Yamaha & Zildjians

[Starslope]

!!!2007-02-06 UPDATE: NEW PICTURES FROM STUDIO. NEW SNARE DRUM. PLEASE CHECK BOTTOM OF PAGE!!!







It's time to post up on my new kit.

Some of you might remember my Premier kit...
http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4819&stc=1&d=1144860304
The whole thread is at http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10689
...but now I've gone and bought a Yamaha kit to use as a live kit, with sizes that better suit the music I play.

It's a Yamaha Stage Custom Advantage Nouveau (puh!) in the finish Natural Wood. Although it's not the most expensive kit in the world, I feel it has great value and suits my needs perfectly. I need to be able to move it around without worrying about damaging it. To me, it's the perfect live kit. Also, I will be renting this kit out as a part of a backline deal.

I've said in previous threads that you should prioritize the snare and cymbals since the rest of the kit can be made to sound decent anyway. That's what I've tried to do here..

SPECS:
Yamaha Stage Custom Advantage Nouveau
Rack tom 12"x10"
Floor tom 14"x14"
Kick drum 22"x16"

-Mapex maple deluxe 13"x3" piccolo snare
-DW5000 TD3 double pedal

13" A QUICK BEAT HI HAT
20" K HEAVY RIDE
15" K CUSTOM DARK CRASH
18" K CUSTOM DARK CRASH

I also have a 21" Zildjian vintage ride, a 20" A custom ride, an 18" ping ride, a bunch of splashes, and some chinas that I use occasionally. Sometimes I use other snares, but this one is my favorite.

They still have the clear heads that they came with but I have coated emperors just waiting to go on.

I still haven't made friends with the camera, sorry!

[somedrummer]

That looks like a very pretty set, with lots of nice cymbals. I think it would be very fun to play.

Edit: Do you feel that the jump from 14" Floor tom to 22" Bass is too much, or do you like the contrast?

[Starslope]

Thanks!

Actually, I think 14" for a floor tom is fine - I'm tuning it in the low range (where I feel these drums sound their best). I didn't want a 16" floor tom because they're bulky and make the sound engineers job harder. But I'm actually considering buying a 10" tom to use instead of the 12", because I feel 10"/14"/22" would work better for me.

[somedrummer]

That sounds like a good idea. By the way, I love 10" toms.. They sound awesome.

[wnameth]

Thanks!

Actually, I think 14" for a floor tom is fine - I'm tuning it in the low range (where I feel these drums sound their best). I didn't want a 16" floor tom because they're bulky and make the sound engineers job harder. But I'm actually considering buying a 10" tom to use instead of the 12", because I feel 10"/14"/22" would work better for me.
I was in my local Guitar centre today and they said the stage custom's don't have a 14" tom? i guess your lucky.

-Wes

[pdp 9091]

I was in my local Guitar centre today and they said the stage custom's don't have a 14" tom? i guess your lucky.

-Wes

No theyre wrong. I have a 14" tom also and i have a stage custom.


But anyways nice kit. How do u like your K Heavy Ride. I used to have one a while back but i stupidly sold it.

[radeq]

woow :) they look awesome with all the K cymbals ;)

[Starslope]

If you want a ride with some stick definition, I think the K heavy ride is a great choice.
It's dark and has a great tone, and crashes without any problems. I feel it sounds better than the Sabian 21" raw bell ride that everybody seems to be going on about. I've had both of them up and compared every inch of them and I like this K better in every aspect. Also I feel it's getting better with time, since it's loosening up and mellowing out, just the way I like it.

The ride sound I'm after most of the time is a dark washy sound with very little stick sound, and then there are other rides that are better suited, but for pop/funk/soul this one is great!

[YAMAHA DRUMMER]

your set looks great , you have beautiful cymbals and set up is very nice.

[Starslope]

Here are some shots from a studio session I did a couple of weeks ago! I was helped out by Anton from Star-Audio (http://www.star-audio.se/eng/).

I've put on the coated emperors and that made a huge improvement to the sound. What can I say, I'm a coated kind of guy.

