KAT kt3 Advanced Electronic Drum Set

Get that familiar acoustic drum feel without all the noise with the KAT KT3 electronic kit. Its snare, tom, and cymbal pads respond dynamically to each hit.

Overall User Ratings (based on 17 ratings)
  • Overall:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(17) (see rating details)
Submitted July 18, 2017 by Tanner Cruse in Grand Forks, ND

"The best kit you will find at this price point and even further. "

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I owned this kit for almost 3 years. I just recently sold it to put the money towards the new Alesis Strike Pro and to be honest, I miss my Kat kit. The triggering was amazing, the sounds were great and the customer support was some of the best I've ever dealt with. This is an awesome company that will only get better with time. I STRONGLY recommend this kit. You won't be disappointing.

Musical Background:

Playing guitar for over 12 years, drums for over 5, vocals my whole life

Musical Style:

A little bit of everything but I surely lean towards the metal genre
12 of 12 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted May 3, 2014 by Steffan Piper in Indio, CA

"KAT KT3 Drum Kit … Fantastic Kit for All Levels ..."

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Some people love to say that a drum machine doesn't have a soul. Please insert that Batman slapping Robin meme right now. Most musicians of any stripe know better. It takes a person with a soul to operate it with any real skill and enjoyment. Sometimes the uninitiated look upon electronic drum kits with the same level of disdain. Whatever feeling you may have had in the past regarding electronic kits, I would say you can now shelve those thoughts permanently. Delivery: I live in California and the kit was shipped from New Jersey. I believe I had ordered it on a Sunday night and it had arrived by Friday morning via Fedex truck. I was surprised at at the size of the box and it took about thirty minutes to unpack and organize before setting up. The amount of trash it generated was obscene, but honestly unavoidable as each piece had to be individually wrapped up. Dealing with breakage wouldn't have been fun. Set Up: It took about an hour and a half to completely set up the kit and I have no previous experience setting any type of drum kit up at all. But on a good note, the instructions were rather simple, well-written and I accomplished the task rather quickly. I purchased the kit for my 7 year old son, so I had to build it with his smaller posture in mind and tried to set it up so everything would be well placed. The Quality: The quality is actually quite impressive. The joints are a hard plastic with metal screws and different places are reinforced with thick rubber. The frame itself is all metal. This is by no means a chincy or cheap set up in terms of manufacturing. The pads, cymbals and computer module are all sturdy and well designed. Having scoped out several sets at different music stores like Sam Ash and the Guitar Center, everything else does look really cheap by comparison, regardless of price point. This really is a sharp looking and impressive set. Playability: This electronic drum kit really does sound like a real drum kit and has the best sampled sound of any of the kits I looked at / played on. If you strike the metal clamp portion of the under side of the pad, which can also be done with a side strike of your stick, it sounds like you're hitting the outer casing of the drum. There are so many fine details in the equipment that it's almost unreal. For example: Sound variance of how hard you hit the cymbal versus a tap. It's very touch sensitive. The cymbals preform like real metal, or as close as one might perceive with the human ear. The ring is lasting. I usually only to have to consider stuff like this when buying guitar strings, but brass is a whole other animal. Rim shots sound like rim shots and Head shots sound like Head shots. Accompanying musical presets / songs are actually something you can play along with, and they cover a variety of different styles. Built-in Metronome, Tempo control, Kit sounds, fill out the electronic aspect nicely and leaves nothing wanting. To Consider: 1. Yes, some of the pre-wired cables could be a few inches longer so you can adjust the cymbal placement as some folks like the Ride all the way to the right. But the module has a readout with shows which drum pad is being struck which actually helps a lot with practicing timing and setting up. 2. The enclosed drumsticks are very, very basic and must be immediately replaced. 3. The Kit DOES NOT come with a Kick Pedal in the USA. I don't really understand that, other than KAT must think that Americans can afford the added $45 / $75 for the kick pedal, but don't want to risk a return outside of the US due to its absence. I purchased the box set which includes Kick Pedal / Throne / Headphones instead, offered by KAT by just over Seventy-Five bucks. A good buy for sure and compatible with the KAT KT3 set, despite it not saying so. Happy playing. Highly recommended. *****

Musical Background:

Lifetime Player

Musical Style:

Baroque Classical / Rock / Punk
71 of 73 people (97%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted February 15, 2016 by M S in Birmingham, AL

"Awesome Kit!"

