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Hands-on review: ZVEX Effects Fuzz Probe

i play the drums, im in no band yet, ive been playing for about 6 years and i like underoath, paramore, FOB, just surredner .....

my grandparents got me it for my birth day

if you know how to tune you can get it to sound great. slap an evans emad on the bass drum and it will sound absolutely amazing, the toms can sound great with some moongels and remo pinstripes. great kit to learn on

the snare only has 6 lugs per side and that lowers its quality, shells can warp at high tensions (snare) my bass hoop apears worped the hi hat stand is to week to hold a zbt hi hat. the stock heads and cymbals = crap kick pedals not great. snare can be hard to get to sound good. no rim mounts on the toms but w/e its only a starter set

appears pretty good, the snares not great, like i already said, you may beed to spend some money on them to really get there full potential my snare muffler broke (stripped on me)

great to learn on

I only started playing drums a little over 10 months ago. I was in a band 4 a few months with my two brothers & my cousin. I have played the trombone, & I'm in my 4th year at it. I currently play in the shools Jazz Band.

I purchased this drum kit at a small store in a man's house. It was $433 w/tax included. before I auquired this kit, I used 2 use a laundry bin & the back of an acoustic guitar for drums! I used plastic drumsticks! I even used bronze candle holders for the cymbals!

I LIKE EVERY SINGLE DRUM ON THIS KIT! The rack toms even sound better than the Pearl Reference Series! The drum heads R Remo R & sound great!

I hate the crappy cymbals & the drum petal! The drum petal ruines the bass! The high-hat sounds like a frikin' lid to a metal garbage can! The crash has a tinny sound 2 it!

The drums R great 4 the price of $433! Don't let the cheap cymbals discourage U!

I DEFINATELY recomend new cymbals. Buy cymbals like Sabian, Ziljian, or Paiste. The quality of CB cymbals suxs!

Ive played drums for 3 years now and i also play in a metal band. ive had this kit for my entire drumming career and it is excelent plain and simple!!!

I bought this kit 2nd hand and it didnt have a mark on it. It cost me £100 and is worth every penny. I upgraded it with Meinl cymbals and an iron cobra double bass pedal.I still need 2 upgrade the heads aswel. id recomend Remo, Evans or Aquarian heads.

double braced hardware, 9 ply shells. its great for the price and rivals pearl and tama. Some people say this kit is bad but i completely disagree. For the money you cant go wrong!

i dont like the heads especially the bass head because its hard to get both beaters sounding the same. apart from that the other skins arnt realy that bad for economy heads and would last a beginner along time. Also the snare stand isnt very stable on a carpet floor but seems ok on a hard floor.

The idea of the bass tuning keys is a good and bad idea. it good because it makes tuning alot easier but can catch on things during transport. The hardware is very solid and wil take alot of punishment as will the shells. I kno this from gig experience.

This kit is EXCELENT!! a band called Mage (a professional band) uses 2 of thes kits linked together and it stands up to the rigours of touring, recording and practises without fail. The best kit for anyone from beginer to expert. Even if you plan on spending big money buy this as your core kit and build it up using the money you save. that was my plan and it worked well.

In a band been drumming for 1 year

I got it second hand for €250.

The hardware and shells

the old skins

its an amazing sounding kit when you work with it and tune it right

buy it and new cymbals and a drum tuner and new skins and youve got a kit better than any pearl or sonor one.

I've played the drum set for 5 years, and I'm a huge fan of death metal and black metal.

I purchased this drum set in 2001 at a small, local store for $500.

After replacing the heads and learning how to tune, I could make the drums sound pretty good. Right now, I have no complaints about how my drums sound. The hardware is double-braced and sturdy. Aesthetically speaking, they are nice-looking drums.

The bass drum pedal is sub-par. The felt beater is falling apart, and some of the parts are loosening. There isn't much spring to the pedal, either, and virtually no adjustments. Of course, the stock heads and "cymbals" are low-quality and should be replaced. When I first got the kit, I loved how the drums sounded with the stock heads, but I HATED the trash-can lids that came with the kit. Seriously, Camber cymbals are better than them. I also don't like the fact that the toms only have 10 lugs, and the kick and snare drums only have 12 lugs each. Another thing I don't like is the fact that when I clamp a top hi-hat cymbal to the hi-hat stand, the weight of the cymbal pulls the rod down a bit, so I have to figure out where I want the cymbal to rest, and then set it a little bit higher than that to compensate. One last thing: I don't like T-rods on the kick drum because they catch on things during movement of the drums and cause the heads to detune.

