Taye Studio Maple Review

[crazyhorse]

I might be jumping the gun just a bit already posting a review but yes, I was that impressed. :)

As it turns out I have the best fiancee ever and she just bought me a Taye Studio Maple 5 piece shell pack. (14x6 snare, 10,12, 14 toms, 22 bass) After waiting anxiously for about a week it finally showed up yesterday and when I got off work I rushed to put it together last night.

Incidentally... If anyone is looking at this kit she picked it up for a grand from George's Drum Shop in OH. Shipping was only $50 so it was pretty inexpensive for this level of kit.

First thing first... The snare SINGS. Apparently they use Remo for the factory Taye heads. I've switched out the snare to an Evans vented dry but I don't think I like the sound as much now. Going to switch back to the Taye head tonight and see which one I really prefer. It's a 14x6 snare and just has an awesome clean pop to it that was love at first strike.

Hardware looks pretty good despite some concerns I'd read about online. Given, the only thing I have to base this opinion on is the slide mount tom setup they use which is pretty cool actually. I've got some rare hihat and snare stands so I didn't bother to get the Taye hardware for them. So, no reviews on that kind of thing.

Toms all sounded great even with the "factory" heads on them. I'm going to try and get some MP3's to post up later if anyone wants them but give me a bit to tune them and find the happy place for these toms. Either way I've played on quite a few sets and for a grand you're not going to touch this sound anywhere. It's as good as sets costing twice the price for the fancy name. Plus everyone knows that Ray Ayotte knows how to build a drum and it really shows with this kit. Personally I'd prefer a little larger tom's in the pack but this happened to be what they had in stock when my fiancee bought them.

If you're looking at getting a new kit in the near future definitely put Taye on your list to check out. I decided to write a review since I had a hard time doing research when I was trying to make a decision on which one to go with. Originally I set out just to buy one of their wood hoop snare drums and when I saw that I could get a full kit for a grand it was kind of a no brainer. The rim shots, etc are going to be awesome when I swap these hoops out now though so I can't wait.

http://www.wrxhackers.com/drumset.jpg <-- old Slingerland kit in 5 piece form
http://www.wrxhackers.com/NewDrums/TayeDrums-01.jpg <-- New kit with a REALLY fast and ugly assembly job at 11pm last night. Yes I turned my old tom holder into a cymbal stand for now.... lol (Yes the cymbal placement is ugly but I don't have room for all them in my bedroom so I make do with just a couple)

EDIT: Sound sample - http://www.wrxhackers.com/NewDrums/TimsDrums.mp3

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Good for you for not being trapped by the big 3 or 4 drum makers and taking a chance on Taye. I own a midline kit, Pro-X, and bought it after looking at many others in the same price range. I also have their D hardware pack, with A, B, and C being better that the D. I have had these for almost a year now with no issues. I did replace the kick drum pedal but that was preference not necessity. They now have a new series of pedals which I saw yesterday and West Coast Drums for 197. and 461.00 for the double. Very good price for a pedal of this quality compared to the asking price of some other "big" name pedals.
I am sure you will love your Tayes, and by the way, does your fiancee have a sister. LOL
I'm not sure about the heads but their advertising says they make their own. Anyway congrats on crossing over to the dark side.

[crazyhorse]

I saw your kit while looking around.. Beautiful!

In retrospect I sort of wished I had gone with a flashier look but the natural finish is great too. Glad to hear the hardware holds up well. These guys build a great kit and it's a shame that more people haven't taken the leap of faith to try it out. Callie (the awesome wife to be) even asked me if I would prefer a DW instead and offered to spend the extra cash on it.

Have you dealt with West Coast drums at all? I can't get the guys at George's to call me back with pricing on the Taye wood hoops for the snare drum and WC is who I was going to buy my snare from in the first place. They've got the wood hoop snare for like 490 shipped which is considerably less than most places. Hopefully just the hoops won't set me back TOO much.

My source on the heads could be wrong... but from what I heard they spec out the heads to Remo for manufacture. The bass drum sure looks a lot like a powerstroke head... Not sure if they put the same heads on the Pro-X or not though.

Oh and sorry but she just has an older brother. Guess I lucked out!