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
I did a lot of research before buying this kit. Anyone who says it is not as good as another brand should be ignored! I like this kit better than any Roland or Yamaha kit in this price range! The pads feel great, the kit looks great, and the sounds are great! The fast shipping and pay as you play option is awesome as well!!

Musical Background:

Professional 20 years playing

Musical Style:

Everything
6 of 6 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted December 30, 2016 by Steven Kerksiek in Garden city, KS

"KT3 honest review "

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
It honestly isn't bad. Honestly isn't perfect. Pros: love the feel. It isn't a 100% acoustic feel. It's something else. It that something else works! You can go so in to depth on each tone. If u don't like the pitch or reverb, changing is a breeze. Makes it sound a ton better especially on the toms. I've beaten this hung and the heads still look brand new Great support team Love the midi. Can get some great patches to work awesome Cons: Good luck getting if u play super fast on the high hat and want to do fancy snare or crash work. If u play more than about 4 pads or go for anything faster than a 32nd note, it's gonna leave some stuff out or cut it off short. Some tones aren't entirely convincing BUT most of them are awesome and can be adjusted like I mentioned earlier. Your gonna hate life sometimes if u prefer to run the ride all the way to the right. Cords just shy on length. You can get it there but it'll take some trial and error and if u miss and tap the cord, it's gonna fall out. The hitting the bell on the ride sometimes is just kind random/hit n miss. The other strike zones on the pads are great, the ride just needs to be redone on where exactly it'll hit the bell. I've hit the bell and got the tone, hit it again in the same place and got the ride sound. You're going to have to put a foam pad behind the kick drum to keep it from hitting the brace hard and triggering the toms. Cymbals do not choke. But this is also only a $999 model, so who's gonna expect that for anything under $1300-1500? All things considered, I wouldn't still own this if I didn't like it. I would have returned it within the return period if I thought the cons just killed it. When you start recording with the tones all ready on it, just wow. Sounds perfect. I would recommend this over another comparable model.

Musical Background:

14 years. Drums keys guitar mandolin sing

Musical Style:

Rock, metal, prog rock, pop.
13 of 14 people (93%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted March 7, 2015 by Daniel H in Cheyenne, WY

"Absolutely cannot be beat at this price."

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Overall: All the features and qualities of a kit costing twice as much. You may not know the name but don't forget it: KAT percussion has hit a home run with the kt3. Features: High hat with foot control, two crashes, ride, snare, four toms, bass pad, and module: all on a classy frame. Most heads are dual zone. Sensitivity and accuracy are spot on and the feel is realistic. The stock module sounds are usable for practice or live but will use different samples for recording. Quality: For this price, you simply cannot buy a better electric drum kit. Everything looks and feels deluxe. Heads rebound very much like an acoustic kit and are very quiet for indoor use. The white looks terrific. Manufacturer Support: N/A Sound: Taken on the merits of the stock module, I give it a 3 1/2 or 4. The sounds are usable for practice or live but if the goal is to record I would use different samples. However, from a controller perspective, the wonderfully responsive dual-zone heads and cymbals make this a great choice for a low-cost studio rig. 4 1/2. Ease of Use: Setup was a breeze. It is not particularly portable nor small (takes up about the same space as a full-size acoustic kit). However, using the module is very straightforward; my 8 year old stepson figured it out with no assistance. Value: The best value out there. The Wow Factor: I'm proud to have this kit in my home studio. It does everything I want it to do and provides me with the ability to record realistic drum sounds without disturbing my wife and kids in the next room. With a good sample engine (like Superior Drummer) I imagine this kit will be your new best friend in the studio.

