Yamaha Tour Custom Shell Pack - Drummer's Review

[@mikeevangelista1177]

I never really paid much attention to Yamaha drums but after watching videos on the recording custom and gaining all this new knowledge I’ve been more and more interested in them. I think they all sound great very impressive

[@galleryofrogues]

They’re amazing, all their kits.

[@Arisleo-aum7lg]

I hear ya. Same here. Never thought I'd be spending my money in a Yamaha kit.

[@banditY2K]

They need to up their finish game. All their kits look the the same!

[@AMDpc067]

@@Arisleo-aum7lg why not?

[@banditY2K]

Save your money. All their kits sound the same. Very generic.

[@ReignJeffersonCTria]

This channel is soo underrated!! These reviews are detailed and helpful

[@supervelocejota63]

Agree

[@danglesify]

It just persuaded me to purchase the same kit.Those maple toms sound amazing!

[@jamielovell3656]

best drums review site I've seen, please keep posting. I am about to buy a new kit and this site is so helpful

[@JakeStaffin]

I have a Gretsch Catalina 7 piece with a 22" kick that I keep at home and a Yamaha Stage Custom with a 20" kick that I keep at school. I love both but I find the Yamaha to be a lot more versatile, even with the 20" kick and 14" floor tom. I use it for lighter jazz to harder progressive rock and stuff like that and it has a really good all-around sound. I like the Gretsch kit but feel that sometimes it can be a little too much at times and even with my go-to combo of coated G2s over coated Reso 7s, the overtones are a little too present. I don't love adding dampening to toms, I try to solve the problem by using double ply and coated heads, but there is a point where I need to have some extra control over the drums by adding drumtacs or something. I don't need to do that on my Yamaha kit, just the Gretsch. What I like about this Tour Custom kit you're showing here is that it's combining the best of both worlds. There's a lot of warmth with the maple shells but with the extra control that I have in my Yamaha kit, as well as using the YESS mount which is my favorite tom mount for bass drum mounted toms. I've been considering upgrading from my Gretsch kit for a bit now and while I like the Renown, I watched your video and I noticed the toms were a little too resonant as well so I worry about having similar issues when tuning it that I do to my current Gretsch Catalina. I think the Tour Custom would give me the familiarity of my Yamaha drums plus a little extra to keep it interesting. I know I would go for this same 5 piece configuration that you have here, but in the candy apple satin instead as I think that color brings out a lot of the wood while keeping it also visually appealing from a color standpoint. The drum sizes here are perfect, I don't love square floor toms so having one inch below square is a very nice touch, and the shallower kick drum makes for a tighter sound in my opinion so I can tune it higher for jazz or a bit medium to lower for rock, and it takes up less space in the back of a car. Thanks for this fantastic review and for pairing it with the Recording Custom Aluminum snare. I have a Ludwig Supraphonic 5x14 which sounds very similar to this which I would probably use as my primary snare on this kit if I had it so that sound already gives me an idea of what I would be expecting from this kit altogether. Great video, hope to see more soon!!

[@bradanderson1802]

good god

[@sagesanmartin1896]

Your sound demos are second to none, but I commend your opinion reviews for their candor disclosing pros and cons, strengths and potential challenges of each instrument. Excellent resource for pros and hobbyists.

[@scottlowell493]

Yamaha and tama are the only beginner/intermediate kit company I trust not to have shell or hardware QC issues. ANY OTHER BRAND has had problems with fit, finish, hardware, shells/edges. Yamaha, IMO has the best hardware system on the market.

[@Dom-e92]

Scott Lowell I totally agree! I can’t decide between tama and Yamaha

[@ericg9092]

Wow. Those are REALLY good sounding drums. I'm just getting back into playing again and have been looking at both the Yamaha Tour Customs and the Superstar Classics from Tama. I think I'm leaning Yamaha after this video. Thank you for this review even though it was done several years ago.

