Big Drum Thump

Drum and Drummer News and Photos

Category: Yamaha

  • Yamaha Drums Introduces More Hardware

    [Press Release]

    Yamaha Drums introduces a rugged, functional, and flexible lineup of hardware at Winter NAMM 2009, including the 800 series, the 900 series, and the 1200 series.

    New additions to the 800 hardware series include cymbal stands (CS-850 and CS-865), a snare stand (SS-850) and a hi-hat stand (HS-850). Cymbal stands incorporate several design changes, including a toothless cymbal tilter for minute angle adjustment, a new boom tilter with a hinged clamp for a more secure hold, and plastic caps placed in the vertical tubes to prevent rattling. Pure zinc castings at all stress points provide added strength.

    “The new toothless tilter has been road-tested by many of our artists and they have been raving about it,” says Dave Jewell, marketing manager for Yamaha Drums, “and I think it will also be a big hit with consumers. Even a small detail, like caps on the vertical tubes, illustrates our commitment to making the very best hardware on the market.”

    The HS-850 hi-hat stand (pictured below) features an improved spring tension adjustment that makes it easy for drummers to find their preferred settings when changing hi-hat cymbals. The sturdy clutch stays closed, even for heavy hitters.

    The 900 series has been streamlined to a single cymbal stand model. The CS-965 retains the 900-series tripod base and incorporates the new toothless cymbal tilter and boom tilter clamp. The CSBW extra-long accessory boom is fitted with Yamaha’s toothless tilter and a heavy counter weight to keep them stable and sturdy even during the biggest cymbal crashes.

    “The CS-965 streamlines our 900 series and gives extreme drummers a versatile stand to meet their needs,” says Jim Haler, product manager for Yamaha Drums. “This stand is perfect for hard-hitters or those who place their cymbals high off the ground.”

    The SS-950 snare stand features a ball-and-socket adjuster that lets players position the drum at the perfect angle for their style—a great feature for drummers who appreciate the ability to fine tune their kit’s setup. The basket height can also be adjusted to accommodate deeper snare drums. Built-in spikes in the feet ensure stability.

    New hi-hat stands include the HS-1200, a straight-pull, three-leg stand; the HS-1200D, a two-legged version of the 1200 model; and the toggle-link drive HS-1200T. The spring tension also features a numbered scale for easy reference, and all models ship with two upper pull rods of different lengths. The new locking clutch keeps cymbals solidly in place. “The 1200 series stands let every drummer pick the feel he or she wants,” says Jewell.

  • Yamaha Absolute Series Drums Adopt New Features

    [Press Release]

    Onstage and in the studio, the Yamaha Absolute series drum sets offer professional quality sound and exclusive new features. At Winter NAMM 2009, Yamaha will introduce a new Absolute series with several features and options.

    Yamaha’s new YESS mounting system for the tom-toms, which debuted on the PHX series in 2008, now comes standard on the Absolute series and uses a chrome-plated steel mounting plate. Drummers can also choose the new hook lug as an option and can order a 20″-deep bass drum in the 22″-diameter size shell.

    “The innovative new hook lug and redesigned YESS mount continue a long tradition at Yamaha Drums of taking key features and adapting them to other drum lines,” says Dave Jewell, marketing manager for Yamaha Drums. “Now, these improvements are available to a wider range of drummers.”

    The YESS mount enhances sustain by shock-mounting the toms with dense rubber spacers between the shell and the mounting plate. The deeper bass drum provides a bigger sound by pushing more air without having to resort to a 24″-diameter drum. The hook lug makes changing heads much easier and increases the drum’s tuning range.

    “The new hook lug takes the advantages of the Nouveau lug and makes it better, while the new design of the YESS mount increases the drums’ sustain and adds clarity to the tone,” says Jim Haler, product manager for Yamaha Drums.

    The kits come in several exciting colors, including Burgundy (first pic below), Caramel Sparkle, Blue Ice Sparkle, Deep Blue, Luminous White Sparkle (which glows in the dark and you can check out in the second pic below), Solid Silver, and White Grape Sparkle.

    The Absolute series of drums, available in birch or maple, is expected to ship in July 2009.

  • Treats From Yamaha

    Yamaha wasn’t going to let Halloween slip by without giving us drummers at least a couple of goodies. First up is the company’s Hex Rack System that we first reported on in April. The latest incarnation comes with improved arm clamps and the grandly named “Synthetic Open Sphere,” which makes omelets or cleans floors or something equally useful. Here it is supporting a boner-inducing cock-rock kit (…two penis references in a six-word phrase is almost a record here at BDT).

