Tama Offer....vs. Current Export

xb2003

Member
Hey,

I finally have a serious offer for my tele that i think i want. Anyways...

Tama Rockstarr, Fusion Set. Wood Hoops with claws, long lugs, and matching snare. B8's...Crash, Ride, Hats, Splash. RIMS Mounts. Full Hardware.

I really know nothing about tama drums. I have been drumming for a few years now. I cant really afford to move up to an Intermediate kit. I have a 9-Piece Pearl Export, and i really dont like the thing much. I know B8's are Crap. But Money is a huge drawback. Drums need to go from Church to Avenged Sevenfold and Behond.

What im looking for is...
-info/opinions on the drums
-$$$ Value in your opinion
-Rockstar vs. Export

If you can provide assistance, it'd be great. Thanks,
 
Exports are good drums, man. They're one of those workhorse models, the kind you can lug around and ding up a tiny bit without getting too worried, unlike a much higher-end kit, and you can expect a certain level of quality from them. If you have a 9-piece, then you're pretty much set for set-up. How large is the Tama set compared to that?

How well-equipped are you in terms of cymbals? If you moving up to B8's would be an upgrade, then that might be the thing that helps you decide on what to purchase.

So, I would stick with the export, pending what you'd do with everything else in the offer.
 
I have one A custom that i dont like, and is at the end of its life span anyways. Rest are ZBT's or B8's. I dont record of gig enough to need good cymbals yet, but it looks like the drummer in my new band will be using my set.

Im not a fan of the Huge set. I was kinda ignorant and when out and bought all the pieces. I only play with 10, 12, 16 toms, snare and bass. Its what is natural to me, i feel at home like that. My exports are Birch. They are big, heavy, and ugly. Not a fan of the hardware on them. Stupid 7/8" tubes for mounting toms.

Thats about 60% of the problem, the other 40% is that i cant make them sound like i want. I blame that on the Birch. I can make Tenor Drums sound good, Concert basses, marching snares. Regular Snares. I prefer the sound of the crappy warped ludwig accent set at school over my own. The bass has no lowend(Emad2/Emad Reso). THe toms have no guts to them(G2/G1).

I figure the Rockstar's are a fusion setup (14 snare, 10 12 14, 22), so smaller drums. Also, from what i have read, the smaller drums are more towards the sound im after. 5 Plys of Mahogony should give me the the lowend and "guts" im looking for. Wood Hoops.

I have never played a Rockstar before, but as i said, from my readings it should be more towards what im looking for.

On a side note, i read that the Rockstarr Shells are of higher quality then the exports. Confirm/Deny?

Thanks,
 
I have one A custom that i dont like,

Perfectly acceptable.

and is at the end of its life span anyways.

But this is just an excuse. ;-)

Not liking it is one thing and a complete matter of personal taste. I'm certainly not suggesting you keep it if you don't like it. But cymbals (provided they're not cracked, broken or in any other state of disrepair) don't have a "life span." A cymbal that is well looked after will last a lifetime.

Personally, I reckon you just want new drums.....again, that's totally cool, But that being the case, just get them. Don't wait for validation. These two kits are on par.
A 9 piece set doesn't have to stay as a 9 piece set....you can always use less drums. Obviously that's not really the issue, is it?. Nor is the fact that they are birch. Birch drums tune up just as well as maple or bubinga or oak or........ Get the point?

So if another set of drums is what is going to make you happy....have at it, mate. Be happy with what you play.....that's the most important thing here.

Personally, I'd save for something better than both of these kits. But if you can't/won't, then hit the one that inspires you to play.......what you play is far more important than what you play it on. ;-)
 
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Other than not liking the big Pearl L-arms for mounting the toms, there's not much not to like about the Exports. I think tuning is just a knowledge thing - anybody can crank up marching drums - that seems to be the norm for that genre. Tuning a drumset is a whole 'nother ball game, if you ask me.

But as already been said, if you want new drums, just go get them. Rockstars and Exports and basically the same. I'm partial to Tama since I play high-end Tamas anyway, but Pearls are great too. I have a 6-piece EXR Export kit as my second kit and it sounds great. It's nice to have a kit I don't have to worry about - just throw it in the back of the truck and go. If I were you, I'd invest in top flight cymbals. You can make any drumset do, but you can't make bad cymbals sound good regardless what you try. I've been playing my current Zildjians for well over 20 years now and there's nothing about 'em that suggests they're coming to the end of their lifespan.
 
Then i cant tune worth a crap. Im sure its totally true, its just seems like i have tried everything on them, and cant get the sound i want. Im sure there is somthing im missing.

Yeah, i thought i had said that i dont use all 9 pieces, i get thats not my problem.

As for the A Custom deal, if im wrong, im wrong, but i had a ZBT(that is now my china cymbal) that for about 2 days, every time i hit it, i got this feeling that is was about to break. That A Custom i have has been doing that to me for about a week now.