[@HenkJanDrums]

Great drumkit; if you can afford it.... I compare it to Pearl Sessions Series and perhaps it can reach towards the Pearl Pro or Master series. I am a Pearl drummer: easy setup, easy carry around, hardware allways OK. Accepted in every genre. Have many kits and can exchage hardware and make combined setups. Yamaha also has those characteristics, is more luxuary, more expensive and hardware can be pretty heavy. Pearl also has sustain on the floortom rubbers; you perhaps can add those rubbers to Yamaha tom legs. Also some rubbers can be put external under floortom legs to give more sustain. You can use washing machine rubbers for it. In studio i also use that on the bass drum legs. I am not a fan of Tama or Sonor: those sounds have to much character and i play all kind of genres. Dont like the hardware of some cheaper Gretsch kits. Pearl is always OK also in the cheaper ranges. Played on Yamaha and they really are great top range drums! They always have that kind of extra.

[@trenthogan4212]

It's so funny as this is my absolutely favourite finish colour offered by Yamaha...very vintage 70s looking which I love

[@VegasAlien1]

I have a set of these, just waiting on my 14" floor tom. I put Evans UV2 heads on them and they are wonderful. I swapped the tom arms with Pearl hardware and replaced the mounts with RIMS mounts. Very happy with the kit, and I got a good deal on them!

[@sethtracy2948]

I love these matte finishes on the Tour Customs. I really like your review style, and would like to see you review the Yamaha Stage Custom to see how it stacks up against the rest of the Yamaha line!

[@DrummersReview]

Seth Tracy - thanks for your comments and feedback; always welcomed. We are in contact with Yamaha, so we will ask the question. Thanks for watching and subscribing. DR.

[@drumprof1772]

Would really like to see you do a review of the Absolute Hybrid Maples.

[@seelanne]

The RC-Snare is a killer !

[@NEALBABBITT]

Drums sound awesome! Nick is looking very dapper! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@roybeckerman9253]

It shows drums are very affordable for everyone. No need for the very expensive kit, especially for gigging, if you don’t want to risk your top line equipment.

[@kurtpeeters8892]

All Yamaha drums seem to have to have some natural compression... Personally I love it.. but for sure it's a personal opinion and or you love that sound or not

[@AMDpc067]

These sound like thunder

[@cayninx7993]

Some coated heads would sound awsome

[@VegasAlien1]

I have Evans UV2 heads on my Tour Custom kit and they sound incredible.

[@FelixG2070]

Great, detailed review; as always!

[@gibby3350]

Love all your videos! Keep up the great work!

[@HenkJanDrums]

Very nice pro drum kit. For studio: Evans EC2 (i also use the ec2 resonance but ...Remo Ambassador Clear also is great for resonance) and Emad 2 on bass drum, For live: Remo Pinstripes and Power Stroke 3 on bass drum. EC2 and Emad have less overtones but also less sound. Very controlled sound without overtones. Super for micing in studio. Super controlled sound. Pinstripes and Powerstroke have more volume, more power, more frequensies and ...more overtones. Very nice for acoustic without mics and i think with some gel there also are great miced life. Thesew Remo's always gives something extra and with damping you always can reduce that extra.

[@jnagime]

Sounds beautiful......beats the DW performance series and cheaper

[@theraise5243]

And you get the Yamaha Tom holders which are unbeatable

[@scsdrummer]

Great review! Typical Yamaha excellence.

[@JakeStaffin]

Love this video!! Definitely considering this kit in the future, same sizes as you have here but with the candy apple satin or butterscotch satin. Any plans to do videos on the Tour Custom and Recording Custom wood snares?

[@armandotorres2283]

Did you choose any of the ones you were eyeing?

[@randywiedmer4656]

I've had(have) both this and a Stage Custom kit. Really love the Stage Custom better. Seem punchier, even with the crappy UT heads you get...check the review on the Stage Custom from drummer's review.

[@Mastonc]

It has birch instead of maple that’s why it’s punchier

[@JustyStoky]

Listen with headphones, The last floor tom❤❤❤😮

[@azpestsolutions]

Great sounding kit, Yamaha always makes great products. I myself have chosen to buy the new Stage Custom Birch as they sound great at a fraction of the price of the Recording Customs which I sold and purchased the Stage Customs. I do a lot of recording and the engineer could not tell the difference from the Recording Customs vs the Stage Customs. I put some money back in my pocket which is always nice. The Stage Customs & Tour Customs are great kits... It comes down to Birch or Maple and a few bucks!

