Subject
gigworthy and useable
By: j.son from portland or., j.sonlyle@gmail.com
Submitted: 11/9/2010
Quality
Would you consider this product to be made well? How dependable?
yamaha were the first to up the game of intermmediate kits in the 60's.other comanies have caught up a little,but yamaha uses better parts,and the shells have mre girth to them..bearing edges are better than most in this price range
Sound
How is the tone?
tis review is with the stock heads,so i can see how good it sounds at its worst!!bieng basswood and poplar(what squire guitars are made of)it doesnt have the organic sweet spot depth and resonance of higher level kits.exept the snare,out of the box it has warmth and punchy crack.very good indeed.the rack toms favor higher pitch tunings good for classic jazz and motown sounds.and with the right heads the floor has more sustain than a gretsch black hawk floor tom.and with an ambassador head tou can coax some low boom out of it.the kick is tricky,best suited for practice,or a medium club where mics are used,becaus its overly ringy,and you really have to work to get the overtones out and balance the tone.has a good funk or hard rock thud when muffled but it looses alot of volume..so sound men will like this kick.loosen the head add a falam pad and its good for metal
Value
Was this item an overall good value?
yes.the lugs ,legs,spurs are better quality than a ludwig accent(wich come loose after a gig)the wrap is beautiful,thicker and tighter than catalina or blackhawk gretches.all basswood/poplar kits sound the same,but this one holds up better from gigging and hauling around.the sound is not suited to good ol classic rock and roll or blues,where organic soulful tones are needed.i have used it to back hipster singer songwriters,funky rock jams,old school jazz,and any kick drum will work for metal,cause your gonna kill al the resonance anyway!you will need to trade up to birch toms if you want them to cut through a mesa stack!