Everything is pretty good quality, except for the bass drum pedal, hi-hat stand, and the "cymbals." The tom and kick drum shells are 9-ply phillipine mahogany.

If you throw the cymbals in the garbage, and get some proper beginner cymbals, this drum set sounds pretty darn good for a beginner or anyone on a budget. However, after a few years of playing on this kit, I hate that there are so few lugs on each kit. It makes tuning difficult and doesn't allow the drums to sound their best. If I'm not mistaken, newer CB drums have 6 lugs on the toms and 8 lugs on the snares and kick drums, so I'm glad they've corrected that oversight. Still, one can get better entry-level drums for $500, like the Yamaha Rydeen, Pearl Forum, Tama Swingstar, Mapex VX, and Sonor Force 505. Hell, a Pacific EZ kit would probably be better than a CB kit.

My ma and pa bought me this set for my birthday and it costed them around $580 with cymbals (hi-hats, crash/ride) hardware, basically the works.

Well I knew the shells had potential so I went and replaced the factory cheapo half ply heads (pardon the pun) with some Remo's for the toms. I kept the snare head because it was OK. Just the shells probably. Any fool who says the stands are horrible, dont respect their stuff, i've had my set for 5 years and i still have the same crash and boom stand.

Cymbals, skins, bass pedal, hi hat stand. To sum it all up. So cheaply made, well the hi hat stand is meh. Otherwise replace the above ASAP. i made rips in the hi hat stand, its not even made of metal. same with the crashride. my rear makes a better sound than those cymbals-if thats what you can call them. Also things tend to move around, like nuts/bolts etc. (esp. on the hi hat stand) so tighten nicely when you're fixing it with a tool or something. Um well thats pretty much it, the snare has this disgusting loud sound, i havent replaced my snare yet but i put a muffler and have a Remo Controlled Sound on it and it sounds pretty good. The bass pedal wrecks floors and the skins on the bass drum should be replaced OR you can put a nice thick pillow/blanket to deaden the sound. It's better than hearing a loud BOM BOM and pissing off everyone in the house.

I'll hand it to the guys at Kaman music that I enjoyed the tone and pitch that the 9 ply mahogany shells were capable of. Semi-durable crash and boom stands. Pretty much it

In my personal opinion, you can get the CB shells sounding better than a pearl export, sonor force, tama swingstar and rockstar shells or anything in that class. The shells could be sold for over a 1000 alone. BUT, you need to know how to tune properly or you'll be led to believe CB sounds like explosive diarrhea. I've summed up main proplems and I was reading some and a lot didn't apply to me, but really read them all to see the worst this set can do.

I wanted a good drum kit for a good price so I got this one for about $580(Cdn) from a place called Walters Music in Mississauga Ontario.

Well the shells are great for the price, I can tell you that they sound better than low-end pearl shells. The hardware is okay, its double braced and pretty strong. An excellent set for beginers.

The cymbals are pretty good, but not anything that I'd keep for a long time, I'm upgrading to Sabians. The heads should be changed as soon as possible, they dont sound all that great, I upgraded to Remos. The pedal has a pretty slow movement and it seems to be a bit flimsy.

The shells are strong as a rock, my friend bashed his guitar into the bass drum by accident and only left a little mark, NO DENT! The hardware is strong, but the cymbals are a bit weak, I turned one of the hihats inside-out once.

I could see myself with this set for a long time. I plan on changing all the hardware to Pearl and then changing the setup of the kit. The shells are the only things that will remain in the end.

Got it at Music Mac Hawaii for $499.

The shells and the backing company. Plus, with me being a jazz drummer I work mostly with brushes and 7A sticks. This is the set for that. You need that resonance from the toms and the paper thin cymbals. It brightens up my brush work perfectly right out of the box.

As with any instrument I've ever bought, it needs upgrades right out of the box for most applications. That's what this set was designed for. If you check out the parent company site (Kaman music) you'll understand why they offer a set with good shells and little else.

