So are you taking a start in Jazz, don’t worry because we had selected some best drums for jazz that will work just fine for you.
In this guide, I’ve compared design, sound, performance, and cost to give you the best jazz drum sets that are both compact and musical.
Jazz is a unique musical genre that often pushes instruments and musicians to its limits.
In many ways, it is the final frontier for many drummers looking to explore what they are capable of. Today we will show you our picks for the top 5 jazz drum sets.
We have chosen models that we believe are best suited for this purpose. It goes without saying that some of them are among the best drum sets right now. Once we review our selections, we’ll discuss what makes a jazz set.
So let’s take a look at some of the best drums for jazz currently available and find the perfect one for you. We are confident that we were able to choose the best products available.
Here are our top 5 Best Drums for Jazz in 2022
- Pearl Crystal Beat
- Gretsch CT1J484SWG 2014 Catalina Club Jazz
- PDP By DW 7-Piece Concept Maple
- Yamaha Stage Custom Birch
- Pearl Roadshow Drum Set
Whatever your budget, here you can find an ideal choice of the best drums for jazz and all other areas of your life that demand pristine performances.
🏆 Quick Look at the Best Drums for Jazz 🏆
The 5 Top-Rated Jazz Music Drum Sets: Our Picks
Its review time! We invested a lot of time and effort in compiling this guide.
Here, we will provide a review of the best drums for jazz in detail so you can shop knowing everything. Let’s get started.
Of course, you may have heard of the Famous Pearl and its famous Piccolo and Effects Snare Drum. We love this compact Pearl Crystal Beat Drum with a tight sound and excellent projection.
This particular shell package comes with a 20″x15″ bass drum, 14″ floor tom, and 12″ medium tom.
Pearl’s Crystal Beat Drums are definitely not your regular jazz set. They feature a wide range of new things in this category, which probably runs counter to what most consider traditional.
Still, it’s hard to dispute the fact that they deliver a really good sound that goes well with what jazz drums are all about. You’ll get one of the best kits Pearl has to offer in its professional range that won’t bankrupt you.
This particular shell package comes with a 20″x15″ bass drum, 14″floor tom, and 12″ medium tom. That, combined with the variable thickness of the shells, puts the Crystal Beat on par with the most respectable jazz drum sets available.
Gretsch is one of the biggest names in terms of classical drums, and the Catalina Club offers everything you need for that distinctive jazz sound.
Not only do you get the classic setup that jazz drummers have used throughout history, but you also get sleek, modern hardware innovations that help bring the kit into the 21st century.
They provide you with a low-profile GTS mounting system, low-mass tom mounts, and ball/socket L-arms for incredible stability and freedom of positioning.
Gretsch Catalina Club jazz drums have become a community choice. These kits have proven their valuable time, so much so that you’ll see them recommended by professionals all the time.
The drum kit consists of an 18×14 bass drum, a 14×14 floor tom, a 12×8 rack tom, and a 14×5 snare drum. The drums sound very musical and have a pitch So cool that it makes this one of the best jazz drum kits for the price.
This particular model we’re looking at today features beautiful 7-layer mahogany shells everywhere, with those low-profile Catalina mini lugs. You also get its built-in suspension system, triple-flange rings, and more.
Another redeeming feature of these kits is the factory Remo heads. Gretsch has basically discovered a package that will help you get started right away. The only thing missing to complete this complete build is hardware and cymbals.
If you’re looking for a jazz drum kit for sale, the 7-piece Concept Maple Shell Pack should be on your watch list.
This is a complete set that should appeal to both the student and the drum purist.
Pacific Drum Set for Jazz is the best option you have ever come across.
Working professionals and enthusiastic beginners can get the right tones with this drum’s 6-set birch construction.
The Yamaha Stage Custom Birch 5-Piece Shell Pack comes with a diagonal ridge that gives it a slim drum shell with a lush, rounded shape.
Due to the lightness of this drum kit, the shells vibrate and deliver the super sustainable tones.
Yamaha drum kits are considered the best for a reason why their Air Seal system for drum shell construction ensures the thickness of the sound that comes with superior tone quality and reliable hardware.
This is a great value jazz drum kit from Pearl Drums, this bundle also includes everything you need to start playing the drums right away. All other jazz drum kits in this guide are “shell packages”, but this package includes all hardware and cymbals.
If you are looking for your first drum set in jazz sizes this has got to be the best jazz drum kit for you. It’s a really impressive beginner drum kit that is durable, well built, and sounds surprisingly good.
This battery set appears to have a classic silver hardware look with its choice of four colors for the batteries themselves.
Getting into the drums can be quite a daunting task, especially if you want to get into the jazz drums right away. Pearl Roadshow is one of the few kits that will help you get started the right way.