[crazyhorse]

Oh.. I might add that the retail on this particular kit is $2500, typical selling price is around $1500-1700 with hardware. I'd say the $1,050 we paid was quite a deal. Especially looking back through some of the posts in this forum where people are looking at $700-900 kits. Then again I do have the advantage of already owning hardware that I love.

[rjvsmb]

Hey Crazyhorse,

Excellent choice on the Studio Maple. I have the TourPro and I love it. Everything about them is top notch - shells, pedals, hardware, etc.

Also, my experience with their customer service has been fantastic. I call them directly with a question when deciding which kit to buy and spoke directly with a representative.

Another thing I liked is you could order a 5 piece kit (for example) and choose your drum sizes without any extra charges. Other companies sell pre-configured shell packs and that's it.

Lastly, you get quality drums that you don't have to pay a ton for. I'm not talk about using a qualifying statement like "really good drums for the price." This sometimes implies that the low price makes better than average drums a great deal. These are flat out quality drums that are probably under priced.

As time goes on and the Taye name gets out there, the prices will probably go up. Look at the new pedals and the wood hoop snare drums. A pretty good indication that they're stepping up they're efforts to play with the big boys.

It's great to see a post bringing more recognition to Taye and giving us an option other than the mainstream companies.

Drum World in San Mateo, CA is distributor for Taye. Phil Sollar is the owner and a really good guy.
http://www.drumworldsf.com/

Here's my kit:

[crazyhorse]

That's a gorgeous setup! I'll have to get in contact with your guy and see about ordering those hoops then. Always like to do business with people that take care of the community. George was awesome on getting the shell kit but it's been tough trying to get him to get back to me on the hoops. Apparently they're not listed in the 06 pricing catalogue but I can't imagine they wouldn't sell them seperately for replacement purposes, etc.

I'm kicking myself for not grabbing this solid shell Taye snare on ebay a week ago. It went for $500..... ARGH!

I'll admit I was a little scared getting these and I didn't play on them before I told Callie to go ahead and grab them. You'd be silly to spend twice as much money to get the same quality that's for sure. People definitely need to quit thinking of these as "budget" drums and like you said... awesome drums for a great price.

[dingbat]

Congrats on the new kit. I too have a Studio Maple, 6 piece fusion configuration. Did not know a whole lot about them before purchasing, but did see a pro drummer where I live use them on a gig some years ago when Taye was just starting out building their own sets. After finding some Modern Drummer reviews on them, I decided to take the plunge, could not be more satisfied with the kit, they do sound fantastic and are crafted very well. I have my own thoughts posted on the kit in my sig link below.

[crazyhorse]

I think you just made me jealous. That finish is beautiful! Actually I think I came across your review when I was doing my research into the kit.

*ponders kicking himself for not waiting and ordering a different finish*

Edit: just noticed you're a fellow lefty! Though I play open handed since that's just how I learned from the start.

[dingbat]

I think you just made me jealous. That finish is beautiful! Actually I think I came across your review when I was doing my research into the kit.

*ponders kicking himself for not waiting and ordering a different finish*

Edit: just noticed you're a fellow lefty! Though I play open handed since that's just how I learned from the start.


Thanks for the compliment. Don't kick yourself, the natural maple finish is timeless.

[crazyhorse]

True true... plus with the color of my room I might lose my drumset if it was the red. lol Is it bad that I actually planned the color of the room around my drumset and my Djembe?

[GRUNTERSDAD]

MIne are flashy with the Blue Sparkle, but I would have preferred to have gotten a dark natural wood color but it wasn't offered in my Model. You will not be disappointed.

[n2xlr8n]

Wow. Small world.

Had no idea you were a drummer; nice kit. Keep in touch!

SRJ

Check us out @ myspace.com/raleyrocks

[crazyhorse]

Are you stalking me?! lol Actually I got the URL from an old thread in NASIOC but I didn't see your name on there. What's new dude?

[GRUNTERSDAD]

I also saw in the For Sale section on Drumforum.Org a Taye maple set for 600.00 if anyone is interested.

Here is the link.

http://www.drumforum.org/viewtopic.php?t=17090

[crazyhorse]

That's a steal.. and is probably also why it already sold... lol

[crazyhorse]

Figured I'd put an essential "drivers seat" picture.

The black thing you see hanging over the rack is a gift from GruntersDad.. Thanks dude for the shirt!

