My old (Pulse) and new (Tama!) kits! [lots of pics]

vdc193

Junior Member
(scroll down to skip to the awesomeness)

Hey everyone, first post here :)
I've been lurking for a while

Well, first off here's my old kit w/ pics of the progression from my 5 piece to 8 piece.
Here's where I started:
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Then I ordered another tom and got some cymbals from a friend:
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And my last huge mistake, I ordered another two pieces:
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(I know that there's no pedal on the left bass drum, at the time of the picture I didn't have one, but I did get one!)

Final specs:
22x16 bass (2)
14x5.5 snare
10x8 Tom
12x10 Tom
13x11 Tom
16x16 Tom
18x16 Tom

Awful ride/crash cymbals, han chi china, and a set of zildjian a hats a friend gave to me. I used one as a crash and one as the bottom hat. It sounded terrible, but I was just starting out!

So after a few months of that kit and a couple shows, I decided it was time to upgrade.
I actually got some compliments on the sound of the kit, specifically the bass and snare, but the cymbals just plain sucked.


THEN, I found this great deal on the Tama Superstar SL Custom Hyperdrive 4 Piece shell pack on Musicians Friend for $500, bought a small pdp hardware pack for $100, and using ebates/coupon codes for MF, I saved $100 and essentially got the hardware for free :D
I bought a 14" Agazarian china, a 7" Sabian Max Splash, 7" Sabian Alu Bell, and 14" Sabian AA Flat Hats.
For Christmas, I got a 14" Sabian AAX Studio Crash, 14" XS20 Medium-Thin Crash, and 20" B8Pro Power Rock Ride.
Needless to say, this kit was a major upgrade from my old one.

Also, Tama was running a rebate for free mini-timbales with Superstar kits, so those were free as well, which is awesome.

PICTURES!

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I'm also playing with different setups, so here's my current setup which I actually really love right now. It's perfect for my main band, which is basically like paramore, where as the previous setup is better for my other project, which is like Liquid Tension Experiment.

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Specs:

24x18 Bass
14x6 Snare
6", 8" Mini-Timbales
12x7 Tom
16x14 Tom

Sabian Cymbals-
14" AA Flat Hats
14" XS20 Medium-Thin Crash
14" AAX Studio Crash
20" B8Pro Power Rock Ride
7" Alu Bell
7" Max Splash

And my outcast cymbal, the 14" Agazarian China (replaced the han-chi)
 
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Very unique setups you have. Out of the box, so to say. I'd love to hear some of your playing. I like how your last setup looks, though I prefer deeper toms myself. How do the tymps sound btw?
 
Thanks! The tymps in the kit (first setup) is definitely inspired by the Mike Portnoy LTE setup, and it feels right since I played the 8 piece for so long.

I have some covers on youtube, but they're just ok. I've been practicing a ton lately, and playing with my band, so I've gotten a lot better since my videos.
My channel is youtube.com/vdc193

I wasn't sure about the shallow toms at first either, but they actually sound pretty freaking good.

As for the tymps, I have nothing to compare them to, but I'd say they sound pretty good. They "crack" nicely and surprisingly cut through the band in a live situation. If you put a moongel or something on the 8", it actually sounds like a regular tom.
 
Nice kit choice! I should have gotten that finish.

When you put new heads on the kit it will really sing. Those stock Tama heads are terrible. I play coated emperors over ambassadors on a hyperdrive kit, but your should play around with head setups to find what you like. But I guarantee you will like the kit even more with better heads.

Im sure you get somebody to buy your old Pulse off of you for enough to pick up another tom or two. One up two down on that kit would look great.
 
I love the finish, and actually it was the only choice available to me.

I can't wait to get new heads, but it's just so pricey- about $150 to replace everything but the bass reso. I was thinking of getting Emperors over Ambassadors as well :)
I'm getting a new snare head soon too- Remo Clear Sound Control. I had one on the Pulse kit and loved the way it played. The center was focused, and the rest had a nice ring to it.

I sold off the Pulse for $450, so I basically swapped out the Pulse for the Tama. I would love to get another floor tom, but it seems the only way is to special order if I want to get the same finish. There's not many on ebay and I've only ever seen one Superstar on craigslist here.
 
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