Ashthorpe 5-Piece Junior Drum Set Review: Complete Starter Kit for Young Children

Who Should Buy It

Key Specifications

Overview

The Ashthorpe 5-Piece Junior Drum Set is a budget kit built around a 16 x 11 inch bass drum, which places it firmly in the children's category rather than the compact adult category. The listing describes it as a complete starter set for aspiring young musicians and backs that up with a long list of included parts: two mounted toms, a floor tom, a snare, hi-hat and crash/ride cymbals, all the stands, both pedals, a padded throne, sticks and a drum key.

What makes it worth a closer look than the usual toy-shop kit is the shell construction. The listing specifies poplar hardwood shells with triple flanged hoops and all-chrome hardware, which are the same basic ingredients used on entry-level full-size kits from established brands. The price tier is budget, and the kit is sold in several finishes, with the black version reviewed here.

This review works only from what the listing publishes. Where the listing is silent, for example on drum heads, snare wires and total weight, the specification table says so, and the scores reflect that uncertainty rather than filling the gaps with guesses.

Shells, Sizes and Sound

The shells are poplar hardwood, a soft and inexpensive wood that is common on starter kits because it is easy to work and produces a warm, slightly muted tone. Poplar does not project like maple or birch, but for a child practising at home that is often a benefit rather than a drawback. The listing claims the materials were chosen to maximise frequency response and resonance, which is marketing language, but the underlying choice of a real wood shell is the point that matters.

The sizes are small by design. A 16 inch bass drum sits low to the floor so a young player can reach the pedal comfortably, the 10 and 8 inch mounted toms are easy to position over the kick, and the 12 x 10 inch floor tom gives a low voice without needing legs that a child cannot adjust. The 10 x 5 inch snare is shallow and will sound tight and high rather than fat, which suits the scale of the rest of the kit.

Tuning is where the sound will be won or lost, and the listing says nothing about the heads fitted at the factory. Starter kits in this tier almost always ship with thin single-ply heads that need careful tuning and often benefit from replacement. Treat the drums as a sound shell set that can be made to sound respectable with new heads, rather than expecting a finished tone out of the box.

Hardware and Build

Triple flanged hoops are the first encouraging detail. They hold tension more evenly than the pressed single-flange hoops found on toy kits, which means the drums can actually be tuned rather than merely tightened. The listing also specifies all-chrome hardware and accents, and describes the set as well made and built to withstand enthusiastic young drummers, which is the kind of claim that only daily use will confirm.

The stands, pedals and throne are included but not described in any detail. At this price the cymbal and hi-hat stands are typically single-braced and light, which is fine for a child but will wobble under an adult. The bass drum pedal and hi-hat pedal are listed without any mention of chain or spring design, so expect basic mechanisms that work but will not feel like a dedicated pedal purchase.

Assembly is required and the listing promises detailed, easy-to-read instructions. Plan an hour with a child helping, since mounting the toms, fitting the hoops and seating the pedals is a good way to learn how the kit goes together before the first lesson.

What Is in the Box

The listing itemises the full contents, which is more than many budget kits manage: a 16 x 11 inch bass drum, a 12 x 10 inch floor tom, 10 x 6 inch and 8 x 6 inch mounted toms, a 10 x 5 inch snare, 8 inch hi-hat cymbals, a 10 inch crash/ride cymbal, all stands, a padded throne, drumsticks, hardware, pedals and a drum adjustment key.

The cymbals deserve a frank word. They are described as genuine brass, which sounds like a selling point but is actually the cheapest cymbal alloy in use. Brass cymbals are loud, short on sustain and tend to keyhole or warp when played hard. They are adequate for a first year of lessons and no more, and most families end up replacing them before anything else on the kit.

The padded throne, sticks and drum key are genuinely useful inclusions because they are exactly the small items parents forget to budget for. Nothing in the listing mentions a practice pad, a lesson book or a mute set, so a quiet-practice solution is a separate purchase.

Playability and Setup

For a child in the five to ten age range the ergonomics are the strongest argument for this kit over a scaled-down adult set. Everything is within reach, the throne is included so seating height can be set properly, and the bass drum is low enough that the pedal action feels natural rather than stretched. The listing calls the design compact and sturdy, and compact is accurate: the whole kit fits in the corner of a bedroom.

