Top 5 Best Drum Sets for Jazz

Jazz is a very unique genre of music that often times pushes both the instruments and the musician to their limits. In many ways it is the final frontier for many drummers who are looking to explore what they are capable of. Today we are going to show you our picks for the top 5 best drum sets for jazz. We've chosen models which we feel best suite this purpose. Needless to say, some of them are among the best drum sets out there right now. Once we go over our picks, we will discuss what makes a jazz set.

Top 5 Best Drum Sets For Jazz:

Image	Acoustic Drum Set / Rating	Summary	Check Price
+ -	Pearl Crystal Beat Total of 4.88/5	An unusual but rather capable jazz shell pack from Pearl's advanced series.	Amazon
+ -	Drum Craft DC805043 Total of 4.85/5	By far one of the best complete kits in the jazz category.	Amazon
+ -	Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz Total of 4.75/5	One of the most reliable jazz kits on the market right now.	Amazon
+ -	Pearl Roadshow Total of 4.70/5	One of the best starter kits coming straight from Pearl's mid range.	Amazon
+ -	Ludwig Breakbeats Total of 4.65/5	A very robust but also compact kit that offers that jazzy warmth.	Amazon

The Importance Of Jazz Drums

To a layperson, drum sets are all the same. That type of reasoning is to be expected from people who are not familiar with music or musical instruments. However it is surprising how many educated musicians don't really see how drums can be different depending on their purpose. That is why jazz drums are a category of their own. Truth be told you will usually see rock sets being used for jazz with a varying level of success. Some kits are more suitable for this than others.

It's not that you can't play jazz on a regular 5 piece rock set. That's not the question. The real question is what kind of drum set will best work for jazz, give the most range and allow you to best fit in with the rest of the band? Today we have shown you kits that will do this. As you have probably noticed by now they aren't too expensive. Most of these drum sets cost under $1000. Some could even be categorized as affordable beginner drum sets. Either way the days when jazz drums were super expensive are pretty much over. Today there is no real excuse for not getting a set if jazz is what you have decided to play.

What Makes a Jazz Drum Set So Different?

This is the big question, the elephant in the room that needs to be cleared up before we go any further. There is this massive misconception that the only thing that defines jazz drums as such is the layout of the shells. In other words people see that distinct 3 piece setup and think that's all there is too. Oh, and add the low hanging ride to the mix and you have got yourself a typical jazz drum, right? Not necessarily. There is much more to this than meets the eye. Both literally and figuratively. It all stems from the jazz as a specific genre of music. Rock drums are aggressive in nature.

An average rock drum set needs to have that oomph necessary to lay down the rhythm and have enough power to drive it all the way with all of the guitars and other instruments layered on top of it. With jazz, you are looking a whole 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. In order to achieve that, you need warm sounding shells, which means specific materials, and a different shell design. Let's talk about each in depth.

Materials

Materials matter when it comes to shells and the way they sound. That is just a fact. For example, there are plenty of modern rock sets which use metal shells simply because they offer that additional power that wood generally can't get. They are snappy, aggressive and all too wrong for jazz. What we need is something subtle, warm but with enough projection and power when you actually need it. Because of that using wood is the best possible option here. Naturally, whenever wood is involved we can go much deeper and cover different types of wood, laminates, solid shells and so on.

Although that definitely makes a difference in the grand scheme of things, that level of detail is reserved for pros who are looking for a very specific flavor. For most people, especially new drummers who are just looking for something that will work for jazz, getting wooden shells is a good way to start. However, there are exceptions. By now you have probably noticed that our first pick on this list actually uses acrylic shells instead of wood? That is because Pearl has figured out a way to achieve great results using alternative methods. That kit sounds every bit as awesome as you would expect it to, despite being made of acrylic. Materials matter and definitely warrant your attention when choosing the right kit.

Shell Design

Another factor that is very important when it comes to jazz drums is the design of the shells. We are looking at much smaller kick drums as well as narrower toms. While most kick drums for your average rock kit go anywhere from 20″ in diameter to 22″, jazz kits will usually sit around 18″ or so. Once again, the reason for this is 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. Same applies to toms and snares. Snares in particular are interesting when it comes to jazz because this is one genre of music where the use of brushes is quite popular. Not only do you want somewhat shallower snares but you also want to make sure that your snare wires are up for the job as well.

The Layout

Last thing that needs to be addressed is the layout of the drums. Jazz drum lines can be quite complicated. We are talking irregular beats, advanced timings and so on. However drum sets themselves aren't necessarily complicated at all. Most of the kits you will see being used feature a kick drum, one tom, a floor tome and a snare. That's as far as shells go. The story takes a very different turn when you start looking into cymbals. This is one area where many drummers like to pull the brakes off and just go wild. Then again it is quite understandable considering the use of cymbals in jazz music and how important they are for this genre in general.

Conclusion

At the end of the day jazz drums are pretty awesome pieces of kit that fit a very niche role. The models we have listed above are some of the best and include both shell packs as well as complete kits. No matter which one you choose, you will get all the qualities an average jazz kit should include. We have purposefully excluded the higher end gear because that stuff gets very, very specific. Probably more specific than it is the case with regular rock drums. If you're just starting out and need something reliable, any of these will work.