@@TuplexGaming I agree, they're not reviewing, they're selling. I find Drummer's review does much better reviews, impartial and honest... but hey, I enjoy anyway watching Nick play, he's a great drummer...
Yeah man, I had TAMA Rockstar-DX Misty Chrome for 32 years, then upgraded to this TAMA Starclassic Walnut/Birch with Piano Black finish 2 years ago and I matched it up with a 6.5x14 snare with this Phantasm Oyster Laquer and it’s awesome! This is a shoutout to my parents when I was 6 I got a little Muppets drumset and the shells had a red and blue shell and this finish really reminded me of where I started!
Nice! I got the 5 piece too and added the 8 rack tom and 18 floor Tom in piano black Laquer! I love the White Tama on the black drum head on the black finish! I also going to match the set with the 6.5x14 snare walnut/birch with the phantasm oyster too cause I do love that color and our hybrid wood!! Walnut and birch together is badass!!
I feel that the piano black is good for any style. You can place it next to a Grand Piano for lounge Jazz or pop, or can put it on stage for rock/funk/fusion/punk all that and just enjoy as it becomes whatever you need it to be. I got the 3 up and 2 down and 22x16 Bass Drum. Just got the double tom mount, because it’s so heavy duty and this video really inspired me to get the double tom mount again! I also just got the single tom mount as well, because I’ve had one tom up for 20 years. I was also inspired and “sold” by this video as well like you were! My first real set was Tama back in 87’ and I was checking out other brands to maybe buy like Yamaha, Ludwig (I’ve had my Zeppelin snare 6.5x14 Supraphonic forever and will keep it forever) Mapex, Pearl and DW. I’m going to get the snare that is the Walnut/Birch nice wood shell to compliment the set and get the Phantasm Oyster Laquer! I love that color on a snare and as we see here in this great video with Nick, everything is Phantasm Oyster Laquer EXCEPT the snare to promote the 4-piece toms and bass drum pack.
@Billy Martinek Jr I like how passionate you are about it. I was the same way when I got mine, I just played the kit for a little while right before seeing this lol. I love the kit, I only have the 3 piece (rack,floor,kick), but I desperately want to get a matching 18x16 floor Tom but you have to special request them through Sweetwater for the right wood and finish etc etc. I also really want to see if they ever release a 13" snare in the walnut birch. I have the 13x7 G Maple snare and I love it. I think the walnut/birch could bring really cool sounds to a similar sized snare.
That sound is what my ears have been waiting to hear in reality forever. The sound I hear in my head has been realised in this kit and THAT FINISH 😱😍 I have found my dream TAMA
I really enjoy how detailed Nick's reviews on the drums are. The Tama birch walnut is the kit I'm thinking of upgrading to. Keep up the awesome work Nick
Drum Center of Portsmouth has a really great comparison video showing the difference in sound between these and the birch/bubingas. In their video the B/W kit sounds warmer, while the B/B is punchier. Personally I like the B/W but they're both great. Not better or worse, just different!
Bubinga wood is just so difficult to harvest and mass produce these days so I totally understand why it's only available on the super expensive Star series of Tama now. But hey, walnut definitely holds up to bubinga. Very solid tone-wood.
So the floor is one of the best sounding drums I’ve ever heard. The kick sounds good as well. The 10” rack sounds seriously choked and so does the 12” but to a substantially lesser degree. Though I think that is easily fixed by changing out the junk bottom heads they ship with and tuning them a little lower. The hardware is also the best by a mile that you’ll get in this price point. I desperately want this kit + the 14x12 floor tom.
Because of my American impatience and drove an hour so I could have it now instead of ordering online. I usually play a 4 piece anyway but now kinda want the extra tom
I have the bbs and they are by far my favorite drums I’ve ever played or owned. The walnut birch I’ve played in the store and they are awesome as well. I prefer the bb but these are amazing drums for the money. This video I agree the rack toms don’t sound as good. It seems they didn’t tune it as well. If you check out the drumcenter of Portsmouth video comparing the wbs to the bb’s that video gives a much better representation of both drums. But I agree they should’ve tuned the rack toms better in this video. They definitly don’t sound that choked usually.
