Tama Superstar Custom

[bcains]

I'm currently looking for a drum kit (that'll be used in my upcoming studio). It will be mostly rock & hardcore type music.

i have come across these;

Tama SX52 Superstar EFX 5-Piece

SXB22E 18 x 22 in. Bass drum
SXT12A 9 x 12 in. Tom tom
SXT13A 10 x 13 in. Tom tom
SXF16D 16 x 16 in. Floor tom
SXS55 5-1/2 x 14 in. Snare drum

Mapex MB5255(Standard) M Birch

22 x 18 Bass Drum
12 x 10 Rack Tom
13 x 11 Rack Tom
16 x 16 Floor Tom
14 x 5.5 Snare



What would you go for out of these, other recommendations are greatly appreciated. Around the $1000-2000 AUD mark.

[bcains]

Theres also the

Mapex Pro M Series Drum Kit Standard

22 x 18 Bass Drum
12 x 10 Rack Tom
13 x 11 Rack Tom
16 x 16 Floor Tom
14 x 5.5 Snare

[cobradenim]

Get a used kit with a bigger bass drum. A 14x24 or a 16x24 will have a better sound for rock and hard core.

[drummerdude666]

I have to disagree, i'd suggest sticking with a 22".

It's becoming the standard size and people will be more used to it. Also i don't know if you've ever played a 24" but you seriously have to wack them. In the studio most drummers are pooing a shoe anyway without having to smack a kick harder than they do already.

Also in that price range, unless your going for a bonham-esq kit then you can't buy a 24" kit. especially not with the shallow toms that he's got down so far.

For my money i'd get Pro-M. They are great kits and you can't go wrong with them. I'd suggest upgrading the snare (if you can afford it). You get a great kick and snare sound and the whole kit will sound amazing.

What are you thinking about cymbals?

[bcains]

Originally Posted by drummerdude666

I have to disagree, i'd suggest sticking with a 22".

It's becoming the standard size and people will be more used to it. Also i don't know if you've ever played a 24" but you seriously have to wack them. In the studio most drummers are pooing a shoe anyway without having to smack a kick harder than they do already.

Also in that price range, unless your going for a bonham-esq kit then you can't buy a 24" kit. especially not with the shallow toms that he's got down so far.

For my money i'd get Pro-M. They are great kits and you can't go wrong with them. I'd suggest upgrading the snare (if you can afford it). You get a great kick and snare sound and the whole kit will sound amazing.

What are you thinking about cymbals?

Thanks drummerdude, i've decided to go with the Pro M's for sure.

Snare wise i've heard good things about the Tama Lars Ulrich snare (6.5 x 14 in.) and the Tama Hammered Steel Snare (4x12 in.) whats your opinion on the snares?

I'm somewhat new to buying a kit in somewhat depth,i guess you could say, i've had few cheapies a few years back.

Sabian
A) 14" AA Regular hats
B) 10" HHX splash
C) 16" AAX Xplosion crash
D) 20" Pro Ride
E) 18" HH Medium Thin crash *Maybe*
F) 18" PRO Chinese

[Fire Dome]

good choice on kit btw. I would have one for the tame but thats cos i am a brand whore. IN terms of the snare those two might not be the best options. The lars Ulrich snare may sound good for some situations but its material may not suit all the bands you have in. I find that metal snares to be too unversatile for my ears. The same really applies for the hand hammered snare you mentioned. They are awesome snares ,i own the 12x5.5 model, but i find that i don't tend to use it as often as my main snare just the stock rocktar custom snare.

You may want to consider goind with maple 14x5.5 snare. That size allows a wide variety of tones with just changing the tuning a few notches up or down.


Finally you may also want to consider that your clients may want to bring in their own snares and cymbals or even their whole kit.

Good luck


Dave

[cobradenim]

Originally Posted by drummerdude666

I have to disagree, i'd suggest sticking with a 22".

