Compact drum sets have seen a recent resurgence in the drumming community. While previously seen largely in jazz club settings, small-sized setups are now used by a much wider range of drummers. Compact kits are great for transport and volume control. Plus, with modern drumhead technology, these drums can sound fantastic in a wide variety of situations.
That leads to the question – ‘what are the best compact drum sets?’ The good news is you don’t have to spend a ton to get a nice compact drum set. Sure, spending thousands of dollars on small-sized professional shells will sound great, but we’re going to focus on the much more popular price range of under $1000. That’s where the value is, so we chose our 4 favorite models that don’t cost an arm and a leg.
On with the list! These are the best compact drum sets to buy (under $1000).
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PDP New Yorker
4-pc Shell Pack
Specs:
Poplar shells
16×14 bass drum
10×8 rack tom
13×12 floor tom
14×5 snare drum
Tom mount included
The PDP New Yorker is the least expensive model on this list. Both its sizes and materials help keep costs down, while maintaining a good enough quality level for many drummers. It doesn’t have the warmest tone or widest tuning range, but it’s a good set for the price. This kit comes in several color options, the parts are solid, adjustments are smooth, and the tom holder is well-designed.
What we like:
Lug Count: The New Yorker’s bass drum has 8 lugs per side. Other 16″ bass drums, like the Ludwig Pocket Kit bass drum, only have 6 lugs. Extra lugs make tuning easier, and the tuning holds longer. The New Yorker’s toms and snare have the standard 6 and 8 lug designs.
Tom Holder: This drum set uses a ball-in-socket bass drum mounted tom holder, like all the models on this list. The PDP mount is sturdy and easy to use. It also includes an extra slot for a cymbal arm. The cymbal arm is sold separately, but the kit is ready to go if you’d like to add one.
What we don’t like:
Shell Type: The PDP New Yorker uses poplar shells with small diameters. That combination leads to a basic sound that isn’t as warm as the other drums we’ll discuss. It also makes tom resonance more difficult to achieve. Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that the choice of poplar plays a part in keeping costs low.
Upgrades & Add-Ons:
Heads: All of the drum sets on this list come with cheap heads, even if they’re stamped with a name brand logo. The PDP New Yorker comes with Chinese-version Remo heads, which aren’t as good as standard heads. Feel free to use the stock heads up, but you’ll probably want to at least upgrade the batter heads before too long.
Cymbal Arm: If you want to utilize the mount’s extra slot to hold a cymbal, you’ll have a number of options. To keep everything in the PDP family, try the PDAX934SQG. If you want to save some money, the Gibraltar SC-4425MB is a very good value.
Tama Club Jam
4-pc Shell Pack
Specs:
Poplar shells
18×12 bass drum
10×7 rack tom
14×7 floor tom
13×5 snare drum
Tom & cymbal mounts included
The Tama Club Jam is one of the most popular compact kits currently on the market. Like the PDP New Yorker, it uses poplar shells. That comes with tonal limitations, but the Club Jam has larger diameters, helping the drums resonate. The Tama includes a cymbal arm, tom holder, and it comes in several great color options. All together, it’s a great little package for its price.
What we like:
Dimensions: The Tama Club Jam has unique shell dimensions that result in an interesting blend of performance and transportability. This set could be viewed as a cross between single-headed pancake kits and kits with standard sizes. It’s a design that works well. Pitches can be tuned fairly low due to the diameters. Short depths reduce tone, but make transport much easier.
Cymbal Holder: This drum set includes an old school cymbal arm, attached off-center on the bass drum shell. It doesn’t allow for as many positions as either a stand or an arm that’s attached to a center tom holder, but it’s positioned where most players would want it. You can adjust this arm in multiple directions and angles.
Finish Options: The Club Jam comes in 5 wrap finishes and 1 satin finish. Other compact kits in this price range have fewer colors to choose from. The satin finish costs more, but it’s a nice option. The wraps are all tasteful, while coordinating well with this kit’s natural bass drum hoops.
What we don’t like:
Lug Count: Perhaps the biggest downside to this kit is the 6-lug bass drum. It’s a money-saver, but many drummers would rather pay a little more for an 8-lug design. On an 18”-diameter drum, having 6 lugs often leads to tension rods loosening, especially at low tunings. You may be playing a gig, then hear a rattling sound from a loose rod. Having another 2 lugs would solve most of those issues.
Shell Type: Tama now uses a poplar shell on the Club Jam. It was previously a hybrid shell – mainly poplar, but with a ply of mersawa to add a touch more warmth. Poplar restricts tone somewhat, although the Club Jam’s diameters do help. If you like a drier sound that can still be tuned fairly low, the Club Jam shell should work well for you.
Upgrades & Add-Ons:
Heads: Like all of the drums on this list, the included heads are not high quality. Feel free to use them, but it’s important to realize the drums have more potential than what’s out of the box. The fact that these drums aren’t extremely undersized helps with head options. Very small drums often sound choked with thick heads. The Club Jam has more versatility, although poplar usually sounds better with heads in a medium thickness.