Just picked up this kit two weeks ago and wasn't truly happy until I swapped the batters for ec2 and bottoms for g1s and emad kick head. It really sounds fantastic now
@@bruceperkins2921 I think they're just regular G2's. I've tried (store bought) G2's and EC2's and I think the EC2's just work better for these Starclassic Performer kits, because, I dunno why
@@eastbaymauiboy The G2's are USA produced, exactly the same as all standard USA produced G2's. Produced in the Evans USA factory, same production specifications, just with the Tama brand name on them.
I feel like these drums would work even better with 1-ply heads. I've had a birch kit and a bubinga/birch snare in the past, and my theory is that since birch is much more of a "pre-EQ'd" sounding wood than maple, 2-ply head is a bit of an overkill for an already "EQ'd" birch drum, making it just quieter and more muffled sounding. I tested a lot of heads on my birch kit and i came to the conclusion that 1-ply was the best for them. Also with the bubinga/birch snare the 1-ply that it came with (Evans G1) was perfect for it, no disturbing overtones even with zero damping, which is pretty rare for a snare.
This is my only issue with the toms. They sound wonderful, but they're missing that attack and clarity in most of the videos I've watched on this kit. Does the 1-ply make a big difference with those?
@@colinchang1543 At least with my Tama Silverstar birch drums the difference was pretty big. The toms came stock with clear 1-ply heads and when i switched to clear G2 they became noticably quieter and less cutting in the band mix, kind of tame sounding. With the 1-plys they sounded actually quite thunderous. I believe it is due to the pre-EQ'd quality of birch.
Then again my current PDP Concept Maples with 1-plys on toms felt very out-of-control, lots of overtones. I would love to switch back to Tama at some point. I wanted a mid-tier maple kit but Superstar Classics weren't available in Europe at that time so i ended up going PDP.
@@seitsen I really need to get to a store and listen first hand, cause I like the "pre-EQ'd" sound, the hardware is amazing and there's so many configurations. Would hate for a choice of heads to determine the kit. It's just weird that most of the videos I've watched, sound so muffled, but then everyone goes on to say how crisp and articulate they sound.
I bought a similar set last week with 8,10,12,14,16 toms. Curiously, as I like lower tuning, my 8" sounds like Nick's 10", 10"=12" and 14"=16". Just compared. :)
@SuperPapajew love to hear that. Mine ships this week. Got the 5-piece. Until this set I’ve always felt my kits were just “until I can get a better one” but now finally feels like “the better one”
The walnut/birch Saturn was a special edition (SE). Mapex made walnut/maple Saturn kits before these SE kits and still makes them. I have a Saturn III kit, the sound is big, deep, fat, and so musical. It has less attack than this Tama kit, but much more tone imo.
@@aleksandarmarkovic2790 never been a salesman my entire life. That's odd that you would say my account is fictional and I'm a salesman. I'm a drummer since 1983 who's owned 7 different kits and happen to love my saturn kit. Mapex is not the mapex of the 90s, they have their feet under them now and make killer drums!
@@aleksandarmarkovic2790 if I was a Mapex salesman I would be proud and would use a mapex TH-cam account. I've got to say, your comment was the oddest comment anyone has ever left me. Lol
It's been between the Starclassic BB and the Mapex Saturn's (also Gtetsch Renown kinda) for me for years. I finally picked up the BB kit, but only because of the deal I found. Although I am a tiny bit partial to the Tama's, the two are pretty much even-steven. Incidentally, I play a Mapex Black Panther snare with my Tama Starclassic shell pack. They really compliment each other!. If I find some smokin deal on a set of Saturn V's, I'm runnin right up in it!
Awesome kit!! The lower level high end kits by all of the major manufacturers are really becoming popular, and the new ones are really something else. Didn't know that finish was a lacquer, it's fantastic!! Any plans to make videos on the Tama SLP drum sets, the 2016-present Gretsch Renown RN2 and USA Custom kits (and USA/Full Range snares), Yamaha Live Custom Hybrid Oak, the Pearl Masters Maple Complete/Reserve (and Sensitone snares), DW Eco-X drums, Sabian AAX Unbound, and pedals such as the Gibraltar Stealth G-Drive, 9700 G Class Chain/Direct, Pearl Redline Eliminators and Tama Dyna-Sync pedals in the future?
