Much of the information contained in this book is misleading because it is outdated. Not a good preparation tool for standardized exams, as many of the practices recommended in this book count as mistakes on those exams. Certain things, like using semicolons to separated a list of items that contain commas, are pretty good ideas, but are not part of standard English anymore.

The drumkit performs o.k. but - Horrible company service. I purchased the Simmons drumkit on Dec 23 2009 and the kick drum stopped working on Dec 24 2009. Simmons acknowledged a defect in their drum pads on their website. I called and spoke to Gary at Simmons customer service and have not received any service or further communication. I have since called and emailed Simmons numerous times and cannot get ANY service from Simmons what so ever. I am writing this review on Aug 20th 2010 and still nothing from Simmons. Simmons has yet to provide any warranty service, if you're looking for a new drum kit look into another company with a better track record other than Simmons.

hi, my name is peter i just bought the sd5k drum set and i was tottaly dissapointed. It sounds like a toy, but i was lucky that i still had my old roland sound module and my old kick drum, now it sounds great, the pads on the new set are pretty good, so if i were you i would spend a little more money and get a better set if i didnt have the capability of putting different drum parts on i would send it back in a heart beat.

I bought this electronic drum set for my son for Christmas this year. He used it for less than 3 weeks when the foot pedal quit working...I am still trying to find a Simmons contact who can help me get the pedal repaired or replaced. If anyone out there knows some way I can get in touch with Simmons customer service, please share.

The pads are velocity sensitive and the cymbals only single zone, compared with Roland etc who have dual zone (this means you can get a ride and crash on the cymbal depending on how you hit it).While you get quite a lot for your money here, the quality is not up to that of the basic Roland, Yamaha, Millenium,... kits and the sensitivity of the brain is not comparable IMO - and compared to the ddrum brains they are blown out of the sky.Also, these drums are apparently not real "Simmons". I am told that there has been no permission granted to Medeli for use of the name 'Simmons', and "their unauthorised use of the name is currently the subject of legal action by the original inventor".

We bought this for our daughter who is a beginner and this kit is great. It is easy to set up and takes little space. The versatility and the ability to learn using the controller are excellent. I was on a touring road crew for 15 years and am very familiar with what makes a good drum kit. As others, I agree that there are better kits out there. If you are a professional or even a regular drummer, get a professional kit. If you are just a tinkerer or a beginner, this is a great kit for the money.Pros: Good versatility, easy setup, ability to create your own kits and aux input to play along with your own songs.Cons: Pads are somewhat generic in that they do not have authentic response, no rim shot sensing, kick pad is not big enough for a double kick.Overall, I would recommend this kit to any hobbyist or parent with a beginner. Experienced drummers looking for a practice kit should not expect much from this kit.