@@stevenfederico2594 DWs are massively overpriced and their QC is terrible; they sound like butt half the time. I do a lot of session work and used to work out of Sawhorse in midwest. They had a DW Collector's Series that I usually tracked with. A producer wanted a different sound so I brought in my old Starclassic. After that week, the owner bought a Starclassic and put the DW in a closet.
Simon Phillips has played Tama for 35 + years now, and Simon has one of the best sounding kits bar none. Simon can play rings around 99% of all drummers, so if he plays a brand for so many years now he must be satisfied with the quality and sound. Phillips made a video years back of him playing with his new Star classic kit, this was one of the finest sounding kits i've ever heard.
I have pipi in my eyes... my next drums! I love my Tama Superstar Vintage, but this set is the absolut hammer!!! Love it! Now it's time to buy a new one after 35 Years. Greets from Germany
Tama bass drums, whether the Star series or down to the Silverstar, are all massive sounding.. Something about Tama and their bass drums that seem to be their strong point..As for their toms and snares, well that's just gravy..Delicious, scrumptious gravy.
My friend bought the star maple drums and don't get me wrong they are absolutely top notch amazing drums that built to perfection and every attention to detail is perfected and hand made but sound wise, I prefer my starclassics over the star sound. It depends what you look for, the star drums are a little TOO warm for MY personal taste, I would probably LOVE the star bubinga drums but never had a chance to play them. This sounds crazy but I would pick my 2016 5 piece starclassic BB hyperdrive kit over my friends star kit no joke. My friend even said my drums have more punch and attack to them while his are definitly more warm with the maple and how star drum shells are constructed. I think they are great for jazz and other styles but for rock and metal, starclassics are where it's at. End of the day, Tama is the best drum company in the world. Hardware and drums.
I actually played all 3 at a Tama Event in NYC. I agree with you. the maples are really really thin shells and don't have the bite to cut through. the Walnut and bubinga's will cut for the rock stuff. I'd go with the starclassics for metal for sure.
You're not wrong. My SC Bubinga kit is the best sounding kit I've ever heard and I can't believe I'm fortunate enough to own it. I love the Star Bubinga drums though, and I think they're incredibly warm and musical, and are probably better all-arounders than the Maples, which seem to be better for jazz and fusion than say, rock and metal. I think the Star line was probably introduced to get more jazz guys like Peter Erskine and Billy Cobham on their roster that seems to have been flooded with metal guys for the past 10 years.
Andy Ham it's just preference. I have a Tama Starclassic bb performer for metal and I also have a Yamaha birch bop kit for jazz and I look for the tones that would give me the LEAST amount of attack as possible. Id dig a maple star.
yeah. I've heard star drums, and played them in person, and never heard any of the toms sound choked before this vid. it's just the 10" tom...the others sound great!
The first floor tom was a little choked as well, it didn't resonate the same as the 12" tom or the other floor tom. You'd think they would tune the kit properly before the demo. Maybe they figured that most people would tune out during the 3 minutes of talking at the start of the video.
This might sound crazy to some but I have two Tama kits. A 6 piece starclassic bubinga and a 2016 5 piece starclassic hyperdrive BB kit with the brand new hardware brought down from the star series like the quick lock tom mounts and floor tom legs, best invention in drums in a long time IMO, plus the air pockets in the floor tom legs makes them so amazing when they naturally move with your playing and helps resonate more. Also the swivel wing undrilled tom mount is the best mounting system on the market and makes u adjust your toms anyway you want. I love them both to death, I actually prefer my bb hyperdrives with the new upgraded hardware features even though they are the cheapest starclassic you can bu, ( bought for 1969.00 ). Can't beat that price for what you get with all you get but hyperdrives are amazing to me and the tone and comfortability you get from hyperdrives is the exact tone, sound and feel I've always been searching for.
I've been a Ludwig fan for decades and found DCP's recent Ludwig Comparison very enlightening, but Tama is generally my 2nd choice as their various lines are pretty reasonably priced, sound great and have excellent hardware (though IMHO too many are being made in China, rather than Japan). These certainly sound wonderful, but for the price of Sonor SQ2s? WOW!
Absolutely a stunning drum kit, but in terms of sound, I don't find them to sound any better than my Tama Starclassic b/b, that's a 3rd of the price. Aside from some aesthetic differences in professional drums, all of them sound pretty much as good as the next. Tama Starclassic, Pearl Masters, Mapex Saturn, Sonor Select Force, Ludwig Classic Maple, DW Performance(Not collectors), Gretsch Renown, Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute etc. all tuned right with a good drummer, will sound no worse than these. Unless you feel the need to splurge, and that's awesome if you have the resources to do so, but if you don't, you don't need to buy Tama Star, DW Collectors, Pearl Masterworks, Sonor SQ2, a Canopus kit, or a Brady kit to have outstanding sounding drums. The typical "Professional" lines will serve you just fine. And if you're a weekend gigging drummer, most "Mid-Level" kits will serve you just fine, like the Yamaha Stage Custom, Pearl Decade Maple, Sonor Essential Force, Mapex Armory, Tama Superstar, Gretsch Catalina, PDP Concept Maple etc. Avoiding kits like the Gretsch Energy, Pearl Roadshow, Yamaha Gigmaker etc. is good, unless you're strapped for cash and have no other choice....they'll get the job done, but won't be a great kit built for life on the road, but they will get you paid at the end of the night.