What would looking over it invole? I know that i hit them properly, good angle and all that. But they do get the living crap beat out of them for a couple hours every day.

Ok, I dont know what to say. What draws me to those tamas were the decent, double braced hardware, mahongony shells, Wood Hoops, what i thought to be nicer shells. Oviously 2&4 were wrong. 3 isnt a huge deal. But i do like the good hardware, which i dont have. And thats my only problem with finding a nicer shell pack. I dont have any hardware to set it on. I could afford a 600-800$ shell pack used, and maybe a little more if i could get rid of my exports quickly.

I just dont know if i should go though the hassle of trying to trade this Tele that i have been trying to get rid of for 6 months, for those drums, and then go and try and sell my exports for more then pennys on the dollar. I guess its probably not worth it for a side grade..

Beings i have kinda settled that...on a side note, what would be drums that i should look over craigslist and GC used for? In the 500-800 range.

THanks,
 
Then i cant tune worth a crap. Im sure its totally true, its just seems like i have tried everything on them, and cant get the sound i want. Im sure there is somthing im missing.

Yeah, i thought i had said that i dont use all 9 pieces, i get thats not my problem.

As for the A Custom deal, if im wrong, im wrong, but i had a ZBT(that is now my china cymbal) that for about 2 days, every time i hit it, i got this feeling that is was about to break. That A Custom i have has been doing that to me for about a week now.

What would looking over it invole? I know that i hit them properly, good angle and all that. But they do get the living crap beat out of them for a couple hours every day.

Ok, I dont know what to say. What draws me to those tamas were the decent, double braced hardware, mahongony shells, Wood Hoops, what i thought to be nicer shells. Oviously 2&4 were wrong. 3 isnt a huge deal. But i do like the good hardware, which i dont have. And thats my only problem with finding a nicer shell pack. I dont have any hardware to set it on. I could afford a 600-800$ shell pack used, and maybe a little more if i could get rid of my exports quickly.

I just dont know if i should go though the hassle of trying to trade this Tele that i have been trying to get rid of for 6 months, for those drums, and then go and try and sell my exports for more then pennys on the dollar. I guess its probably not worth it for a side grade..

Beings i have kinda settled that...on a side note, what would be drums that i should look over craigslist and GC used for? In the 500-800 range.

THanks,

Your Exports are not birch,they a a 7 ply mostly poplar shell,and are the largest selling drum line in the world.Pearl have sold over a million of them over the years.

You admitted to not being tune your drums,so even if you hit lotto tomorrow,and buy a top of the line custom kit.....they will still sound like crap.Drums ,unlike some Gibson guitars,don't tune themselves.So it dosen't make a difference what brand or how much you spend/Check out some of Bob Gadsens vids on yuotube about tuning drums.

It also sounds to me like your smashing and not playing your kit and cymbals.I still have some cymbals from the 60's and they sound amazing,and none have cracks.You have to hit with a GLANCING blow.You don't lay into them.A customs are top of the line cymbals and should outlast you if taken care of.You don't beat the crap out of them.After a certain point the cymbal like a drum will choke and then its just noise.

I personally like the Rockstars.Good hardware,but they were never sold with wooden hoops.That is an add on.And buying them and selling your stuff in this market is hit or miss at best.,and just a lateral move

If I were you I would keep what I have,buy some new heads,and cymbals and learn to tune.You would be amazed at the difference in your kit with proper tuning.,and decent cymbals.You really don't want to keep buying beginner cymbals...upgrade.You can't tune a bad cymbal.

Steve B
 
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Well lets see here...................your a drummer but not the drummer in the band your in! Right! But the drummer in the band your in will play the drums you can't tune and don't like??? Right! Can HE tune the drums that you don't like???? Cause if he can and doesn't own drums then he'll like them and they'll have a much better chance of sounding good, even if you don't like them!!! Got it? Good!! Damn good thing you don't play harp, your tongue would twist and fall out!
Once you get that band goin' post some videos ok, I'll be on vacation but the guy with the white drumz will listen and let us know!! Doc
 
I have watched the Gatzen videos over and over. I have tried to do exactly as he did. Tried to differ from him slightly. Tried a couple of different instructors methods. Neither of which really worked. It has just always seemed odd that i could tune about anything at school. And even a crappy drumset, and make it sound good. And i have never been able to do anything on my decent drums.

I just put a full set of tom and snare heads on in May. Put Bass Heads on about a month ago.

Power Center Reverse Dot/Hazy 300
G2/G1
EMAD2/EMAD Reso

I guess i just need to keep trying. Maybe ill find something, i dont know.

On a side note. I dont think they are all poplar. My 18" floor tom is made a different wood then the rest. And it looks like a...almost like sheet rock. The rest rest have a visable wood grain. I have looked up what maple, birch, and poplar grain look like, and i judged it to be birch. If im wrong, so be it. Thats just always what i had thought.
 