It’s a proper jazz set that includes an 18″x12X bass drum, a 10″ tom, a 14 “floor tom, and a 13” x5 “case. Right away, you know these shells were designed for jazz.
Next up, we have a 16 “brass shock ride and a set of 14” hybrid hi-hats. It goes without saying that all of this equipment comes complete with hardware, pedals, and all the other things you may need. Overall, this is an impressive jazz set.
By allowing the buyer to choose the Jazz style set up for their set of available Fusion, New Fusion, or Rock style setups, known for their excellent sound quality, the Pearl can serve as an excellent kit at a bargain price.
This set brings more decisions to be made before payment than the others, but is as advertised, ready to rock from the get-go. This set is flexible enough to be ideal for a beginner or a more demanding veteran.
Things to Consider before Buying a Jazz Drum
1. Materials
Materials matter when it comes to shells and the way they sound. That is just a fact. For example, there are many modern rock sets that use metal shells simply because they offer that additional power that wood generally cannot obtain.
They are agile, aggressive, and too wrong for jazz. What we need is something subtle, warm but with enough projection and power when you really need it. So using wood is the best possible option here.
Naturally, when it comes to wood, we can go much deeper and cover different types of wood, laminates, solid shells, etc.
While that definitely makes a difference in the grand scheme of things, that level of detail is reserved for professionals looking for a very specific flavor.
For most people, especially new drummers just looking for something that works for jazz, getting wooden shells is a good way to start.
However, there are exceptions. Have you noticed by now that our first pick on this list uses acrylic shells instead of wood? This is because Pearl has discovered a way to achieve great results using alternative methods.
That kit sounds as amazing as you might expect, despite being made of acrylic. Materials are important and definitely require your attention when choosing the right kit.
2. Shell Design
Another factor that is very important when it comes to jazz drums is the design of the shells. We are seeing much smaller kick drums as well as narrower toms.
While most kick drum kits for your average rock kit range from 20 “in diameter to 22”, jazz kits generally sit around 18 “or so. Again, the reason for this is the warmth.
In jazz, you don’t need the power of a 22 ″ kick drum, but you do need your bass to be radiant and warm. The same applies to toms and cheats. The traps in particular are interesting when it comes to jazz because this is a genre of music where the use of brushes is quite popular.
Not only do you want somewhat shallower traps, but you also want to make sure your trap cables are ready for the job, too.
3. Layout
The last thing that needs to be addressed is the design of the battery. Jazz drum lines can be quite complicated. We are talking about irregular rhythms, advanced times, etc.
However, the batteries themselves are not necessarily complicated at all. Most of the kits you’ll see used include a kick drum, tom, floor tom, and snare.
That’s all the shells go for. The story takes a very different turn when you start looking for dishes. This is an area where many drummers like to take the brakes off and freak out.
On the other hand, it is quite understandable considering the use of cymbals in jazz music and how important they are to this genre in general.
As a drummer, you should know the following things:
What are Jazz drum kits?
A jazz drummer is a type of drummer designed specifically for jazz. You can use this drum kit in some rock music, but rock drum kits are not suitable for jazz.
A rock drum kit emphasizes projection and power, but a jazz musician must stand out among a sea of horns or mix with the bass. Jazz drum kits are smaller but use more sounds.
There are different types of jazz drum kits, 4 pieces, 5 pieces, 7 pieces, or more. However, they are lighter than typical rock drums.
What type of drums are used in Jazz?
Most jazz musicians use an 18 “or 20” kick drum, 14 “floor, 12” rack tom, and 14 “wood case. Some of these kits come with cymbals, but the emphasis is usually on toms.
The jazz drums are tuned high, with the top and bottom sounding open. Most of these drums have coated heads because the tone is rich and clear.
Jazz cymbals are also different from the standard crash and splash. Instead, they are more diverse and have more varied tones.
Drums, snare, and cymbals are used together to add definitions to tone and range.
Jazz drums have a simpler setup than rock drums, but they are just as flexible when it comes to performance and quality.
Jazz drum kits are no longer as big as they used to be, but the power and versatility are still there.
Why are Jazz drums important?
Some of the educated musicians lack this knowledge about different drum sets for different musical genres. For newbies or unfamiliar with musical instruments, all drums may look the same, but in reality, each one has a completely different purpose.
Sure, you can use the metal drum set for jazz, but that won’t do the music genre justice as the level of success will definitely vary.
Whether you have a 4, 5, or 6-piece drum kit, the question is not whether you can play jazz music on this. The real question is whether it will be perfect justice for jazz music. So the main question arises from this, which drummer is the best for jazz?
