Bad news, well depending on your point of view:
I just talked to a trusted dealer who has good knowledge of Tama's lines, and apparently Tama has moved all production to China for 2010 (for economic/competition reasons). This means that the flagship lines, from Starclassic Maple to Starclassic Bubinga/Bubinga Omni-Tune, are now going to be made in China.
This may raise a quality concern for some, or bother Tama Starclassic purists. On the flip side, this production move to China is supposed to lower the cost of the higher-end SC kits by a couple of percentage points.
This production move also explains why some of us felt that the SC color finishes revealed at NAMM were awful. Apparently, the Chinese factory cannot do a lot the SC finishes that were offered in at the Japanese factory.
If you already own an SC high-end kit, you may still be able to add on drums that will be made in Japan with the original Starclassic design (painted-on badge, maple wood air vents, etc.). But the end of the Japanese-made Starclassic is here.
I just talked to a trusted dealer who has good knowledge of Tama's lines, and apparently Tama has moved all production to China for 2010 (for economic/competition reasons). This means that the flagship lines, from Starclassic Maple to Starclassic Bubinga/Bubinga Omni-Tune, are now going to be made in China.
This may raise a quality concern for some, or bother Tama Starclassic purists. On the flip side, this production move to China is supposed to lower the cost of the higher-end SC kits by a couple of percentage points.
This production move also explains why some of us felt that the SC color finishes revealed at NAMM were awful. Apparently, the Chinese factory cannot do a lot the SC finishes that were offered in at the Japanese factory.
If you already own an SC high-end kit, you may still be able to add on drums that will be made in Japan with the original Starclassic design (painted-on badge, maple wood air vents, etc.). But the end of the Japanese-made Starclassic is here.