Nothing can replace Bubinga. BUT, these are definitely unique. Punchy but rather dry, not as resonant as maple. You can hear the birch but the walnut definitely mellows it out. I could see this replacing the b/b for pop/ funk music. Quick decay seems to be in these days.
Great detailed review. I have 2 B/B kits, and it's all love baby. These W/B kits are awesome no doubt, and the hardware is all identical to the B/B's. I have a few minor gripes about em though. The B/B kits have 6 plies (same as the W/B's), but the B/B's are 3x-birch and 3x-bubinga. The W/B's loose 1 ply of "exotic" wood with only 2 plies of walnut, and now 4 plies of birch. Not a huge deal I guess, but it would have been nice if they had kept em at 50/50. I'm not feelin the candy cane finishes either, but they have a few others to choose from. Also, I still like the 18" deep kick drum (with the B/B's) and not so much the 16" depth on the W/B. That's prolly a deal breaker for me, but these are all personal taste gripes. Like I said, these kits will be overall great.
Many of the mega-kick drummers out there use 14-16" drums; John Bonham being the classic example, but also folks such as Thomas Lang. The 16" kick allows for a bigger punch and attack, a fatter sounding kick, and a much faster response time in both heads. I find it's easier to get a huge low tuning and resonant high tuning with a 16" or 14" kick drum. Also it's easy to play faster doubles and triples on these size kicks whereas an 18" or bigger width takes longer for each head to react creating an almost negative rebound. Of course at the end of the day each person is going to have their own individual preference, and I wouldn't look down on anyone for having different taste from myself. I have no idea as to what makes you choose an 18" over a 16", but I'm sure you have good reason to.
No way!!! Walnut/ birch Starclassic! I ordered the maple Starclassic in Oct 2019 and my kit sounds incredible with clear ambassadors. These drums do not sound like $6-$900 drums. Whoa!!!! And these sound even better I can already tell. I wonder if they are going to remain in the same price bracket???
These sound much much better than the B/B's Not even close IMO. Sometimes a bad thing like not being able to get a wood (bubinga) anymore turns out for the better as these are much warmer and much fuller. 3:13 says it all. If these came in a nice black or white sparkle I would be all over it. The only ones who think the B/B's sound better are the peeps who own them so ya gotta take into account their obvious bias.
Great review Nick! I just picked up a three piece with hardware and a BB snare in great condition for a ridiculously low price. Can’t wait to get them set up!
That finish gives me flashbacks to the one on my Ludwig Standard kit from 1971! (Well, you have to replace the silver streaks with black streaks to get the accurate Ludwig Standard finish, but the finish reminded me of that old kit anyway.)
Ludwig had some wild finishes back then. I remember looking at the samples that my local drum store had there was so many to chose from. And you had Vista lites and the God awful Butcher Block. Oh God was that hideous. I had friends that had all 3. I had White Marine Pearl (vintage) and they had Walnut shells. I am so glad Tama made the Walnut/Birch. I've been waiting over 40 years to find that sound in a drum again.
I've been a Tama fan boy since the early/mid 1980's, with my first & last double bass kit. In the 90's I had a custom ordered Rockstar kit. I haven't played since I sold them & joined the Army in 98. I wish I knew then what I know now about tuning, & playing techniques. I would have went down a different path most likely. Love your vids Nick.
@@justinlee2268 I'm not positive on the date. It was late 80's to mid 90s. 24" kick, 14", 15" rack toms, 16", 18" floor toms. 6.5×14" snare. Had a white rap. Photos are long since lost. In all it was about $7,000 at the time. I sold it all for $600.
That guy's smoothness, timing, and speed could make home depot buckets sound like drums are a waste of money. I think anything he plays would sound good. He probably shoots par with a set of rental clubs.
Hey Nick those are nice drums and I know they're expensive yes or no maybe I'm wrong or those are pretty drums has some nice set of crumbs up, and it sounds very good to me it sounds very nice and I'm watching in my TH-cam in my in my cell phone three thumbs up 3/8 on the timer
I've got the G Bubinga SLP kit. Although the Bubinga doesn't have the new Star lock system, that is one great sounding kit. I've heard only 25 were sent to the US, and with CITES, I had to grab 1. I'm thinking they may have sent 50, but either way, I'm glad I grabbed it
Tama makes awesome drums. They are doing some weird things with their finishes now in my opinion. But these drums match the drums sound I’ve always heard in my head. I just bought a set of Yamaha Tour Customs last week and I think I’m going to return those and upgrade to these in vintage marine pearl of course.
