Tama Now Made in China

RobertM

Platinum Member
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.
 
Seems to me from a consumer point of view that the suggested decrease in quality and features would warrant more than a 2% reduction in price. It's a shame really because they were really nice drums. Oh well i certainly won't be getting a new tama starclassic then and i should imagine many people who were looking for a high end kit will be put off, not that it probably bothers TAMA, because they'll just probably keep on making one-off customs for artists in order to encourage beginners and intermediate players who are the vast majority of the market to buy the vastly inferior chineese made models which i suppose is a legitimate idea but as i say it's a bit of a shame that the quality production tama kit is going to be a thing of the past.
 
I'm sure quality can be kept up out of Japan(Pearl is good example of this) BUT...

If I'm paying top dollar for a Tama kit I would like it to be made in Japan.

If Yamaha does this with their top end, I'd have to go punch a kitten or something...
 
If Yamaha does this with their top end, I'd have to go punch a kitten or something...


lmao. Feckin great, im all for kitten punching.
 
Bad news, well depending on your point of view:
apparently Tama has moved all production to China for 2010.
.

I would'nt worry about China, as with Tama, I would expect that this is a Tama facility from the ground up. Not like most of these companies who just get a contractor.

Guys, this is a very different world in China within the last 5-7 years with regard to what is going on. That's just my take on it.

BMW builds a large portion of it's 5 Series and 3 Series in China. Think about that for a moment compared to drum sets.
 
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.
.

You mean raise profit margins a few points.....
 
Is this just for drum production? What about their hardware? Specifically the IC pedals. Will they be manufactured in China now...or have they always been?
 
This may raise a quality concern for some, or bother Tama Starclassic purists.
Well, good news for Tama "collectors", there will now be pre/post China made Starclassics, let the "snob appeal" start. "The Japanese drums are superior to the Chinese"....will be their battle cry.
 
Well, good news for Tama "collectors", there will now be pre/post China made Starclassics, let the "snob appeal" start. "The Japanese drums are superior to the Chinese"....will be their battle cry.

Hah hah hah, that's so true. Like with Ibanez guitars. "No, but this one was made in Korea, not Taiwan, it's far superior." Pfffft. The chinese have been making the Force line for Sonor and they are some of the most bought drums in this forum! Same with Cymbals. I think it's time for people to call off their doubts about chinese stuff, if it was made in Germany, it'd be the same, but more expensive. The company calls the shots on how the products are made, chinese workers or not.


Fox.
 
+1 What Fox said!!!

I own the Sonor 3007s and the quality is a 10. Fit, finish, quality...all superb
Chinese, schmineze.
 
BMW builds a large portion of it's 5 Series and 3 Series in China. Think about that for a moment compared to drum sets.

Powerful argument...

I would encourage you to take a look at some things "Made In China":

beijing_national_stadium-olympic-2008.jpg


water-cube.jpg


Great-wall-of-China-pic.jpg


From Space:
great-wall-satellite-image.jpg


Western End:
great-wall-end-jiayuguan-12.jpg


Eastern End:
great-wall-begin-shanhaigua.jpg


128509104129256450.jpg


forbidden-city-china.jpg


Ming%20Vase1.jpg
 
Hmm, perhaps this will make the kit I'm trying to unload more lucrative...

"No man, it was made before they jumped to China!"
 
Bad drywall, lead in the paint, tainted baby food, tainted dog food. Naw I wouldn't let any of that bother me. DRUM magazine just did a review of the new StarWorks 100% birch line and they look like decent drums. Just don't chew on the paint.
 
my problem with having all this production in China is not the quality so much, but the idea behind it. All these companies are doing this to increase the profits for the executives and head honchos already making all the money anyway. They're probably paying these workers little or nothing, so the profits are huge. And, in the process they're screwing thousands of people out of good paying jobs, and giving all this wealth and power to one entity. How long is it gonna be before China has a complete monopoly on manufacturing? Of course, when nobody has a job anymore, who's gonna buy their products?

Either way, to me Tama making their top of the line drums in China really cheapens their image. Nobody has their top of the line kits made in China. Only their low end to mid range kits. They should at least have the high end production in Taiwan, which has way better production facilities and skilled workers that get paid decently. People are willing to pay good money for high end kits, and want the best quality possible, not necessarily the cheapest price. I think Tama should focus more on customer and endorser relations than cheaper prices.
 
I agree with the overall sentiment: Even if quality doesn't materially decline, Tama will take a reputational hit for the move, at least in the upmarket end of the spectrum.
 
Remember the days when no-one would buy Japanese because of the stigma that what they made was junk?

I do. Usually the origin of manufacture is a matter of national pride. All countries that manufacture products run the gamut of making great items and mediocre ones.

I am always conflicted on this issue. One side of me likes being able to buy inexpensive products. The other hates the outsourcing of jobs solely for profits sake.

I think the US is losing the game on becoming a manufacturing leader for the sake of profits but I do like cheap shower flip flops, so I'm a hypocrite.

In many ways, I feel a little guilty knowing that these low costs come with the often sad truth of the exploited worker. Sometimes I will pay a premium for a US made item to support American companies. It still bugs me though.

Sometimes it depends on your age, experience and point of view. My dad was a young man at the time of Pearl Harbor and for the rest of his life hated buying Japanese made products. In his later years he softened a bit and bought a Honda that was made in America.

As long as Tama gets a high quality product made for them in China then they will continue to do well. If they start producing junk, their sales will suffer. Chinese manufacturing has really improved in the last ten years.

It's mostly the politics and social issues that bug me the most.
 
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