I have finally taken the plunge and ‘upgraded’ to a traditional stand alone Rockband drum kit today. It may seem odd to be telling you guys this but it has made me think, which is better, the stand alone or portable drum kit? Seeing as I am now part of the probably very exclusive (and slightly sad) group of people who now have both, I thought I would rate them to find out once and for all which one is truly worth investing in and which is soon to be retired to the cupboard under the stairs.
I must at this point confess that I am not going to be including the Guitar hero drum set in this review. Why!?! You ask? Well the answer is simple. I don’t own a Gh Kit! So thats the end of that.
Rockband Stand alone kit
Pros
- It is the much loved original drum set and will always have a place in our hearts/bedrooms
- The layout is easy to play and has a nice angle
- It is height adjustable
- It comes with wooden sticks
- The pedal is durable
- The buttons are easy to reach
- It has a stick holder
Cons
- Its costs a bit more
- It takes up A LOT of space
- You cant move the drum pads around
- It takes longer to assemble
- The sticks although wooden are still flimsy (I think they will last about 3 days)
Rockband portable Kit madcatz
Pros
- Its portable baby!!!
- It costs less
- It packs away into a very small space
- The drum pads can be spaced out any way you like
- It has a nice design on the drum pads (prettier)
- It is durable
- It is quick to assemble
Cons
- The drum pads have a habit of moving when you play, I have to tape mine to the table
- The Buttons are quite hard to reach at times
- The pedal is smaller than the one supplied with the original edition and tends to move A LOT while you play
- When it is placed on a high table the angle makes it hard to play
- It comes with plastic sticks (mine broke about a week into using it)
So there you have it. They rank equally (though only on paper). If you ask me they both have their good and bad points. The portable kit has been my loyal companion for a year now and though I don’t think the makers really researched how many people keep waist high tables smack bang in front of their TV’s (here’s a hint, it’s not many!) it has always been reliable and great fun at parties. The new kit I consider a little treat to myself for serious high score building, it’s bulky, but without the annoying distraction of a constantly moving foot pedal. It’s really just about finding the right kit for you, or if you’re like me throwing sanity out of the window and buying both!
Sorry this has all just been a load of noise…. Hopefully it will be GH5 next time!
- GuitarGirl24