You have probably noticed that drums from around the world are very expensive, therefore we list the best jazz drums below $500- $1,000.
Always remember, if you want to play jazz music, never go with the drummer of the Rock genre. Perfection in music lies in the very selection of the instrument that creates rhythms.
What makes a Jazz drummer so different?
This is the big question, the elephant in the room that needs to be rinsed out before continuing. There is this massive misconception that the only thing that defines jazz drums as such is the design of the shells.
In other words, people see that distinct 3-piece set up and think that’s all there is, too. Oh, and add the bass ride to the mix and you’ll get a typical jazz drum, right? You can check out how to set up a drum set for comfort and efficiency.
Not necessarily. There is much more to this than meets the eye. Both literally and figuratively. Everything is derived from jazz as a specific musical genre. Rock drums are aggressive in nature.
An average rock drum set should have the necessary thrust to set the pace and be powerful enough to drive it all the way with all the guitars and other instruments on top. With jazz, you are looking for a completely different philosophy.
You don’t want to be overbearing, overwhelming, and too powerful. You want to be subtle, warm, but with enough authority to keep the show going.
To achieve that, you need warm-sounding shells, which means specific materials and different shell designs. Let’s talk about each one in-depth.
So, which is the best Jazz drum kit for right now?
The Jazz drum sets really depend on what type of keyboards you are looking for, what level of performance you are on, and how you want to use it. Our best choice for the best drums for jazz is the Pearl Crystal Beat.
As you can see there is a wide range of quality and price. If you are a professional looking for the best possible quality, then the Gretsch set is a clear winner thanks to the outrageous quality.
On the other hand, if it is more financially constrained, the Sonor Safari represents the best trade between affordability and quality. The Yamaha set is roughly the same, but the higher price means you just lose.
Of course, if you are just starting out and need a useful jazz drummer, the Pearl Roadshow Drum Set is a great way to enter the world of jazz drumming.
- Seamless Acrylic Shells
- 6mm Tom Shells
- 7mm Bass Drum Shells
- Acrylic Bass Drum Hoops w/matching finish
- 2 year Warranty
- Remo Drumheads
- Triple Flanged Hoops
- 30 Degree Bearing Edge
- Gretsch Formula 7 Ply Mahogany
- Dual-Turret Lug, True-Pitch Tension Rods and Die-Cast Claw Hooks
- Graduated Counter Hoops
- 7-ply Tom/Kick Shells and 10-ply Snare Shells
- MAG Throw-Off and Fully Chromed Snare Wires w/ Carbon Steel Coils and Brass End Plates
- Stands and Cymbals Not Included
- Included Drums: 22x17 kick, 10x7 rack tom, 12x8 rack tom, 16x15 floor tom, 14x5.5 snare
- Included Hardware: TH-945B 3-hole receiver with (2) YESS tom mounts, (3) floor tom legs
- 100% birch drum shells with air seal system
- 45-Degree bearing edges and Absolute-style lugs
- No cymbals, stands, or kick pedal, or throne included
- Complete Drum Set -The Pearl Roadshow drum kit comes complete with everything you need to start drumming right out of the box. This set comes with drums, hardware, cymbals, and drum throne. We even throw in sticks and a stick bag to complete the set
- Set Includes-18x12 bass drum, 13x5 snare, 10x7 rack tom, 14x10 floor tom, cymbal stand, Hi-hat stand, snare stand, rack tom holder, kick pedal, drum throne, 16" crash/ride cymbal, 14" Hi-hats, 2pair of maple drumsticks, and stick bag
- Hardwood Drum Shells and Triple Flanged Steel Hoops-6-ply 7mm Poplar hardwood shell and a hand cut 45 degree bearing edge. This creates a single air resonance chamber to project a note when the drum head is struck, and makes the head eaiser to tune
- Double Braced Stands- Each stand is height adjustable with die-cast tier joints, and all tilters lock to practically any position you adjust them to. Includes snare stand, cymbal stand, hi-hat stand, dual chain bass drum pedal, drum throne
- Includes cymbals and sticks - Roadshow comes complete with a 16" Brass Crash/Ride Cymbal, and a set of 14" Hybrid Hi-Hats. 2 pair of maple drum sticks, stickbag and a Pearl Drum poster
Final Words
At the end of the day, jazz drums are quite impressive pieces of equipment that fit a very specific role. The models we have listed above are some of the best and include both shell packs and full kits.
No matter which one you choose, you’ll get all the qualities that an average jazz kit should include. We have purposely excluded high-end gear because that material becomes very, very specific.
Probably more specific than is the case with regular rock drums. If you’re just getting started and need something trustworthy, either of these will work.
However, these five sets promise to help you speed up your pace and get you on the road to playing concerts.