Older or taller children will find the limits quickly. A 16 inch bass drum and 10 inch snare feel cramped once a player passes about ten years old, and the short floor tom stops being comfortable. Because the shells are the one part that cannot be upgraded, this is a kit to buy for the child you have now, not the drummer they will be in four years.

Setup quality depends on the buyer. The listing provides a drum key and instructions but no tuning guidance, so a parent who has never tuned a drum should expect to search for a basic tuning walkthrough. Ten minutes spent evening out the lugs on each head makes a bigger difference to how this kit sounds than any other single step.

Finish and Looks

The reviewed version is black with all-chrome hardware, and the listing notes that several finishes are available to suit any preference. The stage-worthy appearance claim is a stretch for a junior kit, but the combination of a dark wrap and chrome accents does look like a proper drum set rather than a toy, which matters a great deal to a child's enthusiasm.

Nothing is published about the wrap material or whether the finish is a lacquer or a laminate. On kits in this tier it is almost always a vinyl wrap, which resists scuffs well and is easy to wipe down. Chrome plating on budget hardware can pit over time if the kit lives in a damp room, so a dry corner is the better home for it.

Upgrades and Daily Use

The most cost-effective upgrades are, in order, the cymbals, the snare head and then the tom heads. A single better crash and a pair of hi-hats from any mainstream cymbal maker will transform how the kit sounds and will carry over to the next kit. New heads make the poplar shells sound far fuller than the factory ones allow and teach the child how tuning works.

In daily use the kit is loud, as every acoustic drum set is, and the listing offers no quiet option. Rubber mute pads or mesh practice heads are the usual answer for a family in an apartment, and both fit the standard sizes listed here. A low-cost practice pad for stick work is also worth adding so that not every practice session involves the full kit.

Care is simple: wipe the chrome, keep the drum key somewhere safe, and check the tension rods every few weeks because new heads settle. The poplar shells will last for years if the kit is not left somewhere damp.

Who Should Buy It

This kit is for a family that wants a child to try real drums on real wood shells without a large outlay and without hunting down stands, pedals, a throne and sticks separately. The age range of roughly five to ten is where the sizes make sense, and the complete package removes the usual surprise purchases.

It is also a reasonable choice for a teacher's waiting room or a second kit for a younger sibling, where the sizes and the price are more important than tone. In both cases the plan should include better cymbals once the child shows commitment.

It is not the kit for a teenager, an adult who wants a compact set, or anyone who needs documented head and snare specifications before spending money. The listing simply does not publish enough for those buyers to decide.

Alternatives Worth Considering

Within the junior category, the main alternatives are the similarly sized kits sold by Ludwig, Pearl and Gammon, which typically add a more detailed hardware specification and better documented heads, usually at a higher price. For a child who is already ten or older, a compact adult kit with an 18 or 20 inch bass drum, such as the entry-level shell packs from Pearl or Yamaha, will last far longer even though it costs more and ships without cymbals.

If noise is the deciding factor, an entry-level electronic kit is the other route. It costs more than this set, needs headphones or an amplifier, and teaches a slightly different feel, but it solves the volume problem that no acoustic junior kit can.

Verdict

The Ashthorpe 5-Piece Junior Drum Set does the job it is sold for. It gives a young child a complete, real-shell kit with proper hoops and chrome hardware, and it includes every accessory a parent would otherwise have to add. The poplar shells and triple flanged hoops are the reasons it scores above the toy tier.

The score is held back by the brass cymbals, by the amount the listing leaves unpublished, and by the simple fact that junior sizes are outgrown. Treat it as a low-risk first step, plan on new cymbals and heads if the drumming sticks, and it earns its place as a starter kit.

Strengths and Limitations

Alternatives to Consider

Gretsch RENOWN 4-PIECE SHELL PACK

An experienced drummer who wants the warm Gretsch maple sound in a professional shell pack and already owns quality hardware and cymbals.

Read the Gretsch RENOWN 4-PIECE SHELL PACK review →

Gretsch Drums Renown 5

An experienced drummer who wants a professional five-piece shell pack in the classic 22-inch kick layout and already owns hardware and cymbals.

Read the Gretsch Drums Renown 5 review →

Gretsch Drums Renown RN2-J483 3-piece

A jazz, acoustic or small-venue drummer who wants a professional compact shell pack and already owns a snare, hardware and cymbals.

Read the Gretsch Drums Renown RN2-J483 3-piece review →

Questions Buyers Ask