The kit sounds absolutely awesome! The kick is perfect, and the toms aren't bad either. I've really become a believer of cheaper kits. Here's what mics we used:

Kick: Sennheiser e602
Snare: Shure Beta57
Rack Tom: Shure SM57
Floor Tom: A-T ATM25
OH's: AKG c391b (x2)
Hihat: A-T 4041


One of the pics shows the stage piano and nord electro we used to record some bits. The new Yamaha CP-300 is incredible.

[d.c.drummer]

That kit probably sounds awsome. I love your cymblas too.

[kari_convention]

i've played the same drums and it sounds very good. I bet your drums too!
Nice collection of Zildjians u have there!

[Wegadrummer]

Sweet! nice and easy.. not to much either, i love it!

[SLEEPY BRiGHT EYEZ]

I really like the finish.

[Joe Kearney]

she's a beauty, I'm not gunna lie. Your set owns mine, haha.

[Drum_Till_I_Drop]

Oh man, ive got the same kit in fade brown amber, i love the kit, but i dont have good cymbals yet, ive still got the original shoddy garbage can lids i was given, im still saving away for some good cymbals. Seeing the kit with those cymbals...arghhh im so jealous :D beautiful finish by the way

[hardrocker74]

Dude can i come over and play. Sweet!!!!!!!!

[Class A Drummer]

That set is great. We use that kind for our school set, except our toms are a little smaller and we use hydraulic heads and flying dragons. Lots of fun.

[Starslope]

Here are some new live pics!

The first three are from a musical called Mozart. It was great fun.

The last picture is from a local pub gig where I played keys on some tunes and snare/hi hat on some. The picture is from the rehearsals, it looked better with some lighting..

[Drummer Karl]

WOOOW, I just imagine how great it would be to play on that set-up. wonderful and comfortable...and one question, just b. of curiousity: What music style do you and your band mainly perform? Was just wondering when I imagined how it would be to play on it...

Karl

[jali]

nice kit man nice cymbals but i don't really like the finish

[Starslope]

Thanks Karl! I play mostly funk, rock and soul - covers from the 70s and 80s, and some non-cover material as well. I'm a huge Carter Beauford fan so that influences my playing a lot.

The pics from the musical are another matter. That was a big horn orchestra that played Gospel John and all kinds of mighty brass tunes.


The finish looks horrible on pictures taken with flash. In real life they look so much better. For a while I was considering the Honey Yellow finish, but now I'm glad that I chose this one.

[golions]

Great looking kit, Starslope. Your kit and cymbals really look good together. Tell me about that 10x12 rack tom ... still have a coated emporer on batter? What about the reso head? And, is the reso head tuned pretty tight? I came pretty close to buying the 10x12 (I have the 9x12 in MCA). Again, very nice kit.

[Starslope]

Thanks! Yeah I still have the same coated emperors on, and the reso heads that the drums came with. I tune the reso head just a little over the batter head, to achieve phase shift and get less resonance, but they're pretty close.

By the way, your kit is stunning. Great cymbals too! I really like the A Custom Fast Crashes..

[thumper]

Sweet! Love the K ensemble!
I just traded in my sorry ass Tama Stagestars for a 5 pc set of Yamaha SC Nouveaus: 10, 12, 16" toms, 22" bass, 14" snare (matte black oak finish) I love the "quick change" composite lugs.There was a 5 pc version of your kit there,as well, but I chose the matte oak finish, as it's lower maintenance to keep clean. (no offense to your cool kit, Bro). Mine are previous "rental" drums, so they came with Evans G2 Clears, ( Yamaha stock resos) but I'm comtemplating switching over to Aquarian P2s...definately a Powerkick 2 for the bass drum, anyways!
I won't be playing them in a live situation until our New Year's gig, but I'm really getting pumped about it!! (Can't wait)

[golions]

Thanks! Yeah I still have the same coated emperors on, and the reso heads that the drums came with. I tune the reso head just a little over the batter head, to achieve phase shift and get less resonance, but they're pretty close.