Yes... you see the cymbals are not up yet. Primarily because I sold some of my hardware so I'm in the process of adding it back. There is a crash thats JUST outside the picture on the top right. My ride cymbal is on the left because well... I'm a lefty!

http://www.wrxhackers.com/NewDrums/TayeDriversSeat.jpg

Mismatched heads because I wanted to try the Studio X out on the floor tom. I was finishing the edges of my snare drum today and thought I had the head on straight but apparently I was wrong... oops! I've got the tom mount on the rack so it's at a pretty funky angle at the moment. Probably just need to pick up some Gibraltar tom mounts so I can do it right. Oh and I promise I can afford sheets... just happened to be laundry day... lol

[GRUNTERSDAD]

Glad the shirt fits one of us. LOL. That was a gift from Katy Chen, General Manager of Taye America, in California. I wrote her about some Taye Literature and she was impressed with my interest in promoting the compnay so she sent the shirt along with some other goodies, but I guess she wasn't aware they made guys my size. Wear it in good health bud.

[crazyhorse]

Well I'll be in the studio doing some recording tomorrow night so those of you that wanted to hear them will get your wish. I promise to keep the board operator honest so you actually hear the drums and not just his knob turning prowess.... lol Now to buy some stands so I can get the rest of my cymbals on before I go trying to record anything.

[Jeremy]

Good luck recording!

Definitely looking forward to hearing it.

[crazyhorse]

We were just fiddling around and having a good time. Actually this was recorded about 4 feet from the mixing board with two overheads, a snare, and a bass mic. Just kept promising to put the sound down so here ya go. My apologies for the very boring and slightly sloppy playing. Was tired and couldn't think of any fancy original licks to put in there lol

Click here - 2.4 megs (http://www.wrxhackers.com/NewDrums/TimsDrums.mp3)

The snare is actually the blue one I just finished putting together and is not the Taye one. Thus the reason i did the lil snare thing at the beginning.

[Jeremy]

they sound real nice. it might be the mics, but the toms have too much attack for my taste. they could maybe do with coated or 2 ply heads (i don't know what you have on there) to round them out a little. the snare sounds great and kick drum is beastly. nice kit!

[crazyhorse]

They're actually G2 Coated heads on the toms with the exception of the Floor being a Studio X clear as an experiment. Probably the nature of having only the snare and bass drum close mic'd and the toms are picked up on the overheads. It's tough balancing the cymbals and toms in a manner that works. I've taken off the taye reso's and put on G1 clears for the toms now and they've mellowed out a bit in a good way. The hihat has been replaced with some Saluda hats that have a little less bite to them compared to my super heavy paistes.

I'll be in the studio tomorrow so I can record my new snare. =)

[Jeremy]

ah. i've just never liked evans. all their heads give a thin sound to me for some reason.

i don't know about the problem with balancing toms and cymbals. put the mics higher if you don't mind the room sound and just play normally. the recording in my sig is recorded like that, but I was playing the toms pretty strong since i like the new sound.

whatever you do, just don't change that kick and snare, cause they sound amazing. unless you're new one is nicer of course.

[crazyhorse]

Snare I built... bass has a SuperKick II.. and my recording tonight got cancelled.. dammit

[dblinkhorn]

Crazyhorse,

Congratulations on your new drum kit. I listened to your recording and they sound very good. They have an excellent tone and a nice controlled sound. I hope my DWs sound at least as good when they get here in a few days!

I may end up buying a Taye Studio Maple for my rehearsal/practice kit now that I've heard how good they sound for the price! How much "touching up" if any did you apply after recording? Did you use any dampening devices, like tape or moongels, etc.?

In any event, for a $1000 kit they sound super. Hell, even if they were $3000 they'd still sound super! Good job!

[crazyhorse]

I asked my buddy at the dials to keep them as true to real life as possible and I think he did as asked. There is 1 moongel on the 10" tom because I was having some weird overtones coming out of it. That has been resolved by scrapping the factory reso and putting on a G1 clear instead. Tried moongel on the snare but it killed it too much so I let it ring a bit and it sounds great recorded that way. Who puts tape on their drums?!?! =)

Congrats on the new DWs! My next set is going to be built by me but until then these Taye's really have pleasantly surprised me.