Yamaha Acoustic Drums

I am 54 years old, and have been playing trap set, mainly as a hobby, but also as a freelance musician since high school. My first "real" drumset was a set of Rogers drums that I bought in 1979, which never really gave me the sound that I was after. I tend more towards jazz, and by that time CBS/Rogers was rock focused. I have since bought Yamaha Stage Customs and individual Rodgers drums from the '60s of of Ebay, rewrapping most, which I have fashioned into a set. With the purchase and rewrapping of the Ebay drums, I had really fulfilled my goal of having a smaller Jazz set, so I was not in the market. However, at PASIC approximately one month ago, I was "auditioning" ride cymbals from the different manufacturers. At the Paiste booth, I sat at this small set without paying attention to what they were and started playing the cymbals. While playing around the set, I noticed how musical the toms were(8X12, 14X14), how crisp the snare and how punchy the 18" bass drum. When I realized that they were Maple Custom Absolutes, I was in love. The drum shop, Columbus Percussion, gave me what I consider a good deal on the set; $1900.00 (drums and tom mount), taxes and shipping included. What I like about the unit besides the known Yamaha quality is the sound that I can get from the drums; round, warm sound from the toms and a beautifully defined punch from the 18" bass drum. The snare sounds so much better than the one that came as a part of the Stage Custom set that it's hard to believe that they were manufactured by the same company. Its hard to come up with what I don't like about the set, except that I have not yet been able to tune the 14" tom just like I want it. I think that is more of reflection on my tuning abilities than the drum's potential. Great quality from the finish to all functional parts. I played my first Jazz gig with these drums (and the Sabian HHX Evolutions, also from PASIC) one week ago. I loved every minute of it. I do believe that the sound of the drums actually helped me play better. I look forward to many years of joy from playing this set. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I used to have a 1970's pearl export but it was in really bad condition and I quickly became tired oh having to hold the hi-hat stand up with my knee (no joke). I eventually decided to replace it and bought a Yamaha YD series drum kit from ebay for £360. Initially I was worried that I should have brought something in the next price range (like another pearl export) but when I actually saw the kit I was astounded. It looks several price ranges up with the wooden bass drum hoops. And it doesn't stop there - the drums sound great as well. The snare has a lovely crisp, deep crack to it; the bass drum makes a very deep, powerful boom, the toms (with upgraded heads) are clean and tonally rich. The hardware is great too, but I'd advise upgrading the cymbal stands to pearl ones later. I have only a few dislikes that I can think of instantly - the original Remo heads soumd absolutely awful and If you're going to buy this kit buy some better ones along with it. I would advise Evans hydraulic heads. Also, the tom mounting system is a bit awkward and if you're not careful you could end up bashing the toms on the bass drum every time you want to move them. This isn't really a problem if you're careful, but you might wish to buy a rack later on if you're accident prone. Outstanding. The wood used looks great and is light yet durable. The hardware, although awkward at times is very tough and will last a long time. When looking at reviews of kits of this price you'll usually see 'its great for a beginner'. However, if my band got a number one tomorrow, I'd be proud to keep this kit (although a DW or Pearl Masterworks might find it's way to my doorstep too!). It's as good as most of the kits under £1000 and with features like wooden bass drum hoops, hook it up to some Sabian HHXs and it's hard to tell the difference between this and a Maple Custom. Don't be fooled by the price, this is a great kit for drummers of all levels, and I mean all levels, and will stay with me for a long time. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I PURCHASED THE YAMAHA BEECH CUSTOM IN 2002 FROM INTERSTATE MUSIC AND I PAID SOME WHERE AROUND $2850 TO $3000. IT WAS A CUSTOM ORDER AND CONSISTS OF: 8"10"12"13"14"15" RACK TOMS A 22"X 18" KICK DRUM (WHICH SOUNDS LIKE THUNDER)AND 14"X 6 1/2" SNARE DRUM. I ALSO PURCHASED ALL THE TOM MOUNTS THAT ALL MOUNTS TO AN GIBRALTER 3/4 CIRCLE RACK SYSTEM. THE DRUMS HAVE EXCELLENT TONE AND SOUND, THE HARDWARE IS VERY SOLID AND STABLE, THEY SOUND GREAT IN THE RECORDING STUDIO OR LIVE ON STAGE,THE DRUM SHELL STAIN WOOD FINISH IS BEAUTIFUL, THEY HAVE THE TONE OF A MAPLE SHELL AND THE ATTACK OF A BIRCH SHELL, THEY ARE MADE FROM 100% BEECH WOOD, THE ARE EASY TO TUNE AND STAY IN TUNE. (THEY SOUND THE BEST USING REMO PIN STRIPE DRUM HEADS)AND THE MONEY VALUE IN COMPARISON WITH OTHER PRO-LINE DRUM KITS. HMMMMM....NOTHING. THE SHELLS ARE MADE FROM 100% BEECH WOOD, THE CONSTRUCTION IS EXTREEMLY SOLID. THE QUALITY IS EXCELLENT AND ON A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL. PROBABLY THE BEST VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY, IT'S WORTH CHECKING OUT IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL DRUM KIT, I HAVE BEEN PLAYING ON A PROFESSIONAL LEVEL FOR 20 YEARS AND HAVE OWNED MANY OTHER DRUM KIT'S BUT THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST IN SOUND QUALITY, CONSTRUCTION, HARDWARE, APPERANCE AND VALUE FOR YOUR MONEY IN COMPARION TO OTHER PRO LEVEL DRUM KIT'S. