Yamaha Drums discussion

[fiacovaz]

Let's be fair about this, Olly...If you hate Yamaha's because all the high end kits are expensive you had better then include Gretsch, Ludwig, DW, Tama, Sonor, Pearl etc. etc. because they all have high-end kits.

[ratmycue]

I tapped a bit on one at the last PASIC convention. They sounded nice. In all the ads I've seen, it always in the finish below. Call me crazy, but I don't really care for it.



If I saw a full set in this finish I might fall in love:



All the specs here: http://www.yamaha.com/drums/drumprod...l?CNTID=568160

At $5,700 for a 4 piece shell pack, it falls into my "if I win the lottery" category. Nice eye candy, though.

I love the look of them!!! Gimmee

[Redeye]

I love the look of them!!! Gimmee

Which ones?

I call a vote - yea or nay on the yellow to puke green fade (ash chrome turquoise fade).

NAY.

[Redeye]

It's late, I'm bored, and pretty quick with photoshop, so I posted a poll on the PHX finish. I couldn't do it inside this thread, so vote for 3 out of 9 here:

http://www.drumchat.com/showthread.p...nish-8503.html

[big daddy]

Ive had my Yamaha Recording Customs since early 90's in cherry red also a vintage kit around 1969 or 70 great drums. My Premier kit was made by Yamaha as well Yamaha hardware is road worthy and very useable find them to be way better than my Sonor kit. My Manue' Katche' snare is the main on I use on stage great sound.

[2slow]

Only yamaha I have is my Absolute Maple snare and it's by far the best sounding snare I've had !! I use it 99% of the time no matter what set I play !! If the rest of the absoultes sound this good i really want some ! I have been longing to play on a recording custom set, all the reading i've done say it's the best birch for recording or playing !??

[Norske]

That's a GREAT snare 2slow!!

A couple of shots of the finish on my Tour Customs......

[Lesizmor]

Which ones?

I call a vote - yea or nay on the yellow to puke green fade (ash chrome turquoise fade).

NAY.

NAY! I think it's borderline HIDEOUS! -Les

[2slow]

NAY! I think it's borderline HIDEOUS! -Les

leave the green out and it looks killer

[mauchline]

I have the 40th aniversary washi kit and wonder if there is anyone out there with another and how do they like it ?

[mauchline]

anyone got a washi kit

[Norske]

anyone got a washi kit

Hey Mauchline, Welcome to Drum Chat!!

Those anniversary kits are expensive!! You might not find another member here that has one, but we'd LOVE to see pics of yours!!

[Christiandrummer777]

i dont like the finish on the phoniex.and to the question on the washi kit.... i envy you. they have.a kit in glass at a local music shop and i want it sooooooo bad. i played the snare and it and the weckl snare are the best snares ive heard. has anyone played the mushia oak snare in 61/2 by 14 size..... ive heard its good and itsin my price range right now

[Bish]

I even tried a Tour Custom kit. They reminded me very much of the SONOR 3007 maples.

I had these for about 30 days and they never got my attention either. It was a great kit and I got it for way less than should have been possible but even the money didn't sway me into keeping them.

Again, great kit, but just didn't say anything to me.

[MrB]

Which ones?

I call a vote - yea or nay on the yellow to puke green fade (ash chrome turquoise fade).

NAY.

A hard NAY to the fade finish, and a story about Yamaha's customer service and finishing.

In 2001, I contacted their customer relations department to see if I could order an absolute set, but have it in the aqua/blue/teal color that the standard Maple Custom line offered (the ones with the square brass/gold lugs).

This was after I had tried to go through a standard Yamaha dealer, and the dealer was turned down. I thought that this would have been a fairly simple request to field, since it wasn't a "custom finish" in the traditional sense- the finish is already in use on the other professional line, so there isn't any color matching, none of that- just walk across the factory floor and pick up the other can of paint. I was even willing to flip them some extra change for trouble. They turned me down, and four years later, that finish (or something similar) began to be offered on the Absolute series. :D

The drums sound great, and I like the Vintage finish... but for my next kit, I'm going the small Keller shop route- much more accommodating.

[Norske]

A hard NAY to the fade finish, and a story about Yamaha's customer service and finishing.

In 2001, I contacted their customer relations department to see if I could order an absolute set, but have it in the aqua/blue/teal color that the standard Maple Custom line offered (the ones with the square brass/gold lugs).

This was after I had tried to go through a standard Yamaha dealer, and the dealer was turned down. I thought that this would have been a fairly simple request to field, since it wasn't a "custom finish" in the traditional sense- the finish is already in use on the other professional line, so there isn't any color matching, none of that- just walk across the factory floor and pick up the other can of paint. I was even willing to flip them some extra change for trouble. They turned me down, and four years later, that finish (or something similar) began to be offered on the Absolute series. :D

The drums sound great, and I like the Vintage finish... but for my next kit, I'm going the small Keller shop route- much more accommodating.

Hey MrB......sorry bud, they're not a CUSTOM drum manufacturer! Don't get upset if you want a Corvette color on a Malibu and Chevy turns you down either.

There's a whole lot more to it than walking across the shop and grabbing another can of paint.

[MortalDrumbat]

yamaha oak customs.. nuff said. never tried em, but i play a lot of hardcore, metal, and other hard stuff so i need something with a brutal sound. so far i have the musashi black oak 13" snare which is both loud and explodes with samurai power!

[drumrbychoice]

Had a stage custom snare for awhile... Traded it for an Epi LP..? It was a good snare, It was just a real good trade. But, I needed another practice set a few years ago and picked up a rydeen ash (fusion) set. Put new ec's on 'em and was super surpised with the light shells how well they sounded. I kinda forgot about them, Glad you posted this. Yamaha is great equipment tho!