Do it man. These are way better than the Yamahas. I was doing a head to head between the Yamaha live custom hybrids which are great too but cost a good amount more than these and these sounded and felt better to me hands down.
Andy Ham I did it man. They should be here Tuesday. Also bought a Starphonic nickel plated brass snare.That’s gonna be a killer combo. Every time I’ve bought a kit in the past I’ve been excited, but never like this. I can honestly say I’m getting exactly the kit I want for the first time this time.
Nick is a phenomenal world class drummer.
He's unbelievable
Not to mention great at doing the reviews. Top notch. Very thorough. I love how he demos sounds with and without snares engaged.
hallahh lebay lah lu njing !
Instablaster
heard him on Steve Thorne's crimes and reasons first time. Great drumming and sound
Who better to musically demonstrate the sound ANY drum kit than Nick!
Best drum review Nick has ever done for you guys Sweetwater. EVERY REVIEW SHOULD BE LIKE THIS. Thanks as always
Best drums reviewer ever, i see Nick, i click 😂😂
He's great, but he's not reviewing, he's selling. Everything is awesome.
@@TuplexGaming I agree, they're not reviewing, they're selling. I find Drummer's review does much better reviews, impartial and honest... but hey, I enjoy anyway watching Nick play, he's a great drummer...
Facts
YEP YEP YEP!! No doubt!
Yeah man, I had TAMA Rockstar-DX Misty Chrome for 32 years, then upgraded to this TAMA Starclassic Walnut/Birch with Piano Black finish 2 years ago and I matched it up with a 6.5x14 snare with this Phantasm Oyster Laquer and it’s awesome! This is a shoutout to my parents when I was 6 I got a little Muppets drumset and the shells had a red and blue shell and this finish really reminded me of where I started!
I bought the 5 piece Shamrock Oyster Lacquer, and is incredible. Best purchase ever. 💚
Nice! I got the 5 piece too and added the 8 rack tom and 18 floor Tom in piano black Laquer! I love the White Tama on the black drum head on the black finish! I also going to match the set with the 6.5x14 snare walnut/birch with the phantasm oyster too cause I do love that color and our hybrid wood!! Walnut and birch together is badass!!
Wife just bought me the 4 piece shamrock oyster. Absolutely amazing!!!!!!
This is my dream drum kit
Bought the 3 piece in a different finish, and it is literally the best sounding kit I have ever played/heard
What finish was it?
I got it too in the Piano Black baby!!
@@SoonerAce311 charcoal onyx. Very pretty buts it's just a wrap
I feel that the piano black is good for any style. You can place it next to a Grand Piano for lounge Jazz or pop, or can put it on stage for rock/funk/fusion/punk all that and just enjoy as it becomes whatever you need it to be. I got the 3 up and 2 down and 22x16 Bass Drum. Just got the double tom mount, because it’s so heavy duty and this video really inspired me to get the double tom mount again! I also just got the single tom mount as well, because I’ve had one tom up for 20 years. I was also inspired and “sold” by this video as well like you were! My first real set was Tama back in 87’ and I was checking out other brands to maybe buy like Yamaha, Ludwig (I’ve had my Zeppelin snare 6.5x14 Supraphonic forever and will keep it forever) Mapex, Pearl and DW. I’m going to get the snare that is the Walnut/Birch nice wood shell to compliment the set and get the Phantasm Oyster Laquer! I love that color on a snare and as we see here in this great video with Nick, everything is Phantasm Oyster Laquer EXCEPT the snare to promote the 4-piece toms and bass drum pack.
@Billy Martinek Jr I like how passionate you are about it. I was the same way when I got mine, I just played the kit for a little while right before seeing this lol. I love the kit, I only have the 3 piece (rack,floor,kick), but I desperately want to get a matching 18x16 floor Tom but you have to special request them through Sweetwater for the right wood and finish etc etc. I also really want to see if they ever release a 13" snare in the walnut birch. I have the 13x7 G Maple snare and I love it. I think the walnut/birch could bring really cool sounds to a similar sized snare.
