New Yamaha Live Custom Oak Set - Video and Initial Thoughts...

SgtThump

Platinum Member
EDIT - Just made a second video here > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgdaPBbXio8

Took a trip to Nashville, TN recently and had an absolute fantastic time at Fork's Drum Closet trying out and buying this kit. I watched it on the web for a few weeks before making the trip, so I was really curious to check this out.

You can see my post about the visit here > http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109415

Here's a video I just made last night > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR-q-vr3fJg

The main things that interested me about this particular drum set are:

- 14" x 22" bass drum (my favorite size)
- Rack tom mounts to bass drum (for convenience)
- Marketed as having more volume for live use
- Yamaha reputation
- The cool black wood finish

I've only had this set for a week and have used it at home a few times and at band rehearsal once. I'm still getting to know it, but my opinion of it is very positive so far. The stock heads are fantastic, but I've been enjoying different heads recently and wanted to set this kit up the way I like. So I put clear Ambassadors on the tom batter sides (stock clear Ambassador on the reso sides), an Aquarian SuperKick 1 on the bass drum batter, coated Ambassador on the bass drum reso, installed an Evans pillow, and a KickPort.

This video really doesn't do this set justice. This bass drum is easily the best sounding and most powerful bass drum I've owned or heard! I really wish you guys could hear it in person. You'd probably smile from ear to ear. No joke. I'm also mic'ing it with a Shure SM57, so that has something to do with not capturing the full effect.

I've been through the kit and have only found one thing wrong. One of the wingnuts for the floor tom leg brackets isn't smooth, like it wasn't fully sanded down and finished at the factory. The other wingnuts, tension rods, lugs, etc... are all perfect.

The black paint on the inside of the shells looks much cooler than I thought and the black "wood" finish on the outside is REALLY cool (my opinion of course.) I don't like flat/matte finishes, but this one has a semi-gloss to it. It looks really nice to me and even the band members commented on that.

Overall, this set is definitely louder than others I've owned. The rack tom really cuts through and as I already mentioned, the bass drum is ridiculously good. The tom mount works perfectly and is easy to get the tom into a comfortable position. The bass drum tom receiver also looks much nicer than the previous Yamaha versions (much more sleek.)

The bass drum hoops are more flexible than I'm used to from previous sets. You have to pay attention when you're replacing the bass drum heads to make sure the hoops are on straight and even.

The stock black front bass drum head with the newer style logo looked fine, but I'm a sucker for white bass drum heads and I wanted the "older" Yamaha logo. I think it looks killer myself.

I can't think of anything else to say right this second, but please feel free to ask questions.

PS - I'm not a great player, so don't expect lots of tricks and technique. :)
 

Attachments

  • yamaha1.jpg
    yamaha1.jpg
    230.9 KB · Views: 3,345
Last edited:
Nice kit....You sound a happy man!
Congrats

Thanks John! This is my first attempt at a video of these drums, but I can tell by listening back that ill make another one with some adjustments. Specifically, the decay of the rack tom is a bit out of control. I also wasnt very inspired last night, so the playing is more "off" than normal. LOL

I wish I had a nice bass drum mic too, because this bass drum sounds enormous in the room. Very "thumpy" with TONS of punch.
 
No sound expert here but you may be defeating the Kick Port by having the mic inside of it. I would try it 5 or 6 inches away and see if that matters.
 
No sound expert here but you may be defeating the Kick Port by having the mic inside of it. I would try it 5 or 6 inches away and see if that matters.

Yeah, I'm sure you're right. I also just realized I had the low cut buttons on the three mic channels I used (SM57 on bass and two Sterling Audio condensers overhead.) I never do that. That helps explain the lack of low end in bass drum tone in this video.

I also just messed around for a very short while and tuned the toms better.

I will say that I don't find these toms as easy to dial in as others I've owned. I just haven't quite "learned" them yet, I think. I'm getting close. :)

Kinda wish I would've waited to post a video, but I'll get a better one in a few days.
 
i just got redirected to this thread from your other previous one and was like... YEEESS!!!

the kits sounds good!
 
I will say that I don't find these toms as easy to dial in as others I've owned. I just haven't quite "learned" them yet, I think. I'm getting close. :).

Really?....actually I found them pretty easy to tune...also, I didn't think they sounded bad on your video.......
 
Really?....actually I found them pretty easy to tune...also, I didn't think they sounded bad on your video.......

Thanks. I read a pro review somewhere that also said the toms are easy to tune.

I'm used to maple shells, which may account for some of my issues. But yeah, I did tune them up better last night.
 
Toms sound a little floppy to me. Dont sell the reference kit. The Oak Custom finish looks very road proof, durable, would hide road rash easy.

Yeah, floppy to me too.

As far as features and sizes, this kit is where it's at for me right now. It's exactly what I wanted. As far as tone, it sounds huge and is very loud. I just need to spend more time with it and get it dialed in properly.

I just said this in my previous post, but I'm used to maple and the wood combinations used in the Reference set. I'm not used to Oak and they sound alot different, which is probably throwing me off a little. This oak kit sounds great, even if I didn't capture it well in this video. It's just different and I think it will be perfect for my hard/alternative rock band.
 
Sounds good. And your playing is good too!
Neal
 
Those Oak Customs are surely nice drums. A Guitar Center employee tried to talk me into buying some a few years back but I wouldn't listen to him and bought some old ratty 7000 series drums instead (advertised as RC's). Got hosed on that deal but ultimately came out okay in the end. Paid $699, sold them for $450 to a guy who was looking for 'em. They didn't SOUND bad, but for $100 more at that time those Oaks would have smoked the 7000s.

And no, don't sell the Reference set. Those Pearls are sweet.
 