Yamaha Stage Custom Hip
4-pc Shell Pack
Specs:
Birch shells
20×8 bass drum
10×5 rack tom
13×8 floor tom
13×5 snare drum
Tom mount included
The Yamaha Stage Custom series has been a great value for many years. We even included the 14″ snare in our Best Values: Snare Drums. Yamaha’s newest edition to the series is the Stage Custom Hip. It’s a super-convenient kit with nice features. Like the Tama Club Jam, it uses larger diameters and shallower depths than most compact kits. The Yamaha has an upgraded birch shell and lacquer finishes. Along with its good build quality, the Stage Custom Hip could be a great choice for many drummers.
What we like:
Shell Type: The Stage Custom Hip pack is the only model on this list with a birch shell. That’s a sizable upgrade from poplar, leading to a richer musical tone. The shells are also well-constructed. Yamaha has many years of experience constructing Stage Custom birch shells, so you know you’re getting solid craftsmanship with these drums.
Dimensions: Like the Tama Club Jam, the Stage Custom Hip’s shell dimensions strikes a balance between performance and transportability. The bass drum is particularly interesting, with a 20″ diameter and 8″ depth. It’s punchy and articulate, and can be tuned fairly low. Despite their short depths, the toms are also fuller in tone than you might expect.
Finishes: This Yamaha kit comes in 3 lacquer finishes (Classic White is also scheduled to be available). That’s not many options, but the finishes are very tasteful and well-made. Most compact kits under $1000 have wrap finishes, so it’s nice to see Yamaha offering an upgraded alternative.
Hybrid Floor Tom: Yamaha includes a hybrid tom-snare with this kit. It has a snare strainer, allowing you to play the drum as either a floor tom or as a low-pitched snare drum. There is a small reduction in tone as a floor tom, due to the thinner resonant head. However, the benefits outweigh that cost for most drummers.
What we don’t like:
Tom Holder: The Stage Custom Hip uses a tom-only mount. It’s easy to use and holds strong, but it doesn’t include either a cymbal arm or a slot for one. Most drummers simply use a separate cymbal stand, but you can also add a cymbal arm with a clamp.
Upgrades & Add-Ons:
Heads: The previously-mentioned drums come with clear batter heads on the bass drum and toms. The Yamaha includes coated tom heads. That warms up the tone, although some drummers don’t prefer coating. The bass drum head is clear and has a dampening ring. Like any drum set in this price range, the quality level of the included drumheads aren’t as good as professional aftermarket heads.
Cymbal Holder: As we mentioned, the Stage Custom Hip doesn’t include a cymbal arm or a slot to put one in. If you want to use a cymbal arm with a clamp, you’ll have several options. To keep everything Yamaha, you would need something like the CH-750 and CSAT-924AW. A good one-piece solution is the Gibraltar SC-GCA.
Sonor AQ2 Bop
4-pc Shell Pack
Specs:
Maple shells
18×14 bass drum
12×8 rack tom
14×13 floor tom
14×6 snare drum
Tom & cymbal mounts included
The Sonor AQ2 Bop kit is the most standard jazz-sized kit on this list. With the traditional 18/12/14 bass and tom setup, it’s a configuration that’s been used many times. However, the White Marine AQ2 is currently our favorite 4-pc bop kit under $1000. The maple shells, parts, and included mounts are better than the kit’s price would suggest. It’s not perfect, but the AQ2 Bop will give you the best sound quality on this list.
What we like:
Shell Type: The AQ2 is the only model on this list with a maple shell. Maple provides a warm tone, especially when coupled with Sonor’s quality control. These drums have a fairly wide tuning range and they work well with many different types of drumheads.
Tom Holder: The tom holder is one of our favorite designs available. It’s not only a ball-in-socket holder, but the rod can slide through the ball. Additionally, the rod has long and short sides, so you can even decide between having more horizontal or vertical reach.
Cymbal Arm: While it’s not as innovative as the tom holder, the included cymbal arm is made very well. Each aspect is durable and strong. The arm is heavier in weight than the other arms we mentioned, which comes with pros and cons. The Sonor arm is very reliable, but it’s also a bit of extra weight to carry.
What we don’t like:
Finish Options: The Sonor AQ2 Bop comes in several colors, but most are significantly more expensive than the White Marine wrap finish. The premium lacquer finishes look great, but another couple of wrap options would certainly be welcomed by drummers who aren’t fans of White Marine.
Upgrades & Add-Ons:
Heads: Sonor includes coated single-ply batter heads for the toms and snare, along with a clear Powerstroke bass drum head. Like the other heads we mentioned on this list, they’re Chinese-made. They can certainly be used, but you’ll get better results using aftermarket options.
Wrap-Up
Those are our picks for best compact drum sets! If you’re looking for a portable drum set, you’ve never had so many options as you do now. Of course, that means sorting through more information. Hopefully this list helped you narrow down your choices to the one that’s best for you!
By Peter Treuden – About the Author
Want to make your gigs even easier? Check out our picks for Best Lightweight Drum Hardware!
For what it’s worth, I got the Tama club jam after reading this and other reviews. It’s been great so far! The heads on it were bad, but I expected that. After changing those to vintage ambassadors the drums sounded better than I could have hoped. Controlled and warm. If fits perfectly in my practice space. The cymbal arm is really helpful. It also looks really great.
Basically, I highly recommend the Tama if you want a good kit that saves space!