I could watch Nick review drum gear all day haha! Love this kit! Tama is the best.
Right???
That sound is what my ears have been waiting to hear in reality forever.
The sound I hear in my head has been realised in this kit and THAT FINISH 😱😍
I have found my dream TAMA
Nick, I can listen to you play all day! You are the "Dave Weckl" of prog. Absolutely gorgeous sounding kit.
The floor tom! Holy sh*t
RIGHT!!!!
That’s a nice floor tom 👍🏽
I really enjoy how detailed Nick's reviews on the drums are. The Tama birch walnut is the kit I'm thinking of upgrading to. Keep up the awesome work Nick
Tama should seriously use this same finish for different models. It's absolutely gorgeous.
How do you score this job? I want to review and talk about drums all day!
Great sounding kit, the best for live work IMO. And Nick ripping it up as usual. Phenomenal drummer!
Love the color of that set.
Drum Center of Portsmouth has a really great comparison video showing the difference in sound between these and the birch/bubingas. In their video the B/W kit sounds warmer, while the B/B is punchier. Personally I like the B/W but they're both great. Not better or worse, just different!
They also show you what the room mics sound like.
Bubinga wood is just so difficult to harvest and mass produce these days so I totally understand why it's only available on the super expensive Star series of Tama now. But hey, walnut definitely holds up to bubinga. Very solid tone-wood.
I just got this kit for my Birthday, last week ….I love it!!!
So the floor is one of the best sounding drums I’ve ever heard. The kick sounds good as well. The 10” rack sounds seriously choked and so does the 12” but to a substantially lesser degree. Though I think that is easily fixed by changing out the junk bottom heads they ship with and tuning them a little lower. The hardware is also the best by a mile that you’ll get in this price point. I desperately want this kit + the 14x12 floor tom.
Don't be like me and buy exactly this and try to aquire the 14.....
Why didn’t you just buy the 5 pc shell pack to begin with?
Because of my American impatience and drove an hour so I could have it now instead of ordering online. I usually play a 4 piece anyway but now kinda want the extra tom
I have the bbs and they are by far my favorite drums I’ve ever played or owned. The walnut birch I’ve played in the store and they are awesome as well. I prefer the bb but these are amazing drums for the money. This video I agree the rack toms don’t sound as good. It seems they didn’t tune it as well. If you check out the drumcenter of Portsmouth video comparing the wbs to the bb’s that video gives a much better representation of both drums. But I agree they should’ve tuned the rack toms better in this video. They definitly don’t sound that choked usually.
I don't think the 10" is choked, in my opinion it's just out of tune, and even like that sounds absolutely beautiful.
Just picked up this kit two weeks ago and wasn't truly happy until I swapped the batters for ec2 and bottoms for g1s and emad kick head. It really sounds fantastic now
Yep. Same here. Clear pinstripes for me. They may be evans g2 but i thi k they are a lower quality g2
@@bruceperkins2921
I think they're just regular G2's. I've tried (store bought) G2's and EC2's and I think the EC2's just work better for these Starclassic Performer kits, because, I dunno why
@@eastbaymauiboy The G2's are USA produced, exactly the same as all standard USA produced G2's. Produced in the Evans USA factory, same production specifications, just with the Tama brand name on them.
I absolutely love the way this guys musical brain works.
Unbelievable Nick so smooth drum sound great Such a natural
Just bought this kit...DW who?
Dw way better than this thats who
Nick really is quite thorough in his reviews, the best info in my opinion.
I feel like these drums would work even better with 1-ply heads. I've had a birch kit and a bubinga/birch snare in the past, and my theory is that since birch is much more of a "pre-EQ'd" sounding wood than maple, 2-ply head is a bit of an overkill for an already "EQ'd" birch drum, making it just quieter and more muffled sounding. I tested a lot of heads on my birch kit and i came to the conclusion that 1-ply was the best for them.
Also with the bubinga/birch snare the 1-ply that it came with (Evans G1) was perfect for it, no disturbing overtones even with zero damping, which is pretty rare for a snare.
This is my only issue with the toms. They sound wonderful, but they're missing that attack and clarity in most of the videos I've watched on this kit. Does the 1-ply make a big difference with those?
