Yamaha Drums

Thanks for the info- I took a look again last night and realised it is just the front 2 screws that have an issue.

The back one is still securely in place.

I will take the whole thing apart tonight and see if I have a washer issue- otherwise I will try the long screw idea and see if I cant make a easy solution.

I didnt look too hard into the issue before as when I spoke to the guys at my local DS ( good store in general) they were like- 'Yeah it sucks that happens- we do sell replacement Yam parts'

They are usually extremely helpful usually- just not this time

I will let you guys know the outcome either way
 
I saw the new Yamaha DTX900 Series Electronic Drums. Then, just like their predecessors, I could not believe my ears. Not only the elegant design attract my attention, but suddenly the pads on the drums themselves. I must admit that I'm on the fence on the DTX-PAD technology. It is good to know that you never have to replace the "head" of this kit but I was not very happy about the meaning of it
 
When I try to rescrew them back in they either overtighten and wont let the ball move to be repositioned etc or they dont seem to catch the thread on the other side of the mount and the ball.

I know I can replace them and they are not that expensive. Its just something that has started to bug me.



You need to understand how the YAMAHA ball and socket system works.

If you loosen or take apart any of the three screws underneath the mount you run the risk of dislodging the contact washer... then you'll have either no grip, or a jam up.

You need to take the mount apart, all three screws. What you're gonna see is where the tightening bolt (on top, the one we all love) makes contact with the ball is a flat hexagonal shaped washer (shape of washer is dependent on year of manufacture). The bolt presses on the flat washer which makes contact with the black ball. The washer fits into a recessed space, if the washer is not set perfectly in that space you'll have problems.

You can shake the mount, if it rattles it means the washer is loose in there and you'll have NO grip, if you have a jam, washer is probably wedged somehow.

The washer is concave where it meats the black ball, its critical you make sure on reassembly that it gets replaced correctly. Upon reassembly what you have to do is hold the mount upside down so gravity holds the washer in its recessed place while you tighten the three screws. If you move the holder even the slightest bit, the washer can dislodge.... its kinda tricky. When you replace the three allen head screws on the bottom make sure you have their tiny lock washers on them.


Never disassemble these YAMAHA mounts unless you need to replace a incorrectly worn ball, or reset the washer b/c there's no need to and its more work than its worth.

I always tell YAMAHA hardware owners to loosen the tom mounts 'every time' you move the drums. What you want to do is keep rotating that ball so all 360 degrees get used on the contact point over time, spin it around, reset your tom angles with each new set-up.

The YAMAHA design is unique in that its lets this happen, its not possible with L-Arm type ball and socket mounts.

Les thank you for that VERY informative thread......Do you mean loosen the ball it self so that the ball spins to another part before you retighten???
 
Do you mean loosen the ball it self so that the ball spins to another part before you retighten???


You could leave the holder tight-in one position for years, it'd be fine, though if you mess around with settings like I do (every time I set up toms, I use/play different angles), its a good idea to spin the ball around so a different area makes contact with the flat washer.

Even wear on the ball is ultimately desirable, but not critically necessary.
 
Oak Custom; 13, 16, 18, 24

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So a little update to my mount issue...

Took the whole thing apart and found the small hexagonal washer was indeed out of place.

However that was a secondary issue- On further inspection there are metal fillings coming out of the screw hole and I believe the screws have striped out the end of the thread inside-

So I just went to the local hardware store and bought longer screws- I stuck those in and they appear to take and hold on- however because of the length of them the top tightening handle cannot purchase against anything so it is popping off and the ball is falling out.

So tonight or tomorrow I will completely drill through the mount and properly attach the longer screws all the way through to see if this is a viable fix?

If it is it will cost about $1.50 for parts..

Well see, I'll post pics if it works- depending on if anyone is actually interested as it doesnt seem to be a widespread issue
 
So tonight or tomorrow I will completely drill through the mount and properly attach the longer screws all the way through to see if this is a viable fix?

I wouldn't use longer screws. Sounds like you my have the problem MusiQmaN eluded to. eamil YAMAHA, maybe get them replaced... but that'll take time.

I 'think' they're 5mm screws. I would see if a tap fits in and can save what you have, see if the new screw fits tight, if so then tap and buy all new screws.

If you just drill into pot metal you can't expect anything to hold without tapping threads, at least not in this application where a good amount of pressure is exerted on the piece.
 
Thanks for all your imput guys.

I didnt really want to wait around for Yamaha- plus I had already given up on the mount so I took it as a good thing to experiment with.

Drilled the holes last night and put everything back together- works great!

I am going to have a big hour-long shread on Friday and I plan to set the kit with the 'fixed mount' and I'll see it works well enough to say its a good option for anyone like me thats out of warranty/and or just dont want to spend $15-20 on new parts when 2 screws will do the job.


If it gets through the 'test' on Friday I will post pics of my 'solution.'
 
Thanks for all your imput guys.

I didnt really want to wait around for Yamaha- plus I had already given up on the mount so I took it as a good thing to experiment with.

Drilled the holes last night and put everything back together- works great!

I am going to have a big hour-long shread on Friday and I plan to set the kit with the 'fixed mount' and I'll see it works well enough to say its a good option for anyone like me thats out of warranty/and or just dont want to spend $15-20 on new parts when 2 screws will do the job.


If it gets through the 'test' on Friday I will post pics of my 'solution.'
I assume that you drilled the holes, pushed the longer screws through and then screwed nuts on to hold the whole thing together, right? Whatever you did, I can't wait to see the pics. Hopefully it didn't turn out too ugly.
 
New Rock Tour!

These shots were taken by the store after I put the drums together and set everything up. Just waiting on a 10" tom.


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So this has taken me a while to get pics of what I did to fix my ball mount issue- Not sure the pictures are going to com out great- used the wife's camera and she had some strange setting which was causing it to blur and whole host of other issues-

The fix might be ugly- but it cost me $0.50 in parts, and I've come to realize- I'm the only one who looks at my kit closely and even cares that much anyway!

I have 4 pics- 2 showing what it looked like broken- the fix and the finished job



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So this has taken me a while to get pics of what I did to fix my ball mount issue- Not sure the pictures are going to com out great- used the wife's camera and she had some strange setting which was causing it to blur and whole host of other issues-

The fix might be ugly- but it cost me $0.50 in parts, and I've come to realize- I'm the only one who looks at my kit closely and even cares that much anyway!

Excellent! That's exactly what we were talking about. I'm thinking that those mounts will last forever now. Good job!
 
Hey guys ! im happy i found some Yamaha folk ! any chance i can get one of those awesome Yamaha Bass drum plates ? I have some pics of my baby coming today !
 
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