I bought a Mapex Voyager drum set, and I must say, I love it. Maybe it’s just my inner-thug talking here, but there’s something really fun about whaling away on something with wooden sticks. And what’s better, I can call it music.
The drums came at $500, a pretty good price for a beginner set, and especially one of high quality. Disclaimer: I bought from a local store, and I’m pretty sure that the owner was nice enough to give me the set at a discounted price. At any rate, I think they go for $600 normally. Still not too bad.
The drums are very nice. Solidly built, strong, and I’m sure they’ll last a long time. The hardware is great too. My one complaint is probably the cymbals. Mine are already beginning to warp, and I’ve only had the set for about a month. Of course, they aren’t exactly name brand, so I probably should’ve expected that. Anyway, I can buy new ones.
Setup was easy, and took less than an hour. They came with an instructional DVD that was quite helpful, and I had them up in no time. My only complaint was that you need to tune the drums, and I found the DVD rather unhelpful with that. I think I’m going to need a drummer to come in and help me get it right…
After setup, I went to work. Like any skill, it’s actually a lot harder than it looks. Guys in bands play like it’s second nature, but it takes a lot of practice. I played three or four hours a day for about a week straight, and it took me that long just to master a basic beat. I wonder how long it’ll take me to play my first drum solo…
