i was just wondering if anyone knows what is the better drum set for a beginner the Ludwig Pinnacle or the Gammon?
thanks

not familiar with Gammon drums. I would go with Ludwig for that reason, but thats just me. They've been around forever and have an excellent track record. If you are serious about playing, and think you are going to stay with it, I think you should go with a little bit better low-end series, beginners are for parents who dont want to spend alot and want to shut their kids up! haha.. plus if you will be moving it from your house to play anywhere, it may not old up too well

thanks a lot. Will keep your suggestion in mind. What are the better low-end series drum sets you can suggest?

Ludwig ACCENT series might be something to look at. The best advice I can give you, if you're unsure is decide what you will do with set (travel etc) and actually go to a drum shop (that friends recommend) and look at the sets. Go with double braced stands (most have them now) and physically pick the stands up. If they have some weight, that's good! HEAVY IS BETTER! you'll thank me for the durability, but curse me if you have to drag them around!! lol
I would also suggest getting a set where the lugs are attached to each other (single lug will look like a long bar going from top lug to bottom lug) If the kit is set up, grab a drum mounted to the BD and see if it shakes a little. If it does, that can be good or bad. It's good so that you know it can handle stress, but see WHERE it wobbles from. THAT point has to look strong. Dont be afraid to do all these things. You are spending a decent amount of money and the dealer should oblige. The other reason for going with Ludwig(personally speaking) is that they build a solid drum. And the have the parts available if something does break. Dont rush to buy cause it looks pretty. You are literally going to BEAT these things, and they need to be able to handle it!
Hope that helps.....

Thanks. Travel wise is actually not the problem because i'm not planning to take them out of the house. I did look at the Ludwig Accent and i liked it, the only thing that i was skeptical about was the fact that it does not come with cymbals. But i also heard that the cymbals and heads that come with the Ludwig Pinnacle are garbage and will need to be replaced anyway to increase the quality of the sound. If you can point me in the direction of descent cymbals that aren't too expensive that would be great. Im actually a musician and played the violin for 13 years, so i know a thing or too about music and what kind of sound i would like to produce, and i have been interested in the drums for a while and finally decided to get a set. But since i'm not sure how much time i'm going to spend learning it i don't want to invest too much money. Also i don't have time or money for lessons right now but i bought a few books and i can probably get the theory stuff down on my own and i was planning to just take some online lessons for getting the technique down, how far do you think that would get me?
thanks a lot for your advice, it's really helping

well personally ANY cymbals that come WITH sets are junk, even to someone who doesnt care! so that shouldnt be a big loss. heads tend to be a bit "boingy" Cymbals.... again, check with friends, ebay, even drum shops are starting to sell "used" cymbals. trust me on this... if you played with a bad bow or strings, it wouldnt be much fun to practice your violin, right? so get heads and most important cymbals that sound good to YOU! you could get away with hi-hats, and a crash/ride cymbal (thats ONE cymbal that is heavy enough to ride in yet light enough for a sustained crash)