TAMA Starclassic Birch/Walnut Review and Soundcheck

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Paul Monroe Drumming and Product Reviews

Күн бұрын

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@chriscavalieredrums7824 2 жыл бұрын

Nice review! I am pretty impressed with that single Shure microphone picking up the full kit like that. The drums sound amazing!

@babaloop 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Chris! I appreciate your input and coming to check out the video.

@DeluxeTriple 19 күн бұрын

Those are gorgeous drums!

@babaloop 17 күн бұрын

Agreed!

@marcus_mayhem 9 ай бұрын

What a beautiful kit and it sounds amazing!!!! I can't believe it cost you 1700... 4000 for my starclassic limited edition tamo ash, in black walnut/birch. 10,12,14,16,22. I bought two, to make the kit I use on KZfaq. All said with the cymbals, rack, drums and pedals, a little over 18 grand.

@babaloop 9 ай бұрын

Yeah man, prices have gone up on everything since this video was posted. I paid 1700 for just the drums. Much more with cymbals, hardware, and pedals but it does sound great. I'm happy with them. Thanks for checking out the video and commenting. I appreciate your feedback!

@ivanbajovic3476 3 жыл бұрын

One of the best reviews of W/B

@babaloop 3 жыл бұрын

Thank You Ivan! Nice of you to say that. Thanks for checking it out.

@Harry1s 2 жыл бұрын

Great review man. I'm sold. Of course they are a lot more expensive now, but everything is!!

@babaloop 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, I guess they are but I still think it’s worth it

@billwinters3032 2 сағат бұрын

Thanks, this was very helpful. Few bucks more now, but it looks like good value!

@Anthonymcnamee1 7 ай бұрын

i Bought the Walnut Birch Starclassic version 20,12,14 set up i was not happy with the stock heads so i switched to G2s on top plus coated E mad on the bass but still was not not happy. so i switched the reso heads to G1 clear and Aquarian Modern vintage on the toms and a super 10 on the Kick. The sound is just spot on very warm the right amount of attack and very little overtones.

@babaloop 7 ай бұрын

Love that! Yes, everyone has their own sound they like so you really gotta experiment until you find the perfect match. Glad you found it!

@bmarks100 8 ай бұрын

I got one of the last B/B kits in the same finish and absolutely love it! The W/B does sound good, though. Nice kit!

@babaloop 8 ай бұрын

I got a white BB. Love it! I also think it was one of the last ones left.

@escadrums2 2 жыл бұрын

Birch/Bubinga is actually 3 plies of bubing and 4 Birch, walnut/Birch is 2 walnut and 4 Birch. Both kits sound heavenly though, the only thing I dislike is the cheapo powercraft bottom heads on the walnut/birch

@babaloop 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for that clarification. I agree about the heads. Had to change those right away.

@lisamitchell1355 8 ай бұрын

I even ordered the matching snare , all maple shell took forever to get

@babaloop 8 ай бұрын

Yeah, I bet!

@drummingken-chan8636 7 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing! Tama Starclassic Birch/walnut sounds really good! On this video the snare is DW right? What do you think about the Tama Starclassic Birch/walnut snare drum? Did you ever try that one? Also, what double pedals do you use?

@babaloop 7 ай бұрын

Thank you. Yes, that is a DW snare. I haven’t tried the walnut snare drum. I don’t normally play wood snares. I use exclusively DW 9000 series pedals. Regular and MCD.

@lisamitchell1355 8 ай бұрын

I bought the same exact kit, best sounding heads I found is the UV2 coated heads

@babaloop 8 ай бұрын

I'll have to check those out!!!

@behrouzhatefhaghi7358 3 жыл бұрын

Forgive my spelling mistakes when you were in the xyz band. I sing the video clip of the song inside out. This is cool drum kit

@babaloop 3 жыл бұрын

Lol. No problem. I understand every word.

