Rattlin' Bones
Gold Member
The DW kit sells for almost $2,000 now. The Tama $799. DW made in USA. Tama made in China.
I bought Tama Superstar 3 piece kit for my gigging kit. Super lightweight very easy to move around. But I didn't think there would be this much difference in sound.
I've been playing the DW Performance 3 piece for a year. I like the sound. Looks great.
Both are 18x14 kicks and 14x14 floor toms. The DW rack tom is 12x9, the Tama is 12x8.
I've had the Tama Superstar for a few weeks, getting ready for 2022 gigs. Mainly small jazz groups. Easy jazz no bop (I'm not good enough for bop lol). But I'm also playing with some blues bands that are louder. Shuffle/ fill/ shuffle/ fill. Kick needs to be louder for the blues bands.
The Tama, to me, sounds a LOT better than the DW. I am honestly shocked. And it's less than half the price of the DW. Hard to believe - I woulda said NO WAY before. The DW sounds good but the thin shell Tama sounds phenomenal. Just enough more musical that it's noticeable. I can tune the Tama a wider range and the entire range sounds musical and good. The DW is a more narrow tuning range.![IMG_1705.JPG IMG_1705.JPG](https://www.drummerworld.com/forums/data/attachments/82/82424-e338f47b47fdb311535a2b17d9fc62f2.jpg)
![IMG_1706.JPG IMG_1706.JPG](https://www.drummerworld.com/forums/data/attachments/82/82425-f0db57fc6c3f9b60b637b43dc6a9a3f3.jpg)
$799 made in China wins for me.
I bought Tama Superstar 3 piece kit for my gigging kit. Super lightweight very easy to move around. But I didn't think there would be this much difference in sound.
I've been playing the DW Performance 3 piece for a year. I like the sound. Looks great.
Both are 18x14 kicks and 14x14 floor toms. The DW rack tom is 12x9, the Tama is 12x8.
I've had the Tama Superstar for a few weeks, getting ready for 2022 gigs. Mainly small jazz groups. Easy jazz no bop (I'm not good enough for bop lol). But I'm also playing with some blues bands that are louder. Shuffle/ fill/ shuffle/ fill. Kick needs to be louder for the blues bands.
The Tama, to me, sounds a LOT better than the DW. I am honestly shocked. And it's less than half the price of the DW. Hard to believe - I woulda said NO WAY before. The DW sounds good but the thin shell Tama sounds phenomenal. Just enough more musical that it's noticeable. I can tune the Tama a wider range and the entire range sounds musical and good. The DW is a more narrow tuning range.
![IMG_1705.JPG IMG_1705.JPG](https://www.drummerworld.com/forums/data/attachments/82/82424-e338f47b47fdb311535a2b17d9fc62f2.jpg)
![IMG_1706.JPG IMG_1706.JPG](https://www.drummerworld.com/forums/data/attachments/82/82425-f0db57fc6c3f9b60b637b43dc6a9a3f3.jpg)
$799 made in China wins for me.