Shopping in general typically involves an effort to find the best available intersection between quality and price. This can become tricky with musical instruments, and percussion products are no exception. While it can be difficult to determine what will be the best choice for an affordable price, there are a few places to shop that will make this easier. This article presents several websites and resources that will help you find the right items at the most reasonable price.
Quality Retailers
When it comes to buying percussion-specific items, I have a few sources I typically peruse for the right product and price. One of my primary online sources is Steve Weiss Music (https://www.steveweissmusic.com/). This is one of my personal favorites; they sell quality products for a very fair price and offer a wide range of materials. You can use this website to purchase snare drums, drum sets, keyboards, drum sticks, method books, drum cases, and much more.
Musician’s Friend (https://www.musiciansfriend.com/) and Percussion Source (https://www.percussionsource.com/) are two other worthwhile percussion marketplaces. Musician’s Friend offers a “Stupid Deal of the Day” where a product is significantly cheaper for one day. They have quality equipment at affordable prices, a price-matching program, a 45-day return policy, and free standard shipping on most purchases. Percussion Source often has some great deals in their “used gear” and “clearance” sections, making it a great place to shop for reasonably-priced gear. They also have a fantastic mallet selection, which is great for high-school or college-age percussionists.
If you know what type of product you are searching for, or you are looking for small replacement parts (tension rods, cymbal stand pieces, etc.), then I would recommend checking Drum Factory Direct (https://www.drumfactorydirect.com/). This website can be a bit more difficult to navigate, but offers some great products and replacement parts at a heavily discounted rate. Similar to eBay, it requires some double-checking for the item’s condition, return policy, product details, etc.
Shop Local
Outside of the internet, I would HIGHLY recommend checking out Chops Percussion (https://www.chopspercussion.com/run?id=8), a section of Paige’s Music store in Indianapolis! It is located in the Northeast corner of Indianapolis, just inside of I-465. Are you not sure which drum set or keyboard you would like to purchase, or concerned that you child might not continue after a short period of time? Instead of making the full investment immediately, Chops offers a great rental program that allows you to make monthly payments while using high-quality equipment! This gives you time to decide on the right products for your investment. Chops also has percussion specialists in the store that serve as fantastic consultants for gear purchases or general questions about percussion. They can help you find exactly what you are looking for and minimize the stress of percussion shopping! If you have any issues along the way with your gear, Chops offers a repair service to get your percussion equipment back in working condition.
Please feel free to reach out to a percussion specialist, shop for some great deals on these websites, and make a trip out to Chops Percussion! And remember, musical instruments will only ever sound as good as the musician playing them! So find yourself a great lesson teacher, and learn how to play like a musician. Happy shopping!
- Mike Kehoe, Music Instructor at Vibe Music Academy.
