The Best Junior Drum Sets For Kids - A Guide For Grown-Ups
3-Piece Junior Drum Sets
Sound Percussion Labs Lil Kicker D1316
This is a budget 3-piece drum set that has received many positive reviews from people who bought it for children 5 years old and under.
Items Included in this Drum Set:
- 16” x 12” bass drum
- 10” x 4” snare
- 8” x 5” tom
- Hi-hats
- Crash/ride cymbal
- Adjustable height cushioned drum throne
- Kick pedal
- Drum tuning key
- Drum sticks
- Set up instructions
- All stands and hardware included
Specifications:
- CPSIA certified for ages 3 and up
- Available in black, wine red and white finishes
- Multi-ply wood shells
- Tunable and replaceable drumheads
- Single braced hardware
Pros
This has been on our recommended list since January 2017 and it continues to get our stamp of approval due to the ongoing positive reviews it has accumulated. "A good starter kit for toddlers" was a common sentiment in customer reviews. Most people were happy with the sound of the bass drum and the snare. Although it only has single braced hardware most people reported that it was sturdy enough for children.
Cons
Many people who know a bit about drum sets said the cymbals were rather weak sounding, but that's a common complaint with junior kits. One reviewer counted this as positive because the cymbals weren't loud.
Overall
Most parents and grandparents reported that their little drummers were very pleased with their new drum kit when they got this.
4-Piece Junior Drum Set
Ludwig Questlove Pocket Kit
Ludwig has partnered with renowned drummer, Amir "Questlove" Thomson to create the Pocket Kit made for children ages 4-10 years old.
Aside from the hardware, it also includes access to a series of web-based lessons to help with key setup, adjustment and playing technique.
Items Included in this Drum Set:
- 16" x 12" Bass drum
- 10" x 6" Tom tom
- 13" x 10" Floor tom
- 12" x 16"Snare drum
- Foot pedal
- Hi-hat stand
- Cymbal arm
- Snare stand
- Drum throne
- Drum sticks
- Drum key
- Hi-hats
- Crash/Ride Cymbal
Specifications:
- Hardwood shell material
- Comes in a black, silver or red sparkle finish
Pros
A lot of reviewers praised the quality of its hardware, especially the construction of the shells. Its cymbals also have a fairly decent sound for a beginner kit. Many of them found it easy to assemble and tune within a few hours with the help of the video tutorials. One user pointed out that it had extra useful components that aren't usually found in inexpensive drum sets, such as memory locks for the cymbal arm, thread lubricant for the lugs and a rubber protector pad that's used to attach the kick pedal to the kick drum.
Cons
Several reviewers held this kit to a higher standard than they would with other small drum sets due to it being from such a well-respected brand known for their full-size professional drum kits. Some reviewers mentioned its factory heads were not as good sounding as they would have liked and replaced them with new drum heads. A few reports said this is a bit too big for under-fives. It disappointed some since it did not come with an instructional manual, although the videos on the manufacturer's website were informative.
Overall
This is a great beginner's drum kit with an exceptional value for its price. Just beware that it might be a little too big for kids under 5.
Pearl Roadshow RS584C/C
Pearl is a Japanese brand known world over for quality drums and percussion instruments. The Road Show RS584C showcases why they continue to be in demand, with its good balance of specs and value, without compromising quality.
This particular 4-piece set comes with everything you need to start drumming: from kick, tom, floor and snare drums to the stands and arms that hold them, and it comes with a drum throne and drum sticks.
Items Included in this Drum Set:
- 12'' x 18'" Bass drum
- 7'' x 10'' Tom tom
- 10'' x 14'' Floor tom
- 5'' x 13'' Snare drum
- 14" Hi-hats
- 16" Crash/Ride Cymbal
- Hi-hat stand
- Cymbal arm
- Snare stand
- Foot pedal
- Drum throne
- Drum sticks and stick bag
Specifications:
- CPSIA certified for ages 3 and up
- 4 Available finishes (Charcoal Metallic, Bronze Metallic, Jet Black, Red Wine
- 9-ply poplar wood shells
- Tunable and replaceable drumheads
Pros
Overall opinion of the Pearl Roadshow RS584C is quite positive, with many of the reviews coming from beginners or first time owners of drum sets. There is plenty of good feedback regarding the quality of its shells and included hardware, while others are happy with its compact size. Interestingly, not all reviews are from beginners, because there are some who use this as their jazz set, and are impressed with its overall performance.
