Hey Salty,

Some of the older Westbury kits were fairly solid and can achieve a half decent sound with the right heads...These were entry/intermediate level kits...

A fully decked out kit (including all hardware) would normally go for $250-$400 CAD depending on condition..If you can get it cheaper, that`s even better!!

Westbury has been around for quite awhile, so they must be doing something right...I would prefer an older Westbury kit of yesteryear over new entry level kits of today if I were a beginner!! They are just structurally stronger...

As always though, I would recommend a vintage MIJ kit, but, you would probably want to keep that kit for yourself!! LOL...

Just my 2 cents...

Cheers

Had a newer Westbury kit pass through my hands not too long ago, and it didn't seem like a bad kit at all. Good sound, nice finish, and the newer hardware is always a little easier to work with. Can't really comment on long term durability, but as far as starter kits go, I'd say they are on the better end of the scale. As long as the price is good - I listed the one I had, complete with Solar hats, and B8 cymbals for $400, and sold it the same day, (with some nice outdoor beauty shots). I believe they were originally manufactured by Pearl, though I'm not sure if that's still the case.

Thank you very much for the information, guys. It is much appreciated. Yes, grantro, you're right! if they were Stars, I'd nab them myself!

Brian

i have an older bass drum/tom combo from years back... appear to be 9-ply luan and possibly made by Pearl

i spotted a Pearl Export tom with the same lugs:

i agree with granto the early one's were built with much better standar's than the modern day westbury's , that are made on the super big time cheap . westbury dose corner the cheap market in canada . i got and early 5pc kit , i have not got around to them yet , one of these day's i will . and i'm sure that it will smoke a new one .

I think the NEWEST ones are made of poplar, and, interestingly enough, have single-point tom lugs... Their "brushed metallic" wraps look alright to me, but i've never actually heard a set yet

I expect they'd be a little "clanky"

as an added update, i just picked up a shell pack of the latest Westburys in their "Brushed Bronze" wrap and am quite surprised at their build quality

they ARE poplar, but the ply seams are virtually invisible(!) and the wraps, while separating a little at the seams, are ruler-straight

the bearing edges are very sharp and seemed to have some kind of preservative on them (glue?), 'though the interior shells are unfinished, and the lugs are held on by a single bolt, with a partial "nub" that protrudes partway into the shell to keep them aligned vertically

just need to get new heads

Interesting....................the lower end Mapex stuff also uses the same lug design.

Westburys are a common entry-level kit here in Ontario. Lots of the beginning drummers I knew in high school played them. Made in Taiwan, I think. Definitely a starter kit, but they seem to be sturdier than most.

I always suggest that new young drummers try to find a used intermediate or pro-level kit rather than an entry-level MIT. If they stick with it, they won't outgrow their drums right away, and if they don't stick with it, the drums will have good resale value. When my wife's 14-year-old brother decided to start drumming, we scoured Craigslist and found him an all-Maple Mapex kit from the 80s for $400. A used maple PDP set would be another great option. Or--better still--I saw a 1960s Premier Olympic set on Craigslist in Barrie the other day, going for $350. Get him started with an early bite from the vintage bug! If they can afford to go that route, I'd recommend it over an entry-level set.