FINALLY! All my drums arrived and everything's set up..!

Pinstripes were standard on Yamaha's Recording Customs (Hokkaido Birch) for years - maybe even a couple of decades. I think that says a lot. I think of Yamaha as a musical instrument company, first. I trust their judgment completely.

I'm not sure what the science is behind the phenomena. Perhaps Pinstripes add a bit of that warmth that Maple is known for while preserving the punchiness of Birch. As mentioned, I wouldn't have believed it had I not experienced it for myself.
Oh, okay. Then I'll try them... As soon as these totally wear out - hopefully I'll have enough money then.?
 
Oh, okay. Then I'll try them... As soon as these totally wear out - hopefully I'll have enough money then.?
That's really all you can do. Try something. Then, you find out if you like it. Unfortunately, re-heading a kit gets expensive. But doing it is the only way you'll find out if you'll like what you hear.
 
That's really all you can do. Try something. Then, you find out if you like it. Unfortunately, re-heading a kit gets expensive. But doing it is the only way you'll find out if you'll like what you hear.
Yeah, I know...
Also: should I change the resos out as well? Or should I wait with that? Do the stock heads take away a lot from the experience when I buy new batter heads?
 
Yeah, I know...
Also: should I change the resos out as well? Or should I wait with that? Do the stock heads take away a lot from the experience when I buy new batter heads?

Not really. The stock heads are Remo Diplomats (or Ambassadors, I'm not sure which) and they should pair just fine with whatever batter head you end up choosing down the road. Unless you're wanting a specific head for looks or sound, I would plan on changing reso heads about every third batter head change. Reso heads do lose their tone eventually, but it takes quite a while.
 
Not really. The stock heads are Remo Diplomats (or Ambassadors, I'm not sure which) and they should pair just fine with whatever batter head you end up choosing down the road. Unless you're wanting a specific head for looks or sound, I would plan on changing reso heads about every third batter head change. Reso heads do lose their tone eventually, but it takes quite a while.
They're Remo UT single ply heads: the same on the top and bottom...
 
Is there an "RA" or "RD" marking on them? The UT heads I've seen before were marked, so they were either a "Remo Ambassador," or "Remo Diplomat."
 
Not a dumb question at all. Having used both in that exact configuration, I preferred the Pinstripes. The Emperors were great but the Pinstripes sound even better to me. I like lots of warmth and attack without a ton of sustain.

On their own, Pinstripes sound beefier than Emperors and Moongels.

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Holy smokes, beauty!
 
Congratulation's, the pride you get from setting up a fresh kit is awesome. And it will only get better from here, the offset toms and floor just feel natural don't they.
 
Yeah, I know...
Also: should I change the resos out as well? Or should I wait with that? Do the stock heads take away a lot from the experience when I buy new batter heads?
In a perfect world ..... yes, you should. But .....
Lots of people can't afford to. So ..... it's OK to run with the factory reso. heads. In order of importance, the batters should be changed first. Heck, a lot of people run with factory heads, for months, or years. So no, keeping your factory reso's won't kill your "new" head experience.


I just bought a Yamaha 9000 series (pre-Recording Custom) 16" floor tom, and it had the stock factory reso. on it. Which makes it a 40 year old head. Gotta say ..... I put a new batter (coated Ambasador) on it ..... and the drum sounded pretty good. Put a new reso. (clear Ambasador) on it .... and it sounded a little better.
 
Congratulation's, the pride you get from setting up a fresh kit is awesome. And it will only get better from here, the offset toms and floor just feel natural don't they.
Yeah. I never liked kits with toms mounted on the bass drum, I always had a gap between the hihat and the 10", so I gave this setup a shot, and it was exactly what I wanted. I'll have to get used to the second floor tom though. I might try a setup with the 14" on the left, next to the hihat.
 
In a perfect world ..... yes, you should. But .....
Lots of people can't afford to. So ..... it's OK to run with the factory reso. heads. In order of importance, the batters should be changed first. Heck, a lot of people run with factory heads, for months, or years. So no, keeping your factory reso's won't kill your "new" head experience.


I just bought a Yamaha 9000 series (pre-Recording Custom) 16" floor tom, and it had the stock factory reso. on it. Which makes it a 40 year old head. Gotta say ..... I put a new batter (coated Ambasador) on it ..... and the drum sounded pretty good. Put a new reso. (clear Ambasador) on it .... and it sounded a little better.
Okay, but does that apply to snares as well?
 
Okay, but does that apply to snares as well?
Again .... in a perfect world, yes.

But I know drummers who re-head their kits every month (or used to) ..... drummers who re-head every 6 months ...... and some that go a year or longer.
 
Lovely kit, any chance of a mini review of the PST7's.
Well, I don't have a whole lot of experience with acoustic drums, but they're really good as far as I can tell. And also, It's a taste thing. I like them, but I would've bought 900 crashes if I could have had afforded them (Jeez, I'm really not that good with tenses ? Please forgive me!). My absolute favorite crashes are the signature full crashes, and the 900's approximate that sound better. But these are a better bang for your buck. And also imho, the heavy crash sounds better, but they complement each other nicely, even though they sound quite similar - they're both 18" so yeah, I don't know what I expected. But you can definitely hear the difference, so all in all I'm happy with this setup.
 
I have an 18" medium and an 18" thin PST7, and I think they're really nice. The medium more so than the thin. I usually prefer thinner B8-alloy cymbals, but the PST7's seem to benefit from a little more weight. I suspect it's to do with the amount of lathing they get. Most lower-end B8 alloy cymbals only get lathed on top, so heavier cymbals sound really clunky. Not so with the PST7's since they're hand-lathed top and bottom.
 
I have an 18" medium and an 18" thin PST7, and I think they're really nice. The medium more so than the thin. I usually prefer thinner B8-alloy cymbals, but the PST7's seem to benefit from a little more weight. I suspect it's to do with the amount of lathing they get. Most lower-end B8 alloy cymbals only get lathed on top, so heavier cymbals sound really clunky. Not so with the PST7's since they're hand-lathed top and bottom.
Yup. That's my opinion as well, but I still think the heavy model is the best sounding - to me. It doesn't have that wobbly sound, or sth. I can't describe it. That thing that thinner cymbals have.
 
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