• Get to Know Drums

• Assemble Your Drum Kit

• Choose Drum Sticks and Cymbals

• Find Drums on eBay Australia

• Buy with Confidence

• Need More Help?

• Legal Disclaimer

Get to Know Drums

Get to Know Drums

When you want to start playing drums, your first decision will be if you want acoustic drums or electronic drums.

• Acoustic drums: Acoustic drums allow you to express the full range of musical expression. Played with both drum sticks and brushes, they produce sound at high volumes that do not require amplification in small venues. 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. Play your drums at lower volumes when playing gigs in small venues, such as jazz clubs or coffee shops, 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.

Consider your recording needs when deciding between acoustic drums and electronic drums. 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. You can lay down drum tracks in one pass and fix any errors with the simple click of a mouse.

Bongo drums, are available on eBay Australia too. Made of wood, metal and composite materials, they are traditionally played with one’s fingers or with brushes to produce high pitched sounds.

Build your drum kit

Most drummers start with a basic drum kit and later 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, 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. Drum stools swivel, unlike traditional stools, and allow you to raise and lower your seat for comfort.

Assemble Your Drum Kit

Assemble Your Drum Kit

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

• Bass drums: Bass drums, typically the largest of all the drums, produce a deep, rich, and heavy sound. The standard size bass drum is 55cm in diameter, but drum sizes can also range from 40cm to 70cm. 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 25cm to 32.5cms. You'll find other options ranging from 15cm to 45cm.

• Floor toms: Floor toms rest on the floor, usually to the right of the snare drum. Sizes range from 30cm to 45cm.

• 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 32.5cm to 35cm in diameter and about 12.5cm 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 snare stand to support your snare drums.

Consider used drums

There is a great selection of new drums and used drums on eBay Australia. You can save money buying used drums, but 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.

Ensure 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 Drum Sticks and Cymbals

Choose Drum Sticks and Cymbals

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

Decide on drum sticks

Drum sticks come in a variety of sizes. The music you want to play determines your drum stick size. For example, beginning rock drummers should choose 5A drum sticks, jazz drummers need smaller 7A drum sticks, and drummers who plan to play in an orchestra or marching band need larger drum sticks sized 3A or lower. Buy drum sticks 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 drum sticks.

Pick out cymbals

Zildjian cymbals and cymbal stands, Sabian cymbals and cymbal stands, Bosphorus cymbals and cymbal stands, and Wuhan cymbals and 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 42.5cm to 60cm. 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 30cm to 50cm.

• Hi-hat cymbals: Used for maintaining rhythm, hi-hat cymbals range in size from 32.5cm to 37.5cm 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 fall into the specialty cymbal category. They accent music with a short, syncopated sound. They’re available in 15cm, 20cm, and 25cm sizes.

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

Buy new cymbals for long-term use. 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 Australia

Find Drums on eBay Australia

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

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. As you dig deeper into the site, you'll also be able to narrow down your choice further by brand or item type.

• Keyword Search: Search eBay Australia listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find a snare drum, type “snare drum” (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay Australia'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 Australia Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay, and eBay Australia will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy with Confidence

Buy with Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay Australia 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 Australia (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay Australia are not covered by eBay Australia protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay Australia 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 Australia 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 Australia 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 unauthorised payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,500.      

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

Need More Help?

Need More Help?

Visit our help pages or start a thread on one of our Community Discussion Boards - If you have a quick question that needs answering, try posting it on our community Answer Centre - there's bound to be a seasoned eBay Australia veteran with just the information you're looking for!

Legal Disclaimer

Legal Disclaimer

Buying Guides are intended merely as a guide or review for members when considering what products or services they may be interested in bidding on or purchasing. eBay does not make, and nothing in these Buying Guides is intended to constitute, any warranties, guarantees, representations or assurances about the accuracy of the information or content contained in these Buying Guides. Furthermore, eBay does not make, and nothing in these Buying Guides is intended to constitute, any warranties, guarantees, representations or assurances about the nature or performance of the products or services appearing in the Buying Guides. eBay is not affiliated with nor does it endorse the use of any particular product or service.