oak characteristics?

lovemysonors

Senior Member
i keep hearing that oak drums, specifically Yamaha Oak Customs, are big sounding drums, bright but warm.

how would oak compare to maple or beechwood for that matter?
 
Very reflective with little resonance. Bright, yes. Loud, yes. Warm, no.

Well, not necessarily. All other things being equal, the denser the wood, the louder and brighter it will be. However, you can bring out the warmth in other ways, like deeper shells, thinner shells and stave or solid construction. I play ironwood shells - three times harder than solid maple and so dense they sink in water - yet they are incredibly warm due to the depth and construction type, in addition to being cornfield-leveling loud. And of course there's head type and tuning, which many people believe is a greater influence on drum sound that wood type.

So, to answer the original poster, I would check out the shell thickness, depth and number of plies and type of glue used.
 
... specifically Yamaha Oak Customs, are big sounding drums, bright but warm.

Loud and bright, yes. Warm, no. I've played a few Yamaha Oak kits. Stick to maple and beech for warmth.
 
Well, not necessarily. All other things being equal, the denser the wood, the louder and brighter it will be. However, you can bring out the warmth in other ways, like deeper shells, thinner shells and stave or solid construction. I play ironwood shells - three times harder than solid maple and so dense they sink in water - yet they are incredibly warm due to the depth and construction type, in addition to being cornfield-leveling loud. And of course there's head type and tuning, which many people believe is a greater influence on drum sound that wood type.

So, to answer the original poster, I would check out the shell thickness, depth and number of plies and type of glue used.

Absolutely agree with everything you say, DMC, but I was talking specifically about the Yamaha kit, that I've played on 4 of.

Off topic, but related; I'd love to get my hands on a Gretsch round badge kit, late 40's or early 50's. Man, the warmth and resonance of those 3 thin plies...
 
There's a difference between loud (not very good sounding, to loud etc..) and big (more power, broader range etc) I find the drums big sounding. Not loud.

Also I find them warm indeed. Especially with some good tuning and decent head choice.

Im playing Oaks with die cast hoops now (first with the standard hoops) and it gives a little more control and round sound to it. Ive heard they looking at the option to come ith an Oak Custom Noveau (standard with die cast hoops) And i'm hoping they do. It would be a great update for the Oak.

The kick (mine's 20x17) is killing (with PS3 combi, no need for internal damping or so) The floor toms have much low in them and the rack toms have a nice tone with a longer sustain. The kick. I Think they sound better with die cast hoops indeed.
 
Yes, the Yamaha Oak Customs really have a big sound, and a very professional one. And they're loud too :)) Even Yamaha presented them as "the loudest drums you ever played".
 
I've also had the luck of playing a Yamaha oak custom. I love the attack of an oak snare. Very bright and cutting, and very powerful.
 
Hi,

I play both a Yamaha Absolute kit with maple bass, two birch toms and a beech tom. I also play a Yamaha Oak Custom kit. To me anyway I am finding that the oaks tune up very easy, great resonance, I use no muffling at all except for the kick which has an Evans EMAD single ply with the smaller dampening ring and the Evans internal muffler just touching the bottom of the batter head. All my tom heads are Remo clear emperors for both kits but I do switch the Absolute kit heads with Remo coated Ambassadors. At this point in time if I were forced to choose one over the other I would choose the Oaks. They are very well made.
 
Back
Top