GREAT WOODS FOR DRUM KITS

There is no doubt about it, drum kits made from quality woods produce incredible sounds. Depending on the type of wood, you may experience warm resonant tones or short sustains on your drum kit. Two of the best woods that you'll find in Yamaha, Gretsch, Ludwig, Tama, Pearl, and DW drums are birch and maple. Though there are other types of woods used such as oak, beech, African bubinga, mahogany, walnut, and cherry, the majority of drum sets are manufactured with birch or maple.

Birch and maple drumsets

Play a kit made of birch and experience great tonal qualities. This is the wood of choice for sounds requiring high frequencies, warm mids, and a good low end. If you're looking for a drum set with deeper lows with even mid and high frequencies, then maple is the way to go. Each wood is superior in quality and will deliver what is necessary for required applications.

Wood thickness and characteristics

Aside from the woods themselves, the number of piles definitely have an effect on the projection of the drum set by the exchange of energy from the attack on the drumhead. There are three different wood thicknesses for the kit and each exhibiting their own characteristics.

Drumming on a set of 4 ply shells (thin), you'll find that it does well for recording and close encounters such as clubs and small venues. The tones are sharp and the shells have higher vibration qualities. Try a kit of 6 ply shells (medium) and experience an all-around set that can be applied anywhere. There's greater projection and less shell vibration. The 8 and 10 ply (thick) shells of a drum set are heavily favored for large venues, outdoor and indoor, because of their ideal projection and response. Those are the standard shell thicknesses, though they can be custom-made to order.

Cost

The price of each drum set with it's specified shell thickness will vary from one manufacturer to another. You might expect highercost for a custom-made kit.

Type of music

One might take into consideration when purchasing a set of drums the type of music to be performed. This is an important step in determining the ply thickness of the shells. Thick shells would be ideal for heavy metal and rock. Medium ply will work well for all types of music. Use thin plies for a kit to play jazz and easy listening music.

Which shell thickness do pro drummers choose?

There are so many different types of music as are the many drummers, and pro alike, that have their own preferences of shell thickness. Pro drummers are aware of the characteristics of the shell plies and apply that to the make-up of their kit. The rules are not cut in stone of how these drummers make their choices, but knowing the characteristics is a strong starting point.

The right set for you

Make an intelligent decision when purchasing a drum set by knowing these 3 points: (1) type of wood, (2) wood thickness and characteristics, and (3) the type of music to be played. With these attributes in mind, you'll have the confidence in choosing the right set

Posted by cmlllnch335 at 8:43 AM

YAMAHA DRUM

Yamaha Drums – History of Yamaha Drums and Musical Instruments

When you really think of it, Yamaha makes much more than just drums. They are a huge company that makes Motorcycles, home theaters, all terrain vehicles, and other sound equipment. Musical instruments seems to be a second in their business. The fact is, they are hugely recognized with the innovative designs and amazing quality drum sets. They have set the standards for many competitors. Yamaha has been around ever since 1887, where they stricktly made organs. This was called the Yamaha Organ Maufactoring Co. and it was located in Hamamatsu, Japan.

Although Yamaha has been around for over 100 years, they have only been making drum sets since 1964. At first, Yamaha ripped off designs from famous drums such as Ludwig, but eventually founds its place with the big leagues. Yamaha was on top for shell construction, and shell finishing. One of their biggest designs that is still used and mimicked to this day, is their YESS drum mounting designs. This stands for Yamaha Enhanced Sustain System. This type of hardware does a great job of mounting the drums with minimal contact to the drum itself – thus maximizing the resonance of the drum.

Yamaha’s biggest drum lines were the Recording Custom 9000. These kits were one of the best for recording studios, and are still used to this day in most studios. Recently, Yamaha has re-released the Recording Custom along with the YESS hardware. Yamaha does not only make acoustic drum kits, they also make electric V-drum kits. They have been making these for many years now. Here is a complete list of Yamaha’s current drum kit line.

Tour Custom

Great sounding kit with 100% maple shells, and the Air Seal system. This kit sounds amazing, and woks great on the road for the gigging drummer.

Absolute Series

There are many different types of Yamaha Absolute drums you can pick. Each sound great with There are 2 types of Absolute kits, there is the Absolute, then the Absolute Nouveau. YESS hardware and Air Sealed. Here are the different kits you can get.

• Absolute Beech
• Absolute Beech Nouveau
• Absolute Birch
• Absolute Birch Nouveau
• Absolute Maple
• Absolute Maple Nouveau
• Absolute Maple Nouveau Snare Drum

Maple Custom

A drumming standard for Maple shell drum kits. This professional sounding 7 -10 ply maple drum set is a Amazing sounding kit. Many colors and very customizable. YESS hardware and air sealed.

Recording Custom

An industry standard for recording studios. This 100% birch shell packs quite a warm clean sound with tons of resonance for the studio. More expensive, but very professional sounding. YESS hardware and Air Seal.

Yamaha Hipgig Kits

Unique designs make these drum kits easy to carry with you. With a decent sound, these kits are great for smaller performances and jazz bands. Mid price range.

Yamaha Stage Custom

Great entry level drum kit with YESS hardware and Air sealed toms. This drum kit sounds great for performances, but is still affordable for those with a budget.

Yamaha Rydeen

Great entry level drum kit for beginners. 6-ply Mahogany Shells offer a loud punch for a great price. Excellent for beginners with a budget.

Yamaha Flying Dragons - This is Yamaha's line of bass drum pedals.

By:Dave Atkinso