The hardware is weak. It's not for a rocker. You'll waste it in the first week if you're a hard hitter. The shells however are 9-ply mahogany, and are some of the best I've seen, heard, or played. That's from someone who's been around a long time and played all of the "great" sets even back before there was a Tama or Yamaha. When the names to have were Pearl, Slingerland, and Ludwig.

If you're a Jazz drummer, buy this set... period. If you're a rock drummer, buy this set, then set it up from the parent companies home page. That's what it's made for. Kaman makes Gibralter hardware, Sabian cymbals, Remo heads and mufflers, and Vic Firth sticks and brushes. I've dealt with this company multiple times and I can promise you that they are very reputable about backing their products. They understand not having money to burn and give you top quality for a miniscule price.

I got this set for Christmas, it was probably $350 dollars. It is a great set.

I love how strong the shells are for the price, they are 9-ply, some other $600 dollar sets are only 7 ply. The hardware is good, double braced. The bass peddle is springy.

The heads and cymbals on the set are bad, but remember all factory heads and cymbals are bad, so i cant conplain about that. The peddle is okay. The thing that holds the bottom hi-hat isnt great and is a little annoying.

The quality is great, especially for the price, can't get much better.

I suggest this set to any biginner or intermediate player.

I got this set for x-mas at my local music store. Payed around $350 for it. It includes: 22" bass, 12" and 13" toms, 16" floor tom, 14" snare (all with heads), 14" hi hat pair, 16" crash/ride, hi hat stand, straight cymbal stand,bass pedal and throne. All hardware is double-braced and shells are 9-ply.

This Cb set is the ideal beginner set. It includes everything you need will good shells and hardware. The straight stand and bass pedal I think are really good and are worth keeping. The heads are also strong and can withstand a hard hitter.

The hi hat stand would always close my hats when held the pedal down for to long. It broke after about 2 weeks and had to be replaced. The cymbals are complete crap and should be replaced ASAP. The hed will have to be replaced after awhile but are good for factory heads.

The shells and hardware (besides the hi hat stand) are good. Replace the cymbals whenever you can. If you'r low on cash get the lower models. I chose Zildjian ZBTs (sabian B8 and Paiste 502s are also good). I can't say much for the snare cuz I put my Yamaha snare on my set and never played the CB one. If you don't like the heads or they're getting beat up put either Remo, Evans, or Aquarian heads on them. Finally, muffle your toms and snare with studio rings and your bass with a pillow and you're set will sound 100 times better.

If you're a begginer or just low on cash get this set for sure. I think this set is 1,000 times better than other budget sets like Pulse and Percussion Plus. I gave it a 4 because its still no Tama or Mapex.

i got it second hand from kendal somewhere, i paid about £250 for it including throne, sabian solar ride and hi-hats, and some sticks.

the kit is fantastic, the person who had it before me upgraded it alot, the old skins were replaced with remo pinstripe for toms and weatherking ambassador for snare. the bass pedal is not very good so i bought a premier bass pedal for £140(its awesome). the hi-hat stand is noy the best but its good for the money and it does its job.I also bought two cymbal boom stands and sabian pro sonix cymbal pack- 20" ride 16" crash and 14" hi-hats, i also got a Sabian B8 thin crash 16". (i recommend these cymbals for anyone who has the cb kit, the cmbals sound great with it).

the snare stand is not the best, its doublebraced but has small legs so it can tip quite easily. Thats it.

the shells are fantastic and the sizes and colour range are good. I hope to see more CB kits on the market because are outstanding.

overall I think kit is stunning to look at and sounds great. You will have to put some money in to upgrading it a bit but once your done you will have an awesome kit, i recommend it for the semi-intermediate/intermediate drummer.

I played the drums for about 8 yrs. and then didn't play for about 10. I then got the itch to play again. I didn't want to spend alot not knowing if I still had the desire or talent I once had. So during my pursuit I came across a set of cb drums in a local music store they were $350.00. I told the owner to keep the cymbals and had him order me some Sabian b8's to start out with. Hi-hats, ride, 3 crashes, 2 splashes.

