Last Updated: February 1st 2021: Are you considering a Ludwig Breakbeats by Questlove 4-Piece Drum Kit? Well thankfully, we just did our full Ludwig Breakbeats Review where we break down the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Ludwig Breakbeats drum set.
Pros of The Breakbeats:
- It is the lightest drum kit available in the market
- The floor tom produce an excellent quality sound
- Amazing output from the hardwood shells
- The kit looks great due to the sparkle finish
- It is compact and portable
- Ideal for on-the-go musicians as the kit can be easily moved around
- Allows you to use a double bass pedal with or without a riser
- The Breakbeats by Questlove 4-Piece Shell Pack is ideal for beginners as well as advanced and experienced players
- Budget-friendly
- Allows you to play different genres of music
- Comes with carrier velvet bags that can also be used as sound mufflers
Cons of The Breakbeats Drum Kit:
- The 7-ply hardwood drumheads and rise are not up to the expectation
- The kit comes without any stands
- Drum riser may not work every time
- A cheap-looking Ludwig / Questlove badge
Are you looking for an on-the-go kit?
Ludwig Breakbeats by Questlove 4-Piece Shell Pack with Snare Drum can be an excellent option for you.
It looks not only good but also sounds fantastic.
You may be wondering that being a Ludwig Breakbeats kit and designed by Ahmir Questlove Thompson, Jimmy Fallon’s house band, this kit may be costly.
But let me make your day by saying that it comes at an affordable price range.
The best part is that if you are looking for your first kit or a ninth one, Ludwig Breakbeats will not disappoint you.
Let’s understand more about this kick-ass drumming it.
Features:
Let’s have a quick look at the Questlove s drum kit’s features.
As the hardware of the kit is made up of steel, it is easy to clean and durable. Just a wipe with a dry cloth and you will get the shine back.
Ludwig breakbeats by Questlove 4-Piece Shell Pack comes with a traditional mount that firmly holds. You can also add a percussion instrument by using the clamp on the mount.
You can get a quick and solid response from the hardwood shells as the bearing edge is at 45°. Besides, the hoops are triply flanges so that you can go hard on your rimshots.
Furthermore, you get an excellent reach to all the drums due to positioning lifts. This allows you to easily trigger the drum of your choice while keeping a good form.
Lastly, the drums come with Remo pinstripe heads that offer professional tone with every hit.
Some of the features are:
- 4-piece Hardwood Shell Pack with 10″x7″ Tom
- 16″x14″ Bass Drum
- 7-ply hardwood
- 114″x5″ Snare – Black Sparkle Gold
- 13″x13″ Floor Tom
- Bass drum riser for optimal reach
- Remo Pinstripe heads that offer professional tone
- Vintage Azure Sparkle Finish
- Matching wood snare drum
- Compact design
- Included storage Bags that protect it from moisture and dust
- Ideal Compact Play for the beginners as well as pros
- Budget-friendly
P.S: Ludwig Breakbeats by Questlove kit 4-Piece Shell Pack comes without cymbals or hardware.
How Does This Drum Set Look?
It is a compact drum kit with an exceptionally smaller footprint. You may say that this kit was made in mind keeping a traveling percussionist. The black sparkle also enhances the beauty of the kit
They have to go from one gig to another and usually by public transport. So, such a compact kit is god-sent for such drummers.
It can fit into a 5″ x 3.5″ area if you utilize the tom mount to set the ride cymbal. With a standard stand, this area would be, 5″ x 4.5″.
Ludwig Breakbeats by Questlove 4-Piece Shell Pack maintains the features consistent with kits of similar configuration. Ludwig and Questlove have designed the snare in 14″x5″ dimensions instead of going with 13″ or 12″ shrunk-down size
You may think that setting up such a small drum set can be painful to set.
However, you may be glad to know that it is straightforward to set Ludwig Breakbeats kit. You can set it up in a pub, club, or a street
Want to hear it from the horse’s mouth?
