How much do electric drums cost? The cheapest, most basic electronic drums can start at as little as £229/$299, with a decent quality kit for beginners going for around £749/$849, while the highest-end professional kits can cost up to £7,699/$8,499. In this article, we’ll explore how much you should really spend on an electronic drum kit.
- Are electronic drums expensive?
- How much should a beginner spend on an electronic drum kit?
- What’s a more realistic amount to spend on a good quality beginner drum kit?
- What extras do you need to budget for when buying eDrums?
- How much should established drummers spend on an eDrum kit?
- FAQs
- Wrapping up: How much do electronic drums cost?
Are electronic drums expensive?
Electronic drums are generally more expensive than acoustic drums, for the average drummer. The difference is in what you get for your money at various price points. A £300 or $350 acoustic drum kit will play as well as a £3000 or $3500 acoustic drum kit, but a comparatively priced electronic kit will not. In a nutshell, there is a higher entry point for electronic drums where you’ll be able to get a kit that plays as well as an acoustic kit.
How much should a beginner spend on an electronic drum kit?
Is it a good idea to buy that bottom-of-the-range electronic kit for just £229 or $299? Unfortunately, the answer is probably not. Electronic drums this cheap often are not going to be as good to play as a more expensive kit.
As we explore in another post on whether it’s better to learn on an acoustic or electric kit, one of the downsides of an electronic kit is they don’t respond as accurately as a real kit would do. The unfortunate truth is that a cheap, beginner-level kit is actually not great for beginners, as the technology (or lack thereof) at this low price usually means these kits are not great for playing dynamics or feel.
So-called beginner-level kits tend to have more in common with toys as a result, rather than proper musical instruments.
What’s a more realistic amount to spend on a good quality beginner drum kit?
If you’re serious about learning how to play the drums, it’s worth spending more. As explained in the intro, a good kit costs around £749/$849 in 2022, which is the price we found a Roland TD-07DMK for.
This kit is worth a look for a beginner for a couple of reasons. Firstly because the pads are equipped with mesh heads, which, while feeling slightly different to real drum heads, are much more realistic to play than the rubber pads you tend to find on bargain-basement eDrum kits. Learn more in our review of the TD-07.
Second is the brand name – Roland has been in the business of electronic drums since the 80s, with their V-Drums line coming out in the late 90s. Over the years the company has built a reputation for dependability. Many of their drum pads remain unchanged for years, which is in fact a good thing, as you know those pads are dependable.
An alternative for slightly more is the Yamaha DTX6-KX going for around £857/$999. For this price, you benefit from Yamaha’s signature silicon drum pad on the snare, which feels remarkably similar to a real acoustic kit. However, the trade-off is having to step down to rubber pads on the toms, though these are typically lesser-used than the snare.
If you get a chance, try these kits out in a local dealer before buying, and compare against both cheaper and more expensive models and brands if you can. Most music stores allow serious customers to try out their products – just ask!
What extras do you need to budget for when buying eDrums?
If you’re buying your first set of eDrums, there are some extras that are not included and you’ll need to purchase:
- Drum stool
- Pair of sticks
- Bass drum pedal
- Hi-hat stand (only if your chosen kit has a stand-mounted hi-hat, though most budget kits do not)
Want to get these extras for a discount? Often, dealers will sell eDrum bundles, packing in these important accessories with a kit. This is because some eDrum manufacturers don’t allow dealers to discount their products, so they have to get creative, and bundling in products is one way to win customers.
Even if your local store doesn’t advertise a bundle, it’s worth trying for a discount if you purchase these accessories from them.
How much should established drummers spend on an eDrum kit?
If you already play the drums and want a decent electronic kit to practice on, how much should you spend? Chances are, you’re looking to spend a bit more for a kit that will last a long time.
At the eDrumHub, we think the sweet spot for a great eDrum kit is around £2000-3800 or $2500-5200. For this price, you’re highly likely to find a kit that will reward you with many years of service and have the feel and playability that more closely matches a real acoustic drum kit.
Above this price, the cost-effectiveness drops off significantly. Yes, there are some incredible drum kits like the latest Roland VAD 706, but the truth is, this offers very little on top of a Roland VAD 506 costing half the price, aside from looks.
There are two routes you can go down – a ‘traditional’ eDrum kit with small, shallow pads, or one of the newer eDrum trends – acoustic-looking electronic drums.
These acoustic-style eDrums use real acoustic drum shells with mesh drum heads and internal triggers, and typically have larger, more realistically sized cymbal pads. On a stage, they look like a real drum kit, the only giveaway is the black rubber on the cymbals and the drum module.
If this sounds of interest, then we recommend checking out either of the following kits:
- ATV aDrums
- Roland VAD 503/506
Both are solid mid-range kits with all the essential features you need, costing up to £3800 or $5299 for the full-size Roland 506, which features an additional cymbal and tom compared to the 503 or ATV kits.
If looks are less important to you, then you can save a bit of money by going with a more ‘traditional’ eDrum look. For an experienced or intermediate level drummer, we would recommend considering the following, which are available for around £2500 or $3200
- Roland TD-27KV
- Yamaha DTX8K-X
For a more modest budget of around £1400-2200 or $1900-2800 you might consider one of the following:
- Roland VAD 306
- Roland TD17KVX
- Yamaha DTX6K3-X
We have chosen these kits specifically because they are among the cheapest kits from reputable brands that come with a hi-hat pad that is mounted on a hi-hat stand. This is important for playability – cheaper kits have ‘static’ hi-hat pads with an independent footswitch, which feels nowhere near how a real hi-hat is to play.
FAQs
Wrapping up: How much do electronic drums cost?
While eDrums can cost as little as £229/$299, we think a realistic entry point for a beginner kit is £749/$849, with the sweet spot for quality and value being somewhere in the range of £2000-3800 or $2500-5200, depending on your personal requirements.
As always, our tips for buying an electronic drum kit is to ensure you research the kits that are available at your local dealer, check out reviews, and think carefully about what you need now or what you might need in the future. It is entirely possible to buy an electronic drum kit that will last a long time, so be sure to pick something that you or your child can grow into. Lastly, when you purchase the ideal kit, be sure to look after it! Check out our guide to keeping eDrums clean for more tips.
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