Yamaha Oak Custom??

[Baunche]

Hey everyone, OK, i know this a pearl forum but i want to try and get as many thoughts as possible. Has anyone played the new Oak Custom drums from yamaha?? i may consider buying one but i want to hear some feedback first?? what did you think of them?? and how do they sound compared to maple and birch?? thanks!!

[Alex Hellner]

Between the two shell materials, it's closer to birch... actually i'd say it's a compromise between Birch and African mahogany.

it has a darker and more aggressive sound, not to mention very loud, but has slightly less punch than the african mahogany offers. Overall i'd say that the oak customs are quality sets and worth the effort if one wishes to acquire a less common sound.

[dmreyers]

don't get me wrong, Yamaha makes great sounding drums.
(I formerly have owned a Recording Custom back in the early80's and most recently a set of Maple custom Absolutes).
One consideration if you purchase a set of Yamaha's is their YESS tom mounting system. In my opinion, it don't work (causing the toms to choke out when attached to the tom mount or stand.
If it wasn't for that, I would still be playing my maples.
After talking to people at yamaha, i got the feeling this was par for the course. I personally think you could buy alot more drum for the dollar.
Good luck.

[Fixxxer]

i have to agree about the stupidy of the YESS mounting system


i do find thoes drums intriguing though, and i would really like to have a oak set, but i don't like yamaha

[mrbeaver]

it almost defeats the purpose of suspension mounting

[Alex Hellner]

i'd have to agree, yamaha makes great drums but what's the deal with YESS?

they seem to think that it doesn't affect the sound at all because of it's location. i'd like to counter that by saying: THEYRE ALL WRONG. ANYTHING that touches the shell affects it's resonance. that means wraps, lugs, screws, and sometimes hoops... everything affects how the shell resonates.

the only thing i can offer in recovery is that yamaha's lugs use only one screw to mount them to the shell... most other companies (including pearl) use lugs that attach with 2. So overall there are still less holes through yamaha's shells.

p.s.- IMHO yamaha's are overpriced

[MikeB]

Do you have any proof to this? Ayotte did a study and they found out that the tighter the hardware is on, the more the drum resonates and the deeper it sounds because it all acts as one. Anyway, I think you should actually do a controlled experament like they did before you assume stuff, IMHO.

[Alex Hellner]

i'd agree, except i'm talking about the shell resonance...

when the hardware is on tighter the whole thing does resonate better because no resonance is lost through the connections, but that's not what i'm talking about. You're referring to how the whole thing works, and i'm just talking about the shell. Studies have been done (just not by me).

This is the whole reason why Pearl makes Free-Floating snares.

[Baunche]

Hey guys,
man, there seems to be a fair amount of anti-yamahaisim going on here. Oh well, people have their opinions and i ain't gonn judge. I do agree with you guys that the YESS mount is stupid and they really should get some type of suspension mount going on to compete. Anyways, i'm still gonna go try some yamaha's out this weekend, I already know the MAple custom absolutes sound awsome, but i really wanna try the oak customs out, they seem like they would be perfect for me. I'm also really anxious to give some BRX's a whirl, they seem to be great drums. Anyway, when i go doing some testing i'll let evereyone know what i think. C'ya later

[MikeB]

I personally like the YESS system.

[Fixxxer]

i tired some toms at mars before it went under, and it was pretty high pitched, and LOUD

its as loud as they all say

[doomonyou]

I am glad I found this. I am looking to get a new kit soon. I am looking at the BRX line and the Yamaha Oaks. For some reason I am drawn more to the Oaks, I guess I like different sounds. Anyway is there a problem with the YESS mounts I should know about? I don't want to spend hard earned money on junk. Do thes mounts work? I have read two reviews on the Oaks,(M.D.and Drum magazine). They had nothing bad to say about the YESS. But, I value the regular guys opinion a little more.