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I have had an electronic drumkit for a while, but I needed an acoustic one for gigs, so I began my search. I only had around $1000 Canadian to spend, to I was basically looking at the Tama Rockstar, the Pearl Export, and the Yamaha Stage Custom. I got it at Long & McQuaide for $1050 Canadian. I chose these drums over the two mentioned above because I heard of Yamaha's sturdy hardware. The toms sound really good after you change the heads. I really like the matte color my drumkit came in (cranberry red). Also, the ball clamps give you the widest choice of how you want to position your rack toms. The bass drum sounds pretty thundersous now that I gor the Evans EQ4 drumhead on it. The hardware that comes with the drumkit is also pretty sturdy. The heads this drumkit came with, even though they are made by Remo, suck. It took me two gigs to beat them up completely. I changed the batter heads to Remo Empeorors, which improved their sound tremendously. I just replaced the resonant heads with the Evans G1's and that improved the sound even more. The snare that came with the drumkit is metallic and has a lot of overtones, so I recommend you dampen it a little by adding a ring around the outside. The hardware is very sturdy, but the matte finish can get scratched up unless you take good care it. For the price I paid I still feel that I got the best drumkit available. The 17" deep bassdrum beats all the other ones I heard, and the sturdy hardware is also great. Dont be fooled when you see that the drumheads are made by Remo - still replace them as soon as you get the kit, if you want it to sound the best. Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Got these at AJ's Pro Percussion in Tampa Fl. for about $1,900 (Shells Only) 5 pc. kit, played by Anton Fig in a clinic at the store, and they are 10", 13" mounted, 16"floor,22X18 kick. These are the Nouveau line with the new quick release lug design which makes changing heads ultra fast, and it's the new blue sparkle finish. The kit tuly sounds awesome, looks awesome ,is easy to tune. The kick drum is a cannon, full of tone, warm tone rich toms. Whats not to like?? I cant find anything that I didn't like. Awesome Yamaha quality, rock solid. I am extremly pleased with these. An excellent high end kit, worth the extra coin. AAA+++ This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought my drum set about a year ago because I had grown out of my old set. I paid around $1500 canadian, at Musicstop. When I cracked open the boxes of these suckers I was blown away! They sounded great and looked great. I did a show this summer past and they sounded amazing in the crowd when my bassist played them (and he sucks), oh and what a glare from the lights OH MAN! All the hardware was awesome too, I can honestly say I will only ever replace about 35% of hardware that was included, every else stays. Takes a nice bit of tweaking to get your set tuned the right way, but I think that was because they were all skinned with factory Yamaha/"Remo" crap. Which I also disliked about the set, Yamaha advertised they were skinned with Remo but the skins truely sucked. Other than that there wasn't anything I disliked about it. The hardware was all stellar, not one complaint about the hardware. One thing about the quality though, the finish is pretty easily nicked. But if your careful enough and don't mind investing 200$ for a set of cheap cases thats not a problem. I've toted my set around now for almost a year in bed sheets and have only gotten one tick. I'm extra precautios as hell with these suckers too, my band mates think im obsessed which I am. Awesome Semi-Pro set with a great sound for a resonable price! It was worth every penny. I'm a diehard Yamaha fan for life now. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought these drums at Long & Mcquade in Victoria, B.C., for $2185 Canadian dollars. It came with a 22"x17" kick, 10"x9", 12"x10", 14x12" toms and a 14"x5.5" snare. Included all mounting hardware plus Yamaha double kick pedal, 2 single braced boom stands, hi hat stand, snare stand. I bought this kit because I rented it for a month and loved the look and the sound. These drums are gorgeous. Oak grain is by far the nicest looking out of all woods used for drum-making. As for sound, I find this kit much quieter than the previous kit I owned (Pearl Masters Studio BRX), and much more punchy, which is great. It sounds like a real organic kit. The kick drum is powerful and bassy, but not overwhelming. The toms are responsive, clear and very resonant with lots of highs and mids and lows. I wasn't totally fond of the snare drum as it has a little snare fan underneath the batter head to give extra attack, but I found this device annoying as the snare strands broke off and rattled inside the drum. Consequently, this drum was replaced by the Yamaha 14x6 Anton Fig maple snare drum with maple hoops. As for the hardware, it is typical Yamaha genious with the ball mount tom mounts and