Whether you are looking for your first of many drum sets, or you are just an enthusiast who likes drumming during their spare time or even looking for a drum set that forms a good stepping stone for your future Keith Moon – as long as your main goal is quality without breaking the bank – then this article would be more than suitable for you.
Now, during your search, you must have found plenty of offers (in case you haven’t looked at other web sites, let me save you the trouble by telling you we have the best right here for you); however, most of the kits that you came across will eventually prove to be a waste of money. After all, some drum sets are just more durable and sound better.
Which brings me to the main focus points of this article where I will be reviewing two of the cheapest, yet most versatile beginner drum sets on the market. Brought to you by Gammon Percussion, the first one is a full sized Gammon adult drum set; more suitable for drummers who are over five feet. The second is a Gammon junior drum set; perfect for people under five feet.
What I basically aim to achieve by way of this article is to provide a justification for the drum sets being dubbed as some of the cheapest and most versatile kits available these days.
Gammon Full Size Drum Set
Despite making a fuss about the sizes in the above paragraphs about people having to be five feet tall to go on this ride, you have to keep in mind that as long as you can reach everything, you are most certainly good to go.
The Gammon was designed for aspiring drummers and children with very little to no experience at all; mostly because of its quality. Although it is relatively high, it is just not professional “live-performance” level.
On the other hand, anyone who decides to give it a try will definitely fall in love with drumming, which would be a good thing because this drum set would be a highly effective way in developing drumming skills and nurturing that pure passion for drumming.
What is in the box?
Such an important question to ask when you’re buying a drum set (or when a serial killer leaves a box for you in the middle of the desert).
Once you rip through the packaging container labeled ‘Gammon Percussion’, you will find a complete Gammon drum set in either black or blue. The full set consists of the five basic drums, a hi-hat and a ride cymbal along with their stands, a bass pedal, drumsticks, a drum throne (the tiny chair) and a drum key (for tuning); along with other hardware and an instructional DVD.
Yes. You heard me correct. An instructional DVD.
In order to successfully and easily assemble the drum set, you simply need to follow the instructions provided in a lovely digital user manual.
The Pulp
To reiterate, since the Gammon is meant to be used for regular jam sessions, the company promises two things; a good, clean sound as well as structural integrity.
It is not that the drum set is bad or undependable, on the contrary, it can take quite the beating. The actual reason behind not using the Gammon during live performances is that you would have to buy many upgrades like; drum heads and cymbals, which will cost you a lot. So, you might as well just buy a more expensive drum set from a drum head specialized company.
A further explanation to the whole “upgrade” thing is that nowadays, drum manufacturers find it more profitable to focus on one product and perfect its manufacturing process and design. This is why they would rarely go out of their way to make cymbals of lower quality. The same applies to drum heads. They have to be replaced as well to provide a more accurate, sharp and focused sound.
Can it take a beating?
Yes.
The hardware supplied with the set is of a high quality and can withstand years of hardcore drumming. In fact, you might actually change the drum heads a couple of times before seeing any wear and tear marks on the hard ware.
How long can it take a beating for?
If this were a normal web site, I would have written a big fat paragraph about various unrelated features of the drum kit without directly answering the question. But, since it is not, I will not talk about how the lifespan of a drum set usually depends on how long you use it, how hard you hit and the quality of the parts. Nor will I state that a good drum set will show signs of wear and tear after approximately one year, yet it always comes back to the quality of the material.
The Gammon is made out of real solid wood combined with steel hardware which gives the drum set a life-expectancy of about one or more years.
The element of cool
The reason most people go into drumming, yet, no one will dare admit is that drums just look awesome. In the words of Jack Black, “You can be the ugliest sad sack on the planet, but if you are in a rocking band, you’re the cat’s pajamas.”
Another great feature provided by Gammon Percussion is their great visual appeal. They just know how to make a drum kit look sexy. They offer two available finishes; blue and black. I personally prefer the black one because aside from it being super sleek, classy and badass, most of my favorite bands use black drum kits. So, when I’m pretending to play for one of these bands, it helps to have a similar drum kit.
On the other hand, there is the blue finish which is definitely an out-of-the-box choice for a drum set.
Is it a good drum set?
Define a good drum set. We often get too involved in technicalities that we forget to simply enjoy the music. Kids on the other hand, they don’t care. Why would they?
So, to answer your question, yes it is a good drum set because it will captivate your kid by showing them how much joy comes from playing the drums.
Is it going to fall apart?
The Gammon is a sturdy model so I can assure you it will not break apart while they are playing. On the other hand, if they start brutally abusing the drums, well… all I can say is that a Gammon snare drum is not meant to be sat on.
Then again, this is the way it usually goes, so we can’t blame this on the drum set.
How does it look?
Now we are asking the real questions.
As I said before, the way the drums look is an important factor to keep in mind during the purchase. For children though, it is the only factor that matters. I can’t stress this enough.
Luckily Gammon knows that which is why the drum set comes in four finishes; black, blue, red and pink, to match all tastes.
So, for the sake of your child, let them choose the color they want. The most important thing is to enjoy their experience.
A Gammon Percussion Review at a Glance
To recap, the Gammon drum set review is not at all different from the Gammon junior drum set review.
Both drum sets are similar in quality and sound except for the size of the set up and the number of pieces. Which speaking of, my final advice would be to just buy your kid the adult drum set.
It would not be a problem for your kids to adapt to the size of the set up plus, keep in mind that children grow up fast and before you know it, the junior kit would not be enough for them.
On the other hand, the Gammon drum set would guarantee your child a lot more fun, because of its size and feel. Which is what you want to aim for; making sure your kid knows how drumming truly feels like so they get a fair chance when choosing to continue on with learning the drums.
