Rock Band Drum Set

by Electronic Arts

Product Features

• Captures the raw power, physicality, and sheer enjoyment of real drumming.. Game sold separately.
• Big circular pads that can take a bashing!
• An awesome foot pedal that emulates the resistance and speed of a real kick drum pedal
• Real drum sticks
• Built in joypad with buttons and direction pad for easy control of menus and other UI

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000TT2D2A
• Product Dimensions: 30 x 15 x 8.5 inches ; 14 pounds
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: February 15, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,235 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

  #5 in

  Video Games > Xbox 360 > Hardware > Controllers > Drums

• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: Xbox 360

Product Description

Rock Band Drum Set X360

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Idea that Needed a Little More Time on the Drawing Board, March 29, 2008

By	D. R. Jeanclerc "Reader, Listener & Obsessive... (Brunswick, OH USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Xbox 360 Rock Band Drum Set (Video Game)

For the uninitiated, Rock Band takes the Guitar Hero concept and extends it by adding roles for bass, drums and vocals. The game is a lot of fun even in solo mode, but it really shines as a cooperative party game.

So in order to get the most out of the game, you need additional instrument controllers including these drums. At this time, there are no third-party drum kits on the market, so these are your only option. And while these do the trick nicely, there is room for improvement.

The kit includes four drum pads, a kick drum pedal, an adjustable stand, headset plug-in and a pair of (actual-size, wood) drumsticks. Setup is very easy, taking only a few minutes despite the Lego-esque, pictures-only instructions. The height of the kit is adjustable to fit anyone's height from kids to tall adults. However, the pads themselves are unfortunately fixed in position relative to each other, so you can't adjust their angle or move them around individually. Personally, I'd like to be able to set the cymbal pad higher than the rest or swap the hi-hat and snare to play cross-armed, but there's no ability to do this.

There are two main gripes about how the drum kit performs during gameplay: they're too loud and (at least some models) aren't sensitive enough. Lots of after-market mods are becoming available to dampen the harsh clacking sound that the pads make when you play - gum rubber or neoprene inserts, padding for the drumsticks, I've even seen people tie socks to the pads (check it out on Youtube). Expecting the worst, I was pleasantly surprised at the sound that it makes - it's not that bad assuming that you've got your TV at a decent level to begin with. Of course, this is the only instrument controller that naturally makes its own noise (high-pitched and hollow like a woodpecker) and your roommates or neighbors may feel differently.

As for the sensitivity, there are (so far) three distinct production series of the drum kit. Look on the serial number stamped underneath your pads to determine which you have. The 1st generation "EL" pads have hard surfaces, making it easier to play fast notes but also requiring more force for each hit. 2nd generation "QM" pads are softer and more sensitive, but also don't register fast hits as well. 3rd generation "SL" pads supposedly are the best of both prior gens, but are too new to really evaluate. The kit that I received from Amazon was an EL, but so far I've been pleased with their performance, i.e. I'm getting good response on fast notes but also not requiring a whole lot of force on the hits. So take the after-market craze for pad modifications worth a grain of salt and judge for yourself before buying anything to add to your kit.

There have also been reports that the kit breaks easily, especially the bass drum pedal. Honestly, I have no idea how other people are playing (abusing) their kits, but I don't see a way for the pedal to snap in half as a result of normal use. I'm playing hard/expert level drums with minimal pressure on the pedal and it's showing no signs of wear or tear. And in case you do run into problems, EA has a generous replacement policy for all Rock Band game controllers.

While setup and takedown are simple enough, the kit still takes up a lot of room even when broken down into its pieces. It can easily fit back into the retail box, and honestly, there's not much more you can do to reduce the space that it requires when stored. Even completely disassembled, it's too big to fit under any couch or chair that I've seen. So plan on either leaving it permanently on display or else losing about half of the floor space in a double-door closet when stowing it.