I have played many different brand name kits and I personally to a certain degree feel the drummer makes the kit, so I made the kit work. The heads were cheap and thin, especially the snare head. I replaced all heads and after playing around for a bit I think it sounds good, so do those who hear it. The bass pedal had no response and would not do what my foot wanted it to, so I replaced it, same with the hi-hat pedal. I put a kick pad on my bass to get a deeper sound, and obviously had the throw a pillow in it, then again I've never not had to. I added some 8 and 10" toms and now I feel the kit sounds relatively good, I would even play out with it.

Plan on replacing the heads, pedal, and hi-hat stand. Unless you absolutely can't afford new cymbals throw the ones that come with the kit out, or use your moms or wifes frying pan lids.

The constuction is good, enough lugs you can tune the set well, although they tend to wander. I got the snare sounding killer, good punch and loud, solid pop, I put a real good batter head on it and replaced the resonance head and the snares. I also removed the inner muffler, you should to. I would prefer to remove all bottom heads in the kit but I haven't and won't, I do plan on trading the kit in soon. Although I have it sounding good, my talent has returned and the band is heading out and I want the same kit I used to play.

They are a good kit for the money, you can, if you know what your doing make them sound good. Both by playing with the sound and by playing good. The drummer makes the drums, the drums don't make the drummer. I would be more concerned about getting good cymbals which I have done since. I won't tell you what they are or how much they were cause my wife would kill me! Although it doesn't matter she will kill me when I get my new kit anyway or for paying more attention to my drums than her.

I purchased this kit from Electro Music (not recommended to anyone - a very big rip off. However Newcastle Drum Centre www.newcastledrum.co.uk is very recommended) and I paid £350 (as I said, it was a rip off, NDC do the same kit for £290ish with Sabian cymbals.) I purchased it because I was starting out on drums and wanted a kit badly.

Well, it's been my kit for nearly 4 years now and it's still here. The kit is fantastic for the price it *should* be given (i.e Not from Electro Music) and it is recommended for any starter to the brilliant world that is drumming. I like the colour range, there are only 4 colours you can buy the kit in, as far as I am aware (Black, Red, Blue and Green) and it gives the drummer chance to express their feelings, or just their favourite colour.The kit comes with a free assembly video, Sticks and throne. The video is usful, I found that it was for the first time assembling. The drums sound brilliant (especially the steel snare)

There snothing much I don't like about this kit, except I wouldnt mind it in white. Something that isn't in the slightest bit important but it's a dislike of any show off (like me... :0)) is that it has "CB" tags on instead of "Tama" but nevermind...

As I don't construct the kit and just play it, I can't really comment on its construction, it's the same as any other kit as far as I am aware. The quality is fantastic for its price, it is brilliant for a new drummer, or a first kit. Top class, recommended.

I'm really close to my kit, we share secrets and everything...if you keep the kit for too long you'll not want to sell it or give it away. It's a lovely kit but it has a low snob value :0(Highly recommended to beginners/first drum kit owners

I purchased this kit from World Music Supply (www.worldmusicsupply.com) for $329, and I think it is a very good beginner/intermediate/hobbyist drumkit.

The drum shells are very nice and durable and react well with Remo drumheads. The hihat stand is ok, but don't put a heavy cymbal on it because the plastic cymbal-cup will break. The straight cymbal stand is nice but wont last. The bass drum pedal is nice at first, but will eventually break. the drumheads and cymbals will withstand the force of a beginner, but once you advance, replace them.

The snare stand has a small base and is easy to tip over. The drum throne is overall weak, and the hardware (hihat stand, cymbal stand, snare stand, bass drum pedal) is very weak and breaks easily. The drumheads and cymbals are very easy to dent and break.

As I said, is it a good beginner/intermediate/hobbiest drumkit, and the quality of the hardware, cymbals, and drumheads is for beginners...But the drumshells alone are worth the price.

Replace the hardware, cymbals, and drumheads, and this kit will sound like you paid well over $1000 for it. For the hardware, I reccommend Rock Hardware by Gibraltar, for the cymbals, Zildjian ZBT, and for the drumheads, Remo Emperor on snare and bass, and Remo Ambassador on toms. This kit would be a lot better if it was just a shellpack.

Bought from Nottingham Drum Centre (world's greatest drum shop) for an amazing £269 including sticks, stool and a free lesson! I got it because I was playing the drums and needed a first kit.

