Has anyone had any experience with or an opinion about the Tama Starclassics? There is a set at the local shop that I have my eye on, but I have yet to really sit down with them. Any thoughts?
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Has anyone had any experience with or an opinion about the Tama Starclassics? There is a set at the local shop that I have my eye on, but I have yet to really sit down with them. Any thoughts?
I played a Solo on a Tama Starclassic Maple in 10x8 12x8 14x14 22x18 a while ago. It's a pretty Raw source, so it should give you a clear picture. Skip a little bit into the solo, there's some boring cymbal loving in the beginning
They're wonderful drums. Some of the best sounding drums today if you ask me. [img]smile.gif[/img]
http://s57.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3...Y2WZ3SBYN4DRS7
A friend of mine has a StarClassic (I can't remember if they're birch or maple) and brought his toms over a while back to get a second opinion on tuning. They tuned up very easily with clear Ambassodors top and bottom, and the tuning range was pretty wide from loose to tight. The sound was very pure, a little fat (in a good way), and they resonated very nicely, but the StarClassics were no where near as full and loud as my Premier XPKs. The StarClassics had a very pure sound with a strong fundamental, but they did not project and "fill up" the room like my XPKs.
This seems to be due to the combination of die-cast hoops and extra-thin shells. The shells seemed to be slightly undersized, which may explain the ease of tuning and wide range. This would be a great kit if you were in an acoustic situation and wanted to keep the drums a bit softer without changing your technique too much. I also think that the ease of tuning and wide tuning range means you are less likely to get stuck with a troublesome tom (which sometimes happens if the fundamental pitch of the shell itself doesn't fit with the others).
I recently made some discoveries about the RIMS mounts I've been using. I'll post the details later, but I think the Tama suspension system may be the ultimate way to mount a drum, at least from an acoustic perspective. The RIMS are very fussy, and if you don't set them up "just right," you'll have a drum that sounds like a glass of ass, but the StarClassic system is about as foolproof and high-performance as any I've seen.
I heard him play this same kit live several times on amplified rock gigs, and they sounded great...no indication that they were not "loud" drums...
They are excellent drums. The thin Starclassic shells will have a slightly lower fundamental pitch that many other drums.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Nice soloQuote:
Originally posted by Klemme:
I played a Solo on a Tama Starclassic Maple in 10x8 12x8 14x14 22x18 a while ago. It's a pretty Raw source, so it should give you a clear picture. Skip a little bit into the solo, there's some boring cymbal loving in the beginning
They're wonderful drums. Some of the best sounding drums today if you ask me. [img]smile.gif[/img]
http://s57.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3...Y2WZ3SBYN4DRS7
[img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">As i understand Tama Star-Cast Mounting System can be used both with Tama special die-cast hoops with 3 more hole then normal die-cast hoops for attach the Star-Cast Mounting System Or can be used with any hoops ( die-cast or triple-flanged ) but then it use a kind of special adaptor, does this special adaptor give good result or it's better to use Tama special die-cast hoops with 3 more hole ?Quote:
Originally posted by mja61:
I recently made some discoveries about the RIMS mounts I've been using. I'll post the details later, but I think the Tama suspension system may be the ultimate way to mount a drum, at least from an acoustic perspective. The RIMS are very fussy, and if you don't set them up "just right," you'll have a drum that sounds like a glass of ass, but the StarClassic system is about as foolproof and high-performance as any I've seen.
Klemme, Nice solo man! The Tama's sound great! Coated ambassadors on the toms?
Thanks Andy and Donu! No, the Set-up is Clear G1's in Bottom and Coated G2's on Top.
<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ October 29, 2005 05:47 AM: Message edited by: Klemme ]</font>
Klemme, very nice playing! I love the fat phrasing. Drums sound beautiful...thanks for posting!
Donu - I haven't seen the adapter for the StarClassic mounting system, but I would not expect it to work very well. Based on what I've recently learned about the RIMS system, anything that touches the tension rods, the hoop, or the counterhoop can completely kill the sound. I think one reason the factory StarClassic mounting system works so well is because it uses die-cast hoops. I would expect that the same type of approach with a regular triple-flanged hoop would not work well because they are much less robust, and would be susceptible to bending, flexing, etc. under the weight of the drum.
In my limited use of the drums (and don't jump down my throat here Tama lovers!! [img]wink.gif[/img] ), they seem at their best when laid into.
I think this is probably reflected in their artist roster too...
MP
Indeed - some of my favorite drums. I've only played the maple, but they really sound warm and full. Responsive, too.
On a tangent, I would also like to plug Allegra drums from Portland OR - they sound the best by FAR with open (jazz) tuning - not the pure round tone that most drums get in jazz tuning, but really rich, easy to tune, and the most musical drums I've ever played. Tony Williams-style Swiss Triplets never sounded so good ....