It's becoming the standard size and people will be more used to it.

It is the most popular size but it doesn't mean that it's "better" or more people will like it. I think a 22" is a versatile drum for rock, jazz or country but if you're playing rock or punk and want a heavy or punchy kick sound, a 24" will sound bigger because it is bigger. As they say in engine building, there's no subsitutions for cubic inches.

Also i don't know if you've ever played a 24" but you seriously have to wack them. In the studio most drummers are pooing a shoe anyway without having to smack a kick harder than they do already.

That is just pure BULLSHIT. I have a 24" and it is just as responsive as any smaller drum. I've also played a 26" and a 28" and that wasn't the case with any of those either. If you had that problem with a 24" then it was tuned too loose.

Also in that price range, unless your going for a bonham-esq kit then you can't buy a 24" kit. especially not with the shallow toms that he's got down so far.

What??? Buy one used and you can. Slingerland and Rogers made kits with 12, 13, 16 and a 24" kick.

[tilinmyowngrave]

I have to agree with cobra... I have a 24" kick and its probably one of the ebst I have used.

[drummerdude666]

Woah Chill!

All i was saying was that a 22" kick will do the job just as well (the Pro M ones especially, its is deeeeeep). It wont sound exactly the same as a 24" kick becusae it's not but its all you'll need for a good rock sound.

I have a 24" kick and they are sensitive drums, but you still have to stamp i! LOL. You have to stamp it much harder to get a nice sound out of it compared to a 22", and i just figured that a 22" would be more suited.

He was looking at new kits. The kits he'd shown he was intresed were 'modern kits'. By that i mean deep kicks and shallow toms. My point was, no modern companies make mid-end kits with 24" kit and shallow toms.

You can special order ones, but then bang goes his budget.

All i was doing was letting him see all the options.

[Tim Brown]

Originally Posted by cobradenim

It is the most popular size but it doesn't mean that it's "better" or more people will like it. I think a 22" is a versatile drum for rock, jazz or country but if you're playing rock or punk and want a heavy or punchy kick sound, a 24" will sound bigger because it is bigger. As they say in engine building, there's no subsitutions for cubic inches.



That is just pure BULLSHIT. I have a 24" and it is just as responsive as any smaller drum. I've also played a 26" and a 28" and that wasn't the case with any of those either. If you had that problem with a 24" then it was tuned too loose.




What??? Buy one used and you can. Slingerland and Rogers made kits with 12, 13, 16 and a 24" kick.

I used 24" Kicks for years, and I should have moved up to a 26" or 28" in the late 80's.

I would say that the standard size used in the Studio is a 20" Kick rather than a 22". One of my distant cousins is a record producer (as in - he literally worked under Alan Parsons in the late 70's, and has had a fairly successful career.) He worked on a Travelling Wilburies song that they couldn't get "just right" (so they called him in) and Jim Keltner gave him a drumkit for his studio for helping them out. It's a Yamaha kit with 8",10",12",14", & 16" Rack toms and an 18" x 20" Kick drum; it sounds KILLER!

But when I asked him, he said that about 90% of the time, it's a 20" because of the "mallet to head diameter ratio" (A kick mallet takes up a greater percentage of surface area on a smaller kick head, so it delivers more "oomph".) There's definitely a science to this, and I never would have even thought about that. He said an 18" tuned as low as it will go with light muffling can yield some incredibly thick kick sounds. He said it's all about "density".

That said - I still like playing on a 28" Kick drum tuned as low as it will go!

Tim

[tilinmyowngrave]

Originally Posted by Tim Brown

I used 24" Kicks for years, and I should have moved up to a 26" or 28" in the late 80's.

I would say that the standard size used in the Studio is a 20" Kick rather than a 22". One of my distant cousins is a record producer (as in - he literally worked under Alan Parsons in the late 70's, and has had a fairly successful career.) He worked on a Travelling Wilburies song that they couldn't get "just right" (so they called him in) and Jim Keltner gave him a drumkit for his studio for helping them out. It's a Yamaha kit with 8",10",12",14", & 16" Rack toms and an 18" x 20" Kick drum; it sounds KILLER!