Musical Background:

Many years

Musical Style:

Mostly rock
11 of 12 people (92%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted September 16, 2018 by Kris H in Austin, TX

"Excellent Set"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I have owned a few different brands of electronic kits, including the Alesis Strike Pro. I purchased this set a few years ago before upgrading to the Strike series and I immediately missed the KT3. The overall quality of this kit is outstanding for this price. The customer service is top notch. The sounds, responsiveness, durability and ease of use are some of the best I have experienced. If you are looking to get an electronic kit but don't want to break the bank on a Roland set, you will not be disappointed with the KT3.

Musical Background:

30
1 of 1 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted May 3, 2018 by Steve Dilbeck in Joshua, TX

"Best Digital kit at this price point"

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
WOW, for the price point this kit sounds amazing! I am new to digital and shopped several kits before deciding on this one, simply because it sounded the best. the assembly instructions could have been better but that is my only complaint. pads are responsive and feel solid. and as usual zZounds was a pleasure to do business with.

Musical Background:

Drums and Guitar over 20 years

Musical Style:

Rock
1 of 1 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted January 2, 2015 by Al Hackley in Vestal, NY

"KAT Percussion KT3"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This drum kit is AWESOME to say the least. I have been drumming for close to 20 years and have always used Acoustic, namely Ludwig, but as I am 41yo, I found that electric drums are better for me. This set sounds good and has great head response.....the custom kit feature is my favorite....I have 8 drum sets I made with the push of a few buttons.

Musical Background:

Drums....have been in two local bands and Music Major in High school

Musical Style:

Hard rock, arena Rock, Metal, Country, Contemporary
15 of 17 people (88%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted March 27, 2016 by a customer from gmail.com

"Kat KT3"

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Great sound, awesome portability. Only minor complaints, but nothing to get upset over. 1) really really tighten the locks on the drum heads, they can droop if you don't. 2) no factory reset feature... I know this seems silly, but when you first start with it, you play with things a little to see how they work. Unfortunately some settings apply to all the kits, user and preloaded, and no way to get them back! Even so, I've been very satisfied, and at the price point very well worth it.
2 of 2 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted March 27, 2016 by David S in Avon, IN

"KAT kt3"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I knew I was going to purchase an electric drum set for a while. I did many product reviews and knew my price range. While the kt3 isn't professional quality, it certainly pretends to be. I was confident in my year long research of all sets. I finally decided to make the purchase. It took about an hour to put together. The drum heads are great. The quality of the entire set is great too. I am impressed with the quality and was it surpassed my expectations. I think its a great value for a grand. The only cons I have are occasionally the high hat will miss a sound if playing 16th notes and the bass drum moves around. All in all, it is an awesome set.
5 of 6 people (83%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted June 27, 2017 by john guelff in westland, MI

"Great for moderate level drummer"

Overall: 2.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I am pleased with it to a certain extent. Pads though rubber have great rebound. But some of them REALLY need to be hit hard to register. The dual triggers on the cymbals can really activate on and off when playing hard and fast. Hi hat pedal seem spotty at best, no replacement for a acoustic or higher end electric. Great sounds out of the brain. Great looks. Love the kick pad. Can get insane speed on it. Advanced drummers can and will play too fast for hits to register. Snare drags are near impossible as well. Cymbal muting is awful and delayed when it actually works. Sorry for being all over the place just typed as I remembered.

Musical Background:

29 years of percussion
3 of 3 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted May 13, 2019 by Josh Holbrook in Gamaliel, KY

"LOVE THESE"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I absolutely LOVE these drums. Had them for about 4 months now. I play them honestly around 4-10 hours a day, and they sound and feel just as good as the day I got them. I highly recommend these!

