My Tamas

[Paiste 2002]

These are my Tama Rockstars that I picked up new in, I think, 1996. So they are the old style Rockstars. Not sure what they changed on the new version Rockstars (and Superstars) but to my ear they don't sound as good as these old ones do. I really love the sound of the toms and kick -- they have a deep, round tone with just enough snap. This kit sounds phenomenal in the studio and mic'ed up live. They have fared me very well at thousands of shows all over the world. Some day I will pull the trigger and get some GMS Grand Masters, but for now I am loyal to these drums because they have been there with me for so long and for so many shows. The toms are 10, 12, 14, 16 and the kick is a 16 x 22. The snare is a 6 1/2 x 14 Mapex Black Panther birdseye maple. The hardware consists of a Tama Power Tower rack, Pearl Power Shifter double pedal, Tama and Pulse boom arms, Tama hi-hat stand, and Tama First Chair throne with backrest. I use Vater Pro Rock sticks exclusively, even though in one of the pics you can see some Vic Firth 5B's on the snare. I sometimes warm up with those because they are a bit heavier than the Vaters. The drumheads are a Remo Fiberskyn 3 on snare (love how it is warm yet cutting and super strong), Remo Powerstroke 3 on kick, and all of the toms have Remo Pinstripes. The microphones are CAD except for the kick which is an Audix D6.

The cymbals left to right are:

1. 14" Paiste Signature Sound Edge Hi-Hats
2. 18" Paiste 2002 Heavy Crash
3. 12" Paiste Sound Formula Splash
4. 18" Paiste 2002 Medium
5. 20" Paiste 3000 Power Ride
6. 16" Wuhan China
7. 17" Paiste 2002 Medium

http://i31.tinypic.com/29zbrqw.jpg
http://i30.tinypic.com/15qxoid.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/10eofow.jpg

[Drumsword]

Those are beautys man, Look very comfortable to play, Awesome!!!

[asht89]

nice looking kit! i like it :) i like the cymbal setup too, looks pretty comfortable!

[frank0072]

great kit, I have a Rockstar too. Do you have a picture from the front? And how is it that the lugs on your 16" are different from your toms?

Have a great time playing this set, and post some of your playing on the forum!

[Drumsword]

Is the FT a Luddy? Looked like a Ludwig badge in one of the pics.

[drumhedd]

I am TOTALLY in love with your cymbals right now!

[TheWonk]

The FloorTom is a Luddy and the lugs on the toms are the same so im guessin they are too? am i correct?
Nice Tama snare though lol

[Drumsword]

The FloorTom is a Luddy and the lugs on the toms are the same so im guessin they are too? am i correct?
Nice Tama snare though lol

Actually if you look REALLY close, you can see especially in the 2nd and 3rd pics, the lugs span the length of the toms, so those do look like Tama's to me, but that's my opinion..we welcome yours.........So long as it agrees with mine...LOL, j/k.

[mind_drummer]

Actually if you look REALLY close, you can see especially in the 2nd and 3rd pics, the lugs span the length of the toms, so those do look like Tama's to me, but that's my opinion..we welcome yours.........So long as it agrees with mine...LOL, j/k.

To me the 10" - 12" - 14" is TAMA and the 16" is a B/W badge Ludwig floor tom. Probably the kit came in the Fusion config and instead of buying another TAMA 16" floor tom, he bought an used black wrap tom.

[razorx]

yea the floor tom is deffinetly not tama. I have had three rockstars and they have all had full length lugs on the toms and and floor toms. Nice kit and excellent cymbal selection.

[Paiste 2002]

Thanks for the nice comments, they are very much appreciated! Yes, you guys are correct... I was planning to include that the floor tom is an old 16" Ludwig Rocker series that I had from a previous kit, but with all the other details I somehow forgot. I also have an 18" Rocker FT but it was too big and hampered my placements. The Tama shell kit I bought didn't include a floor tom so I just threw the Ludwig in there. It matches well with the timbre of the other toms, and it may even use the same (mostly) basswood shells.

Below is a front pic as requested by frank0072. Note that at this show I didn't have my usual mini boom stand for my D6 kick drum mic, and I had to use a non-boom one that the guitar player had and it was too high to place the mic in the right position, and it pointed downward. Luckily the D6 is so forgiving in placement that it sounded great as usual. I am also a FOH sound technician from way back and it would kill me if someone pointed out the mic placement error lol. Those with a keen eye, which apparently includes most of you, will notice three small details in this pic. One is the old "car floor mat under the kick drum spur trick" that is a lifesaver when you show up without carpet and the stage is slick. Two is my sacred Yamaha Professional model kick drum pedal that I now use as a backup in case something goes horribly wrong with my Pearl double pedal. I bought it twenty+ years ago in Japan and it is the best pedal I have ever owned. It has never failed me in all these years. And three is my Peavey PV10 mixer that I use to submix the drum mics at smaller shows or when the board doesn't have enough inputs to spare. Thanks again for the great comments :)

Brad

http://i32.tinypic.com/2ryhy6u.jpg

[stasz]

Hey Paiste 2002! Awesome screen name and great drum set. Your cymbal choices are about as good as it gets, and they're set up very comfortably. Oh, and now for my shameless plug... join my Paiste group in my signature!

[bojangleman]

very nice!

how do you like those CAD mics?

Alex

[Paiste 2002]

Hey Paiste 2002! Awesome screen name and great drum set. Your cymbal choices are about as good as it gets, and they're set up very comfortably. Oh, and now for my shameless plug... join my Paiste group in my signature!

Thanks man! As far as your group.... joined!

very nice!

how do you like those CAD mics?

Alex

Thanks! The CAD's work great on toms. The kick mic is not good at all on kick, but it comes alive on floor toms for whatever reason. The condensers also clip pretty hard on snare (note how far away I had it in the pics) but are fine on 6-8-10 toms. I use an MXL 603S on snare now... I got it for free when I bought my Audix D6. They are small and easy to place, and sound awesome on hi-hats, snare, toms, overheads, and acoustic guitar. Highly recommended.

Brad

[Paiste 2002]

The FloorTom is a Luddy and the lugs on the toms are the same so im guessin they are too? am i correct?
Nice Tama snare though lol

Ehhhh Tama snare? It is a Mapex Black Panther. What did you think, I lied?