Drums Tama Star Series

Last year, the Tama company, which likes to constantly surprise us with something new, introduced a series of drums that were considered even cooler than the legendary Tama Starclassic drums. I think few people were surprised that the series received a simple but telling name Star Series. And it shouldn't be a secret to anyone that we immediately wanted to test these drums.

Unfortunately, a small selection of drums of this series is currently provided. Yes, and without the ability to buy at retail. Therefore, those who wish will have to purchase the entire installation: 22″x 18″ kick drum, 10″x 8″ and 12″x 9″ hanging toms, 14″ x14″ and 16″x 16″ floor toms, and 14″x 5.5″ snare drum.

Enclosures

The manufacturer offers two types of cases for the Star Series: chestnut or maple. Chestnut is a heavy and dense wood, which often gives a very deep sound. It is usually used for drums above the budget class. Maple, on the other hand, remains the wood of choice for most professionals and amateurs alike due to its balanced and versatile sound. We chose maple drums for our review, consisting of 5 layers of wood, and a total thickness of 5 millimeters, with 5 millimeter reinforcing rings that allow the body to withstand stronger and more aggressive blows. Unlike most other manufacturers, Tama chose to place the thickest 2mm ply in the middle to give the drums the sound characteristics normally associated with solid material drums.

The lip of the drum is where the head is pushed onto the body. Sharper edges give the sound sharpness and aggressiveness, while more rounded ones make the sound softer, transmitting vibrations much thinner than sharp ones. The Star Series Tama made rounded edges, due to which the sound acquired a slightly vintage character. The top edge is 3.5 millimeters higher than the outer edge of the shell, making these drums suitable for virtually any head. All edges are machine-made but hand-finished and finished.

Appearance

There are 12 finishes available for maple drums, while 11 finishes are available for chestnut drums. Some finishes are available for both maple and chestnut drums. Some options look very presentable and foppish. But, in principle, the choice of colors and shades is such that it should satisfy all the most popular tastes.

As standard, all Star Series drums come with an additional layer of paint, but you can optionally refuse it or vice versa - order it both external and internal. An additional layer means painting the reinforcing rings (although I don’t really see the point in highlighting them separately, because they are visible only when you remove the heads. As for me, it would be much more interesting to paint the bass rims separately - barrel where everyone can see them).

This most additional layer consists of four thin strips, separated by some kind of sequins, smoothly turning into the “winged” Star Series logo. While I didn't really appreciate the idea of the extra coat, and I'm not a fender fan, I have to admit, with some basic paint options, the extra coat looks really cool.

The setup we received for review is burgundy with an extra coat. Ironically (sarcasm), the quality of the outer covering is excellent, and would be quite suitable for first-class furniture. The drums were stained by hand, and due to this, they generally got some kind of glossy shade. Although they do not seem glossy, they still glisten a little. Inside, all the shells are treated with oil, and the iron gleams to match the drums.

Features

The Star Series Tama has introduced many innovations: a reduced weight of the body, a redesigned design that minimizes the friction of the bodies on the iron, increasing the sustain and resonant capabilities. Rubber seals are provided at the most critical points to avoid friction of the cases against the racks.

Another new feature is bridge-like lags, which do not dampen vibrations as much as solid ones, and they look quite nice. The cast legs on the bass drum are also made in such a way as to distort the sound as little as possible. They also use wooden bushings in all holes instead of cast ones, which also significantly reduces weight.

The new Super Resonant Mounting System three-point tom hangers distribute the weight of the drums in three parts. On the upper rim of the barrel and the lower edge of the toms, rubber sizing is provided so that the vibration is not extinguished by rubbing the drums against each other. This is useful even for drummers who tilt their toms too much, because in such cases, many other suspension structures lose their stability.

Star Series drums also feature Tama's new Quick-Lock system. This system allows you to quickly remove toms from mounts that remain on the drain, or remove feet from floor toms by simply pulling the black plastic lever. All this allows you to disassemble and assemble the installation faster than if you had to turn standard bolts. Inside the brackets on which the levers “walk” are rubberized to increase the sustain.

The legs of floor toms are glued with special hollow rubber layers, which allow the toms to spring back after being hit. The same rubber pieces are used on the kick drum feet. But in the case of a barrel, you can remove these rubber bands. It all depends on taste.

The Star Series snare drum also got its new thing. The so-called "string bed" is now sawn along the fibers, which increases the sensitivity. I hope they make this new Tama a standard for all their small ones as it makes the drum more sensitive.

The strainer and Linear Drive loops allow you to tune and center the strings from any side, and even set the vertical increment of 0.125 mm if necessary. Also due to this, the strings do not lose tension. The strainer is designed in such a way that when using it, the characteristic "slap" of the strings on the lower head would not be heard. I even deliberately tried to click it as hard as possible, and the sound turned out to be very quiet. Most of all, jazz drummers will appreciate this, who very often loosen the strings for Latin rhythms or playing with brushes. Just press and that's it - this strainer is really cool.

The lugs mounted on the snare are made on the basis of the lugs used on the kick and toms. I like the fact that there are only 8 lugs on the drums, while many of the leading firms prefer ten lugs. 8 lugs reduce weight and reveal even more of the beautifully painted hull. The lags are pulled up very smoothly, despite the fact that rubber layers are used inside them so that they do not unwind on their own.

Like all professional Tama drums, the Star Series uses die-cast rims. They produce a very crisp rim click and are hard to deform, unlike triple flanged rims.

The Star Series snare drums have three air outlets, with a wooden sleeve for a higher pitched sound. As for the heads, there are “shaggy” (coated) heads on the toms and snare on top, and their bald counterparts on the bottom - Remo Coated Ambassador and Remo Ambassador, respectively. On the barrel is a furry Coated PowerStroke 3 on the front and a Fiberskyn Powerstroke 3 Diplomat on the back, on the logo side.

Sound

You must be wondering if all these innovative features actually affect sustain. I was very surprised when I heard the toms actually have long sustain and decay of the sound. After knocking over all the drums, it seemed that reverb (artificial echo) was used on the toms. Those who buy Star series drums will have to mute them somehow when working in the studio. But in my opinion, too much sustain is better than too little. I also found that if you slightly loosen the heads on the toms, the sustain decreases. Fortunately, everything is standard with this case on the snare drum.

I really liked the little one. He was very sensitive to my light hits and gave a good, strong sound. All in all, a fantastic tool. Whether I played with brushes, syncopated rhythms, or generally funky, the sound did not cause any complaints for me.

The bass drum resonates very strongly and produces a rich sound. When I hit the plastic with a mallet, it turned out to be a powerful, dry cotton, but with some kind of “boom”. Even with a not very strong blow, the bass sound was obtained. It's true - what else should a bass drum sound like?

Toms are very easy to set up and distribute notes very evenly. Due to the rounded edge, the sound is soft. But unlike their similar counterparts, they do not hold the power of sound.

Summary

The new high-end bells and whistles work as intended, giving the new drums a ton of sustain. Tama have outdone themselves by creating beautiful and high quality drums.

Details

Features: Linear Drive strainer; bridge lags; rounded edge; wooden bushings in the "ventilation" holes; cast rims; plastics Remo; cast feet for bass drums; Super Resonant Mounting System three-point tom hangers; quick lock volume mounts; empty rubber tom feet.
Body: Five-ply 5mm maple (thickest ply in the middle) with 5mm reinforcing rings.
Configuration 22″ x18″ bass drum, 10″ x8″ and 12″ x9″ hanging toms, 14″ x14″ and 16″ x16″ floor toms, 14″ x5.5″ snare drum.
Finish: Wine red, oil