The Best Jazz Drum Kits for Under $1000 Compared (2024)
How do the jazz drum sets offered by the main brands differ? Which should you buy?
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In this article:
Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz: our verdict - 4/5
Pearl Roadshow: our verdict - 4/5
Yamaha Stage Custom: our verdict - 5/5
Mapex Mars: our verdict - 4/5
Tama Club Jam: our verdict - 3/5
Ratings out of 5 are based on our view of suitability, quality and value for money for beginner to intermediate players wanting to play jazz or other light styles.
Choosing a drum set is exciting. But with a lot of choice on the market it can be difficult to know where to start.
Many of the top brands such as Gretsch, Yamaha, Pearl and others, have a reasonably-priced jazz drum set for beginner to intermediate drummers, covering basic jazz drum sets to slightly fancier features.
Here we compare some of the best drum kit options available for those wanting to play jazz, bebop or other lighter styles.
Check out our complete guide to choosing a drum kit for more info and our guide to the best jazz drum books, pick up a pair of quality drum sticks and get stuck in.
Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz
Pros
Classic jazz sound
Warm vintage sound from the mahogany shells and 30 degree bearing edge
Heritage brand
Great for beginners, but also good enough to gig with
Cons
Cheaper options available
Hardware, such as the kick drum legs, may be a little fragile for a long-term investment
Our verdict: 4/5
One of the most loved drum kits around for beginners to intermediate players. A little pricier than some kits in this class but a great way to get your hands on a quality kit that that will serve you well.
The winner of 2018’s Drummie Award for “Best Drumset Under $1,000” Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz Kit is a great bebop drum kit. It’s renowned for its classic warm jazz sound produced by the mahogany shells and 30 degree bearing edges.
Many drummers love Gretsch kits for their vintage sound which is beautiful in jazz styles but can also handle fusion, blues and even soft rock.
The drums feature chrome 1.6mm triple-flanged hoops for firm rimshots and accents, and the mounted rack tom means you need less hardware (i.e. another snare stand) to keep the tom suspended and singing.
Out of the box the drums include Remo heads with Gretsch branding, which is a solid choice of drum head.
It features a 3 or 4-piece configuration (the latter if you opt for to include the snare drum) with an 18x 14-inch bass drum, 14-inch snare drum, and 12 and 14-inch tom-toms.
While the hardware looks sturdy, there is some concern that the bass drum legs could become fragile after years of playing.
There are also cheaper options available from some of the other big brands.
A Gretsch Catalina would be an excellent investment for those wanting a great sounding entry-level jazz drum kit, that is good enough to gig with, particularly for those who would like to be playing one of the heritage brands in the drum world.
Specifications
Shell construction:
7.2 mm, 7-ply mahogany shells
30-degree bearing edge
Configurations:
14x18” or 14x20” kick
14x14” floor tom
8x12” rack tom
Optional 5x14” snare drum.
Hardware:
1.6 mm triple flanged hoops, steel hardware, including the Gretsch GTS tom mount.
Pearl Roadshow
Pros
Cheaper than the Gretsch Catalina
Small and space saving
Heritage brand
Sharp, focussed sound from the poplar shells and 45 degree bearing edge
Sturdy bass drum legs for longevity
Cons
Smaller shells are less versatile
Less suitable for bigger, louder gigs than other kits
Less warm, vintage sound than the Catalina
Our verdict: 4/5
A solid but small kit from a highly reputable brand. It may be less versatile than some other kits in this class due to the small sizes. If you’re looking to save space this could be a winner. If you’re looking to sound like a jazz master, go for the Catalina.
The Pearl Roadshow is a small jazz drum set, but it’s certainly not a toy. It's a complete drum set package with everything you need to start your drumming journey while saving space and making portability easier.
The hardware - cymbals, hi-hat, and snare stands - have a well-balanced tripod base with double-braced legs to withstand the pressures of rehearsing and gigging over the long term.
The Roadshow snare is has excellent attack and power for sharp notes, but also is sensitive enough for drumming in lighter jazz styles and picking up ghost notes.
The Roadshow kick drum can produce low bass frequencies, but its small size is suited to the light bass drum colours associated with jazz. The bass drum includes locking, slip-free feet (or spurs), and secure mounting for toms and accessories. This hardware should keep going over time and plenty of playing.
If you are comfortable with the slightly smaller drums, which produce a lighter, higher sound, this is an excellent portable and space-saving kit for beginner and intermediate jazz players.
Specifications
Shell construction:
Poplar multi-ply shells
45-degree bearing edge (contributes to a clearer, more focussed sound)
Configurations:
Portable space-saving sizes:
18 x 12” kick
10 x 7” rack tom
14 x 10” floor tom.
Optional 13 x 5” snare drum.
Hardware:
Steel hardware with double-braced legs
Bass drum-mounted tom and cymbal stand
Triple-flanged hoops
Yamaha Stage Custom Birch Bop Kit
Pros
Flexible, sturdy hardware
Portable sizes
Versatile across genres
Professional sounding
Cons
Modern sound, not vintage
Our verdict: 5/5
There’s little to dislike about the Yamaha Stage Custom at this price for beginners or intermediate players. If you’re looking for a vintage jazz sound, the Catalina is still your best bet, but otherwise the Yamaha Stage Custom has you covered with marginally deeper drums than some of it’s peers making it more versatile.