But when I asked him, he said that about 90% of the time, it's a 20" because of the "mallet to head diameter ratio" (A kick mallet takes up a greater percentage of surface area on a smaller kick head, so it delivers more "oomph".) There's definitely a science to this, and I never would have even thought about that. He said an 18" tuned as low as it will go with light muffling can yield some incredibly thick kick sounds. He said it's all about "density".

That said - I still like playing on a 28" Kick drum tuned as low as it will go!

Tim

28" KICK!?!?!??! Thats fuckin awesome. I wish I could get one of those

[Tim Brown]

Originally Posted by tilinmyowngrave

28" KICK!?!?!??! Thats fuckin awesome. I wish I could get one of those

I'll build you one for $1,000.


Yeah,
I really love the 28" Kicks, they look and feel thunderous. Unfortunately, they don't close mic all that well, so usually I mix a mic'd sound (for the "Boom") with a triggered sound for the impact/click of the mallet.

I built the kit in 1997. It's a pair of 28" Kicks, a 15" mounted tom, and 18" & 20" Floors. This picture was teken before I installed MayEA mic mounts in the drums (I have microphones and triggers installed in every drum, so I can just plug the entire kit in.)

http://www.acrosstyck.com/drums/drumkit1.gif


Tim

[tilinmyowngrave]

Originally Posted by Tim Brown

Yeah, I built the kit in 1997. It's a pair of 28" Kicks, a 15" mounted tom, and 18" & 20" Floors.

http://www.acrosstyck.com/drums/drumkit1.gif

HOLY FUCK THATS HUGE!!!!!!!! LOL I have a 24" kick, 13" 14" and 18" toms. Im currently looking for a 16" matchign floor tom. Pics of my set are on the "SUperstar" thread.

[Tim Brown]

Originally Posted by tilinmyowngrave

HOLY FUCK THATS HUGE!!!!!!!! LOL I have a 24" kick, 13" 14" and 18" toms. Im currently looking for a 16" matchign floor tom. Pics of my set are on the "SUperstar" thread.

Actually, when I really want to freak people out, I break out my set of Rototoms and use those as mounted toms - that way I have 6" through 18" Mounted toms. LOL


Tim

[tilinmyowngrave]

Originally Posted by Tim Brown

Actually, when I really want to freak people out, I break out my set of Rototoms and use those as mounted toms - that way I have 6" through 18" Mounted toms. LOL


Tim

Dude... thats great. I LOVE TOMS. If I could, I would get as many of them as Terry Bozzio has. But I only need 4. SO now I must find an old 16" floor tom. And once I save up... roto toms will be a must . I wish I could have double bass... but its ahrd to find old 24" Superstar kicks on ebay

[Tim Brown]

Originally Posted by tilinmyowngrave

HOLY FUCK THATS HUGE!!!!!!!! LOL I have a 24" kick, 13" 14" and 18" toms. Im currently looking for a 16" matchign floor tom. Pics of my set are on the "SUperstar" thread.

I'm thinking about build a 32" Kick drum just for the heck of it.
And everybody around town remembers me because they all have the same reaction it's like "Damn that's a bid drum!" Except I played out at this one place, and the customers got mad and left because I was "beating them to death" (according to them) with the kick drums. LOL



Tim

[tilinmyowngrave]

Originally Posted by Tim Brown

I'm thinking about build a 32" Kick drum just for the heck of it.
And everybody around town remembers me because they all have the same reaction it's like "Damn that's a bid drum!" Except I played out at this one place, and the customers got mad and left because I was "beating them to death" (according to them) with the kick drums. LOL



Tim

They just dotn udnerstand the fine art of having extremely oversized drums. I say, go for those 32" kicks

[Tim Brown]

Originally Posted by tilinmyowngrave

Dude... thats great. I LOVE TOMS. If I could, I would get as many of them as Terry Bozzio has. But I only need 4. SO now I must find an old 16" floor tom. And once I save up... roto toms will be a must . I wish I could have double bass... but its ahrd to find old 24" Superstar kicks on ebay

Actually, Bozzio is the very reason I got into Rototoms. A lot of people think they are annoying sounding, but I love them.