So is this the end-all-be-all of drum controllers? No. And judging from the popularity of the game and its like, there'll surely be newer and better versions available in the future. But in the meantime, this kit will provide you with hours of fun gameplay - it's guaranteed to always be the "me next" instrument whenever a group of friends gets together to play.

PROS
* Lots of fun to play - makes the most of the Rock Band game
* Pads have good sensitivity and responsiveness (better than I'd expected)

CONS
* Tick-tock sound of hitting the drums may annoy some
* Pads are fixed in place in relation to each other
* Takes up lots of space when not in use

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars GREAT game - bad design on drumset, June 10, 2008

By	Brent J. Pavel (Lincoln, NE) - See all my reviews

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Xbox 360 Rock Band Drum Set (Video Game)

Ok - I bought this game 70 days ago (JUST past their 60 day warranty) with the drums. I've played mostly on medium but lately have been doing all hard. I am a drummer and play mostly with the drums and hardly ever with the mic or the guitar.

First I feel compelled to comment that this game is amazing. It is very fun and challenging yet playable for people of all skill levels. My friends and I have a blast with this game and can play literally for HOURS at a time. It's also a GREAT party game as you can switch people out in the band and the music is GREAT - in my opinion the songs on rockband are far better than the ones included in guitar hero. So I'd give the game a 10/10 hands down.

That said - I'd give the drumset's design a 3/10. The first few weeks I had it the bass drum kicker pedal broke. This is a VERY common issue. I thought to myself "No big deal, I'll just buy a third party metal replacement." While that cost me an extra $40 - it has last far past what the original one did (and under much more stress as I'm playing harder modes now).

Now I'm also experiencing my drum pads giving out. Their sensitivity is going WAY down and although I'm playing the songs better and better with practice, I'm getting lower and lower scores becuase my drumset pads are dying on me. I have taken VERY VERY VERY good care and have not beat on them very hard at all. And they're breaking after a little over 2 months. So if you plan on buying a new set for $40-$80 every 2-3 months and you're fine with that, then this set is perfect. If not...then you'll be highly disappointed. Especially seeing how their replacement plan only covers up to 60 days.

So in short - game -- 10/10 - AMAZING!!
Drum set itself - 3/10 - VERY Faulty and breaks WAY too easily for the high cost.

If you don't believe me - just search the internet for rock band drumset mods, rock band drumset fixes, and rock band drumset broken. You'll see A LOT (and I Mean a whole hell of a lot) of people experienced the exact same things I have.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works great with Guitar hero world tour (ps3), January 21, 2009

By	Tyler Knight - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Rock Band Drum Set (Video Game)

This drum set is a great value for under $30. If you have Guitar Hero World Tour (PS3) it works great, thats why I bought it. The software automatically converts the game play to 4 spaces from 5 (since guitar hero world tour drums have 5 drum pads, and this has only 4). If you're considering buying guitar hero world tour drums, not only will you spend $80 more on ebay for them, they don't work as good. I've played both a good amount and the symbols on the guitar hero drums set often fail to respond. You have to hit them just right, its very annoying. Just type "symbol problem guitar hero drums" in google and you'll see many people complaining about this issue. Another issue with the guitar hero drum set is that it doesn't have a bar to hold the bass kick in place. I have to commonly pause the game to readjust it. This one does have a bar, and the all of the drum pads work every time. If they cost the same I'd still buy this one.
My reccomendation, buy guitar hero world tour bundble (often available for $60 many places) add this for $27, and add a mic for $15, you get the whole set for about $100, can't beat that.

Pro: Compatible with guitar hero world tour ps3, inexpensive, very responsive, Pretty sturdy set for the money, has bar for bass kick.

Cons: Its wired, which isn't a big deal for me, and it doesn't have the symbols (which are fun when they work). I've read alot of reviews about the bass kick breaking, but I've used mine alot for about month with no problem.

Conclusion: If you own guitar hero world tour (ps3) you should buy this drumset.

2115|R357D7RCO3ADXW;2115|R3RJHAFIZPKE91;2115|R25UXDIL19IYE4;