Hi, Randy. You sound very knowledgable, I like that. I wanted to tell you about my TAMA Imperial Star kit. Took about 3 years to get together; 22/18, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18. (staggered seven piece). Built my own 14/7 matching snare out of a spare 14 tom. I've travelled around with them and play them firmly going on twelve years. With careful tuning they sound fine and the hardware has held up. Total investment with cymbals and cases, around five grand, not bad. 🤓
And a Prius will get you from point A to point B, but a Bugatti will do it in style, with all of the luxury appointments one can dream. No disrespect, but the drums you’re citing aren’t Bugattis. These Star drums aren’t for those simply looking to get a job done.
I want this kit I bought a star classic I should've just got this kit I love the starclassic but the price of the star scared me I should've just did it
Amazing sound...warm and dry...I dig it. ...but not for everyone. For half the price of these I could get top of line Gretsch or Ludwig or Pearls...that is what I would do.
Blake Gowan or any other tama line, especially the Starclassics which imo are tama’s best sounding feeling and looking drums and always will be. I have the starclassic bb hyperdrive and wouldn’t trade it for the world. Also have a tama silverstar kit as my secondary back up beater kit but still has amazing hardware and build quality for the price. My 5 piece Starclassics with the updated hardware found on the star drums that got brought down to the starclassic lines and I got all that for 1900 shipped straight from the tama warehouse in the exact sizes and finish I wanted. Got my tama silverstar kit for 500. Can’t beat those prices with that amazing quality sound feel and durability. I wouldn’t buy a star kit cause of the price and cause I honestly prefer the Starclassics but I’ve done a lot of experimenting with drum companies over my lifetime and tama is just the best company for me in every aspect.
Beautiful kit. For sure. But, imho Starclassic Bubinga is it. Don't need to spend beyond it. And, truth be told, if you've got good ear & chops, Tama midline kits sound amazing.
Hi Shane/DrumCenterNH, do the Starclassic Maple sets also use the slightly undersized shell? It's an idea I really like and it would be great if they used it too.
Wet cardboard boxes springs to mind... The 10" and 12" are especially awful. They only start to 'respond' with any kind of tone when hit hard otherwise it's just the slack attack of the double ply head. It doesn't help that the tuning is a tad too low to begin with. I've heard better entry level kits. The kit looks nice though as do most Starclassic finishes but in this case it's style over substance I'm afraid.
The 10 sounds really "out". Overall it sound like Evans heads are on these. G2 on the toms? Never liked the Evans range... Well - after D'Addario bought them in 1995. That was a dark day seeing my drum head company get destroyed by a string manufacturer.
MUST.....BUY.....THIS.....KIT.....I cried and immediately checked my bank account.....then I cried even harder
Wow That’s sounds so much better than any Dw Kit I heard I love Tama Drums
😂😂😂😂😂
@@stevenfederico2594 DWs are massively overpriced and their QC is terrible; they sound like butt half the time. I do a lot of session work and used to work out of Sawhorse in midwest. They had a DW Collector's Series that I usually tracked with. A producer wanted a different sound so I brought in my old Starclassic. After that week, the owner bought a Starclassic and put the DW in a closet.
Well I've never heard Shane play so well...so these must really be magic!
Thought the same thing...You can tell he really digs them!
That 16 floor tom is massive.
Simon Phillips has played Tama for 35 + years now, and Simon has one of the best sounding kits bar none. Simon can play rings around 99% of all drummers, so if he plays a brand for so many years now he must be satisfied with the quality and sound. Phillips made a video years back of him playing with his new Star classic kit, this was one of the finest sounding kits i've ever heard.
I have pipi in my eyes... my next drums! I love my Tama Superstar Vintage, but this set is the absolut hammer!!! Love it! Now it's time to buy a new one after 35 Years. Greets from Germany
Tama bass drums, whether the Star series or down to the Silverstar, are all massive sounding.. Something about Tama and their bass drums that seem to be their strong point..As for their toms and snares, well that's just gravy..Delicious, scrumptious gravy.
Agree...That bass drum is great!...Full bodied low end with character to boot!
