Black Friday electronic drum set deals 2024: These massive e-kit bargains from Roland, Alesis, Yamaha, EFnote and more are still live

The Alesis Strata Prime Expanded Electronic Drum Set is as extra as it sounds - ‘expanded’ relates to the additional tom and cymbal you get in the box. This version is a seven-piece kit with 6 cymbals (hi-hat inclusive), and a supremely powerful touchscreen module with an incredible library of BFD-derived sounds and kits. For us, this is the be-all end-all e-drumming solution, with I/O to die for. Usually $4,449, this premium piece of kit has a generous $300 discount over at Sweetwater right now.

Yamaha only really entered the Black Friday discounting game last year, but now they've gone all in. Currently Sweetwater has discounts on three mid-priced DTX kits, but my top pick is $300 off the excellent Yamaha DTX6K3-X. The saving brings the price down to $1,599.99 on a kit that, in our 4-star review, we said: "the pad surfaces themselves feel great to play, and the included sounds are certainly among the best we’ve played at this price range in recent times".

A $100 saving makes this fantastic beginner kit even better value. Honestly, I've recommended this kit to players who are well beyond beginner level too, thanks to the combination of all-mesh Roland pads, excellent hardware and a neat little module. It's an ideal beginner kit, step-up kit, or home practice kit for more seasoned players.

With real wood Yamaha shells and an excellent soundset inside the module, the DTX8K-M offers mesh-headed playing surfaces across the snare and tom pads.

A Roland flagship, the TD-50K2 delivers in spades. It’s compact without being cramped, delivers the best sounds and features Roland has to offer, and checks all the right boxes in terms of playability. And this weekend, it's a full £500 cheaper!

The DTX8K-X shares the same features as the DTX8K-M above, except the playing surface changes from mesh heads to Yamaha's TCS pads. Get it now with $400 off.

Earlier this year Zildjian, the 400-year-old cymbal company, waded into the e-drum fray with this stylish offering, built around its impressive E-Vault module with a 5” touchscreen and around 32GB of on-board sounds, including a host of ever-expanding, updatable cymbal sounds sampled from Zildjian’s vault.

EFnote is a brand that continues to make ground on the the reputation of its hardware and fantastic module sounds. I tested th 3X version of this kit in 2023 and absolutely loved it, my main highlight being the cymbals, and in particular those hi-hats which feel incredible realistic and responsive. If you're looking for a kit away from the mainstream of Roland, Yamaha and Alesis, at $300 off, this kit is a steal.

Donner's Backbeat is by some distance the most expensive of its high-value range, and suitably feature-laden as a result, with touchscreen module, dual-zone mesh pads, Bluetooth connectivity, multi-track USB audio and its USP, snazzy customisable LED lighting on each pad and cymbal. It really does look the business.

It may be showing its age, but the TM-2 is still a very compelling option for the hybrid-curious, with the ability to load your own samples from an SD card, map them to a pad and play them as part of your kit, and remains more configurable than its younger TM-1 sibling.

There's a chunky $50 saving on this powerful e-kit amp at Sweetwater right now. If you're sick of wearing headphones when you practice, or you want to jam with friends, this 2,000 watt powerhouse is the solution. It's also compact enough that it won't dominate a small space

A Roland flagship, the TD-50K2 delivers in spades. It’s compact without being cramped, delivers the best sounds and features Roland has to offer, and checks all the right boxes in terms of playability. And this weekend, it's a full £500 cheaper!

Donner's Backbeat is by some distance the most expensive of its high-value range, and suitably feature-laden as a result, with touchscreen module, dual-zone mesh pads, Bluetooth connectivity, multi-track USB audio and its USP, snazzy customisable LED lighting on each pad and cymbal. It really does look the business. Use discount code EABE for the full reduction.

Roland make some of the best electronic drum sets available today, but the quality and the name comes at a premium price, which is why we love to see e-kit deals on Roland gear, particularly the top-end models. The VAD504 comes complete with full size drum pads (20" kick, 14" snare, 10" and 14" toms, plus ultra dynamic digital hi-hats and ride, all powered by the TD-27 module.

Roland's all-powerful new sample pad is still pretty new, but already it's discounted at Thomann! This new version includes increased trigger inputs and audio outputs, enhanced audio compatibility, some brilliant visual features, and even sequencing capabilities. For on-stage power and creativity, this is one of the best electronic drum pads around.

For drummers or percussionists looking to add electronic sounds to an acoustic set-up with the minimum of fuss, the SPD-30 is a great choice. And the fact that it's the latest in a line of well-proven tools allows for real confidence in its long-term abilities.

Alesis Nitro Mesh SE: Was $449, now $299
This special edition Alesis Nitro Mesh proves that it's possible for great e-kits to be affordable. You get tunable mesh heads here instead of cheap-feeling rubber, which feel closer to playing an acoustic drum set, while keeping the noise down to a minimum. This already affordable e-kit was $150 off right at Guitar Center.

Yamaha DTX452K: Was $699, now $559
When we reviewed the 452's sibling the DTX402, we praised its 'great sounds, engaging training tools for budding players and compact footprint'. The 452 boasts the same virtues and beginner-friendly price point, but adds upgraded pedals and a triple-zone snare drum.

Yamaha DTX6K3-X: Was $1,899, now $1,429
We loved this kit when we reviewed it for the excellent sounds, tweakable module and the fantastic TCS pads which an excellent alternative to mesh. Last year you could save a huge $470 at Sweetwater. We'd never seen discounts like this on Yamaha e-kits before.

Yamaha DTX10K-M: Was $4,639, now $3,929
The prestige 10K-M looks the part with large real wood shells adorning multi-zone mesh heads all-round, powered by Yamaha's top-end DTX PROX module, plus multi-zone cymbals and pro-quality hardware throughout. Tasty.

GEWA G9 Club 5 E-drums: Was £3,699, now £3,050
Thomann stripped £650 off the price of the GEWA G9 Club 5 electronic drum set. The G9 is GEWA’s flagship series, and the Studio 5 sees the G9 module paired with some gorgeous-looking real wood drum shells for an authentic aesthetic and playing experience. The module features a large 10” touchscreen and inside there’s 901 sounds split into 40 kits, with space for 128 kits of your own. It’s comprehensive on the effects too, with an EQ and compressor per-pad, a multi-FX processor with 9 effects, and 12 types of room reverb.

Roland SPD-SX Pro (US deal): Was $1,199, now $899
For lucky US buyers, the place to grab the SPD-SX Pro was Sweetwater. This upgraded version of the already ace SPD-SX boasts a larger colour screen and nifty programmable LEDs, plus extra trigger inputs which lend it more versatility in terms of setup.