For the price, this is as good as it gets. Very good quality hardware and shells (don't know why one reviewer didn't like cymbal stands - I have 3 CB stands and find them very strong).If you know how to tune your drums properly, you can get an excellent sound from this kit. If you are getting a first kit and don't want to break the bank, DEFINITELY get this one. (Far better than Pulse, Percussion Plus, Aria, etc.)

The cymbals were weak and ugly-sounding but nearly all budget cymbals (brass based ones) are. The bass pedal could be springier but some people like it how it is. You can alter it though. Oh, and get a good Aquarian batter head for the snare (how funky!)

Very good quality and construction. You wouldn't tell it was made in China. Strong, double braced hardware so it won't snap. Strong kit.

Unless you have muchos poundos and are going to get a Premier kit (simply the best!), get this kit. Then find out how to tune the toms well.

I was in the market for a drum set, so I went to Musiciansfriend.com. There I found a $400.00 dollar 5 piece drum set.

The great thing about this set is that it is solidly manufactured, which came as a surprise to me being how little I paid for the set. The set does very well playing practically all genres of music, I use it for Jazz, Metal, Blues, Funk, & Punk. It does quite well, and I was very surprised. I suggest this set to any beginner. They'll be able to use it up until they are advanced players, and they can probably even use it then!

The only problems I have encountered using this set is that the heads need to be replaced after a couple of weeks. CB makes good drums but terrible heads. Also the set came with only the HiHat and a Crash/Ride cymbal, both of poor quality. The HiHat stand is a little wobbly and can come loose over time but is pretty strong.

The hardware is strong and doesn't flake or dent. I've played outside while it was pouring rain at a gig and the hardware didn't even rust. The HiHat stand isn't very good, but works well (just makes sure everything is tightened). The bass pedal has very good recoil (dual springs) it can easily be made to sound like a double pedal. The rest of the hardware is durable and double braced.

A few low priced modifications would be needed here and there (cymbals, heads) but hands down this set is not to be underestimated. Clearly the best of its class.

I bought this set at a local drum shop. I got it when I started playing drums, and I paid around $350.

The toms are very deep and have a warm tone. The hi hat pedal was very smooth, though the clutch came unscrewed easily. I just put some Zildjians and Remos on there though, and this drumset sounds like I payed $1500 for it. I would definitley recomend this kit for anyone wanting to learn drums.

As I said, the heads were absolute crap and so were the cymbals. The pedal has virtually no spring back, and is rather slow, the hi-hat stand is a bit too short, and the clutch is unstable. The Cymbal stand has a sleeve that can be cut through rather easily, the felts ar thin, and the stand itself is unstable. The bass pedal is also very unstable, coming apart fairly often, but i'm upgrading to a DW pedal for Christmas :)! The lugs are also a bit sticky and can sometimes be hard to tighten, so you can't really get the snare too high pitched. The rack toms are hard to adjust also.

The shells seem durable, though everything else is a bit shoddy.

WARNING: Replace heads and cymbals immediatley, or else you will sound like crap. I suggest ZBT Plus Cymbals, Gibraltar stands, DW, Pearl or Tama pedal (I like double), Remo pinstripes on toms, Remo Emporer on snare, and either Remo Pinstripe, Evans Bass Head with the muffling strips around the edges, or Aquarian 2-Ply Bass head, for bass drum. The only reason I'm giving this kit a 4 is because if you replace the heads and cymbals, this kit can sound nearly amazing :) Peace!!

I bought these puppies at my local music store, for my son. I paid around 700.00$ they came with a boom stand and 4 Paiste cymbals. My son love's them!!!!!

GREAT QUALITY for the price!!!!!!

Not so good - the foot pedal. But I knew I'd have to upgrade. The guy at the music store told me. I REALLY LIKED THE INFO & HONESTY!!!!

GREAT QUALITY for the price!!!!!!

They have made my son want to play even more. I have digital drums, and loops for my computer, but live drums are awesome, mic them and they're unbeatable!!!!!!!! There are better set's. But like I read in an article written by one MR. EDWARD VAN HALEN, in short; It comes from within!!!!!!! Also I once seen a man, the father of one of my friends in high school now passed on, who played in the BIG BAND EREA. This man played on some drums of the day, MAN WAS THAT CAT GOOD; GOD REST HIS SOUL!!!!!!!!!

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