Would you be willing to sell or trade for that butterscotch Yamaha kit that you purchased for 500? I really like that kit. PM me and let me know. Thanks.

These kits are just beautiful.And fit/finish,chrome quality and pearl colors-outstanding.It seems they concentrated primarily on jazz type kits-mostly 4 piece.Never seen an early kit with a 24" bass.But those colors...........

Someone commented that Yamaha was the Gretsch of Japan.That's not the worst thing to be called.

You know, there is a post on another thread, something about being tired of hearing Yamaha's on every single recording the last twenty years....Let's face it, I am an American, and I love my country, but....we keep it up, and we are all gonna be wearing..crying2-07..I'm not gonna say it.

Yamaha makes some of the finest musical equipment available, and it's no wonder they came up with a great formula for a great sounding drum. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we are too worried about squeezing that last penny of profit out for the shareholders to worry about quality, when if we made a quality product, the profit would roll in. And I have been in manufacturing, of a once ultra high end product that has now been dumbed down to bring up line speed up so they could TRY to pull out...are you ready?....1.5% extra for the top brass. In a plant that did no more than 30-34MM/year. We were a niche market, and that was what drove our business. Now they have alienated the very customer base they are trying to attract, and are about to go under, when we were profitable all along. Sound familiar, ad nauseum, to anyone?

Soap Box

Yamaha was on so many recordings earlier because of Steve Gadd and a few more musicians who dominated the recording scene.

Due to the advancements in recording technology, a stick on a table with a trigger nearby can sound like a $125,000 piano if you wish.

I've owned and played many many Yamaha kits. I loved them and will concede that they are quality instruments. But, to say that there is MORE quality built into them? That would be an incorrect statement. There are many many many many quality drums built today...some of which equal or surpass Yamaha quality.

Actually, Yamaha had some of the worst woods put into their drums. It was the shell work that made them sound good. Luan and Falkata can only sound mediocre at best ... unless you work the wood a bit. Then it can sound pretty good. It was the addition of the single layer (or two layers) of the Birch that brought the character out of those icky woods. Once that was added and the shell design was optimized, then the chamber resonated and boomed.

No denying the amazing sounds of the Recording Custom Japanese Birch shells or the early Maple Customs. Those drums were outstanding achievements.

Japanese business is not the 'feel good' 'all for quality' bit that we Americans assume. Read some books on the subject. For a start, I would suggest Game Over - the story of Nintendo. That one really brings it home. Profit was the ONLY motivation behind the decisions made. Fusajiro Yamauchi made hand painted playing cards in the late 1800's. Quality was paramount. When the business was handed down, profit became the driving force. They attempted to develop several different markets...including noodles, cabs, and ***** houses. It wasn't until Gunpei Yokoi and (later) Shigeru Miyamoto entered the scene that the toy business became the market to settle into. And when they did, they dominated each and every company who tried to compete. They DID sacrifice quality and developmental growth. There are many examples of this. They grew into one of the largest and most profitable corporations in the world. At one time, this relatively small company was more profitable than ALL of the movie companies combined. The profits were unimaginable. Gretsch, Ludwig, Rogers, and Slingerland (and several others) are outstanding examples of American know-how. They faltered because of corporate greed and other factors. Nintendo, Sega (started by an AMERICAN), Coleco, and many others also faltered because of corporate greed. This world is much smaller than we think. We are not that different from each other. Read up on the real stories of Japanese business and you will see some interesting similarities.

No disagreement, all I intended is that corporate greed is what is killing America, and it is killing the middle class. We are the ones that drive the economy. Without the middle class, we die, as a nation. Big business sees too much profit in going off-shore for cheap labor, and the quality products we once produced are now a faded memory, for the most part. It is prevalent in every sector.

I believe there's a nitch for almost every set- and type of kit. I just got home from a show (using a Yamaha Stage Custom) where a big booming kit would have been way, way too much. So much of what I am playing around Osaka and Kobe has to be controlled - it`s all controlled- control the overtone ring and volume. I use Emperors, often top and bottom, or Fiberskyn 3 FAs top and bottom- to control that sound. I used Emperors and O-rings tonight and has able to play with powerful hits- giving the feeling and pocket but not overpowering the room. I can get the sound I want in these small venues with Luan, Birch, Maple - it doesn`t really change too much for me. I am more concerened with tuning and head selection alot. The big resonant, clear single heads with suspensions RIMS - they have no place in my current work load. So, I have no problem loving the luan, falkata- just as much as the birch and maple. I do have a real soft spot for beech drums though....Sumo Dude

Quote:

"greed is what is killing America"

Unquote:

AMEN!!! AMEN!!! AMEN!!!

And OsakaBop -

I've owned many of the Luan kits over the years. Once I worked the shells, I've always like the subtlety of the drums. They never speak too loud and they always have a nice dark warmth and tone. This is one of the only times in my ENTIRE life that I've not had some sort of Luan based kit at the ready for gigging. I sold my last one ... (or gave it away? ... don't remember) ... late last year. I miss the simplicity of the tone when I'm gigging, but I'm on a new path and they don't fit ... yet. As you know, I'm searching for a VERY cool old Yamaha kit in a unique wrap to add to my gigging kits. One of my favorite "mixed breed" shells was the Yamaha Rock Tour Custom. They were unbelievable for live rock gigs. I've never heard a rock drum kit that even comes close to the power and warmth and tone those put out. Again, blended Luan and Birch and worked really well. Glad to have you on the forum.

Yeah, I'm curious enough that when the right one comes along, I'll probably snag one too. :D

mcjnic,

you mentioned "working the shells" in your post above. I have a workhorse vintage Tama luan based kit that i gig with heavily, that I wouldn't mind refining, if you wouldn't mind, what is the process you went through?

Jaye works the shells, also. He might jump in and add to this.

First - remove all hardware. Lightly sand the insides to smooth them out. Remove all wood burrs and any light depressions. Also LIGHTLY sand the edges smooth. I use a medium fine paper and then switch to very fine.

Second - clean all dust from the shell using mineral spirits, making sure you don't get it on the wrap. You can use rubbing alcohol if you choose.

Third - apply two to five coats of OSMO Hardwax Oil ( http://www.environmentalhomecenter.com/shop.mv?CatCode=PRODUCT&ProdCode=OS_HARDWAX_OIL ) or Tung Oil (Jaye's suggestion). Make sure you allow a day between coats. This gives it a nice resonance chamber.

Fourth - clean the edges again. Wax the edges using a good edge wax. DO NOT use candle wax as it is sticky when applied to wood and will cause the head to stick...killing resonance. Put the hardware back on and play the snot out of it.