Often we get customers in the shop who are unsure whether an acoustic or electronic drum kit is the right choice. Here is a typical conversation:

Customer: “Hi, we are thinking about buying a drum kit for our son/daughter/ourselves but are not sure whether acoustic or electronic is the way to go. What would you recommend?”

Drum Shop: “The first question is how are you set up for noise with your neighbours? Acoustic drums can be loud!”

Customer: “That is definitely a problem – we don’t want our neighbours banging on the walls!” 

Drum Shop “OK, whilst you can’t beat the feel of an acoustic kit, if noise is a real issue – go electronic. Plenty of gigging drummers have an electronic set at home for the same reason. They are a lot of fun as well.

Customer: “But is it easy to switch between electronic and acoustic drums if you have to”.

Drum Shop: “What we find is that provided you choose an electronic kit with a proper kick pedal (all the better ones have this) you should be fine. There is a slight difference in feel between electronic and acoustic but you quickly get used to this.”

Customer: “I heard that you can put special ‘mesh’ heads on acoustic drums to make them quieter. What about getting an acoustic drum kit and doing that?”

Drum Shop: “Yes mesh drum heads have small perforations in them making them much quieter than normal heads but keeping a similar feel.  That is a really good idea if you’ve inherited a drum kit from somewhere and want to make it quieter. But if you are starting from scratch we would question why you would buy a new acoustic drum kit and then put mesh heads on it. Apart from increasing your costs, most decent electronic drum kits have mesh heads anyway and with the electronic triggering, you get all the fantastic sounds you get from them. Also the cymbals on acoustic kits are loud! So, as well as the mesh heads, you would end up having to get a separate set of quiet cymbals.”

Customer: “Quiet cymbals – I’ve not heard of them! What are they like?”

Drum Shop: “They are basically like normal cymbals but full of lots of holes and so sound much quieter. Most of the major cymbal manufacturers make them – you can get more expensive and budget ones.

Customer: “But what about these soft drum pads you can put on top of the drums – do they make acoustic drums quieter?”

Drum Shop: “They do but the drums really become awful to play – so squidgy! And the cymbals sound terrible. You are better off putting mesh heads on”.

Customer: “What about exams? Can you take exams on an electronic kit?”

Drum Shop: “You certainly can! Both Trinity and Rock School are fine with that.”

Customer: “How about if whoever is playing the drums want to play along with someone who is playing the guitar?  How does that work with an electronic kit”

Drum Shop: “That’s achieved but getting with an external drum amplifier – or if you’ve an existing bass amp, that could work. Guitar amps arn’t usually that great as the distortion makes the drums sound a bit harsh. Decent new drum amps typically start around £150.”

Customer: “Talking of price, how do the costs of acoustic and electronic compare?”

Drum Shop: “Overall very similar we would say. You can get a decent basic acoustic starter kit from the likes of Mapex which includes drums, cymbal, stool, stands – everything you need – for about £450. Whereas an electronic kit bundle (with a proper bass drum pedal) with headphones and stool stool costs a similar amount. Obviously you can spend more on both, but that gives an idea of a reasonable starting point”

Customer:  “What about if we get good and have a gig – would we take the electronic drums to a gig? “

Drum Shop: “Realistically that is unlikely.  All decent rehearsal studios and most gigging venues will already have the main parts of an acoustic drum kit, i.e. the drums and the stands set up. Typically all you need to need to bring are cymbals and at that point it would be worth investing in a decent set of those.  Sometimes you might also need a pedal or a snare drum.  But it is rare, especially when you are starting out, that you need to cart the whole kit to a gig.”

Customer: “So can we try acoustic or electronic kits out?”

Drum Shop: “You certainly can! We have drum kits set up in our Glasgow store.  Hopefully we’ll see you soon!

Customer: “That’s great!”