@paulgrossman8830 2 жыл бұрын

I'm a little torn - the kit is beautiful, affordable, and so forth. But I can't help but feel the tom's sound a little "dead", espeically the floor tom. Mind you, i've been using a maple pearl kit for the past 17 years, and of course maple gives a different sound with more overtones. Btw, your drumming is solid and you have the world's best First name. Hi i'm Paul.

@babaloop 2 жыл бұрын

Lol. Hi Paul. I think what you are hearing is just my choice of heads for the top. You can open it much more with a thinner head or clear.

@CBS4445 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info. Ordered mine, almost identical to that one as far as drum the shells is concerned, from Sweetwater in April and they should arrive Oct-Nov, but worth the wait.

@babaloop 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah man, I had to wait a couple months too but definitely well worth it. I love these drums!

@mlklotusmann6749 2 жыл бұрын

Great review man thanks! Nice playing too 👍🏼👍🏼

@babaloop 2 жыл бұрын

Thank You my friend. Glad you liked it.

@charlesgavin9582 Жыл бұрын

Great review, Paul! Thanks! Cheers! Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

@babaloop Жыл бұрын

Thanks Charles! I appreciate it brother!!!

@arturofernandez6088 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the review! 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼

@babaloop 5 ай бұрын

My pleasure!!!

@spaceburger80 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Paul, I'm looking for a sanity check. The "TL/DR" version: long-time guitarist (~30 + years) and bassist, about to take the plunge on my first kit. I've targeted the Starclassic W/B 5 piece (kick, 2 x rack toms, 2 x floor toms) for $2.5k and the Paiste 2002 classic rock box set. My rationale for the kit: I want at least 1-up and 2-down, the Tama set/forget lock feature, the comes in a pearloid-like wrap whereas less expensive kits from other makes don't seem to have that option. If I had to pick two drummers whose sound I'd like to be able to get near: Bonham (the openness, bombast), Grohl-Nirvana (big, weighty, thumpy). I know power toms aren't really sold anymore with kits, so I'll have to find something to replace that 10" rack tom with. Question 1: What am I not looking at that I should consider? Question 2: Given the sound profile I'm targeting, what else would you steer me towards?

@babaloop 2 жыл бұрын

Hey buddy, sorry for the late reply. If you’re gonna go for a big sound, get a 24 inch bass drum. The Tom’s can be tuned with the right heads but the Bonham kick has to be big. That’s why you need 24. For cymbals, packs are ok, but if you look online, you can find good deals on used stuff and better. You’re just starting out. Have fun with it and and don’t break the bank. Even an electronic would be fun. It all really depends on your goals.

@spaceburger80 2 жыл бұрын

@@babaloop Thanks Paul, I really appreciate it. Your recommendation on used is really going to pan out; some amazing deals to be had (full suite of Z A-Customs for $850… 😵). Besides Reverb, is there another really great place to search for used gear? I haven’t used eBay for instruments in ages.

@babaloop 2 жыл бұрын

Reverb is good. Sometimes guitar center has good deals. Check eBay too or Craig’s list online.

@spaceburger80 2 жыл бұрын

@@babaloop Thank you, again, Paul. Really appreciate the advice 🤝

@danoneill130 Жыл бұрын

The four plies of birch on the outside and 2 plies on walnut are on the inside of the shell.

@babaloop Жыл бұрын

Thank You for clarifying. I didn’t remember what I said.

@sgk993 2 жыл бұрын

Great review thanks 👍

@babaloop 2 жыл бұрын

You’re welcome Sean!

@lisamitchell1355 8 ай бұрын

Mine came with 10 12 14 16 I’m ordering 8 soon.

@babaloop 8 ай бұрын

Nice! You’ll love them!!!

@lisamitchell1355 8 ай бұрын

I love these kits

@babaloop 8 ай бұрын

Me too!