By the way, your kit is stunning. Great cymbals too! I really like the A Custom Fast Crashes..

Thanks, Starslope. Yes, the A Custom Fast Crashes are some of my favorite cymbals. They are so bright, and with fast decay. I love 'em. You've got a great kit. Keep the pictures coming.

[macmarkus]

what a nice set ... i love natural finishes. and your cymbal selection, too.
happy new year ;)

[rendezvous_drummer]

beautiful kit man! I was thinking of getting mine in the natural finish, but went for the cranberry red, but none the less, you made a great choice! How do you like your quick beats? I own a pair, but not really enjoying them anymore.

[wnameth]

AWESOME kit. i have the same. haha. I have the 10,12,14,16,22 plus a ludwig supraphonic snare. I just bought a 18" K dark crash. AMAZING to say the least. i love yamaha and zildjian. when i play a 4 piece i usually set it up as 12,16 do you find 12,14 is sufficient?

-Wes

[Starslope]

Wow, thanks for the compliments guys!

rendezvous_drummer: I have to say, I'm looking hard for another hi hat. The quick beat great in some funk contexts but it's not very versatile. When playing it half open it sounds thin and actually.. (I hate to say it)..cheap!.. like a paiste 404 but brighter. Right now I'm considering either the 13,25" hybrid hats just a 14" K hi hat. I'm kinda hoping some good used ones turn up soon.

wnameth: I think I will stay 4-piece for a long time. It's such a hazzle to carry more toms, lol! Like I said earlier in the thread, I really wish I would have gone for a 10" rack tom instead of the 12". That would have been a better jump, for sure. The 14" is low enough for me though, I don't feel I want to go back to 16" floor toms.

Happy new year to you all!

[golions]

Starslope, give the 14 or 15" A Mastersounds a try. I find my 15" A's to be pretty versatile. Good stick with plenty of wash. The A series hats are old, but pretty good (in my opinion). Take care.

[Starslope]

Time for a little update! I bought a Pearl Marvin "Smitty" Smith signature 14"x4" copper snare drum. I've been looking for one of these for some time now, and finally found one for a reasonably good price. I got it a little bit cheaper since the original gold plated hoops are missing, and I'm just happy they're gone :)

When first playing it I was suprised by how sensitive this drum is. The ghost notes really gets carried through, much better than the 13" piccolo I usually play. It has a okay tuning range, I prefer it in the lower register myself. I guess you'd get some more power from an inch or two more depth, but then you might loose some of that sweet dry sensitivity.

Golion: I guess I should be looking at 14" or 15" hi hats too, but I'm very fond of 13" hats since they're so easy to control. That's why I'm considering the hybrid hats. But thanks for the tip!

[Starslope]

Maybe I've gone and killed this thread now.. But I'm gonna post a couple more pictures just for the hell of it. Some more recording stuff, the new snare worked great!

If you look closely at the ride, you can see how warped it is. Fortunately there's no keyholing or cracks. I'd say it's in decent shape for ride from the '40s. I'm also using a 18" and 17" crash combo instead of the usual 18" and 15".

[groove meister]

Absolutely love your new setup, i recently got the exact same kit except in smaller sizes! loving it, but still to get new skins on it. Can i ask a few questions? what do you think of the pedal you use? was going to maybe get a single.
Also, how are those K crashes? how do they sound?

Cheers!
Richard

[Starslope]

Thanks man!

Pedals are hard to describe, I feel the best way to make up your mind is to go to a music store with a lot of options and simply try them all. I like the feel of DW5000s but they are kinda heavy to work. I got really depressed when I tried the cheapest yamaha single chain pedal and found that I could play much faster doubles. It might be just down to making the right adjustments though.. Right now I'm mostly using just the single pedal, since I don't want to use the left foot as a crutch for bad right foot technique. My right foot double strokes has really come a long way since I started doing this this.



The crashes are great! Very dark, full, and a bit trashy. I couldn't be happier!