Need some drum set advice

[Junglepeanut]

Sooooo my 14 year old has decided he wants to learn to play the drums. I love my boy but I am guessing he will be like the majority of kids and this won't last long. I hate buying pure junk but also dont want to invest in something that I will probably have on Craigslist in 6 months for a loss..... I plan to buy used to let somebody else take the first hit but can I get some general advice on what to look for? I know absolutely zero about drums, would appreciate some starter sets to look at/get a price range on to help me in my hunt. Odd question on a paintball forum but this is truly my only online presence and I always get good advice here

[Fossilhead]

Really, any decently made intro kit from a reputable manufacturer.

Tama
Pearl
Ludwig
DW (Pacific, pdp)
Yamaha

All of these sound great with decent heads and good tuning.

I recorded my old 93ish Pearl export and the tone and punch is fantastic.

[Junglepeanut]

Thank you, so looking at around 450-550 new is what a respectable set should run?

[Fossilhead]

Should be plenty for a starter kit.

[JeeperCreeper]

If it were me, as a parent, I'd go for a decent electronic kit. They aren't completely silent for everyone else, but its a hell of a lot better than a full kit getting beaten to death. Plus they take up less room in the closet 😉

[Junglepeanut]

I was looking at those...... Main question is would it be like shooting a Dragonfly autococker and claiming its real?

But seriously if he learned to play on an electric kit would it translate to real drums if he actually enjoyed it or would he be learning all over again?

[Fossilhead]

If the electric kit has mesh heads, it's feel is closer to an actual drum kit. With exceptions. There will always be a difference, because one is reading a signal, the other is just a stretched head. The surface area on an electric kit will all be the same. Where a 16 floor tom doesn't have a lot of bounce to it.
Unless you tune it high... Which with an electric kit, you don't need to worry about.

I was raised on an acoustic kit, I do not know how my family put up with me. But I'm glad they did.
I can sit behind an electric kit and tear it up. Some strictly electric guys just can't do the same on an acoustic kit.

[Daltech]

Check out the local mom and pop music store. The shops around where I live do a rent to buy. You can rent a kit then buy it later with the rent payments put towards purchase or return it if you change your mind.