[@timcline2799]

Very helpful input. Thank you Jon

[@Mobby74]

I wonder how they compare to Mapple Custom Absolutes. They are identical for their looks and construction, except fot the die cast rims on the Absolutes. I have a 14x 5.5 Absolute snare from a different era, I guess it would go well with these.

[@Arisleo-aum7lg]

Does anyone know if this is the same color tone as the yamaha recording custom one? Would I be able to mix toms with that drum set?

[@tryharder249]

Olha a alegria dele quando a bateria é Yamaha hehehh

[@billytrance6893]

Great video! For me, there is only one issue with these drums...they are touring drums right? Well, why don't they come in a Delmar wrap? Open-stained drums will get a lot of "dings" and scratches out there on the road. This is the only "downfall" I have found overall. Any thoughts?

[@danielefalchetti1732]

Altro splendido strumento da Yamaha, suono straordinario, sono molto belli anche i piatti ,suono ottimo.

[@ryancarver]

Great kit!

[@rakimaje8433]

Good review. Most reviews are more like a snare review because they do not play the toms a lot. Unlike you! Would you prefere a nineties Recording Custom over a new Tour Custom?

[@slysendice]

Great sounding kid. I'm curious how these compare to an old Maple Custom Absolute kit (from which these seem to have taken a lot of design elements)

[@lieutenantcolumbo114]

Ho yes I would paid'for that, to see a comparison of the tour custom and the maple custom (gold lugs old one) and the absolute maple custom (old too) .

[@toddcapiton6285]

Both these especially and the absolutes sound fuller/resonant IMO, especially the bass drum. Not talking a huge difference here, but the MCs have much thicker shells. That’s where it probably ends. The build quality on my 90’s MC kit is the best I’ve ever seen. And back then all the hardware on the drums was incredible. The Yess system is nothing great, my MCs choked sometimes but I could just change pitches a little. The newer YESS systems are much better but nothing that impressive. And the lugs are so close to the rims on the MCs you can’t put RIMs mounts on them. To me the best mounting system nowadays is that new pearl system, hands down. It’s amazing, I now have a six piece AHM kit that’s easily the best sounding kit I ever played. I got her as a floor model for a great deal, not a scratch. All I need now is the matching snare, a few other RC snares, FP 9 pedal and that new hi hat stand Yamaha pitifully dragged their feet on. Oh and always buy Pearl floating feet for any floor tom, they are black magic!!!!

[@andrewmcalister]

Thank you for this! Have been looking for a detailed review on the new maple Tour Customs. I own a Gretsch Renown Maple RN1 and have been thinking of exchanging for one of these. Not a fan of the die-cast hoops and virgin bass drum. Didn't like the cymbal stand tom mounts too much. I've had a Stage Custom in the past and really enjoyed the ease of their tom mounting system. What do you guys think? I do like the "no frills" mentality and the idea of really light shells. Would really appreciate your input. Once again, thank you!

[@andyham6094]

Andrew McAlister yeah I hate toms mounted on stands personally. Not sure how much money your trying to spend but I bought a new generation Tama starclassic BB hyperdrive kit in the exact finish and sizes I wanted for just 1900 shipped straight from the Tama warehouse. It has the brand new updated hardware brought down from the star drums like the quick lock rack and floor Tom leg brackets and the new swivel wing mounting system on the bass drum which is the easiest best most versatile mounting system ever seriously. And the air cushioned floor toms and new bass drum spurs. The quick lock innovation is the best thing ever, you can set up and break down so fast and get the exact same set up every single time. U can find used starclassics for a great price as well under 800. Brand new prolly around 1700-2200 depending on the maple, BB, or bubinga and how many pieces. I also have a Tama silverstar I bought for 400 as a backup and practice kit and it is also an amazing kit with better hardware then most high end kits honestly. The bass drum mounting system slides back and forth and is the same mounting system the starclassics used to have before they updated the starclassics. Or the Tama superstar hyperdrive or superstar classics are greatly priced maple kits. Imo u get more from Tama then this tour custom yammy kit or any other brand tbh. But to each their own, I’ve tried every company but sound feel looks accessibility reliability innovation and everything Tama is just the best with the best best prices with the most bang for your buck.

