Roland TD-17KVX V-Drums

Hi. I have two questions. I bought a Roland TD-9 back in 2008, and I think most of its life is done. I'm curious how the KVX plays compared to that model?

Question 2: on my TD-9, I bought replacement pads on ebay, but their shelf life is already not resonating with hits after just 1-2 years replacing them. Will never buy used, second hand again. I'm not sure if it's the cables or what, but I'm tired of doing surgery on the kit to try to fix the problems. I think they're just done, and replacement pads aren't cheap. Still, the module is fine, and cymbals all work fine, and frame is fully functional, as is kick pad. I'm wondering what I should with this half-usable kit? How can I make some money selling it while knowing it's not a fully working kit - albeit, with some fully functioning parts?

Hi Nick,

If you like the feel of the mesh snare head, imagine those on the toms. I love having all mesh heads, but some people still like the feel of the rubber pads. It's going to a somewhat similar (the size in particular), but I think the KVX is a major step-up from the older TD-9. Having the hi-hat on it's own stand is a must for me. The module is impressive and features Bluetooth for playing along wirelessly (especially when most phones don't feature a 3.5mm jack anymore).

Regarding question 2, I would hang on to any pads, parts, the module, etc... and use them as additional pads if desired. For example, I have an SPD-SX that I use with two additional Roland pads. Often times you can add additional pads to Roland modules. The TD-17, for example, features two additional 1/4" dual-trigger inputs, so in theory, you could add two dual-zone pads or four single-zoned pads. I'm not entirely sure it would work with four, as I haven't tried that.

If you want to sell it, you may need to tinker with it and try to fix it up to working order before selling it. Else, you'll have to try to sell the pieces individually.

The biggest downside to the TD-17, though, is the fact that it uses a sub-snake pin cable for the module inputs (the part that looks like an old computer input). You must be familiar with that having used the TD-9. If one cable in the snake goes bad, you have to replace the entire cable for all the pads.

That's a really helpful, practical review, thank you. I started out with a baby Yamaha DD75 a few months ago to see if I could get the hang of drumming. Found I love drumming, but have outgrown the Yamaha. Taking lessons on a proper kit but need something at home - looking seriously at the TD17-KVX if I can make it fit in the flat. Question pls - is the kit semi-foldable so I could reduce its floorprint at least a little until I use it? Might help negotiations with my wife. Cheers, Martin

Great article, thanks, really neat practical review. The kit looks reasonably compact but if I needed to make its footprint a little bit smaller when I’m not using it, is it quick and easy to do so?