Those Oak Customs are surely nice drums. A Guitar Center employee tried to talk me into buying some a few years back but I wouldn't listen to him and bought some old ratty 7000 series drums instead (advertised as RC's). Got hosed on that deal but ultimately came out okay in the end. Paid $699, sold them for $450 to a guy who was looking for 'em. They didn't SOUND bad, but for $100 more at that time those Oaks would have smoked the 7000s.

And no, don't sell the Reference set. Those Pearls are sweet.

I don't have alot of experience with the Oak Customs, so i'm not 100% sure how much these new Live Customs sound like them. I assume they do, but I dunno.

The Reference and Live Custom kits really don't have much in common tonally. The Pearl's are very warm and round, while these Yamahas are very punchy and aggressive. Pretty nice coverage between the two kits!

PS - I'm a gear whore. Like really, really bad. So who knows when I'll change my mind and sell something out of the blue. I have no plans to do that, but I'm a bit impulsive. ha ha
 
Last edited:
PS - I'm a gear whore. Like really, really bad. So who knows when I'll change my mind and sell something out of the blue. I have no plans to do that, but I'm a bit impulsive. ha ha


You're talking to the pimp. Ha. I flip a lot. I play a lot of instruments so I kind of have a gear addiction. I have a mic locker with over 2 dozen mics, below that SEVERAL boxes and totes and bags of various cables, cords, extensions, and parts; I have enough batteries and adapters to make an engineer blush... I've owned close to 100 stomp pedals since I started playing guitar, I have 13 on my board right now and a couple in the cabinet... I have 8 guitars, 2 basses, 6 amplifiers (most of them Marshall and Mesa), PA gear including tons of mic stands, I have an entire rolling tote cabinet of sets of guitar and bass strings, probably over 40 pairs of drum sticks, two full drum sets with their own cymbal set ups, and a whole rig of recording gear and studio monitors.

In my lifetime I've owned 30-40 guitars or so, a few dozen amps, and who knows how many cymbals. I used to buy gear and flip it, sometimes I'd make pure profit on it and buy two guitars with the one I sold...it's a buyers' market now though. but it's amazing when you find something like an Epiphone guitar with the Gibson headstock design...and someone says it's a piece of junk and you buy it for next to nothing and throw it on eBay for $400... or the crazed kid who needs a pack of smokes and sells you his Peavey Raptor for exactly that much, or the guy who needs money for rent so he sells you his halfstack for $100... yeah...these are all true stories,

I drive my wife crazy because it's never enough - it's a fault of mine but I remind myself at least it ain't drugs! ;-) Nah, but really... I try to keep it within reason. It is hard when you find things on sale though, I am crazy for deals!
 
Last edited:
You're talking to the pimp. Ha. I flip a lot. I play a lot of instruments so I kind of have a gear addiction. I have a mic locker with over 2 dozen mics, below that SEVERAL boxes and totes and bags of various cables, cords, extensions, and parts; I have enough batteries and adapters to make an engineer blush... I've owned close to 100 stomp pedals since I started playing guitar, I have 13 on my board right now and a couple in the cabinet... I have 8 guitars, 2 basses, 6 amplifiers (most of them Marshall and Mesa), PA gear including tons of mic stands, I have an entire rolling tote cabinet of sets of guitar and bass strings, probably over 40 pairs of drum sticks, two full drum sets with their own cymbal set ups, and a whole rig of recording gear and studio monitors.

In my lifetime I've owned 30-40 guitars or so, a few dozen amps, and who knows how many cymbals. I used to buy gear and flip it, sometimes I'd make pure profit on it and buy two guitars with the one I sold...it's a buyers' market now though. but it's amazing when you find something like an Epiphone guitar with the Gibson headstock design...and someone says it's a piece of junk and you buy it for next to nothing and throw it on eBay for $400... or the crazed kid who needs a pack of smokes and sells you his Peavey Raptor for exactly that much, or the guy who needs money for rent so he sells you his halfstack for $100... yeah...these are all true stories,

I drive my wife crazy because it's never enough - it's a fault of mine but I remind myself at least it ain't drugs! ;-) Nah, but really... I try to keep it within reason. It is hard when you find things on sale though, I am crazy for deals!

Yep, I'm the same! Guitar has been my primary instrument since 1985 and you wouldn't believe the amount of guitar stuff I've gone through. I can't even remember most of it. (LOL)

Played bass for years too and same story. Now it's on to drums. Drum gear is a little cooler, because of all the possible configurations with hardware and stuff. FUN STUFF! :)
 
I don't plan to make another video immediately, but tonight I put the stock PS3 batter head back on and with the coated Ambassador reso head and Evans EQ pillow touching both heads, it sounds much better than with the SK1 (everything else the same.) The bass drum is more open and punchy - less dead sounding.

I also tuned the floor tom up a bit and it rings out much better. I didn't touch the rack tom at all, but for some reason, it sounds better to me today too. LOL

My ears are shot, since I've been playing quite a while this evening, so I may change my opinion another day. :)

I gotta admit that this set didn't tune up as easily as others I've owned. I've learned to tune better the past few months and can normally get a set tuned up fairly quickly. But this one took a little time.

I absolutely love the quality of the hardware, the finish is much cooler than I ever thought, the sizes are great, and it's very comfortable to play. Everything is setup exactly how I like it and I'm a big fan of the tom mounted to the bass drum (for ease of setup more than anything - placement is nice too.)

I'm very happy with this set, but the tone is a little "harder" and "punchier" than the mostly maple kits I've owned and it took a while to dial in the tuning.

All in all, I'm really happy with the set. I had three gigs schedule in the past week and all were cancelled, because the singer lost his voice. So I haven't been able to use this live yet, which SUCKS!
 
Back
Top