5 Best Used Drum Sets for Sale on Gear Exchange

Every drummer knows the thrill of the hunt. We’ve all heard stories of the thrift store cymbal bag full of vintage Ks or the garage sale kit that ended up being a Niles-era Slingerland.

Did you know Sweetwater’s Gear Exchange is the hottest place to score a deal on your next used drum set? Not only do our customers love trading up their drum gear, but our Zero Fees marketplace also makes it easy to turn sales into new purchases. This means you’ll find some spectacular kits at unheard-of prices.

Whether you’re tracking down a kit from your childhood or sniffing out a deal on a sleeper, these used kits may have you shelling out for new shells. This list is updated frequently, so bookmark this page to see the latest deals on used drum sets on Sweetwater’s Gear Exchange.

Ludwig 1965 Club Date 3-piece Shell PackRisen Drums Glo Kit 4-piece Shell PackPacific Drums and Percussion (PDP) CX 5-piece Shell Pack with SnarePearl Decade Maple 6-piece Hybrid KitPremier Genista 4-piece Shell Pack 

Ludwig 1965 Club Date 3-piece Shell Pack

A bazinga of a Ringa’

Though the Ludwig Club Date was conceived as a budget version of the Ludwig Downbeat kit that Ringo played in 1964, the two kits have more in common than not — particularly their shells, which were identical between series.

For this reason, ’60s-era Club Dates have gained a reputation for being sleeper kits that punch well above their weight — “sleeper” in the sense that many Ludwig collectors may pass over a player’s kit like this for something with higher appreciation value. But hey, drums were made for playing, right?

Take this 1965 Club Date 3-piece shell pack from Gear Exchange user marfagringo. It’s well-preserved, packs wool-dyed Luddy appeal, and comes in a tough-to-find Blue Oyster Pearl finish — all for a fair price.

Because this Club Date is a ’65, the shells are most likely a thin, 3-ply mahogany/poplar layup with maple reinforcement rings. This recipe lends itself to a fatter, drier tone than today’s toms, with sizes favorable to sounds of the era.

Cherries on the sundae of this great kit include the intact Keystone badges, Classic lugs, Baseball Bat high-tom internal muffler, and Clipper brackets with quick-release floor-tom legs. An aftermarket aged kick drum tom mount replaces the original’s quirky and proprietary slide-on mechanism.

Club Dates from this era, in this shape, and with this finish are becoming harder and harder to find. Don’t snooze and lose on this sleeper!

See and hear the ’60s-era Ludwig Club Date in action! 1996 Ludwig Club Date Gold Sparkle Demo by Carter McLean

Risen Drums Glo Kit 4-piece Shell Pack

Lights up a stage like Vanilla Ice

Risen Drums of the Twin Cities was big in the underground CCM and punk scenes of the aughties and decanties. Risen gained a reputation for its quality Keller shells, machined aluminum lugs, and an endless array of eye-catching finishes. There were no stock kits in Risen’s early days; every drum was made-to-order and custom-tailored for each customer.

This Risen kit from Gear Exchange user kgwyn appears to be based on drummer Steve Goold’s custom Glo Kit from 2010. Or, as Risen Drums founder Keith Anderson described it: “the coolest drum kit we have ever made.”

Shells from this Risen Drums Glo kit 4-piece shell pack are made from white translucent acrylic and feature an internal LED lighting system with a remote that controls colors, fades, and more. Shell-mounted DMX outputs hand off lighting control to a bandmate or stage tech, making it possible to match kit finishes to lighting programs in real time — very cool.

But this kit’s good vibes don’t end with its rave raiment. Its Howitzer-shaped acrylic shells deliver a mid-focused, cutting power that holds up to the highest studio scrutiny.

Of course, we’re doing a lot of speculating here — be sure to message kgwyn to get the full scoop on this spectacular kit.

See and hear the Risen Glo Kit in action! The Glo Kit — by Risen Drums

Pacific Drums and Percussion (PDP) CX 5-piece Shell Pack with Snare

DW quality for under a grand?

Before the PDP we know and love, there was Pacific Drums and Percussion — an offshoot of DW that came about in the early 2000s. Pacific’s goal then was the same as PDP’s today: to supply top-quality kits, hardware, and finishes to drummers on any budget.

The earliest Pacific kits were made in a DW-run Ensenada factory by DW’s skilled artisans. Such kits can be identified by their unique ovoid lugs, “Made in Ensenada, B.C., Mexico” badges, and either RIMS or lug-mount STM suspension tom mounts.

Here’s the kicker: the maple shells used in these early Pacific kits were great — they were on par with the custom kits DW was building in its Oxnard plant. And given that you can find these Pacific shells for a pittance on the used market, kits like Gear Exchange user Johnny Mur’s Pacific CX 5-piece shell pack with snare are an attractive option for players who want DW/PDP quality on a budget.