[@JakeStaffin]

I have a Gretsch Catalina Maple and Yamaha Stage Custom Birch. Very different kits and I like them for different reasons but the Yamaha mounting system is miles better than any other mounting system in my opinion. I was considering the Gretsch Renown RN2 as a potential upgrade, but the sizes and finishes on the Tour Custom are much more appealing to me, and add that to the hoops, hardware, mounting system and included real USA Remo heads as opposed to the UT stuff that usually comes as stock heads so I'm closer to picking up one of these than the RN2. I played a Tour Custom at the recent PASIC shows and have been very impressed by the quality.

[@wilkinsnl]

Little beefier kick spurs would be great

[@mattbennett9467]

Excellent review. I've been a real Yamaha fan over the past 30 yrs, but they just don't deliver those little extras that make want to part with nearly £2k. Floor tom memory legs and stylish hardware matter, as do eye catching finishes. These are things that give a real pride in ownership in an era when every shell is round with excellent bearing edges etc. A perfect performing kit, but that's no longer enough.

[@NEALBABBITT]

How does this compare to the Gretsch renown?

[@AMDpc067]

Neal Babbitt not a bad kit. Either are good. These have 45 edges vs 30. These are SLIGHTLY more resonant. The Gretch has thicker shells and 30 edges. Their louder

[@dr.strange.2655]

Renown are superior quality, the famous 30 degrees bearing edges with silver sealer, its like an USA CUSTOM, but affordable.

[@rhythmcaster2018]

What's the size of that Byzance ride?

[@danglesify]

Nolly is a drum recording/mixing GOD!

[@CARLOSDIGGS]

I really enjoy your channel. Please share your cymbal setup for this review. I'm not familiar with Meinl. Thank you.

[@Nevernow721]

You no longer get USA Remo heads with the Tour Custom.

[@blakegowan6623]

More finish options would make this kit a winner indeed. They are super light.....which is very nice...and sound great.

[@Jeremy_Sims]

that’s exactly how I feel they need a bigger variety of Finish options, wayy too bland for me

[@pacificdrum0301]

They need to make a downbeat shell pack of this kit... 20x14 + 12x8 + 14x14

[@powbobs]

They do.

[@XFL33]

I'm a Yamaha fan: I've had a Beech Custom, an Oak Custom and currently owns a 80's Recording Custom and a Live Custom. Those new Tour Custom do sound good, but they're one of the less Yamaha-esque kits, soundwise, that Yamaha has ever launched... I don't think they have that typical Yamaha tom sound a lot of us love. I'd pick a Stage Custom Birch over this Tour Custom any time of the day.

[@KirillKonyaev]

Will there be any DW drums review? :)

[@DrummersReview]

HI Kirill, we are in discussion with DW/ Gewa with regards to featuring DW, Gretsch and Gewa, so watch this space, as we hope to serve up some great products from DW very soon. Best wishes and thanks for watching. Please subscribe and you will be notified when further product reviews go live. DR.

[@KirillKonyaev]

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I'm your "Day 1" subscriber! Can't wait for more reviews!

[@djevlhelvete]

His voice makes their videos sound like a NatGeo or Discovery Channel documentary

[@christianmusican1249]

I agree, but with german directness Sounds awsome Looks awfull Typically Yamaha midprice drum kit with everything hi quality but not good looking good. Like your videos

[@zb695]

"..high quality but not good looking. Like your videos." That can be fatally misunderstood :D

[@christianmusican1249]

Cheesus Crust didnt see that The Videos are great

[@Klaus312]

Subjective, I think it looks very good jus tclassic look

[@JakeStaffin]

The caramel satin is the only finish I'm not a huge fan of, but every other finish is great. I like the candy apple satin and the butterscotch satin much better.

[@dylan_biddle]

Tour custom or gretsch renown?

[@brandonmuschenick2785]

Renown I'm pretty sure is made with North American maple where as this isn't 30 degree bearing edges standard for Gretsch versus the typical 45% on this

[@rhythmcaster2018]

Fall in love with the Candy Apple Satin but Decade Maple has a very bargain price.

[@bdubzdrumz]

Too bad there isn’t an 18” kick for this series

[@taylorunis5418]

Brandon White I’ve always thought the same. How does the lower end Stage Custom have an 18 but not the Tour Custom?

[@lieutenantcolumbo114]

Exactly Yamaha needs to do that.

