’ll only cost you less than $100. The setup is compact and small, great for your kid’s bedroom or in the living room. Still, the drums are made of real wood and chrome-plated hardware, so your child will have real playing experience, like a pro.
- Small kit with a compact setup
- Made of real wood drum shells for a more realistic playing experience
- Sturdy hardware, reliable for supporting heavy banging
- Setup isn’t straightforward
- Cymbals are cheap and need replacement
Best Cheap Drum Sets Buying Guide
You’ve seen from the list that there are a lot of the best cheap drum set options on the market — adult-size, junior-size, even electronic drum mesh kit. With all these, it’s easy to be swayed away by all the deals and discounts offered.
Yet, it’s good to spend your money wisely and thoughtfully. Doing so will help you make the most out of your money and get a decent and affordable drum set. Hence, our team has been on the hunt for these interesting products — which you’ve read from above.
Without any considerations, we had not come up with this thorough list. But, since we’ve come up with a guide to help you find the best, it was not very difficult for us to sift through the options and get the top 10. We’ll also share this with you, hoping that this guide will help you find the best, just as how it’s very helpful to us.
Consider Your Budget
Of course, since you’re interested in this article, you’re surely been considering your budget. Spend no more than $500, but not less than $200. This price range will give you a great drum set that has a perfect balance between quality and money. Of course, if you have a smaller budget, a 3-piece drum set might already be a good start.
A Drum Set or A Drum Shell Pack?
You want to save more, you end up choosing a drum shell pack, which is a different deal from a drum set. A drum shell pack only includes the bass drum and toms and in most cases, the snare and the hardware are sold separately. On the contrary, a drum set has everything you need to start playing. Hardware, drum throne, cymbals, and drum key are included, in addition to the drums.
RELATED: Best Beginner Drum Sets
Number of Pieces in the Drum Set
Standard drum set comes with five pieces — bass drum, snare drum, two mounted toms and a floor tom. (The number of pieces in a drum set counts only the number of drums, not including cymbals and hardware). However, if you are on a budget, you can have a 3-piece set or if you have a lot of budget, you can go up to 8+ drum sets. Starting with 3-piece isn’t bad because you can add more toms or snare should you wish to do so.
Acoustic Drums vs. Electronic Drums
Since we include an electric drum kit here, we’ll quickly discuss the difference between the two. Acoustic drums, like you’re used to seeing has metal cymbals with real wood drum shells. The electric kits, on the other hand, use rubber pads that will send sound to an amplifier (or headphones) when hit, explained School of Rock. Both have advantages and disadvantages, which you can further learn from the video below.
This video will give you answers to some of the most common questions people tend to ask when buying a drum set. You’ll also know about the average budget that you need and why. Lastly, you’ll know more about the difference between an acoustic drum set and an electronic one.
Our Top Pick
At less than $300 our top choice fits into anyone’s budget. We know that Gammon 5-Piece Drum Set is our ultimate choice for the best cheap drum set, right from the first time we set our eyes on it. Aside from its affordable price tag, there are three things that we love about this drum set that isn’t found in other cheap drums.
First, it’s a full-size, adult-size, and complete drum set — great for you and your kids. The kids will grow up, eventually, at least with this drum set, you don’t need to buy a new one. Second, it has memory locks that remember your preferred position, even after you dismantle the setup.
And lastly, the price — very affordable. Yes, the cymbals may seem useless or the drum heads need replacement, that’s just almost true to all cheap drum set. At least, you still have spare money to spend on the upgrades, if needed.