Cons
There are some experienced drummers who aren't too happy with the durability of the included cymbals, thankfully, students of the instrument will hopefully not be forceful enough to warp or break them.
Overall
If you're a beginner looking for a quality first set, or you're a professional drummer who wants a compact jazz kit to play with, then don't miss out on the Pearl Roadshow RS584C. Note that this kit might be a little bit too big for children under 5.
5-Piece Junior Drum Sets
Ashthorpe DRUM-S-JA-5327
The Ashthorpe Drums-S-JA-5327 is a junior size drum set meant for drummers from 3 to 14 years old.
It comes complete with everything needed to play, along with accessories that include a drum throne and drum sticks.
Finally, this kid-friendly drum kit does not look like a toy with its nice finish options and all-chrome hardware and accents.
Items Included in this Drum Set:
Specifications:
- CPSIA certified for ages 3 and up
- 2 Available finishes (Green, Black)
- Poplar wood shells
- Tunable and replaceable Remo drumheads
Pros
Many of the reviewers are parents who bought the Ashthorpe for their kids, and most of them agree that this is a great beginner drum set. Its compact size gets a lot of thumbs up, with reports of being comfortable for kids of different ages, even as young as 4 years old. It also helps that it doesn't look cheap, rather it is often praised for its pleasing appearance.
Cons
There are some reports of the instruction manual missing, while some parents find the manual to be difficult to follow. Also the size of this kit is not as adult friendly as some junior kits are.
Overall
If you're looking for a budget friendly drum set for your young ones to learn the ropes on, then this is highly recommended.
Mendini MJDS-5
This brand specializes in making Junior Drum Sets, and while they don't have the same prestige as brands like Ludwig and Pearl, they provide good value at a lower price point which is important if you're not sure whether your junior drummer will want to continue playing once the novelty factor wears off.
Items Included in this Drum Set:
- 16" x 11" Bass drum
- 10" x 5" Tom tom
- 8" x 6" Tom tom
- 12" x 10" Floor tom
- 10" x 6"Snare drum
- Foot pedal
- Hi hat stand
- Cymbal arm
- Snare stand
- Drum throne
- Drum sticks
- Drum key
- 8" Hi-hats
- 10" Crash Cymbal
Specifications:
- Laminated wood shells
- Comes in a range of colors including metallic silver, metallic black, metallic green, metallic blue, metallic wine red, and metallic bright red.
Pros
Most owners are quite pleased saying words to the effect that this is a good starter kit for the price. Positive reports came from those who bought it for kids ranging in age from 2.5 to 10 years old. There were quite a few customer reviews written 6 or more months after purchase saying that the kit was reasonably durable and still going strong.
Cons
Some parents who bought this as an upgrade for children who already had a smaller 3-piece set, and had shown they were really into drumming, were disappointed that this kit turned out to be 'entry-level' when they were expecting higher quality - if you're looking for an upgrade for a youngster with drumming experience then we recommend going for one of the Ludwig or Pearl drum sets instead. There were a few complaints about shipping issues with people receiving kits with missing or damaged parts - although it's only a minority of customer reports it is something to consider if you want to have time to get replacements when you're buying this for a special time like a birthday.
Overall
This is a good option as a first drum set, however, if you're looking to upgrade from a 3-piece set then try to see if your budget can stretch to the Pearl kit below.
Pearl Roadshow Jr. RSJ465/C
At publication time this was the Highest Rated Junior Drum Set.
As the name implies, this drum set is a slightly smaller version of their popular Roadshow series, meant to save space and make younger smaller drummers more comfortable while playing.
While the size is small, it does carry with it the quality same shell material as found on regular sized Pearl drums.
Items Included in this Drum Set:
- 10'' x 16'" Bass drum
- 5" x 8" & 5.5" x 10" Toms
- 8'' x 13'' Floor tom
- 4'' x 12'' Snare drum
- 10" Hi-hats
- 13" Crash/Ride Cymbal
- Hi-hat stand
- Cymbal stand
- Snare stand
- Foot pedal
- Drum throne
- Drum sticks
Specifications:
- CPSIA certified for ages 3 and up
- 2 Available finishes (Grind Stone Sparkle, Jet Black
- 6-ply poplar shells
- Tunable and replaceable drumheads
Pros
Many of the reviews are from satisfied parents who bought this drum set for their children, some as young as four years old. The reviews mention good build quality and sound, and more importantly, their children are having fun playing. There are also adults who have the same appreciation for this drum kit, stating that it's a great compact kit to have for those with limited space to play on.