[@lieutenantcolumbo114]

I would buy a tour custom with the 18/10/12/14/16 configuration. For kinda high tuning, also medium tuning sometimes. For playing all kinds of' musics.

[@terrydactyl2609]

IS THAT NOLLY GETGOOD DOING DRUM REVIEWS????!!!!!

[@DrummersReview]

Hi Terry, it certainly is!!! Thanks for watching, hope you're enjoying our channel!

[@terrydactyl2609]

Drummer's Review Omg that's awesome I love his work in Periphery. Tell him I said hi if you ever get the chance! Haha.

[@richardgoldman8761]

Heavy duty floor tom legs? No, the thinner and hence lighter floor tom legs will always sound better than thicker, heavier legs.

[@AMDpc067]

Dayum Mmm

[@rmmco]

Lots of bass. All demos of any kit sound good because of the microfones. All online demos should be recorded only with hoverheads or like this kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmepo3ifnZiUhbc to simulate the raw sound of a kit.

[@EricBaileyDrums]

Somewhat unnatural mix... sounds like a record, which is fine, but doesn't feel representative of the kit. Would like to hear more of an overhead-forward or room-forward sound.

[@FONO63]

Agree 100%

[@billbrandt1106]

Also agree 100%

[@dwdrum11]

But to be fair to this channel that’s how they do every single review, all kits are mic’d exactly the same so we the listener get a fair comparison, as sound is subjective after listening to this channels honest impartial review do the old fashioned thing and go try the drums in person. Happy playing

[@jeffreyanthony6628]

Phasey

[@jettsom]

Is it me or I still prefer the sound of the stage custom at half the price? Maybe it's because I'm more of a birch guy in the end.

[@michaelyolch79]

Doesn't sound much different at all from the Stage Custom kit.

[@jacobwalker4163]

Man its just hard for me to tell , or I should say that its hard for me to tell if these sound ...at all better than my Tamma Superstar Classics and I'm gonna have to be very honest on this one and say.....absolutely not any at all which is both disappointing and pleasing. In the past 5-6 months I've had my eye on certain kits jumping over into than 1299 -1499 bracket with this having been first choice. Of course there's the 12 pc cb700 on Offer Up very used for only $799 and he's not budging. Don't know how I got here but that shit kills me. A used gp poplar shell kit used for 399. Do you see what Guitar Center sells used for 399 these days . You can definitely get you an all maple kit in very good condition.

[@johncollins5552]

I feel this kit is overpriced, little better than stage custom for a big price increase. Disco beats, did not expect that, nice playing as ever. I have a tour custom snare on my mapex M pro kit for 80 pounds,guess the owner already had some special snare. Sounds good only at high tension.

[@thebeeskneeskids]

John Collins it is a little but it still plays like a beast with coated heads

[@drumprof1772]

They are a nice upgrade from the the Stage Custom actually. Better quality shells with a mix of NA and European maple. Better finish work on edges and interiors. Sturdier hoops, 10 lug kicks and 8 lug floors, compared to 8 and 6 on the Stages. Nice satin finishes and a nicer upgraded snare is available. Not to knock the Stages, they are great for the money, but these are of higher quality and finish work.

[@thebeeskneeskids]

Drum prof I agree it is definitely worth saving a little bit more

[@powbobs]

LOL, no.

[@matteodesimone1413]

Nice and deep review! Btw I really like this kit but I would like to see better and tastier finishes, like a white chocolate or something like that..

[@eduardomedrano520]

Why do you think drum companies fit their new drums with crappy heads? Why don’t they put better 2 ply heads to make sure their product sounds the best possible way out of the box!? Price difference is not huge to make this change!!

[@JimPauls]

I mean these ship with Remo Ambassadors so this comment doesn't really make sense. A single ply head will always be a more transparent sound than a double ply head

[@powbobs]

Many of us don’t want double ply heads.

[@OnBendedKneeMusic]

I played a high end Yamaha kit for years. It belonged to the church. I loved the sound, but that tom mounting hardware is just too bulky and not user friendly.

[@thephilosopher5799]

The color looks very tacky and unnatural and it sounds okay for the price

[@FONO63]

Those finishes are ugly as hell. They sound lovely. And its a bummer that an 8' tom is not available.