Find the bag with the packets of screws in them, these will be used to fit the parts of the drums together.

You'll need your drum-key for this. This looks similar to a radiator key and is used to tighten any screw with a square head.

The bass drum is the drum we'll start with. This is the biggest drum in the set and you'll need to find the 2 hoops and the heads to go with it.

Lie the bass drum on its back with the fittings for the legs and round tom tom holders nearest to the top of the drum.

Place the front head, this is usually black with the manufacturer's name or logo on it, over the top of the drum. Make sure the name or logo is directly under the tom tom mount so it will be the correct way up.

Then place the hoop over the top of the head.

Now we'll fix it all together.

Put your bass drum rods and claws over the hoop and locate them into the screw holes all round the drum. There are usually between 8 & 10 screwholes depending on kit type.

Note: If you have 4 rods with square heads and the rest with T handles, you'll need to put 2 square rods at the bottom of the drum, opposite to the tom tom mount between the 2 legs on each side of the drum.

Once you've located all the rods into the screw holes, put your thumb and forefinger on the threaded part and turn clockwise until finger tight. Once all finger tight you want to turn the rods until all the creases disappear from the heads. This takes around 1 full turn of each rod.

Tip: For best tuning, turn each rod a little at a time and go from 1 rod to the rod on the opposite side of the drum until complete. This will give the head the best chance of going on straight.

Your bass drum should look like this:

Now turn the drum completely over and repeat on the other side with the other head.

Once you have completed this, you are ready to set up the bass drum. Some drums have the bass legs folded on the side of the drum and some are separate. If they are already on the drum, loosen the screw on the legs and wind them out. If they are separate, loosen the screw and slide the 2 legs into the holes.

Tip the drum up so the legs are on the floor. You can adjust the height of the legs and should do so until the legs stop the drum from moving from side to side.

Your drum should now look like this:

Now we'll assemble the other drum without heads, the floor tom.

These are the parts you'll need:

Lay the drum so the 3 leg brackets are nearest to the floor.

Put the head on and put the hoop on very similar to the way the bass drum was assembled. With your rods, put them through the holes in the hoop and into the screwholes. Tighten first by finger and then with your drum key similar to the way the bass drum was assembled. Turn the drum over and repeat the process.

Now find your 3 floor tom legs.

Fit the 3 legs into the leg brackets putting them in from the top. Have them all in roughly the same distance, don't worry about height as you can always adjust them later. Once all tightened up, turn the drum over so it is standing on its 3 legs.

Your finished floor tom should look like this:

We're ready to put it all together. We'll put the tom toms on the bass drum now so you'll need the following:

Next put your 2 tom arms in the bass drum - some kits have 1 arm with 2 fittings on them, into the 2 holes in the top and tighten them so they don't fall into the bass drum. Loosen the screws on the tom arms and pull the top of the arms out until roughly parallel to the ground - some single fittings need to point upwards, and tighten them so they stay there. Slide the 2 toms onto the arms and tighten. If you're behind the kit facing the clear head, the smaller tom should be on the left for right handed players. Left handed is usually a mirror image.

Your kit should now look like this:

Tip: Try experimenting with the adjustments on the tom arms to find a suitable playing position that is comfortable.

Next we'll put up the snare drum.

These are the parts you'll need:

The snare stand is usually folded in half so loosen the middle screw, open it out and tighten the screw again. Loosen the screw on the stand which allows the legs to open and pull the legs out until it stands on its legs. There are 3 arms at the top which open out and this is called the basket. This is where the drum will sit. Open the basket, usually by loosening the nut at the base of the basket.

Your stand should look like this:

Put the snare drum into the basket with the wires or strands on the snare drum facing the floor. Tighten the basket until it firmly holds the snare.

Place the snare drum and stand behind the kit, like this:

Now we'll put the stands and cymbals up. Locate the bass drum pedal and hook on the springs - if needed.

Your pedal looks like this:

This pedal is going to fit on the bass drum on the playing side. This is usually the one with a clear head on it.

Tilt the bass drum slightly so the jaws of the pedal fit over the bass drum hoop and tighten the wing nut on the bass drum pedal so it holds the bass drum hoop firmly.

Next find your cymbal stand and crash cymbal. You will have 3 cymbals usually. Two will be the same size as each other and one will be bigger. The bigger cymbal is the crash cymbal.

Open out the 3 legs on the cymbal stand in the same fashion as we put the snare drum stand up earlier. Adjust the sections of the stand using the wing nuts on the side of the stand until at a suitable height.

Now we'll put the cymbal on the stand. Undo the wing nut at the top of the stand and you will see 2 felt pads. The cymbal is going to rest between the 2 pads so take 1 pad off and lay the cymbal on the remaining pad. Put the other pad on top of the cymbal and put the wing nut back on.

Your crash cymbal and stand should look like this:

Tip: Don't tighten the wing nut too much. Leave it fairly loose so the cymbal can move freely when hit. This will get the best sound and reduce the chances of damage.

Finally we will put the hi hat cymbals on the hi hat stand. You will need the 2 matching cymbals and the remaining stand with the pedal on it.

The hi hat stand is usually folded in half so stand it the right way up with the pedal at the bottom and open it out. Put the top tube into the bass section and tighten the wingnut so it doesn't slip down. Open the legs out in the same fashion as the previous stands.

Secure the hi hat pedal at the bottom. This is usually by sliding a thin rod from the pedal into the bass of the stand to hold it sturdily together.

The stand should now look like this:

On the rod at the top of the stand, or sometimes in the bag which held the hi hat stand is the device to hold the top hi hat cymbal. This is called a clutch and looks like this:

With the clutch removed from the hi hat stand, turn 1 cymbal upside down place it over the rod and lower it onto the felt. The second cymbal will be married to the clutch, being put between the 2 felts on the clutch before being fitted to the stand. To do this unscrew the locking nut and remove 1 metal washer (if fitted) and 1 felt pad. Put the clutch through the hole in the top of the cymbal and put the felt, metal washer (if fitted) and locknut back on. Your top hi hat cymbal and clutch should now look like this.

To set the clutch, press the pedal on the stand down about half way and then tighten the wing nut on the side of the clutch. When done, take your foot off the pedal and the hi hat cymbal on top should lift up and stay there.

Your completed kit should now be ready to play and should look like this:

Don't worry if you get stuck at all, give us a call on 0191 221 0301 or e-mail for details and we'll sort out any problems you may be having.

Good luck!