There were three flavors of kits available in the original lineup: the CX Series with wrapped finishes, the MX Series with matte finishes, and the LX Series with gloss-lacquered finishes. Underneath, however, the shells were identical.

The shells were built from cross-laminated plies of North American hard rock maple for surpassing tone and strength. Precise, 45-degree edges, high-mass hardware, and Delmar-wrapped finishes (same as DW) give this and other Pacific kits of the day a forward-looking maturity and output that pits them squarely against today’s highest-performing kits.

Johnny Mur’s White Onyx–finished CX appears to have weathered exceptionally well, as many of Pacific’s White Onyx wraps have taken on a nicotine coloration with age. As best as we can tell, this is one closet classic no DW-lover will want to pass up.

See and hear the PDP CX kit in action! PDP CX Series White

Pearl Decade Maple 6-piece Hybrid Kit

The most converted rocker since Alice Cooper!

It’s an era when leopard spandex ruled the world — and power toms and double kicks reigned alongside them. Gear Exchange user Peter Griffin’s high-voltage Pearl Decade maple 6-piece hybrid kit blends rock optics with smart electronics to create a silent stage that would make church choirs smile.

Peter Griffin’s racked-up rocker converts real acoustic drums into silent electronic drum triggers. The shells are Pearl’s Decade EvenPly-Six (6-ply) maple layup, preferred by players like COOP3RDRUMM3R’s Casey Cooper for their singing sustain and stage-filling output — not that you’ll hear them in their current state.

Toms are outfitted with Pearl Tru-Trac trigger heads to deliver a head-like response while silently feeding an included drum module. The kick and snare drums are props, the Gear Exchange user opting for the dynamic feel of a pair of Roland KT-10 trigger pedals underfoot and a Roland V-Pad PDX-12 electronic drum pad mounted to the top head. Cymbals appear to be a mix of Pearl and Alesis metal conversion cymbals with piezo trigger mounts.

Powering it all is a Roland V-Tour TD-15 drum module, although sounds could be easily upgraded using any modern drum module that accepts quarter-inch cable inputs.

All in all, this conversion kit would make an excellent option for any drummer who wants the look of a traditional kit and the conveniences of an electronic kit. The price may be steep, but it’s a bargain considering all the customization that this user has put into this masterpiece. Be sure to contact them to get all the details.

See and hear the Pearl Decade Maple (unplugged) in action! Pearl Decade 7-piece Shell Pack Review

Premier Genista 4-piece Shell Pack

Handcrafted Finnish birch is a proven recording recipe

Drummers of a certain age may remember seeing Rod Morgenstein grinning over a mountain of Premier Signia and Genista drums in ’90s drum mag ads. “I just can’t choose!” his look implied.

These two pillars of Premier’s early ’90s relaunch — Signia and Genista — helped bring Premier’s handcrafted English drums back to the forefront of drummers’ minds. The Signias offered a maple shell with reinforcement rings, while the Genistas offered a birch shell without rings.

Gear Exchange user pmetheny opens a time capsule to bring us this well-preserved Premier Genista 4-piece shell pack in its tentpole Terraverde finish. Each shell is built from seven plies of slow-growing Finnish birch to deliver a full-bodied attack and fast decay on par with the era’s top recording kits. The shells’ lacquered finish is rubbed on by hand (check the photos to see that grain pop!), and they come crowned with Premier’s diamond chrome lugs and hoops — all for a look that practically glows under the lights. Included PureCussion RIMS mounts maximize shell movement and sustain.

Fun fact: Premier undersized its Genista shells to be about 6mm shy of standard diameter. This was said to free drumheads from getting bound at the bearing edge and to yield a clearer sound.

From the badges, pmetheny’s Genista appears to be a ’95 to ’97 vintage (note the capital “I” in “PremIer”) and was most likely handcrafted in England in Premier’s first post-Yamaha facility.

The original Genista line ran for only a handful of years. It was later replaced by the Artist Birch and imported Genista Birch lineups around the turn of the century; however, these were made using a different quality of ingredients or care than the OG Genistas.

Premier kits were less popular here in the US than they were internationally, so vintage Genistas of this degree are getting more challenging to find. If you’re searching for a tried-and-true recording kit with a hit-making finish, then snatch up this kit before it’s gone.

See and hear the Premier Genista in action! Premier Genista Birch Drum Kit: Player’s Perspective

Grab ‘Em Before They’re Gone!

Sweetwater’s Gear Exchange is the best place to buy and sell your used drum kits. Our selection of highly covetable drums and gear — from vintage picks to modern classics — grows every day. But items like these sell fast, so check in regularly to see what’s new... to you!

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