Musical Background:

Playing for almost 40 years

Musical Style:

Jazz, acoustic rock,
Did you find this review helpful?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted August 4, 2016 by Mike S in Birmingham , AL

"Loved it at first, then problems started"

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This kit is a great value considering everything you get for the price. It loois great and I prefer the soft rubber pads over the mesh or harder pads from other companies. The rack feels cheap but is quite sturdy and big enough to allow for a wide range of set up options. The voices are good but there are some obvious samples missing like a 808 kick sound. I have had the kit 8 months now (woo hop paid off!!), and I have been noticing some problems and concerns. The drums connect to the module via some weird wiring harness that basically turns in to an old school db25 serial connection. It's makes set up a breeze, but my concern is if that wiring harness stops working, you are stuck. I tried finding just this part and after talking to numerous "authorized dealers" no one has this part and cannot order it. I even spoke to KAT support and they directed me to the dealer channel. I wanted an extra in case this goes out over the years but no such luck. That's how they get you to buy a whole new module or kit. That's not cool! Sure enough 8 months in I am starting to have problems. I have not made adjustments to sensitivity or things like that, but I am getting more and more miss fire's when playing (multiple pads do not trigger ). It is really getting annoying!!!I have unplugged and replugged in the cables on the pad side of the pads this happens to. I have also resealed the harness connection on the module side and it does not correct the issue. So, while it is a great value it may be true that you get what you pay for. I don't think after only 8 months of playing it should start having these kinds of issues. I really want to love this kit and hopefully I can find a resolution to this problem. Otherwise I may be faced with buyers remorse.

Musical Background:

Semi-pro

Musical Style:

Everything
5 of 6 people (83%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted February 23, 2015 by jarrold markos in san antonio, TX

"KAT k13 Electronoc Drum Set"

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I purchased this kit as a practice alternative. I am extremely pleased with my selection. Sound is nice and playing surface is tolerable. Although I don't haul this kit around ,it seems quite durable... The E functions are easy and fun. Record and playback or play along with presets ....Great for practice or small functions where acoustic is not possible,,,,,,

Musical Background:

Ive played driums for over 5o years both in bands and at home-----

Musical Style:

started a rock drummer and have expanded to all backgrounds including Gospel and country
6 of 7 people (86%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted March 14, 2016 by Ed S in North RZichland Hills, TX

"Good kit horrible factory suuport"

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Purchased this kit a few weeks ago from zZounds for my home studio/practice kit. Ordering and such was flawless, big props to zZounds. Set up was easy as the instructions were pretty much straight forward. The only thing they left out was the detents in the cymbal pads that you need to drop them into. The feel on the kit is not bad. The sounds are ok for practice, but I wouldn't record with them. My biggest issue with this kit is the factory support. I had some serious cross talk issues, and after several emails and a few phone calls to DW it was still unresolved. It took a bit of google searching and a couple of favors from retail friends to get it resolved as the factory is all but useless. For a practice/trigger kit you really can't go wrong for the price, but as I stated earlier the kit feels and plays really well, but if you have issues good luck with DW.

Musical Background:

30+ years playing drums & keys.

Musical Style:

Everything under the sun.
1 of 1 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted January 11, 2015 by Gordon L in Willsboro, NY

"Awesome experience"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This set exceeded my expectations and the fast process of my order made this a great experience. This is the way shopping should be. Look forward to expanding my collection.

Musical Background:

Jam at home

Musical Style:

Rock and country
5 of 7 people (71%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted July 9, 2014 by A J Lusk in Palm Beach Shores, FL

"Below Expectations"

Overall: 2.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
I recently bought the Kat 3 Pro electronic drum set. I only paid $800 for it so I thought I got a good deal but having the set a week now it leaves a lot to be desired. I like the rack and the way it looks, the three boom cymbals, the two floor toms, the bigger trigger pads for the snare and floor toms but the sound quality of the module isn't there, there is not one dry drum sound in the module and anyone that has mixed a live band knows where that's going all the sounds are these ringy long sustainable sounds that you can not adjust, it seems to be geared more for hip hop and rap drummers than pop or rock. I have a Yahama Dxpress set from the 90's so I am using that brain, the sounds are of much better quality. Two of the the 8in" drum pads are all ready not working properly the are intermittent. I sent in the warranty. I have sent them emails to there "costumer service" about replacing the pads but have received no reply. If this is their Pro Set I shutter to think about the cheaper ones. In short unless you can buy this set very cheaply and are prepared to start buying pads for it then stay away from it, save up your money and buy a Yahama DTX 562 or better and add some more pads to it. A J

Musical Background:

Musician

Musical Style:

Rock, Pop, Blues
16 of 30 people (53%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Please wait.