My friend bought the star maple drums and don't get me wrong they are absolutely top notch amazing drums that built to perfection and every attention to detail is perfected and hand made but sound wise, I prefer my starclassics over the star sound. It depends what you look for, the star drums are a little TOO warm for MY personal taste, I would probably LOVE the star bubinga drums but never had a chance to play them. This sounds crazy but I would pick my 2016 5 piece starclassic BB hyperdrive kit over my friends star kit no joke. My friend even said my drums have more punch and attack to them while his are definitly more warm with the maple and how star drum shells are constructed. I think they are great for jazz and other styles but for rock and metal, starclassics are where it's at. End of the day, Tama is the best drum company in the world. Hardware and drums.
I actually played all 3 at a Tama Event in NYC. I agree with you. the maples are really really thin shells and don't have the bite to cut through. the Walnut and bubinga's will cut for the rock stuff. I'd go with the starclassics for metal for sure.
You're not wrong. My SC Bubinga kit is the best sounding kit I've ever heard and I can't believe I'm fortunate enough to own it. I love the Star Bubinga drums though, and I think they're incredibly warm and musical, and are probably better all-arounders than the Maples, which seem to be better for jazz and fusion than say, rock and metal. I think the Star line was probably introduced to get more jazz guys like Peter Erskine and Billy Cobham on their roster that seems to have been flooded with metal guys for the past 10 years.
Andy Ham it's just preference. I have a Tama Starclassic bb performer for metal and I also have a Yamaha birch bop kit for jazz and I look for the tones that would give me the LEAST amount of attack as possible. Id dig a maple star.
Facts . Star kits Sound nice for the studio aswell , I own a Starclassic maple and it is great . but the bubinga is where it’s at
No surprise. The classics are the real deal. With proper dimensions
Love it! I just wouldn't have the 10 so high. Sounded a tad choked
I thought the 10" sounded a little off too.
yeah. I've heard star drums, and played them in person, and never heard any of the toms sound choked before this vid. it's just the 10" tom...the others sound great!
birch drummer agreed
The first floor tom was a little choked as well, it didn't resonate the same as the 12" tom or the other floor tom. You'd think they would tune the kit properly before the demo. Maybe they figured that most people would tune out during the 3 minutes of talking at the start of the video.
It looks like a 7"-10" which might be why. I personally don't love this new one inch shallower 10" tom size trend.
Tama super star classic drumset anyone !!!!
fantastic sound
Great Playing. These Drums sound incredible, And that Walnut snare is music to my ears.
That snare is just gorgeous!
Great drums, tuned well.... very good demo of the star line.
Shane! You're killin' me with these Tama Star's.... All of them!!!
Tama is quality, Tama is Art.... Only brand worth investing in.
Snares perfect alone
That snare is amazing!!!
Man that freakin' kick is something else.
Perfection!
toms sound so good i want to cry
Finally a drum review with great tuning and good micing! Unlike Memphis Drum Shop, these guys can tune!
I agree regarding the 10". Not dialed in at all. Like the top head has one rod way loose
Aaron Raulston I agree. It wasn't ringing like the rest of the kit.
It might be something with the bottom head as well.
Sounds like Evans G2s all around the toms.
This might sound crazy to some but I have two Tama kits. A 6 piece starclassic bubinga and a 2016 5 piece starclassic hyperdrive BB kit with the brand new hardware brought down from the star series like the quick lock tom mounts and floor tom legs, best invention in drums in a long time IMO, plus the air pockets in the floor tom legs makes them so amazing when they naturally move with your playing and helps resonate more. Also the swivel wing undrilled tom mount is the best mounting system on the market and makes u adjust your toms anyway you want. I love them both to death, I actually prefer my bb hyperdrives with the new upgraded hardware features even though they are the cheapest starclassic you can bu, ( bought for 1969.00 ). Can't beat that price for what you get with all you get but hyperdrives are amazing to me and the tone and comfortability you get from hyperdrives is the exact tone, sound and feel I've always been searching for.
Christ all mighty my good man, your chops could kill Bruce Lee! What another beautiful sounding kit from Tama. Great video
That is literal thunder
I've been a Ludwig fan for decades and found DCP's recent Ludwig Comparison very enlightening, but Tama is generally my 2nd choice as their various lines are pretty reasonably priced, sound great and have excellent hardware (though IMHO too many are being made in China, rather than Japan). These certainly sound wonderful, but for the price of Sonor SQ2s? WOW!
This is my dream kit. But some day.....´´I will find you´´.