    Next, Yamaha is whipping out ten new snare drums. Models include an all-birch snare in the Stage Custom line, a 10″ Musashi snare, a new Vintage snare, and two new series—the Loud and the Sensitive. No mention of prices in the press release, but the Loud model below looks pretty spectacular with its offset lugs and nine freakin’ air vents.

  • Budget Bashing With Rogers

    Once a celebrated manufacturer, the Rogers drum company fell on hard times and was almost relegated to the history books before Yamaha stepped up and bought the name last year. Of course, it might have been better to let Rogers die with a little dignity instead of becoming a budget brand aimed squarely at beginning players. But what can you do? We live in some ruthless times.

    Yamaha is, however, at least expanding the Rogers line with new sizes and finishes in the Trailblazer and Prospector series. The first new Trailblazer kit features a 20″ kick, 10″ and 12″racks, a 14″ floor tom, and a matching 14″ wood snare. The second Trailblazer set boasts a 24″ bass drum, 12″ rack, 16″ floor, and a 14″ x 6.5″ steel snare drum. The latest Prospector configuration sports a wee 18″ kick, a 12″ tom, 14″ floor tom, and a matching 14″ wood snare. No mention of what wood the drums are made of, but it’s probably some poplar or poplar-like mix, the standard for entry-level drums now.

    The new finishes include this not-too-shabby Brushed Copper in the Trailblazer series. Definitely better than a bunch of cardboard boxes anyway.

  • New Yamaha Gear…

    Newish Yamaha gear, that is. The company pulled the sheets off this stuff in January at NAMM, but sweet bangables usually take a while to get into the hands of us wee consumers.

    First up is a new Stage Custom kit in birch. It’s described as Yamaha’s “first mid-priced birch kit,” but in fact it’s Yamaha’s individual reaction to the industry-wide panic precipitated by PDP. Once DW’s younger bro started offering affordable kits in what were once considered premium woods (maple and birch), other manufacturers had to follow along. Even Pearl finally caved in with its Vision series. If you want the best now, Big Drummer Brother tells you to buy bubinga.

    Of course, you could just forget the wood altogether and go electronic. Yamaha’s got you covered there too with its redesigned flagship e-kit, the DTXTREME III. It comes in regular and special flavors. Both get you three-zone drum and cymbal pads, over 1,000 onboard sounds, and over 100 MIDI voices. The special edition also comes with Yamaha’s new Hex Rack System. Take a gander below. And as always, stop drooling on the screen.

  • Yamaha Drums Gets Its Groove on Euro-Style

    Oh, people with passports and ready spending cash. This is good, good shit. Yamaha is taking its Groove All Stars (aka Groove Night) to Musikmesse this year (March 13). The drummers scheduled to appear include Tommy Aldridge, Claes Antonsen, Pedro Barcelo, Tom Brechtlein, Bruno Castellucci, Dmitris Chistodoukas, Michal Dabrowka, Ralf Gustke, Wolfgang Haffner, Arthur Hnatek, Akira Jimbo, Oscar Kraal, Rick Marotta, Christian Meyer, Andy Newmark, Loic Pontieux, Volkan Oektem, John “JR” Robinson, Andrew Small, Erik Smith and Martin Valihora.

    In case you’ve never swindled your way into a Groove Night during winter NAMM, here’s a recent clip of Antonio Sanchez playing Zep’s “Good Times, Bad Times.” You can safely expect this caliber of drumming all night long.

  • Win a Kabuto Snare From Yamaha

    It’s red, it’s steel, it’s 14″x 5.5″, and you can win it from Yamaha here. Last day to submit an entry is February 29, 2008.

  • Yamaha Drummers at the Grammys

    Never too early to start the back-patting.

    Yamaha has put together a list of its artists who played on Grammy-nominated albums this year. The award show will take place in Los Angeles on February 10, 2008 (assuming, that is, the on-going writers strike doesn’t somehow bring it down), but until then, the Yamaha hopefuls are:

    • Larry Mullen Jr. (U2)
    • Matt Flynn (Maroon 5)
    • Oliver Charles (Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals)
    • Mike Bordin (Ozzy Osbourne)
    • Paquito D’Rivera (Paquito D’Rivera Quintet)
    • Mark Walker (Paquito D’Rivera Quintet)
    • Ray Brinker (Tierney Sutton Band)