[Lesizmor]

[QUOTE=Bish;157390]I even tried a Tour Custom kit. They reminded me very much of the SONOR 3007 maples.

I had these for about 30 days and they never got my attention either. It was a great kit and I got it for way less than should have been possible but even the money didn't sway me into keeping them.

Again, great kit, but just didn't say anything to me.









[QUOTE]
Wow Bish! TCs too? -Les

[MrB]

Hey MrB......sorry bud, they're not a CUSTOM drum manufacturer! Don't get upset if you want a Corvette color on a Malibu and Chevy turns you down either.

Let's be forthright about this- if Chevy did that, especially in today's market, anyone who heard about it would rightfully brand the company representative a dolt. One stays in business by responding to the market. If it's a feasible request, it helps your bottom line. End of story.

There's a whole lot more to it than walking across the shop and grabbing another can of paint.

I will give you the benefit of the doubt and provide more background to my 2001 inquiry to Yamaha. And no sir, there was nothing more to it than that.

In 2001, I was led to believe that they still had a *small* custom shop in operation- granted it was primarily for people much more famous than you or I, but toss them a little green and they should be more than happy to make a sale. It was open to John Q. Public from what I've been able to piece together 1998-2000. As I will drive forth, any fool, running any business, should be willing to meet an easy request. If you need to seek permission from a superior prior to committing the company's time and resources, that's understandable. It should be relayed to the client, not met with a unilateral denial.

The set in question did not require any materials that they were not already in-house. Same production shells, lugs, and sizes as the newly launched Absolute series. I inquired about a shell pack consisting of toms sized 10x9, 12x10, 14x12, with a matching 22x18 bass.

It is nothing more than a ****-and-bull story that a difference of one maple ply is going to fundamentally alter the finishing process. Both the Maple Custom and Absolute series in 2001 offered lacquered finishes- Cherry, Black, and turquoise/seafoam/whatever for the 8-ply Maple Custom (along with a Vintage Natural stain), and for the Absolute- Black, Cherry, Plum, Sea Blue, and the aforementioned Vintage stain.

So, the shell would have been prepared identically for finishing. The only difference between the two lines is one ply for toms, and two for the bass drum. The older line featured single-point brass lugs which by Modern Drummer's assessment drew significantly mixed reviews around the office- the reported consensus was that a uniform hardware color amongst the hoops, lugs, and vents would improve the appearance of the kit.

Fundamentally, the hardware, attached afterwards, is the only thing I was looking to swap, and nothing too exotic either- no offset lugs, no can-you-drill-special-for-tube-lugs, etc. It was a stock Yamaha Maple Absolute kit, but is it possible instead of the Sea Blue Maple lacquer, can I pay an upcharge to instead have the aqua/teal/blue finish that is used from the older line. Had I requested they do a wrap, such as White Marine Pearl, or to make a 50-ply snare, or something more exotic from what was normally produced, then yes, I would expect it not to be worth their trouble.

The further failure of your analogy is that drums still retain a degree of handcraftsmanship that simply does not exist in the auto industry. Drummers are in every sense a niche market, and should you have the facilities in operation to deviate from the normal product, it is foolishness not to field a reasonable request- especially from a customer who is quite forward and has accepted that in order for his request to be filled, a labor surchage may be in order.

I can understand it is a Sisyphean task to reason with the robot that assembles Honda Civics; Mr. Daisuke Matsuzaka I would expect to be a bit more agreeable.


But to write it off as a case of "that's what you get?" Look at the timeframe. This is when the seeds were just being planted for the Keller-shell shop scene, and back then, wouldn't you likely agree that it was a safer bet that for a durable, quality instrument, you'd be better off buying from Yamaha anyway and leave SJC (or their equivalent) five years or so to get the hang of what they're doing, or better yet, see if they are still in business?

This is merely an instance of poor customer service, something I'm sure we have all experienced in our travels. Thankfully, there has been substainal growth, both in distribution and quality, among custom shops, so that we the consumer have a choice. I don't regret the Vintage finish kit I ended up getting. This process, though, left a sour taste in my mouth. Yamaha makes drums that sound amazing, and that is the primary concern. I have found their hardware to be very easy and efficient to work with.

Despite this, it should serve as a warning to anyone else, especially now with the expansion of custom shops, that not all brands will provide you with comparable customer service. There are a lot of factors involved- not only who you get on the phone or e-mail, but what mood they're in. I hope in the intervening years that this scenario is much less likely for anyone thinking about doing something similar. Nowadays, just be glad that there are more options out there than ever before.

[MortalDrumbat]

ive liked yamaha's ever since i saw garth play the big white one at guitar center in Wayne's World in the 80's. but their a bit on the price range of deep pocketed collectors, especially now that phoenix is here.

[MrB]

I felt Yamaha was actually pretty fair about pricing up until the Phoenix. I paid somewhere around $1800 for a four piece shell pack, and the Tour Customs aren't outrageous from what I've seen.

[Redeye]

I think the 5 piece stage custom birch kit is one of the best deals on the market right now. All birch, lacquered finish with hardware for a grand. I had decided to get one until a used beech custom fell into my lap. Hardware is solid and IMO Yamaha has the best sounding bass drums on the market in most price ranges. I still question mounting hardware in the shells, nodal points or not, but I loved all 3 kits I've had.

[MortalDrumbat]

has anyone tried the all birch stage custom kits yet? im comparing them for a production kit vs ludwig centennials and pacific platinums

[Norske]

has anyone tried the all birch stage custom kits yet? im comparing them for a production kit vs ludwig centennials and pacific platinums

Hey MD, see Shane's comments right before your post.

I do gig a Tour Custom kit (maple), and I really like it. I use the Yamaha 700 series single braced hardware and it's lightweight and amazingly sturdy and durable.