super-suportive cymbal stands (they're only single-braced too!). The double kick pedal was a promotion from the store and it is the double-wide chain drive pedal....great feel. A complete bargain! The only problem I have with this kit aside from the snare drum is that some lugs on the 14" tom do not want to stay tightened, which means that almost every day I have to retighten those lugs....not a big problem but for those who are not great at tuning, it could become a problem. Yamaha quality construction and quality, enough said :) Bottom line: Buy these drums! I had a Pearl Masters Studio BRX kit before this and it sounded good, but for the money, these Oak drums sound just as good, plus, they're a couple thousand dollars cheaper. Even a bigger bonus is that they're more gorgeous than any maple or birch kit than you'll ever see. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Bought Shell kit used. I was looking for an average Easy to carry kit not too expensive kit(Compared to my full Rack, 7 pieces Ayotte Custom). Paid 500$ Very good Yamaha quality. Sound is round and focused. I put Remo Emperor on the batter side to give it more lows. I've compared it to Tama Rockstars, Pearl Exports and it wins high hands. Nothing really. Bearing edges are smooth. Finish is somewhat less glossy as standard gloss finish but is cool nonetheless. I added RIMS suspension system. Very good drum. Hardware is of very good quality. A good drum fo live and even studio work. Not as expensive as top of the line drums but will do most to everything you want. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Yamaha Birch Custom Absolute is a full drum kit that is designed for use both in the studio and on the stage. I recently had the absolute pleasure of doing a recording session where the drummer brought in this kit as one of his kits. In the end we ended up mixing and matching with this kit and another to get the sounds we were after, but in itself the Birch Custom Absolute is a top notch kit. I'm an audio engineer, not a primarily a drummer, as I wasn't playing on the session. However, I've played and recorded with a number of different Yamaha kits, including the Maple Custom Absolute and both Studio and Stage Customs, all of which I believe are stellar drum kits. The Birch Custom Absolute in particular has it's own sound and a beautiful wood finish. I don't know for how long they've been making these kits, but it's up there with the best Yamaha and other kits I've recorded with to date. I really like the crisp and full bodied sounds of these drums all around, although I think the tom toms and the kick is where this makes the most of it's damage. The toms have that perfect slap to them when tuned properly and are great for rock and pop alike. The kick is nice and tight, cutting through a mix extremely well when recorded properly. For the session I did recently with this, we only ended up using the tom toms from this kit, but only because a really specific sound was sought after for each drum. If you were to record with the Birch Custom Absolute kit as a whole you'd no doubt get an incredible sound. If you're an experienced drummer looking for a nice new drum kit, most of the high end Yamaha will do great for you but definitely make it a point to look into the Birch Custom Absolute as it's unique to the others and is really an incredible drum set.

As far as semi-pro maple kits go, the Yamaha Tour Custom wins in my book. Maple kits have always been my favorite and I have played many different lines. Even when compared to the most expensive kits, the maple shells of the tour custom hold up. This kit is a great middle price range for a gigging musician looking to take an intermediate or entry level kit to the next level, but doesn't want to drop a huge amount of money of a custom maple drum set. I have a lot of experience with Yamaha tour customs because we had one at a studio I used to work at. All the time we were receiving compliments on its sound and look. The Yamaha hardware is untouchable at all levels, so this is a given plus. Even the low end Yamaha's are super sturdy. The toms sounded great, with the warm resonating sound one would expect from a good maple kit. It was the bass drum that really stood out for me. Obviously the bass drum sound relies heavily on tuning, heads, stuffing, and recording setup. This bass drum was creating great sounds no matter what. It was really astounding how perfect the bass and punch produced sounded. Having struggled with so many bass drums in the past, this was a breeze. The snare sounded good overall, again producing the warm maple sound. The only issue with the snare was that the rim clicks were not nearly as pronounced when compared to metallic snares or even other wood snare drums. The sweet spot of tuning just didn't lend itself to the rim clicks for some reason, no big deal. As a semi pro kit, this is perfect if maple shells are desired. The only kit that can compare in this range is the Taye studio maple. The studio maple's toms sound great, but the bass drum isn't quite the level of the Yamaha. Also, the Yamaha hardware is significantly more secure. Considering that the next intermediate line of drum kits includes the Yamaha stage custom and Pearl export, this is definitely worth shelling out the extra couple hundred bucks.