New Oak Custom

John T

Member
My Oak customs arrived last week, apart from the 18" ft which, i'm told will be along in a week or so.
Ordered the kit early January. Sizes are-
8x7
10x8
12x9
13x10
16x16
18x16
22x17

Already had the snare (which prompted me to buy the kit) 14x7 loud concept oak.
Will be changing the heads soon.
Apart from the snare the kit is Black sparkle sunburst.
Haven't played it much as i had surgery on my shoulder the same week but so far i'm really pleased with it. It tuned up so easily even with the stock heads and sounds better than i expected, lovely responsive tone, nice high's and low's, very loud but sensitive too.
Here a couple of badly lit shots, will take some better pics when the other floor tom arrives.
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Great stuff mate. Finish looks great!

I could swear I'm already looking at an 18" FT or is that just crafty placement of another one for the photo shoot?

Enjoy!!
 
Cheers mate, yeah i like the finish too!
The 18 ft in the pics is from my Granstar, in fact, i admit it's from a stage custom as i cant get a Granstar one!
 
Whoa nice kit! And you have something of a rarity now with that color and the drums being discontinued and all.
I used to have a set, miss them...
 
Very nice indeed. Congrats!
 
My Oak customs arrived last week, apart from the 18" ft which, i'm told will be along in a week or so.
Ordered the kit early January. Sizes are-
8x7
10x8
12x9
13x10
16x16
18x16
22x17

Already had the snare (which prompted me to buy the kit) 14x7 loud concept oak.
Will be changing the heads soon.
Apart from the snare the kit is Black sparkle sunburst.
Haven't played it much as i had surgery on my shoulder the same week but so far i'm really pleased with it. It tuned up so easily even with the stock heads and sounds better than i expected, lovely responsive tone, nice high's and low's, very loud but sensitive too.
Here a couple of badly lit shots, will take some better pics when the other floor tom arrives.
Attached Images

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Looks great..............Black Sparkle is a great finish
 
No no, no, no. You shouldn't risk another shoulder injury. Give me the drums. I'm willing to do that for you.
 
Wow!. That's a really nice kit. I don't think I have seen that finish before. Hope you get all healed up soon, so you can really enjoy playing them. But don't re-injure your self.
 
Thanks to everyone for your kind words.
No plans for any video footage at the moment but it's something i should look at (accidental pun!)
As you can see, i'm set up open handed, i started playing this way a couple of weeks ago as i was in such pain and in anticipation of my shoulder op and increasing long term carpal tunnel syndrome. I think i may carry on this way! It's certainly a challenge and presents fill possibilities that wouldn't be possible playing cross handed.
You are never too old to learn new tricks!
As far as the Oaks are concerned i'm enjoying them more each time i get behind them! The finish really is mint!
Will be changing the heads soon although the stock ones aren't that bad. I'm thinking vintage emps and a powerstroke 3. I like to hear my drums and allow them to sing with a wide open sound and try not to use much dampening unless really necessary, ie- Room size/shape, recording etc.
Would be interesting to hear opinions/preferences from other Oak custom owners past and present.

Cheers
 
I used an Oak custom at my bass players house that came from a middle school band room.

I can tell you those drums are tough.Trust me.

I love that finish,I bet it looks even better in person,and I'll wager they probably look great under stage lights.

As far as sound goes the only thing I can add to your description is that they are punchy as hell,and that the lowest frequencies might be a little "rolled off",but they still sound Big.The articulation is very good,so I think if you play a lot of fast figures they are tailor made for that.To be fair the other Oak kits I have heard were tuned way to high and seemed to lack bottom end,just like the one I recieved,but when I got them to med high tuning the low and mids really came alive,and so did the tone.The space I had them in eats up low frequencies too,and did the same thing to the other 3 kits I have had in there.

I also briefly heard a kit with Evans two ply clears on the toms and those seemed to make the note a little shorter and the attack had a lot of bark to it,probably because those drums are not only responsive,but also really fast.The two plys made them quite a bit darker tone wise also IMO.Ffrom what I heard I think different head combos could make quite a difference in some cases.

I liked the the fact that I have never played a kit that sounds like them.A refreshing different flavor for sure.

I only had the oak C's for 4 months and did not really get the chance to do a lot of experimentation with tuning and none with heads,but if they were mine I sure would have,I would have started with the kick drum,It had what looked like single ply heads with the PST two ply at the bearing edge thing,I would have tried to get a little more low end with it.

I will share that after playing them I would consider getting a kit,and they would be at the top of the list for live and or loud un miced situations,they have a ton of cut.

Hope you mend soon so you can star playing them.
 
Eamesuser-
Thanks for your input and compliments. I am enjoying the kit more now i am playing a little.
I have taken the 'boingy' stock heads off and started experimenting with heads and tuning, i now have Evans G2 clears tuned quite low and am getting a great punchy sound throughout the tom range. Totally open they have no ring and project a full round note at any volume. I am surprised at the amount of warmth they give yet still retain the characteristics of the hard wood, not dissimilar to a bubinga. The bass drum has an emad with the narrow sound ring and a small dog blanket slightly touching the batter head which seems to be about right having tried it empty and with a pillow. The reso is a ported Black Emporer. Burying the beater gives loads of low powerful grunt and coming off the head just sounds wonderfully tonal and resonant.
I intend to live with these for a while and then try vintage Emporers next time with a PS3 on the bassdrum although i cant imagine them getting any better than how they sound now!
My 18" floor tom left Japan with the rest of the kit but so i'm told got separated and left in Germany, no idea how this happens when its all going to the UK anyway! Have been assured it will be with me by the 14th.
Here's hoping!
 
The studio where I rehearse has oak customs and I love them. I will actually probably buy a set in the next year for gigging. Yamaha makes killer drums and their Quality is second to none. They won't ship a bad drum, unlike some of their competitors.

Nice set, great finish, have fun!!!
 
Jeff Almeyda-
Thanks, they do look great don't they. You say they have Oaks at the studio where you rehearse. Was wondering how they record, any experience? Obviously i have heard the end result from the usual suspects on cd etc.
I will probably have a look at putting something down soon, Have got a few songs that are in need of drums.
My 18" floor tom turned up on the 13th a day before they said it would so i have the complete set i ordered now. Great! Full marks to Yamaha!!
 
Love the finish. Lots of drums . I find it ironic that you bought the kit because you already had the snare and yet in the photos there is a white snare. lol. Enjoy the new tubs.
 
Love the finish. Lots of drums . I find it ironic that you bought the kit because you already had the snare and yet in the photos there is a white snare. lol. Enjoy the new tubs.

The snare looks like its a Yamaha Loud Series snare, which is an Oak Custom with extra vent holes.
 
The studio where I rehearse has oak customs and I love them. I will actually probably buy a set in the next year for gigging. Yamaha makes killer drums and their Quality is second to none. They won't ship a bad drum, unlike some of their competitors.

Nice set, great finish, have fun!!!

If you want an Oak Custom kit, you may want to jump on one now. They are discontinued. The current stock is all that's left, if you want something new. Of course, you can always buy a used kit in the future.
 
GRUNTERSDAD
Re: New Oak Custom
Love the finish. Lots of drums . I find it ironic that you bought the kit because you already had the snare and yet in the photos there is a white snare. lol. Enjoy the new tubs.

Thanks for the compliment.
No irony here, the White snare in the pics is the Yamaha Oak 'loud' concept snare mentioned in my original post.
 
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