Absolutely a stunning drum kit, but in terms of sound, I don't find them to sound any better than my Tama Starclassic b/b, that's a 3rd of the price. Aside from some aesthetic differences in professional drums, all of them sound pretty much as good as the next. Tama Starclassic, Pearl Masters, Mapex Saturn, Sonor Select Force, Ludwig Classic Maple, DW Performance(Not collectors), Gretsch Renown, Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute etc. all tuned right with a good drummer, will sound no worse than these. Unless you feel the need to splurge, and that's awesome if you have the resources to do so, but if you don't, you don't need to buy Tama Star, DW Collectors, Pearl Masterworks, Sonor SQ2, a Canopus kit, or a Brady kit to have outstanding sounding drums. The typical "Professional" lines will serve you just fine. And if you're a weekend gigging drummer, most "Mid-Level" kits will serve you just fine, like the Yamaha Stage Custom, Pearl Decade Maple, Sonor Essential Force, Mapex Armory, Tama Superstar, Gretsch Catalina, PDP Concept Maple etc. Avoiding kits like the Gretsch Energy, Pearl Roadshow, Yamaha Gigmaker etc. is good, unless you're strapped for cash and have no other choice....they'll get the job done, but won't be a great kit built for life on the road, but they will get you paid at the end of the night.
Hi, Randy. You sound very knowledgable, I like that. I wanted to tell you about my TAMA Imperial Star kit. Took about 3 years to get together; 22/18, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18. (staggered seven piece). Built my own 14/7 matching snare out of a spare 14 tom. I've travelled around with them and play them firmly going on twelve years. With careful tuning they sound fine and the hardware has held up. Total investment with cymbals and cases, around five grand, not bad. 🤓
And a Prius will get you from point A to point B, but a Bugatti will do it in style, with all of the luxury appointments one can dream. No disrespect, but the drums you’re citing aren’t Bugattis. These Star drums aren’t for those simply looking to get a job done.
That was really good drumming. The TAMA kit sounds awesome, personally not crazy about the colour. 🤓
Love that finish..
Great drumkit :)
Dang, that look and that sound is off the chart!
I want this kit I bought a star classic I should've just got this kit I love the starclassic but the price of the star scared me I should've just did it
wow , mazing sounds!
Kick is baller!!!!
I wish I could run a drum shop, I'd end up throwing my entire stock in a transport and fleeing the country.
Amazing
Shayne I can hear your heart Beating at the Start of this video haha You Rule
SUPER
Amazing sound...warm and dry...I dig it. ...but not for everyone. For half the price of these I could get top of line Gretsch or Ludwig or Pearls...that is what I would do.
Blake Gowan or any other tama line, especially the Starclassics which imo are tama’s best sounding feeling and looking drums and always will be. I have the starclassic bb hyperdrive and wouldn’t trade it for the world. Also have a tama silverstar kit as my secondary back up beater kit but still has amazing hardware and build quality for the price. My 5 piece Starclassics with the updated hardware found on the star drums that got brought down to the starclassic lines and I got all that for 1900 shipped straight from the tama warehouse in the exact sizes and finish I wanted. Got my tama silverstar kit for 500. Can’t beat those prices with that amazing quality sound feel and durability. I wouldn’t buy a star kit cause of the price and cause I honestly prefer the Starclassics but I’ve done a lot of experimenting with drum companies over my lifetime and tama is just the best company for me in every aspect.
Beautiful kit. For sure. But, imho Starclassic Bubinga is it. Don't need to spend beyond it. And, truth be told, if you've got good ear & chops, Tama midline kits sound amazing.
Hi Shane/DrumCenterNH, do the Starclassic Maple sets also use the slightly undersized shell? It's an idea I really like and it would be great if they used it too.
Tom 10 not sound. Probably because the focus rings for this tom are too thick. The same problem found in the 10 tom of a Pearl MMX.
Great drums.
Couple contracts on the ship and drums can be yours.
Send me that kit i'm serious and curious obviously.
Tama Star Maple or Bubinga Sands great!!!
sea foam green
Great kit, but the 10 inch tom sounds like my ottoman
Dude your ottoman sounds choked do you need a new one?
Snare sounds OK - not so sure about the rest.
I can't believe Matt Gartska went over to DW. Very disappointing. He'll be back eventually.
why does a man who doesn’t know how to play such beautiful drums ???? hard to find a good drummer ???🥺
Wet cardboard boxes springs to mind... The 10" and 12" are especially awful. They only start to 'respond' with any kind of tone when hit hard otherwise it's just the slack attack of the double ply head. It doesn't help that the tuning is a tad too low to begin with. I've heard better entry level kits. The kit looks nice though as do most Starclassic finishes but in this case it's style over substance I'm afraid.
The 10 sounds really "out". Overall it sound like Evans heads are on these. G2 on the toms? Never liked the Evans range... Well - after D'Addario bought them in 1995. That was a dark day seeing my drum head company get destroyed by a string manufacturer.
10 inch is dead. I'm sorry Dw is a better sounding kit.
Sound very baaaad....bad mix
So overpriced
10" tom is boo boo