Take a pic of a couple of toms (badges) and lets if its an older kit that maybe different from the newer ones.
OK listen heres how you tune a drum and when your finished tuning this way its the drum tuned to itself so it is what it is!!


Take a tom and knock on the shell in the middle tune the bottom head to the sound that the tom makes when knocked. That the pitch of the shell. Do the same to the batter head. Do them all like that other than the bass drum. When their all tune up to themselves then slightly lower the bottom head (quarter of a turn) and do the batters also. You drums will give you what they've got and don't do anything else until you set the kit up and play them in tune.
The kick drum needs to have both heards tighted until the heads a firm. The rods aren't putting to much pressure their just snugggg!!!! Get it!!! Do that and report back to me tomorrow. Don't for get the pics and tell us whats written on the bdges now. Doc
 
Ok, just 2 quick questions.

-When i detune them a 1/4 of a turn, do i want to then match the pitch of the reso with the batter?

-I just turned the bass drum sideways, and the plastic "ring" (for lack of a better word) that holds the foam ring on the drums. Yeah its cracked. I just bought this head from guitar center like a month ago. Will they replace it?

Thank you, "Doctor Dirt" for this advise. Hopefully itll help me.
 
Oh!! and i have a jar of Lithium Greese sitting on my dest for working on marching drums...should i smear a little on my Kits lugs?
 
When you detune your hopefully gonna get near the drums ability to produce its best sounds, somewhere between the detune and the shell exact sound is the drums best sound. To many people go beyond what a shell is capable and it doesn't sound good. Tune your shells accordingly then give your ears a chance to adjust to what their hearing. The guitar centers are pretty resonable, call the store you bought it from and explain what happened.
We aquire a taste from recordings and a live player we first encounter so we have a fixed imagine on what we like. There are many other great drum sounds. I lke my kick drum deep with a thump but when I performed in my swing n boogie band it had to come "up" a bit so the music sounded better. A jazz players tuning on a 10 or 12 with a 14x14 and a 18" or 20" is gonna be higher than I lke for Blues but its ALL relative to what your performing. I like the traditional ways to tune drums. Its all about excepting what your kit is capable of. If you put a few hours into those shells I think you'll have a better idea what I'm saying. The forums aren't a Masters MHX kit but you can get the best out of them and when you get that their more than playable. Their yours so take care of them. Doc
 
I would keep your exports and invest in your tuning ability- what about a drumtuna gauge or similar, so that you can at least be sure the drums are tensioned evenly. I've played a lot of exports and a lot of rockstars- owned one for the last 5 years, and there is no discernable difference in the shells, it's all in the heads and the tuning.

Best of luck.
 
Have you tried other heads on the toms besides the G2s?

I have a late 90s Export ELX in addition to a late 90s Master's kit and on the Exports, I use Remo Clear Pinstripes. They sound really good plus I installed Opti-Mounts on the two rack toms. They really help with the sustain of toms when struck.

I tried G2s on my Masters kit but they seemed to have no bottom end for my tastes. In all honesty, the Masters sound best with clear Remo Ambassadors, top and bottom.

But I gig with my Exports and the Pinstripes work great for the music our band plays....country and older rock.
 
So....

Over the last three days, i have read, watched, and tried different ways to tune drums. To the guy who said tune the heads to the shell pitch: i tried for like 3 hours, and i couldnt for the life of me firgure out how to get the correct pitch of the shell. I got pissed off and quit that method...sorry.

Personally, the best thing i could find for my bass is: Tuning the resonant side head to the lowest possible pitch, then up just a tad. Tuning the Batter head to the lowest possible pitch and then cranking it. its probably 2-3 full(360 degree=full) tighter. Then running a towel on the inside, touching the batter head only. This gave me a heck of an initail "thump." Then a very nice, low sustain. Short, not long. But it sounds very good in my opinion. From behind it and in front of it.

What i found for the snare: I tuned the batter head to like a G i think. And the resonant head to a Minor third above it. And then put the snare on ther fairly tight. This gave it a very nice snap. Not really fat, more of a studio snare. Its a crappy export wood snare. I think it sounds pretty nice.

THe toms: I watched Gatzens "tonal tuning" videos. I tune the 16" to an F, the 12" to an F, and the 10" to a G#. The 12" is making the snares fire more then the snare drum its self(not really), but other then that they sound pretty nice. THe 16" is a little tightee then i would prefer, but its not bad. For the first time, the toms sound better without Remo O rings. Its still a little...i think Open is the word. Im thinking when i replace the heads, i will try some EC2's or Pinstripes. Maybe even a coated head to try and get rid of the openess. But for now, its great.
 
Embrace the openness. Love it. That is what real drums really sound like. They'll be brighter, punchier, fuller, and louder than if you start muffling them.

You can try tuning that 12" Tom a little higher or a little lower, maybe E or F# and should eliminate the excess snare buzz, or else adjust the snare itself in the same way.
 
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