Are Tama Drums relativity good?

4piece4peace said:
Ordered a new W/B Starclassic and it came with a bad bearing edge. Tama didn't want to replace it but wanted to send me a bag of plastic spacers instead to see if that would help the problem. No more Tama for me.
Click to expand...
Damn that sounds really bad. Wild they're not letting you claim warranty if it's a bad edge.

Just sending you some stuff to fix it yourself..? Doesn't sound great at all.
 
RickP said:
I have owned a lot of kits , majors and boutique makers and if I was in the market for a kit , Tama would probably be my first choice. Tama had never really been on my radar through the 70’s to 2010s to be honest . The YouTube video of Peter Erskine endorsing Tama made me curious . I started looking more in-depth at Tama and I came away very impressed . I think the Tama Walnut/Birch kits are a fantastic value . Superb sounding drums with all the same fittings as Starclassic Maple. The Star line may be IMHO the best made drums available today. I would love to own a Star Maple in Ocean Blue Curly Maple finish
Click to expand...
Funny, the Star Maple in this colour is also my favorite but t 12.000 Can$ and more, as a keys player first, it was too expensive, I should have pulled the plug when they were around 8000 when they released them. so, I got a Starclassic B/W this year in Bossé vermillon red finish, red is my favorite colour so, still great drums I think. Will have it after I renewed my mortgage on August the 18th. Can t wait.
 
I fell for Tama new in 82
8x8
8x10 floor stand
8x12
9x13 bass mount
10x14
12x15 2nd floor stand
16x16 16x18 14x22
chrome roller snare 5/14
all double headed trad size Aquamarine 1982 Superstars

I must a thought I was going to be famous. Somewhere. Besides North Braddock..
Think I sold them in 10 years time.

Again in 97 a cute little Rockstar in black caught my eye one evening at Waddells
16x20
9x10
10x12
14x14 floor tom
and I took them home. Played a lot of gigs with them.

Never got the hots after that altho I paid attention to the orig Starclassic rollout
and use some hardware stands from those two (stands came with sets)
Tama tube diameter seemed compatible -moreso than Pearl or Yamaha- with Ludwig and Gretsch stand diameters
~

Tama were non existent prior to 1974.
So a lot was happening before they even existed.

I'm happy with 60s classics
Tama are admirable
 
Last edited:
I believe yes, TAMA are relatively good. Lots of choices in terms of your budget, finishes and configurations. They are rugged workhorses.
 
4piece4peace said:
Ordered a new W/B Starclassic and it came with a bad bearing edge. Tama didn't want to replace it but wanted to send me a bag of plastic spacers instead to see if that would help the problem. No more Tama for me.
Click to expand...
Could you describe how plastic spacers would address a bearing edge? Sorry I just have no clue
 
I haven't played a top of the line Tama drum in ages. I don't think I know anybody who uses them.

For awhile there were a lot of the 10/12/14/18 Stagestar/Imperialstar sets around, I liked them better than most cheap drums. They must have dumped a lot of them in Europe, they were the house sets at at least a couple of places I played.
 
caddywumpus said:
I used to chalk up Tama drums as being just another basic drum company. As I’ve delved into the nuances of drums, and played around on more of their kits of every budget level from every era, it seems they really have had a good thing going the whole time. I have an 80s Superstar that I play, which is a phenomenal kit from the time, and still holds up against other drums made today. If I were offered to be given any new drum kit manufactured today, from any drum company, I would probably choose a Star kit.

Just about every big drum company around today has good-sounding drums. From an audience perspective, it doesn’t matter. To the drummer who has their ear on the sounds they are producing from the drummer’s seat, it matters. Tama makes great drums. So does Gretsch. So does Ludwig. So does DW. It’s all a matter of personal opinion.
Click to expand...
I can't think of any current production drums that could claim to be better than 80s Tama Superstars. Only challenge is finding them in traditional sizes. Nice heavy shells with thick plies. Quality finishes. Takes to all kinds of different heads very well. Built like a tank and a nice simplistic elegance to them.
I remember when they were becoming a thing in the late 70s/early 80s. Nobody wanted stodgy old Ludwigs, Gretsch or Slingerlands. Since I picked up my Superstars, my Prolites, SQ2s and Yamaha Absolutes sit in cases. I'll bring the Whitney Penguins out occasionally but I absolutely love the old Superstars.
 
I currently have a Starclassic Maple, Starclassic W/B, had a Star Maple (rounding on bearing edges not my thing but excellent kit). I also have an SQ2 and a Prolite from Sonor. If I could only have one, it would be the Starclassic Maple. Incredible resonance, fullness, dynamic range, depth and sensitivity. It blew my DW Collectors Maple Standard out of the water, the DW is now gone.

They have a large facility in Bensalem, PA that employs a lot of US staff, and BY FAR have been the most responsive to me as the customer. Whether it's just parts, or questions, their state side service is the best I have ever encountered. They also sponsor a lot of marching / concert percussion events, truly as 'American' to me as any other brand.
 
I've owned well over a dozen drumsets covering all the major brands...including a multi-thousand-dollar, made-to-order set from a series that is considered by many to be the pinnacle of high-end drums. In my opinion, the best set overall was my Tama Starclassic Bubinga Birch.

Syncopated_1 said:
I currently have a Starclassic Maple, Starclassic W/B, had a Star Maple (rounding on bearing edges not my thing but excellent kit).
Click to expand...

I'm currently considering another Tama purchase. It's great that you've had the opportunity to directly compare the various Tama lines. Can you possibly put into words the differences that you've experienced between the Starclassic Walnut Birch, the Starclassic Maple, and the Star Maple?

Thanks so much!
 
MattRitter said:
I've owned well over a dozen drumsets covering all the major brands...including a multi-thousand-dollar, made-to-order set from a series that is considered by many to be the pinnacle of high-end drums. In my opinion, the best set overall was my Tama Starclassic Bubinga Birch.



I'm currently considering another Tama purchase. It's great that you've had the opportunity to directly compare the various Tama lines. Can you possibly put into words the differences that you've experienced between the Starclassic Walnut Birch, the Starclassic Maple, and the Star Maple?

Thanks so much!
Click to expand...
@MattRitter good you own the Tama Starclassic Bubinga Birch Kit, I have experiencing it with the kits that I look around on the Tama Catalogs, Even the hardware, I sure it's only time and you waiting another Tama drum kit purchase, the Tama lines are old and new, most kits are having different colors, so experimenting with the ones I already looking is way beyond the music, just see for yourself you know the drumming drill.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top