Yamaha often sets the standard for drum kits when it comes to value and sound. The Stage Custom Bop uses 100% birch wood which allows the drum to resonate beautifully and in the bebop sizes is one of the best small jazz drum sets around.
Its six-ply structure also allows great resonance so the true intention of the drummer comes through in the sound.
Yamaha also use a hardware system they call YESS. In essence, there is minimal contact between the metal hardware and the drum shell to reduce unwanted rattling.
The ball and socket design means toms can be placed close together for quicker movement around the drum kit. A hard resin ball is encased in chrome housing and held in place with a titanium wing bolt.
This means you can position the drum very flexibly and easily while knowing it will be held securely in place. It also means you can quickly tune the bottom head by flipping the drum upside down and re-securing it without leaving your seat.
On floor toms, the YESS system offers wide-open sustain while keeping toms stable under the heaviest strokes.
The Yamaha Stage Custom Birch Kit is a reliable choice known for its high-quality birch wood shells and solid, flexible hardware. It provides a balanced and clear sound, making it adaptable to jazz and other music styles.
Specifications
Shell construction:
Six-ply birch: sound will cut through, but also has well rounded lower tones.
Configurations:
Smaller than the Gretsch Catalina; bigger than the Pearl Roadshow:
18 x 15” bass drum
14 x 13'“ floor tom
12 x 8” rack tom
Hardware:
1.5 mm triple-flanged hoops; YESS hardware system including ball and socket tom mount.
Mapex Mars Series
Pros
Good tonal quality
Reliable kit for beginners and intermediate players looking to gig
Innovative hardware that improves the tone of the drums.
Cons
Modern rather than vintage sound
Slightly bigger drums than the Pearl Roadshow if you are looking for maximum portability
More expensive than some other kits in this review.
Our verdict: 4/5
Mapex is another strong brand in the drumming world and it’s difficult to go wrong with this for an intermediate kit. However this series doesn’t have the vintage sound of Catalina, and is slightly less portable than the Pearl Roadshow. A solid choice but we prefer the Yamaha Stage Custom in this category.
The Mapex Mars Series is an affordable and versatile option with excellent sound quality. It is well suited for jazz and light rock styles.
The Mars Series bop sizes pack comes with birch shells (some models in the series are maple) with shallow depth making them portable and great at high tunings.
Mapex’s SONIClear bearing edge is designed to give you a clear tone with a quick stick rebound.
The kick drum is capable of producing a big sound for a small drum.
This configuration of the Mars Series is a great buy for saving space, but giving you an excellent powerful modern and controlled sound for the size; and very suitable for jazz settings.
Specifications
Shell construction:
Six-ply birch shells for good cut-through in gigging situations.
SONIClear bearing edges allow wider tuning range and more stable tuning.
Configurations:
18 x 14” bass drum
14 x 12” floor tom
10 x 7” rack tom
14 x 5.5” snare.
Hardware:
Double-braced cymbal stands
SONIIClear tom suspension which allows the rack tom to resonate freely away from the hardware.
Tama Club Jam
Pros
Highly compact sizes make it easy to transport and store
Takes little space: Smallest kit in this review
Cheaper option than many other jazz drum kits.
Cons
Shallow drums will lack projection compared to other kits in gigging situations
Hardware may not be as sturdy as some other kits such as the Pearl Roadshow
Bass drum cymbal mount is compact, but less flexible than free standing cymbal stands (which could be bought separately).
Our verdict: 3/5
A great little kit if you are looking for saving a lot of space and having something highly portable. It’s also cheap. However this makes it less versatile with less projection and depth than other kits in this review.
The Tama Club-JAM kit is very much a small jazz drum set, which uses aspects of vintage kits, such as a cymbal holder mounted directly on the bass drum shell and curved bass drum spurs, which make it stand out compared to other highly compact kits.
Above all this is the most compact kit in this review making it the easiest to store, transport and fit into tight spaces. The compact size also makes it a cheap jazz drum kit.
The drums may be small but they will fit into light gig for jazz and softer, small gigs. This comes from the focused and deep sound created by the mersawa/poplar hybrid shell.
The compact size and space saving features make it a good choice for working drummers playing lighter gigs and needed to transport the drums frequently.
Specifications
Shell construction:
Six-ply, 7 mm mersawa/poplar hybrid shell which produces a focussed (not too much ringing overtone), deep sound.
Configurations:
Bass drum: 18 x 12”
Rack tom: 10 x 7”
Floor tom: 14 x 7”
Snare drum: 13 x 5”
Choosing a drum kit is exciting, but can be confusing.
We hope the ideas above give you some guidance on some of the key beginner to intermediate level jazz kits available.
To learn more about how to choose a drum kit, check out our full buying guide: how to choose a drum kit here.
Related articles
Choosing a drum set is exciting. But with a lot of choice on the market it can be difficult to know where to start. Many of the top brands have a reasonably-priced option for beginner to intermediate drummers. Here we compare some of the best drum kit options available for those wanting to play jazz or lighter styles.