• Get to Know Drums

• Assemble Your Drum Kit

• Choose Drumsticks and Cymbals

• Find Drums on eBay

• Buy Drums With Confidence

Get to Know Drums

Get to Know Drums

When you want to start playing the drums, first decide if you want acoustic drums or electronic drums.

• Acoustic drums: Acoustic drums allow you to express the full range of musical expression. They produce sound at high volumes that do not require amplification in small venues. Plus, you can play acoustic drums with both drumsticks and brushes. Acoustic drums typically weigh more than electronic drums.

• Electronic drums: Electronic drums such as Yamaha electronic drums and Roland electronic drums require amplification from a drum amplifier or PA system to produce sound at loud volumes. Simply play your drums at lower volumes when playing gigs in small venues, such as coffee shops or jazz clubs, or plug in headsets to play your drums at home without disturbing the neighbours. With no microphones to move, electronic drum sets accelerate sound checks prior to a show, but require a good monitoring system that allows you to hear yourself play.

When choosing between acoustic drums and electronic drums, consider your recording needs. Electronic drums produce a concise, consistent sound during recording sessions. They also let you incorporate unique music samples, trigger sounds and music samples, alter pitch, and easily add effects such as reverb and delay. Electronic drums usually support Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), a technology that allows you to connect your drums to a computer for easy recording and editing. Lay down drum tracks in one pass and fix any errors with a simple mouse click.

Build your drum kit

Most drummers start with a basic drum kit and then add additional drums to fit their playing needs. Start building your drum kit by buying a basic drum set or trap set.

• Drum sets: Basic drum sets have five pieces, including a bass drum, two mounted toms, a floor tom, and a snare drum.

• Drum trap sets: Drum trap sets can either be a basic drum set with the addition of a hi-hat or a drum kit with a bass drum, snare drum, and hi-hat.

Once you have your basic drum kit, add a second bass drum, additional toms, more cymbals, tambourines, woodblocks, cowbells, electronic drum pads that trigger sampled sounds, or other accessory instruments.

You'll also need a foot pedal for each bass drum and a drum stool or throne to sit on while playing. Unlike traditional stools, drum stools swivel and allow you to raise and lower your seat for comfort.

Assemble Your Drum Kit

Assemble Your Drum Kit

Each type of drum looks slightly different and produces a different sound. Get to know the key elements of a drum kit so you know what to look for when you shop on eBay.

• Bass drums : Bass drums, typically the largest of all the drums, produce a deep, rich, and heavy sound. The standard size bass drum is 22 inches in diameter, but drum sizes can also range from 16 inches to 28 inches. You play bass drums with a spring-loaded foot pedal that, when depressed, causes a mallet to strike the bass drum. A double drum pedal allows you to simulate playing two bass drums at once.

• Mounted toms: Single- or double-headed mounted toms have an adjustable mounting that you can fit on a tom stand or attach to a bass drum. Standard sizes range from 10 inches to 13 inches. You'll find other options ranging from six inches to 18 inches.

• Floor toms: Floor toms rest on the floor, usually to the right of the snare drum. Sizes range from 12 inches to 18 inches.

• Snare drums: A snare drum, also known as a side drum, produces a short, sharp "snap" sound when you hit it. Snare drums are available in many different diameters and depths. The standard size piccolo snare drum is 13 inches to 14 inches in diameter and about 5 inches deep. It produces a high-sounding snap. Many drummers opt to have more than one snare drum in their drum set for a more dynamic sound. Don't forget to buy a metal tripod snare stand to support your snare drums.

Consider used drums

You'll find a large selection of new drums and used drums on eBay. You can save money buying used drums, but you'll need to carefully evaluate the photographs of the drums in item listings, read the details in item descriptions, and get any questions answered by the seller before you buy.

Make sure used drums have top and bottom heads in relatively good shape, an exterior finish in good condition, and secure locking mechanisms. Along with sturdy hardware, you'll want all the tuning lugs to be in place. Toms need to be in correct circular shape with no warping.

Used name brand drums usually have a higher resale value than other drums.

Choose Drumsticks and Cymbals

Choose Drumsticks and Cymbals

Drumsticks and cymbals can define you as a drummer and help you make the most of your drum kit.

Decide on drumsticks

Drumsticks such as Vic Firth drumsticks, Pro Mark drumsticks, and Regal Tip drumsticks come in various sizes. The music you want to play determines your drumstick size. For example, beginning rock drummers should choose 5A drumsticks, jazz drummers need smaller 7A drumsticks, and drummers who plan to play in an orchestra or marching band need larger drumsticks sized 3A or lower.

Buy drumsticks in matching pairs so that they'll share the same pitch and offer consistent sound quality. Invest in drum brushes if you want to achieve a softer-sounding vibration than drumsticks.

Pick out cymbals

Bosphorus cymbals and cymbal stands, Meinl cymbals and cymbal stands, and Sabian cymbals and cymbal stands are all top-notch. When selecting cymbals, decide what size and thickness will best support you as a player.

• Ride cymbals: Play beats and maintain rhythm with ride cymbals. Ride cymbals produce a light, sharp sound and measure 17 inches to 24 inches. They are usually the largest cymbals in a set.

• Crash cymbals: A favourite of rock drummers, crash cymbals accentuate music with a loud, sharp, and comparatively short "crash." They come in sizes from 12 inches to 20 inches.

• Hi-hat cymbals: Used for maintaining rhythm, hi-hat cymbals range in size from 13 inches to 15 inches and provide a short, muted, percussive sound. Place them one on top of another on a specialty hi-hat stand. Hi-hat stands have a spring-loaded mechanism that allows you to depress a pedal and make the cymbals crash together.

• Splash cymbals: Splash cymbals, a type of specialty cymbal, accent music with a short, syncopated sound. They’re available in 6-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch sizes.

• China cymbals/swish cymbals: China cymbals, also called swish cymbals, offer a “trashy” tone akin to the sound of a gong.

For long-term use, buy new cymbals. Used cymbals cost less than new cymbals and work well for practice. Some drummers also prefer the unique sound a cymbal achieves with use.

Find Drums on eBay

Find Drums on eBay

Once you know what type of drums you want, go to the Musical Instruments portal, click the Drums link under Percussion, and start searching for item listings on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Bass, Snare, Toms, World, Sets, and Other. As you dig deeper into the site, you'll also be able to narrow down your choice by brand or item type.

• Keyword Search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find a snare drum, type “snare” (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay, and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Drums With Confidence

Buy Drums With Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to C$1,250.

• eBay Security & Resolution Centre: Visit the Security & Resolution Centre to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.