@@colinchang1543 At least with my Tama Silverstar birch drums the difference was pretty big. The toms came stock with clear 1-ply heads and when i switched to clear G2 they became noticably quieter and less cutting in the band mix, kind of tame sounding. With the 1-plys they sounded actually quite thunderous. I believe it is due to the pre-EQ'd quality of birch.
Then again my current PDP Concept Maples with 1-plys on toms felt very out-of-control, lots of overtones. I would love to switch back to Tama at some point. I wanted a mid-tier maple kit but Superstar Classics weren't available in Europe at that time so i ended up going PDP.
@@seitsen I really need to get to a store and listen first hand, cause I like the "pre-EQ'd" sound, the hardware is amazing and there's so many configurations. Would hate for a choice of heads to determine the kit. It's just weird that most of the videos I've watched, sound so muffled, but then everyone goes on to say how crisp and articulate they sound.
@@colinchang1543 To me, in all the videos of the Starclassics that I've watched, the drums sound choked. Very little sustain.
I bought a similar set last week with 8,10,12,14,16 toms. Curiously, as I like lower tuning, my 8" sounds like Nick's 10", 10"=12" and 14"=16". Just compared. :)
Just bought this shell pack in molten brown burst along with the dark meinl cymbal set and a copper symphonic snare soooo excited.
Same. Thoughts so far?
@SuperPapajew love to hear that. Mine ships this week. Got the 5-piece. Until this set I’ve always felt my kits were just “until I can get a better one” but now finally feels like “the better one”
Mapex had a Saturn kit that was walnut/birch years ago. Now they use walnut/maple, another great sounding kit.
The walnut/birch Saturn was a special edition (SE). Mapex made walnut/maple Saturn kits before these SE kits and still makes them. I have a Saturn III kit, the sound is big, deep, fat, and so musical. It has less attack than this Tama kit, but much more tone imo.
Sorry bro, but you're hiding behind fake YT account. You are just another Mapex promoter and salesman.
@@aleksandarmarkovic2790 never been a salesman my entire life. That's odd that you would say my account is fictional and I'm a salesman. I'm a drummer since 1983 who's owned 7 different kits and happen to love my saturn kit. Mapex is not the mapex of the 90s, they have their feet under them now and make killer drums!
@@aleksandarmarkovic2790 if I was a Mapex salesman I would be proud and would use a mapex TH-cam account. I've got to say, your comment was the oddest comment anyone has ever left me. Lol
It's been between the Starclassic BB and the Mapex Saturn's (also Gtetsch Renown kinda) for me for years. I finally picked up the BB kit, but only because of the deal I found. Although I am a tiny bit partial to the Tama's, the two are pretty much even-steven.
Incidentally, I play a Mapex Black Panther snare with my Tama Starclassic shell pack. They really compliment each other!. If I find some smokin deal on a set of Saturn V's, I'm runnin right up in it!
this mix of woods is fantastic...great sound
Awesome kit!! The lower level high end kits by all of the major manufacturers are really becoming popular, and the new ones are really something else. Didn't know that finish was a lacquer, it's fantastic!! Any plans to make videos on the Tama SLP drum sets, the 2016-present Gretsch Renown RN2 and USA Custom kits (and USA/Full Range snares), Yamaha Live Custom Hybrid Oak, the Pearl Masters Maple Complete/Reserve (and Sensitone snares), DW Eco-X drums, Sabian AAX Unbound, and pedals such as the Gibraltar Stealth G-Drive, 9700 G Class Chain/Direct, Pearl Redline Eliminators and Tama Dyna-Sync pedals in the future?
Nothing can replace Bubinga. BUT, these are definitely unique. Punchy but rather dry, not as resonant as maple. You can hear the birch but the walnut definitely mellows it out. I could see this replacing the b/b for pop/ funk music. Quick decay seems to be in these days.
Nick is one of the greatest drummers out there...I prefer the maple Starclassic...but is not the arrow, is the indian. Greetings from Colombia Sir
Nick's back! more Nick please! I wish he'd upload his drumming videos on Big Big Train.
Great video! Very well shot with some great playing as well! Also the drums sound amazing!!! 🤘🏻
Nick is freakin amazing and such a humble and loving human
better than official TAMA channel
Such fluency in Nick's playing!
This will be My next kit. I have owned Many Tama Drums and they are World Class Superior Quality.
can have it in different hardware finish? like "smoky chrome" or Black Chrome?
