The World's Best Value Drum Set 🥁
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I found the world’s best value drum kit.
I can’t believe it exists.
That sound! At that price point?
Impossible…
Well, I have 23 years of drumming under my belt — including 18 years of live performance. And I bet you can’t find a better value drum set than the….
Ludwig Breakbeats Questlove 4 Piece Drum Shell Kit
Pros and Cons
Pros: 👍
sounds freakin awesome
convenient small size and lightweight
looks great
reputable brand
incredible value for money
its low price means you're less likely to worry about it getting soaked with beer and knocked about at gigs.
Cons: 👎
not a great setup for heavy metal or heavy rock bands
it’s made from cheaper materials than high-end kits so it might not last forever
Price
When it comes to musical instruments, there's often a massive difference in quality and price between a professional and beginner setup. You can get a shitty beginner's drum set off Amazon or at your local music store for a couple of hundred bucks. The trade-off is that it'll sound and look like trash and it'll probably break the first time you have a bash.
The next option is to get the entry-level set from a respectable brand like Pearl for maybe USD$559, which is fine for practicing at home. But if you're at the level of playing proper gigs, a professional level drum set will have you forking out anywhere from $1000 to $8000+.
But what if I told you there's a drum set for $450 that sounds as good as a "professional" level drum set?
How it holds up at a live show
I actually bought the set for my little practice nook at home - it was small, good-looking and it was made by my go-to drum brand Ludwig. However, I was blown away by how beautiful it sounded straight out of the box without me even changing the heads it came with!
I debuted the little kit at a big outdoor show at a university, which was a bit risky, but that's what mics are for, right? The sound person loved the kit - he came up to me after soundcheck and told me it was the easiest kit to make sound good and thanked me for bringing it. I've had similar comments from several sound engineers since.
The Breakbeat kit packs a real punch when you hit it, but because it's so small, it doesn't ring out and isn't hard to tune. This makes the sound easier for sound engineers to control. Sometimes, I don't even have to bother muffling the toms with moon gels or tape anymore, which is another game-changer as my moon gels had a knack for vanishing as quickly as cigarette lighters.
Hear Nana Dorothea play the Questlove Breakbeats kit on Jimmy Fallon below!
Compact convenience 🏪
The Breakbeat kit was designed by Ludwig and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson who you may know from The Roots or from Jimmy Fallon's house band.
"I wanted to build a device that was apartment-friendly and compact for the street musician; but also something that was quality-sounding," explains Questlove. "A gritty, raw, 'break-able' kit for gigging in clubs that you can fit in a cab." - Questlove
The Breakbeats set is so light that I can carry the whole shell set in one trip when they're packed in travel bags. This is a game-changer. Do any other drummers out there think about why they chose to play the drums when the rest of the band are having beers and you're still packing down?
What genres does it suit? 🐣
As much as I love a tiny kit (I'm a short person with short person arms), some genres like heavy rock will require a big beefy kit for the aesthetic alone. Can you imagine David Grohl rocking out on a little jazz kit? I personally think it'd be sick, but I understand it's not everyone's vibe.
I have been on a lineup with rock bands whose drummers have refused to use my Breakbeat because it's too small. In these cases, I ask them to provide a drum set for the night's backline which is fine by me as it saves me lugging around extra gear! Win!
Materials and aesthetics 😎
Okay, so the main thing that sets apart expensive pro drum sets from the Breakbeat set (aside from price and size) is the quality and aesthetic of the materials used.
In general, I think Ludwig comes up with an awesome range of tasteful colours for the Breakbeats line. I got the kit in a classic silver sparkle wrap (pictured above).
However, this kit has cheap-looking plastic badges on its shells instead of a nice metal badge you'll see on professional kits. The wrap on the shells don't look super high quality either. But overall, this drum set has lasted well over the several years I've had it and I wouldn't expect those fancy details at this low price point anyway.
So... should you get it?
If you’re not playing heavy rock, then yes, get the Ludwig Breakbeats! The beautiful sound of this all-rounder kit will get the job done in all situations, including gigs and studio sessions.