I normally just use the 3 regular toms - keep in mind that 90% of what I'm playing is just kick and snare, so I don't see the need to carry a ton of drums - I prefer the two kicks over the double pedal. If I'm only going to use a single kick, then I play it like a single kick. I grew up on Bonham, so that was definitely a major part of the inspiration for the 28" Kicks.


What kind of price range are you looking for, on the 16" Superstar Floor tom?

You should check
http://www.musicgoround.com

It's a chain of used music stores on line, and do an advanced search - you can put in Tama, and it will give you every used Tama drum they have in stock.


I'll keep my eyes opened for ya, because I dig through used places all the time. I love old drums. If I could, I would have a drumshop and deal in used gear. I'm just not that into all the newer brands that are around these days.
The Superstars are a great drumline. I was never a Tama fan (and I have no idea why...I think it was because I didn't like their tom mounts), but a friend had those, and they were a kicking sounding kit.



Tim

[tilinmyowngrave]

Originally Posted by Tim Brown

Actually, Bozzio is the very reason I got into Rototoms. A lot of people think they are annoying sounding, but I love them.

I normally just use the 3 regular toms - keep in mind that 90% of what I'm playing is just kick and snare, so I don't see the need to carry a ton of drums - I prefer the two kicks over the double pedal. If I'm only going to use a single kick, then I play it like a single kick. I grew up on Bonham, so that was definitely a major part of the inspiration for the 28" Kicks.


What kind of price range are you looking for, on the 16" Superstar Floor tom?

You should check
http://www.musicgoround.com

It's a chain of used music stores on line, and do an advanced search - you can pout in Tama, and it will give you every used Tama drum they have in stock.


I'll keep my eyes opened for ya, because I dig through used places all the time. I love old drums. If I could, I would have a drumshop and deal in used gear. I'm just not that into all the newer brands that are around these days.
The Superstars are a great drumline. I was never a Tama fan (and I have no idea why...I think it was because I didn't like their tom mounts), but a friend had those, and they were a kicking sounding kit.



Tim

THANX SO MUCH!!! I dunc are abotu price range, I payed for the drum set, but my mom will pay for the floor tom. I just want birch superstar in natural maple? finish.

[bcains]

thanks all,
for your replies/advice, cheers.

[cobradenim]

Originally Posted by Tim Brown

I prefer the two kicks over the double pedal. If I'm only going to use a single kick, then I play it like a single kick. I grew up on Bonham, so that was definitely a major part of the inspiration for the 28" Kicks.

I agree. I hate cheater pedals.
I currently have a 14, 16, 18, 24 setup but I want a 26" kick drum. I love the big kick drums. although, the 15, 18, 20 tom set up is pretty fucking cool too!

[tilinmyowngrave]

I prefer 2 bass drums also, but I cant afford another one with 2 single bass drum pedals.

[Tim Brown]

Originally Posted by cobradenim

I agree. I hate cheater pedals.
I currently have a 14, 16, 18, 24 setup but I want a 26" kick drum. I love the big kick drums. although, the 15, 18, 20 tom set up is pretty fucking cool too!

Why don't you build one? You can have the drumshop you order the shell from drill the shell for your current hardware - and just move it from the 24" to the 26". All you'd need to buy aside from the shell (and paying for them to layout and drill it) would be a pair of kick hoops and a pair of heads.

You could probably get the whole deal for under $300.

Tim