Tama vs. Pearl vs. Yamaha

mattbujak121

Junior Member
Hi! I recently sold my Yamaha rydeen kit,and want to buy a semi pro/intermediate kit.I looked around and choosed 3 drumsets. Yamaha tour custom,Tama silverstar and Pearl VMX.

Please can you help me choosing ? I play rock,funk(mostly red hot chili peppers styles) but jazz too,so I want a kit that is good for everything,but it worths the money.

Thank you
 
Personally, I'd get the Yamaha. The VMX has Pearl's ISS mounts - which aren't a great design and have been criticised for pulling hoops out of round. I think the Yamaha has the best hardware quality. The Tama is a good kit and you'd do well with that. All of the kits have quality shells and would sound good.

The Pearl mounts put me off and I like Yamaha more personally - but the Tama would be great too.
 
Hi! I recently sold my Yamaha rydeen kit,and want to buy a semi pro/intermediate kit.I looked around and choosed 3 drumsets. Yamaha tour custom,Tama silverstar and Pearl VMX.

Please can you help me choosing ? I play rock,funk(mostly red hot chili peppers styles) but jazz too,so I want a kit that is good for everything,but it worths the money.

Thank you

yamaha tour customs would be the best out of your options. yamaha's hardware is top notch even for it's intermediate/beginner kits.tour custom is maple too.
 
Having owned both Tama and Yamaha (wouldn't own a pearl kit)...I'd get the Yamaha TC...Yamaha makes a better kit than the other two...both hardware and shell construction are better...
 
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My vote is for the Tama silverstar.

I own it and love it. No complaints here. Sounds a looks great.

The Yamaha is very nice, and I think either way you'll be happy.
 
mattbujak121,

I looked around and chose 3 drum sets. Yamaha Tour Custom, Tama Silverstar, and Pearl VMX.

The Pearl kit has my least favourite mounting system (ISS mounts) which I've used and have experienced the system bending hoops and causing tuning problems. Also, the Pearl has the least selection of sizes. Therefore, it went to last place.

The Tama and Yamaha kits are of similar quality, with the Tama having birch shells and the Yamaha having maple shells. Either wood is fine for what you're trying to do. Where I give Tama the slight edge is in three places: (1) Silverstar offers more sizes for bass drums, rack toms, and floor toms than Tour Custom, (2) Silverstar has a lightweight, true suspension system for rack toms that I feel is superior to Yamaha's shell-mounted YESS system, and (3) Silverstar has a bass drum tom mount that slides from back-to-front and thus allows perfect distance positioning of the rack toms - Tour Custom doesn't have this.

However, having noted the extra features of Silverstar, I'll add that you really cannot go wrong with a Yamaha kit. Yamaha's quality is superb. Of the three kits, the Yamaha is likely to have the best overall finishing and the nicest hardware to use. If you can, try out the Tama and the Yamaha, and see which appeals to you more. Myself, I'd probably go with Silverstar, but I have very specific things I want (such as shorter floor toms and a smaller bass drum) and these may not be as important to you.
 
Artstar,

TDM:
Also, the Pearl has the least selection of sizes. Therefore, it went to last place.

Artstar:
Which sizes is it missing ??

With the Pearl Vision VML line (note, the VMX line isn't offered anymore), the smallest bass drum is 20x18. Floor toms: box size with exception of the 18 (14x14, 16x16, 18x16). Rack toms: modern sizes (10x8, 12x9, etc.). There are no traditional size rack toms offered (such as 12x8).

With the Tama Starclassic line, there are a few more sizes and these, in my opinion, make the lineup more versatile. Bass drums: all the same sizes as Pearl plus an 18x14. Floor toms: box sizes (14x14, 16x16) and shorter sizes (14x12, 16x14). Rack toms: same sizes as Pearl, but for the 12 both 12x8 and 12x9 are offered.

Given how important 12x8 is to many drummers, the shorter floor toms are also preferred by lots of drummers, and the presence of a bop-size bass drum, this sways me to the Silverstars. These sizes may not matter to the OP, but there's still the Pearl ISS mounts, which I'm not a fan of because I've experienced hoops bending with this system. I'd choose the Tama or Yamaha kit for this reason alone.
 
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I could probably be happy with any of them.. and I probably like the Tama mounting system the best.

I like the Yamaha's ok.. but one thing is.. if I am paying for a "mid-level" kit.. My 18" kick better have minimum 8 lugs/side and the 24" had BETTER have minimum 10 per side. I don't care if it tunes just fine. Put them on there ! That is really getting to a silly level.
 
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I think that from those kits the higher-end is by all means the Yamaha.

First of all you must know you're comparing kits made of different woods. Do you want a maple set? Do you want a birch set? Or you don't mind as long it is of good quality?

Those three kits offer great quality at good value.

Personally I'd choose the Yamaha for their amazing quality of construction and awesome hardware.
I'd rule out the Pearl for those hideous tom mounts, and the Silverstar for the 6-lug floor tom.

Anyway, like I said, they're all good kits that with quality heads will sound very very good.

Cheers!
 
I think that from those kits the higher-end is by all means the Yamaha.

