Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, dan_honemann@y... wrote:
> I'm interested in buying a Yamaha DTXPRESS III kit and so far know 
> very little about it.  To provide a bit of background, I've been 
> playing drums off and on (mostly off lately) for over forty years, 
> and decided I'd like to get back to it using an electronic kit (I 
> still have my original Ludwig set from the early 1970's, but it's 
way 
> too loud to play in my townhouse).

Hi Dan, 

Welcome to the group (plus ca change . . .). This entire board is a 
giant FAQ, but you can search the archive under DTXpressIII for 
recent discussion about this kit. Some of the lingo will confuse you, 
but it will give you a basis for asking questions. When you get your 
new e-drums, remember that as silent as they are, relative to 
acoustics, they aren't totally noise-free. You might want to check 
with your neighbors about what they can hear and make the requisite 
adjustments physically or temporally. 

> 1. What's a good price on the DTXPRESS III?  Guitar Center is 
> offering it for $1k, which includes a Yamaha single-stroke bass 
petal 
> along with the standard kit.

At this point, nobody seems to be doing much better than $999 + a 
free pedal, though I haven't checked Riks Music lately. The GC deal 
sounds right.
 
> 2. What amp and monitor speakers do you recommend for use with the 
> kit?  Guitar Center has a floor display Roland set (can't recall 
the 
> model number, unfortunately) they are willing to sell me for $500 
> (originally $695).

You have any number of options for amping. GC might have offered the 
Roland PM-3 drum monitor (two satellites and a subwoofer?); if only 
because of Roland's shamelessly high prices, $500 would be a good 
price for it. Otherwise, for home use, a keyboard amp (not guitar or 
generally not a bass amp) would be good, too; the options are many--
Behringer and Roland being popular for e-drummers. Also, Yamaha 
offers the MDR-50 or 100 drum monitors for about $300 and $600, 
respectively, for the DTXP kits. 

Again, e-drums through proper amplification can sound unexpectedly 
powerful. In fact, they don't sound convincing unless they have some 
power behind them, but if they do, they risk being inappropriate in 
apartments or townhouses. A good set of studio headphones not only 
diminishes the problem considerably, it's also a better window on the 
sound quality of your kit. I'd ask GC if you can listen to their 
studio cans--Sony, AKG, Sennheiser, etc.--with one of the kits on the 
floor (unfortunately, the problem with floor models is that they 
usually sound dreadful), or a keyboard instead. With a closed, low 
impedance, and high sensitivity design, you should be able to hear 
yourself, with any accompanying music, well enough at a reasonable 
volume to protect your ears and drown out extraneous stick or ambient 
noise. I recommend the phones, at least until you get the lay of the 
land.
 
> 3. What venues exist online for selling a used acoustic kit (full 
set 
> of Ludwigs with Zildjians).

Unless someone knows of a dedicated site for used drums, ebay has a 
flourishing list of drums for sale. If you'd rather avoid an auction, 
half.com is another possible venue. You could also list it at the 
Yahoo site drums4sale or in any classified section offered at various 
drum forums. Other people might have ideas.
 
> Thanks very much for any help you can offer.  I haven't played for 
> over 15 years now, mainly due to noise considerations, so I'm 
really 
> excited about this kit and getting back into percussion.  It's an 
> entirely new world since the last time I shopped around for drums!

You are definitely going to have a blast. Keep us informed, and ask 
away.

Ed