Great sounding Kit! Good looking.
Easy kit to add on to. Any phantasm oyster drum will match perfectly.
Great detailed review. I have 2 B/B kits, and it's all love baby. These W/B kits are awesome no doubt, and the hardware is all identical to the B/B's.
I have a few minor gripes about em though. The B/B kits have 6 plies (same as the W/B's), but the B/B's are 3x-birch and 3x-bubinga. The W/B's loose 1 ply of "exotic" wood with only 2 plies of walnut, and now 4 plies of birch. Not a huge deal I guess, but it would have been nice if they had kept em at 50/50. I'm not feelin the candy cane finishes either, but they have a few others to choose from. Also, I still like the 18" deep kick drum (with the B/B's) and not so much the 16" depth on the W/B. That's prolly a deal breaker for me, but these are all personal taste gripes. Like I said, these kits will be overall great.
Many of the mega-kick drummers out there use 14-16" drums; John Bonham being the classic example, but also folks such as Thomas Lang. The 16" kick allows for a bigger punch and attack, a fatter sounding kick, and a much faster response time in both heads. I find it's easier to get a huge low tuning and resonant high tuning with a 16" or 14" kick drum. Also it's easy to play faster doubles and triples on these size kicks whereas an 18" or bigger width takes longer for each head to react creating an almost negative rebound.
Of course at the end of the day each person is going to have their own individual preference, and I wouldn't look down on anyone for having different taste from myself. I have no idea as to what makes you choose an 18" over a 16", but I'm sure you have good reason to.
No way!!! Walnut/ birch Starclassic! I ordered the maple Starclassic in Oct 2019 and my kit sounds incredible with clear ambassadors. These drums do not sound like $6-$900 drums. Whoa!!!! And these sound even better I can already tell. I wonder if they are going to remain in the same price bracket???
The walnut birch starclassic is not the same price as the maple.. you probably know this 3yrs later, but yea
I think it's good to have mounting options on your kick drum. You can mount all kinds of stuff on there, not only toms.
All the way. Bass drum mounts are so much better. You mute the bass drum anyway..most of the time
These sound much much better than the B/B's Not even close IMO. Sometimes a bad thing like not being able to get a wood (bubinga) anymore turns out for the better as these are much warmer and much fuller. 3:13 says it all. If these came in a nice black or white sparkle I would be all over it. The only ones who think the B/B's sound better are the peeps who own them so ya gotta take into account their obvious bias.
Great review Nick! I just picked up a three piece with hardware and a BB snare in great condition for a ridiculously low price. Can’t wait to get them set up!
Imo, Walnut & Maple are the best sounding woods, I don’t know what it is, but I just love them. Great review, Nick.
this is your best demo tune yet... Love this
I have this kit in the red fade!
I love Tama star classic drumset
Killer colour ..would brighten up any gig.
The kick sounds amazing, I’m curious to know what the 22x14 sounds like and can’t find any sound clips or videos
When are you gonna review the Tama Star Walnut?
I followed Nick's instructions step by step even though I don't own this kit.
this dude is king of a monster, excellent player
Very cool set, I got one ! 😊
THESE JOINTS SOUND AMAZING I will be putting mines on Laway
Great demo Nick.
That kit looks and sounds cool! 😍
Dang Nick! Love the song! BEAST MODE
What a beautiful drum set
tama the best ever
where there is a nick there is a click
That finish gives me flashbacks to the one on my Ludwig Standard kit from 1971! (Well, you have to replace the silver streaks with black streaks to get the accurate Ludwig Standard finish, but the finish reminded me of that old kit anyway.)
Ludwig had some wild finishes back then. I remember looking at the samples that my local drum store had there was so many to chose from. And you had Vista lites and the God awful Butcher Block. Oh God was that hideous. I had friends that had all 3. I had White Marine Pearl (vintage) and they had Walnut shells. I am so glad Tama made the Walnut/Birch. I've been waiting over 40 years to find that sound in a drum again.
I just realized your name was Bill Martin. I had a friend named Bill Martin who was a drummer back then. You from Flint Michigan?.
Nick you KickAss!🤘🥁🤘
Can you add to the description the mics and cymbals you used?
