"Beater" kit for local gigs. Cheap vintage drums or newer entry level drums?

Craigslist is a goldmine and ebay has a lot of good deals too.I think you'll be fine with a catalina. If you look into refinishing, you open up the door to a lot more options since you can strip down and repaint any kit without worrying about size or finish

I bought my catalina birch jazz kit on Craigslist years ago. It sounds great and has served me well. The only issue I have with the kit is the hardware on the snare was a bit flimsy but throw some better rims on it and you're set. Now despite my recommendation a friend of mine that's a much better drummer than I always says he's fine with playing crappy beginner kits at shows because he can tune them to be gig worthy but cringes at the thought of skimping on cymbals

The Catalinas are excellent drums for low dough. They're popular, so you should be able to score a used set of those fairly easily.

Cheap, recent, and used, from Craigslist, but make sure to stick with a real drum brand. Low-end Tamas, Pearl, Yamaha, etc can sound good with new heads using appropriate tuning and damping, but you can get too cheap - stay away from Sound Percussion or Stangg or other no-name brands. If possible, try to get drums that haven't been beat up - there are tons of older guys in the suburbs whose wife is making them clear out the garage and they can't justify the set they never play, and kits that were purchased for a kid that lost interest. A little more money can go a long way, $500-600 should get you a really nice set. Don't pay more than 50% new retail value. Don't buy something damaged unless you really like the rest of the set or you're getting a massive discount, just wait a week and you'll probably find something as good that isn't damaged.

My main set is a Starclassic but it's currently in storage 7 hours away. I'm playing on a early 90s Pearl Export I got off Craigslist for $200 and I'm pretty surprised at how much I like them after some new heads and finding the sweet spot in their tuning range.

This is one of my favorite gig kits from back in the day. Bought it at a yard sale for $50. It was thrashed... had been sitting on somebody's porch for 10 years or so.

She played some major shows... and even drew the occasional compliment from a sound-guy.

Point is... it doesn't matter. Hell... I would still be a little wadded up taking a nice/stained Catalina or similar out on the road.

Find something for a couple hundred bucks on Craigslist and play the shit out of it.

Cheap and used. Name brand is almost completely irrelevant. You can probably find some great drums for two bills or less that will do what you describe, and they won't need any more repair than new heads.

Besides, if you do end up rescuing a busted set of great vintage drums, you wouldn't want to turn right around and proceed to re-destroy them again.

Here's a third option you may not have considered: I insured my kits through Music Pro. I have about $20k worth of drums and cymbals and cases and my monitor system, etc. All of my kits and gear are insured for around $250 a year.

Just a thought.

I bought a 70s pearl for less than $200 for this exact reason. I fixed it up a bit but it was a very solid playing experience. I feel a cheap new set, while nicer up front, won't last as long.

Here's my beater kit. 80's Ludwig Rockers that I bought used in the early 90's for 200 bucks. Taped up bass drum reso head and a bass drum mount that holds my tom, a ride and two crashes. An old vintage lightweight high-hat stand. All cymbals are shitty B8's. Eight lug crappy Premier steel snare drum. No cases for anything. I live in south Florida where it rains a lot. My band plays a lot of gigs and I haul my stuff in the back of an open pickup truck. When rain is threatening this is my go to kit. This kit has been in the back of my truck in the pouring rain many times. But you know what? With quality Evans heads, an Aquarian batter head on the kick and a D112 they sound great. The only drawback is that the deep tom is a little uncomfortable to play because of playing height. I have five other kits all with their own cases. 67 Ludwig black oyster pearl, Crush clear acrylic, PDP CX white onyx, Ludwig Element 100 year anniversary gold sparkle and a Sonor silver sparkle bop kit. I use heavy duty double braced cymbal stands that I transport in a soft road case with wheels topped off with Zildjian A's and my 67 Ludwig Supra when I use any of these other kits at gigs. Trust me, if you gig a lot you need a cheap "beater" kit. To answer your question I recommend cheap vintage drums.

Cheap used if for no other reason than reduce, reuse, recycle.

Why be seen in cheap shit? Go vintage.