[Alex Hellner]

well, the YESS mounts affect the resonant qualities of the shell, but if you like sound already than there's no problem... when the YESS mounts were first introduced, everybody thought that they would be of poor durability and that the shell would break because it's only contact point is 2 screws through the shell, but they have a pretty good reputation of not breaking.

If you like the sound, i'd say go with the Oaks because apparently durability isn't a concern. Also, another point worth noting is that yamaha shells have fewer holes in them anyways because the lugs only use one, not two.

[Fixxxer]

i have an old MD (Elvin Jones cover story), and it has an interview w/ Gerald Heywood (M. J. Blige), and hes got an Oak DW floor tom, that is cool





i would consider an Oak Hip Gig........that would be cool

[M.A.P.D. drummer]

i say NO to the YESS : ) i know how creative of a slogan but the yahmaha drums sound nice anyways but i would be scared of breaking it off

[Fixxxer]

well, you would have a big nasty hole, but you could get some gauger rims then

[Alex Hellner]

big nasty holes are his specialty.

(sorry, it was too easy. i'm kidding of course)

[broken_origin]

And I like them alot. It was between Oak Customs and BRX's as my practice set and I tried Oak customs and liked them much better, they seemed more articulate and projected better i think. They come tuned really high and i didnt really like that, and I think single ply clear heads dont bring out the sound very well. They speak best at a lower tuning they get really fat and round sounding. The bass is PERFECT, I swear this thing is a dream. Im using coated G2's on them now but plan on switching to Double Thins next time i change heads.
About YESS. Im not a moron, and I see where people who dont have a set of Yammies would think this is a problem but this system allows the shell to resonate best in My experience, and you dont have to worry at ALL about it breaking, I promise you that. honestly, Im considering having YESS installed on my ork Pies. Hope this helped some.
Michael
PS If you have any questions feel free to email me at michael_glawson@yahoo.com

[Alex Hellner]

well, although the YESS system does affect resonance... it's hardly enough to notice, and it's still a decent system, surprisingly durable. Also, yamaha drums still sound really nice, so appareantly they're doing a few things right.

(even though they're not my preference)

[Wickerman]

Turbo Tour series... they were $hitty sounding when i bought them but i got the toms cut into "fast" sizes and they sound excellent in the studio.

[Wickerman]

tried them out at my local music store and they sound excellent. I agree that the YESS system looks flimsy but they've been using it for many years now and they would've had problems with it "breaking" off, then I think they would've changed their system by now.
I like the YESS system.

[dmreyers]

Man, did I open a can of worms!!!!
Again, Yamaha makes great sounding drums. (I've owned 2 kits, I would still own my Maple Cust Abs if it weren't for the Yess mounts). I seriously doubt the Yess mounts would actually break, but from my experience, they REALLY do choke the toms.
I don't know maybe i got a bad kit????
But, if you folks out there are having good experiences w/ them,GREAT!!!!!! I just wish they worked out for me!

[Wickerman]

shoulda kept ur cust. abs. and put ISS on them lol cheap fix lol. And just think, the ISS mounts would've covered the holes for the YESS mounts( i think) lol

[dmreyers]

wickerman,
glad to bring laughter to your life!
I was actually able to trade my maple cust abs at a guitar center for my BRX's and not lose any money lol.
plus, i have my dw's to fall back on.
overall, I'm very happy w/ both.

[MMBosstonesDA]

I played on these, not a lot but a bit. These are a very nice set of drums and if I wasn't a broke 16 year old I would go out and purchase a set. They have an absolutely stunning look, and they have the sound that I've been looking for ever since I got into drums (granted that wasn't until about 4 years ago). I do love the drums and and seriously considering these as my set at the end of the summer. As for the YESS, I agree, it's not the best system in the world, but if you listen to them, they still sound wonderful. If I were to purchase these I would replace the YESS with Optimounts or some other suspension system (maybe I keep my I.S.S.). But, once again, it's what you want. Listen to 'em all.

Mike