Fabulous sound and a great review
I've been a Tama fan boy since the early/mid 1980's, with my first & last double bass kit. In the 90's I had a custom ordered Rockstar kit. I haven't played since I sold them & joined the Army in 98. I wish I knew then what I know now about tuning, & playing techniques. I would have went down a different path most likely. Love your vids Nick.
adam brown I have a Rockstar bass drum that refuses to sound good no matter the tuning or heads. I think basswood probably sucks for drum wood?
@@justinlee2268 Mine were 100% maple.
adam brown I guess that was your custom order. All the research I did when I bought the drum last year said Rockstars were basswood.
@@justinlee2268 I'm not positive on the date. It was late 80's to mid 90s. 24" kick, 14", 15" rack toms, 16", 18" floor toms. 6.5×14" snare. Had a white rap. Photos are long since lost. In all it was about $7,000 at the time. I sold it all for $600.
Wonder what walnut and bubinga would sound like, I think that would be very interesting.
Not gonna happen. But, it would be a wannabe Bubinga/Birch. Buy up as many Bubinga kits as possible! The next Ivory?
Toast Tee you’re really trying to raise the volume on your set huh? Commenting this salty shit everywhere
@@sneakerjoe23
Right!... this is the second one I saw. What's up with the hyper BB fanboy crap?.
What is this left side Byzance crash? Sounds so beautiful! Not talking about the china, of course, if anyone might think I'm a newbie:)
Great playing.
Nick is an amazing reviewer 👍👏👏😁
Would this sound better with Coated emperors??
Did you try it with coated emporers, and if you did how did it sound?
The floor Tom is a killer vibe
thanks nick beautiful drums
Hi drum kit awesome I bought My Tama Starclassic Walnut Birch from Sweetwater best music store to buy from
Love his this MF’er plays.🤘🏻
That guy's smoothness, timing, and speed could make home depot buckets sound like drums are a waste of money. I think anything he plays would sound good. He probably shoots par with a set of rental clubs.
He makes it look so easy.
great review, best i've ever seen!
What do you have for stack?
Nick could play and review a phone book and I would watch.
Where can we find music like that to practice with. I have this exact kit but added an 8” and another 12” tuned down.
I need one of the drum sets from TAMA
Luv that finish!👍 😰 💥
Grande Nick!!!
Great video.
Can you tell me what cymbal you are using from 5.19 to 5.28?? It’s filthy fun!!😂😮
The floor TomTom if I'm not mistaken that the 12 and 13 in downtown drums
Are these supposed to sound dry? Or is it just the tuning? Do they sound way better in person? Just curious.
These or the Limited edition black oyster Ludwig Keustones?
Cool sound love it!
Wow I like the tone
Hey Nick those are nice drums and I know they're expensive yes or no maybe I'm wrong or those are pretty drums has some nice set of crumbs up, and it sounds very good to me it sounds very nice and I'm watching in my TH-cam in my in my cell phone three thumbs up 3/8 on the timer
any idea what tension or note you tuned to? I have been trying in vain to get my Starcasters to sound like this and can't
Please can you make a video on the Tama SLP Dynamic Kapur kit.
I've got the G Bubinga SLP kit. Although the Bubinga doesn't have the new Star lock system, that is one great sounding kit. I've heard only 25 were sent to the US, and with CITES, I had to grab 1. I'm thinking they may have sent 50, but either way, I'm glad I grabbed it
Nick I have birch/ walnut, I just need that right snare to go with it.. what do you recommend?
Can you please compare this kit to the new starclassic performer?
What is the snare drum?
I like that 22 inch bass drum
Tama makes awesome drums. They are doing some weird things with their finishes now in my opinion. But these drums match the drums sound I’ve always heard in my head. I just bought a set of Yamaha Tour Customs last week and I think I’m going to return those and upgrade to these in vintage marine pearl of course.
Do it man. These are way better than the Yamahas. I was doing a head to head between the Yamaha live custom hybrids which are great too but cost a good amount more than these and these sounded and felt better to me hands down.
Andy Ham I did it man. They should be here Tuesday. Also bought a Starphonic nickel plated brass snare.That’s gonna be a killer combo. Every time I’ve bought a kit in the past I’ve been excited, but never like this. I can honestly say I’m getting exactly the kit I want for the first time this time.