First of all you must know you're comparing kits made of different woods. Do you want a maple set? Do you want a birch set? Or you don't mind as long it is of good quality?

Those three kits offer great quality at good value.

Personally I'd choose the Yamaha for their amazing quality of construction and awesome hardware.
I'd rule out the Pearl for those hideous tom mounts, and the Silverstar for the 6-lug floor tom.

Anyway, like I said, they're all good kits that with quality heads will sound very very good.

Cheers!

Hi! Thank you for information. I have readen several links and BOOKs about drum wood types. I'd probably go with a African Mahogany,but that's too expensive . Maple has a brighter tone,birch is like maple but darker and more focused. I don't know what is better for me. BTW thank you for your review :) p.s I have seen some birch + basswood combinations out there (pearl VBA also nice kit) whats your opinion of them ? thank you
 
They all make good drums. It all comes down to personal preference on sizes, hardware, finishes, etc. I would go with the Pearl. All the Pearl sets I have owned have been good. I prefer the Pearl tom mount over the Gretsch tom mount, which is a bit bothersome. Tama and Yamaha both make quality drums too. Spend time on all of their websites, go to stores that have them, and play them. Good luck.
 
Another vote for Yamaha Tour Customs. I used them exclusively for several years while travelling and gigging full time with the U.S. Navy band. They never failed me once, looked and sounded good too. Their hardware is well designed and can take the rigors of touring.
 
Another vote for Yamaha Tour Customs. I used them exclusively for several years while travelling and gigging full time with the U.S. Navy band. They never failed me once, looked and sounded good too. Their hardware is well designed and can take the rigors of touring.

Which ones do you have Jeremy ?? The original Japan made Tour's or the new Indonesian Tours ???
 
I would bench the Pearl for the reasons mentioned before.

On the face of it, the yamaha would have my vote (despite having a starclassic I loved to pieces) as it is an amazing quality kit. However, the sizing options on the silverstar are very interesting...

You can get a silverstar with trad sized toms and an 18" bass drum, as well as your standard 22". You can also buy the aforementioned bass drum separately and have it delivered in about 6 weeks, meaning you can get a setup for every occasion, be it jazz or rock or whatever. I don't know about yamaha add on stuff for this range, but the idea of having say 3 racks, 2 floors and 2 kicks all in different sizes really opens up any tonal variety you could ever want

On the whole I'd still lean to the yamaha, but either way you're gonna end up with a killer kit!
 
I think any of those would be great kits. Like others have said, you just have to pick out what you like (and nobody but you can do that). I'm more interested in why you've already nix'ed other manufacturers off your list? DW is making lower priced drums now (with their name on it), PDP, Ludwig, Gretsch, Mapex, Sonor all make intermediate kits. Also, have you considered searching for a nice used pro kit? With the way the economy is, there are lots of pro kits out there being sold. Imagine finding a Yamaha Recording Custom, or Maple Absolute, or a nice Tama Starclassic B/B. They are out there, and are just waiting for the right buyer.
 
I think any of those would be great kits. Like others have said, you just have to pick out what you like (and nobody but you can do that). I'm more interested in why you've already nix'ed other manufacturers off your list? DW is making lower priced drums now (with their name on it), PDP, Ludwig, Gretsch, Mapex, Sonor all make intermediate kits. Also, have you considered searching for a nice used pro kit? With the way the economy is, there are lots of pro kits out there being sold. Imagine finding a Yamaha Recording Custom, or Maple Absolute, or a nice Tama Starclassic B/B. They are out there, and are just waiting for the right buyer.

Thats a very good call!!! to hook up a kit like that in the UK (assuming you're based here) you're probably looking around the £700 mark. There is even a Pork Pie Squealer (which is linked on another thread somewhere) currently at about £230 including istanbul cymbals! you could get one hell of a kit for that money used at the moment......
 
I'd go with Yamaha for sure. But I also agree with Bo re: exporing all options.

BTW, I was at a Greek food festival last week and the Greek band drummer's PDP kit sounded really impressive. It's surprising how some of the low-to-mid level kits can sound so awesome. Good luck.
 
Hi! Thank you for information. I have readen several links and BOOKs about drum wood types. I'd probably go with a African Mahogany,but that's too expensive . Maple has a brighter tone,birch is like maple but darker and more focused. I don't know what is better for me. BTW thank you for your review :) p.s I have seen some birch + basswood combinations out there (pearl VBA also nice kit) whats your opinion of them ? thank you

You're welcome.
Pearl Visions are nice, good-quality kits. I had a Pearl Forum (Pearl's entry level kit) for about 4 years and it served me well. I gigged with it and never had a problem. And Visions are way way better than Forums. Pearl does indeed make good drums, some people swear by them.
Me.. I just don't like their hardware, their ISS mounts and their aesthetics in general. If I have the choice, I'd rather take Tama's, Mapex's, Yamaha's, etc, before them. But if someone gave me a set of Visions, I wouldn't complain. They're very nice drums. ;)

Bo gave you a piece of great advice: look for used kits. You can save serious bucks and get the same or even better drums in great shape.

Cheers!
 
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