Cons
Few complaints in terms of build quality and sound, just remember that playing this small kit can feel and look awkward for tall drummers.
Overall
If you're looking to get your children their own quality drum set then this is your best bet.
Best Junior Drum Set Selection Methodology
The first edition was published in January of 2017 written by Jason Horton and the latest edition was published on October 9, 2020 written by Alexander Briones with contributions from Jason Horton.
For this 2020 update, we looked at all the junior 3 to 5-piece drum sets listed for sale at the major online music equipment retailers in the USA and created a short-list of 13 kits for detailed analysis. We gathered information from both customer and expert reviews which we have summarized in the descriptions above. We also fed that data into the Gearank Algorithm to produce the Gearank Rating scores out of 100 that you see above - over 3,300 individual rating sources were examined during this process. We then selected the highest rated models to recommend in each category of 3, 4 and 5 piece kits. For more information about our methods see How Gearank Works.
Need Help Selecting a Child's Drum Set?
If you have any questions about junior drum sets just ask them in the comments section below and a member of the Gearank team or our musician audience will answer them for you.
Comments
Hello, I have an average
Submitted by Jesse G (not verified) on
Hello, I have an average sized 7 year old who is recently started taking lessons, using the schools Mapex Tornado set. Would any or all of the above kits work with the Tornado as a home practice kit? Thank you
Although you could get any of
Submitted by Jason Horton on
Although you could get any of the 5-piece kits above, the Mapex Tornado is actually a full size adult kit, and the nearest one to that in terms of size and layout that we recommend is the Tama Imperialstar IE52C.
We have removed the GP
Submitted by Jason Horton on
We have removed the GP Percussion GP50 from the recommended list above due to it no longer being available.
As a result of our October
Submitted by Jason Horton on
As a result of our October 2020 update, the following drum set came of the recommended list above: Ludwig LJR106.
what is the best drum for a
Submitted by Gabe Hart (not verified) on
what is the best drum for a 12 year old
At that age, unless they are
Submitted by Jason Horton on
At that age, unless they are unusually small for a 12yo, we recommend moving up to an adult sized kit.
Here is the list of adult beginner drum sets we recommend.
Hi, I have a junior's drum
Submitted by Avery (not verified) on
Hi, I have a junior's drum kit now that I got from a family member, but the hi hat stand isn't working. I just discovered that the reason for this is that the hi hat cymbals are too heavy for the junior stand, and they were weighing it down. I'm going to get new hi hat cymbals soon, but I'm not sure what to get. Should I get extra thin or thin? Does the width make a difference in the weight?
Hi, my son is almost 7 but is
Submitted by Graham (not verified) on
Hi, my son is almost 7 but is already about 4' 3" and growing about 2.5 - 3.0 inches per year. He is having lessons on a full size kit and copes OK but it is a little wide for him. If he keeps going as he is presently, I expect to buy his first kit at the end of the year, would you agree I'm best choosing a full kit for him that he will soon grow into? Many thanks!
It sounds like he might on
Submitted by Jason Horton on
It sounds like he might be on the cusp of moving up to a full size kit - I would suggest asking his drum teacher whether or not a bigger kit would be best to save having to buy another larger kit too soon afterwards.
My son has turned everywhere
Submitted by Adewale (not verified) on
My son has turned everywhere to drum in the house since he was 20 months. Can I get a drum for him for his birthday? The passion was too much. He will be 2yrs old in few days.
My son is 9 years old but the
Submitted by Wendy (not verified) on
My son is 9 years old but the size of an 11 year old. This would be his 1st drum set. What would be your recommendation? He is 5ft weighing 125pd...
Your son is already getting
Submitted by Jason Horton on
Your son is already getting too tall for one of these small drum kits, so he would be much better served with a full adult sized kit which he won't outgrow.
Take a look at our guide to Beginner Drum Sets.
Unless you're absolutely certain he's going to stick with playing drums, I'd go for one of the less expensive options in that guide.
What is the best drum for a 6
Submitted by Norris (not verified) on
What is the best drum for a 6 year old?
All of the options listed
Submitted by Jason Horton on
All of the options listed above are suitable, however I wouldn't get the more expensive ones unless you know they are committed to playing long term.
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