Howdy, it's been a while! (Project Tama Pics & Plan)

[kung_f00]

Hey everyone! I haven't posted in a fairly long time, but I've been drumming nonetheless! Many of you remember that back in November I bought a 3 pc Oak Custom set. Well, the Oak Customs are still doing great, and I've gotten a lot of mileage with them in only 8 months.

Buuuut, after attending an AMAZING Jazz lawn concert last night in my town, I decided I wanted to pay a little more attention to my Stagestar. So, I dug it out this morning, made a short list of things I'd need, and set off to my local store. I picked up a 14" triple flanged hoop (the bottom one for my floor tom went missing), and various heads:

10, 12, 14" Remo Fiberskyn 3 tom batters
12" Remo Powerstroke 3 snare batter
18" Evans EQ1 bass batter

Future plans are:
18" Natural Maple Bass Hoops
Yamaha Groove Wedge
18" Fiberskyn 3 Reso
10, 12, 14" Remo Ambassador Clears (resonant side)

Here are the pics!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/kung_f00/PICT1550.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/kung_f00/PICT1551.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/kung_f00/PICT1553.jpg

The cymbal specs are: 14" Bosphorus Traditional Hi-Hats, 19" Bosphorus Masters Crash, 20" Bosphorus Traditional Ride. The Black Panther is a 12x7 Cherry Maple.

Anyway, the Yamahas are disassembled for right now, since I don't have enough hardware for both, there's no reason to keep everything mounted while I'm using the Tama.

[stasz]

Hey stranger, haven't seen you around these parts in a while. Looks like you brought some new life into this kit. How does it sound with the fiberskyns? I never liked ps3's on snares, but if it sounds good then that's all that matters. Niiice cymbals. Oh and when I saw this thread I was all excited to see more pics of that beautiful stain on the oaks... but this is pretty good too. : )

[kung_f00]

Hey stranger, haven't seen you around these parts in a while. Looks like you brought some new life into this kit. How does it sound with the fiberskyns? I never liked ps3's on snares, but if it sounds good then that's all that matters. Niiice cymbals. Oh and when I saw this thread I was all excited to see more pics of that beautiful stain on the oaks... but this is pretty good too. : )

Haha, yeah the Oaks are hiding out in the corner. I feel bad for them, but when I'm done with the Tama I'll give these babies just as good of an upgrade so they feel loved too. The toms sound amazing with the fiberskyns. A very warm, open sound, especially with the wood-type and 60 degree bearing edges.

I wasn't originally going for the PS3 on the snare, but the guy who works at the store I go to (he's a great guy, he's cut me countless deals and offered lots of advice in the past) suggested that I give it a try because it's good at beefing up a snare. And I think he was pretty dead on! The snare sounds much deeper than before, and the annoying ringing overtones are pretty much gone.

[ZildjianMan1023]

foo,

welcome to the stagestar club my man

tuned right, these drums sound great

im digging the fyberskins

what do you recommend for resos?

[stasz]

True about the snare head-- I didn't notice at first that you're putting it on a 12 inch drum. Those trad hats must really be something. I was eyeing a set on cymbalsonly for a little bit and never went through with it, but man, the sound clips sounded SEXY.

[kung_f00]

foo,

welcome to the stagestar club my man

tuned right, these drums sound great

im digging the fyberskins

what do you recommend for resos?

haha, I've actually had these since 2005, but thanks. And yes, they are great drums. For resos, my personal choice is either Evans Glass or Remo Diplomats. I'm actually warming up to Remo after a long stint with Evans.

youenjoy, my trad hats are the heaviest I've seen made. Great for the stuff I play with my band (ska, reggae), but a little overwhelming for jazz. I also own a pair of 12" Turk hats, and those are pretty good for hip-hop, soul and r&b (another style I dabble in). If I played enough jazz that it would warrant a new pair of hats, I'd probably go with 14" Masters Light hats. The Masters series has to be my favorite line of cymbals ever. I highly reccomend Bosphorus to anyone who's looking for a pair of cymbals that stand out from all the others. After all, each cymbal they make it 100% unique from any other they've produced. If I had the chance to endorse Bosphorus, I would do so in a heartbeat.

[mikei]

Welcome back kung f00

Hope your doing well.

I dig the Tama.

How do you like the 12 as a main snare?

I thought my 13 was small.

Anyway, welcome back and don't be such a stranger!!!!

[groove meister]

That kit is really something all jazzed up, making me want to buy a kit with an 18" bass to make a wee jazzy set. So, how is the ps3 on the 12 snare? I have a yamaha maple custom absolute snare in the same dimensions and want to try new heads on it to see how versatile it is.
Where did you pick up the 12" turk hats that you mentioned?
Great set!

[fijjibo]

Hey man, good to see you, Im back from a hiatus too, lol

Im really loving the placement on the kit, do you sit quite high?

[kung_f00]

Thanks all for the warm welcome!

mikei: The Black Panther is amazing. I love the tight, controlled pop of the 12", and having the extra body of the 7" makes it surprisingly well rounded. It's definitely a right fit for the styles I play personally: funk, hip-hop; as well as the styles I play with my band: punk, reggae.

meister: The PS3 was suggested to me by my local guy when I told him I wanted to give my snare a beefier, tighter sound without sacrificing the pop. This snare head does just that. As with any snare, finding the right head can be a gamble, but my purchase turned out great.

fijjibo: eyyy buddy! I sit somewhat high, yes. I like to have the snare rim just slightly above my leg height (which is maybe angled at 100 degrees as opposed to the traditional 95). But I suppose with an 18 bass drum, it's always going to look like I sit high, right? :P