Ahmir Questlove Thompson says, “I wanted to build a device that was apartment-friendly and compact for the street musician; but also, something that was quality sounding. A gritty, raw, break-able kit for gigging in clubs that you can fit in a cab. Breakbeats by Questlove does it all.”
The riser to lift base drum ensures that the pedal’s beater to strike at the center of the snare drum. Besides, the floor tom holder offers a mounting space that provides an auxiliary boom.
The bearing edge is at 45°. The black sparkle gold enhances the beauty of the Questlove 4-Piece Shell Pack drum kit and gives it a vintage touch.
Besides the drums come with velvet storage bags and Remo Pinstripes are attached to the toms. While these functions are of non-padded gig storage bags, they also support quieter performance/practice.
The 7-ply hardwood poplar shells may be a slight disappointment as other kits, of the same price range, comes in birch or mahogany.
How Does The Ludwig Breakbeats By Questlove 4-Piece Shell Pack Sound?
As you may know, triggering the center allows you to get the authentic sound of the snare drum. The riser of this drum kit will enable you to hit at the center of the drums every time.
Although the kick drum is small, it is boomy. So, you can get the bass you need with this drum. Besides, if you turn the snare wires on, you can notice the sketchy sounds of the snare drum.
We were surprised (and you may be too) to hear how exciting the floor tom sounds are.
There is a lot more that this Ludwig Breakbeats by Questlove 4-Piece Shell Pack kit has to offer.
The Ludwig Breakbeats by Questlove drum kit is versatile and thus supports multiple music genres. Despite the compact size, it works fantastic as a rock kit.
As mentioned above, snare drum come with velvet bags. In addition to storage, these bags can also function as sound mufflers.
So, if you don’t want to disturb your family members or neighbors while practicing, you can just drape the drums with the bags.
About Ludwig Drums:
Ludwig drums company was established in 1909 and are over a century old. By 1923, It was among the leading manufacturer of the percussion instruments for musicians.
Its drumming set was used by Ringo Starr – the drummer of the famous Beatles.
Should You Buy Ludwig Breakbeats?
We want to reiterate a fact here that Questlove has curated Ludwig Breakbeats kit for traveling drummers who need to carry the kit for various gigs. It is portable and easy to set up. So, it may be an excellent option for you if you need to carry your kit frequently or don’t have much space for bigger-sized drum sets.
However, this kit is also ideal for:
- Street musicians
- Adult beginners
- Kids below 5ft as it sounds better than another junior drum sets
However, you should know that this kit will be expensive than other drum kits for children. Besides, this kit may not be ideal if you are looking forward to playing on heavy metal.
While it may deliver the sound expected from a heavy metal drum, it may not look appropriate for the heavy metal stage.
How does Ludwig Breakbeats Sound?
The kick drum sounds boomy. The bass drum and toms can be tuned to play music of various kinds from punchy low to Bebop high. The kit may sound exceptionally good when you tune it low. Besides, the bass drum has a fantastic punch despite its small size
How to Assemble The Ludwig breakbeats by Questlove Drum Set:
The Ludwig Breakbeats is easy to set up. It comes with a traditional mount that firmly holds. You can also add a percussion instrument by using the clamp on the mount.
What are the dimensions and the weight of this kit?
The shipping weight is 49 pounds and package dimensions are 23.5 x 22.5 x 18 inches.
Final Thoughts on Ludwig Breakbeats:
We have reviewed many drum kits, but Ludwig Breakbeats have left a lasting impression on us. First of all, you cannot compete with the features available in this price range.
Besides, it is one of the lightest kits available today. It is compact and portable and is thus an excellent option for traveling drummers.
The best part is despite the size of the bass drum, the quality isn’t affected at all. You can all kinds of music genres with this drumming kit.
Furthermore, Ludwig Breakbeats is ideal for a beginner as well as an experienced drummer.
The only flip side is that it comes without hardware or stands, and you must be ready to shell out additional money to buy them. The 7-ply hardwood drumheads are made of poplar, which may be disappointing.
All in all, Ludwig Breakbeats is a great kit.