@cd-vq6dz 2 жыл бұрын

Hello Paul. First off I wanted to say your drumming is superb, all the way back to XYZ. Also, you demos describing these kits are actually better than the companies selling them! They should hire you to do the promo vids, very informative. My question is, since the Tama Walnut/Birch doesn't come with a snare drum, and the DW Design does include the snare, which would you recommend? I know the DW Design is a virgin kick so you'd have to buy a double tom stand (my preference), or hang them on the cymbal stands which would also increase the price, but the DW Design, at the time I'm typing this (Nov 21') would be roughly $2,000 even after adding the tom stand or mounts. The Tama Walnut/Birch would actually be a tiny bit more in price than the DW if you factor in buying a good snare drum. So any thoughts you have would be greatly appreciated. P.S.- impressive that you caught the slight difference between the Performer and the Walnut/Birch hardware. Thanks in advance Paul.

@babaloop 2 жыл бұрын

Ahhhhhh, first, Thank You for your comment. I appreciate it. Great question also and I’m torn. You really can’t go wrong either way. I’m going to be buying a clear DW design kit soon. I would tell you to not base your decision on the snare. In my opinion the clear snare from DW is really nice. I own one. Usually snares that come with a kit are cheap but this one is good. I do like the hardware better on the Tama and it’s also a warmer sound. The Design series is a little louder and they are great drums. I love the virgin kick on the DW. Honestly, both kits are great and it comes down to a preferred sound. Let me know what you ended up buying.

@chriscavalieredrums7824 2 жыл бұрын

Both kits look & sound awesome. A couple of things I will add with the Tama is the bass drum mount sits on top of the shell, it is not drilled. So it is still a virgin kick on the Starclassic line. You can get the 3 piece shell packs in W/B Starclassic without the bass drum mount if you don't like the look and then probably order other toms separately, but I am sure whichever music shop you choose would be able to help you navigate that. I've had a PDP CX maple kit my whole life, always wanted to upgrade to DW, but Tama Starclassic series are on my short list of kits I want that are not DW.

@babaloop 2 жыл бұрын

@@chriscavalieredrums7824 Thanks for the input Chris. Get a kit for sure. You’ll love them!

@user-xt3nz9xb5k Жыл бұрын

Hi, I am Japanese and my English is not good so my writing may be wrong but this video was very good. I have never played drums before, but the sound of the snare and toms is very good and I am interested in it. I would like to know the name of the snare. I am a beginner who knows nothing about drums, so I would appreciate it if you could teach me.

@babaloop Жыл бұрын

I have a lot of different snare drums that I use but I believe I was using a DW snare drum in this video. I also have Ludwig’s that I use too but I believe it was my DW on this one. Thanks for watching!

@motodrummer 3 жыл бұрын

Nice review bud thanks, Seriously debating on getting this kit with a 20" BD for gigging. Tama seems to be the only major manuf. making a 20X14 bd these days. How is the wobble in the floor tom? I notice they wobble in the store but I dount they move when playing them? BTW I think these BW's sound much better than the BB's IMO.

@babaloop 3 жыл бұрын

20 would be nice! The wobble is made like that because of how the floor is mounted and to enhance sound. It’s noticeable when setting up but when I’m playing I don’t notice it at all. I hit fairly hard so if it moves, it would bother me a lot but it’s pretty solid. Hope this helps!

@paulmora2480 Жыл бұрын

Drums sound great ✅

@babaloop Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@behrouzhatefhaghi7358 3 жыл бұрын

I like your old tama drums when he was in xyz band

@babaloop 3 жыл бұрын

You are right. When I first got into XYZ, I used to play Tama drums until Sonor gave me an endorsement but after not playing for so long, I did lose that connection with Sonor. I really love Tama these days.

@sogent56 2 жыл бұрын

Look at the dualist pedal

@behrouzhatefhaghi7358 3 жыл бұрын

Hi paul tama drums is a good drums especially for rock music Of course I think you also have sonor drums I saw in the video clip . There are greats

@babaloop 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah. Tama drums are amazing and yeah I still have my Sonor kit that I toured with for many years. Those are amazing sounding drums!

@rol0511 2 жыл бұрын

Very nice review!!! Do you prefer this kit over the BB version?

@babaloop 2 жыл бұрын

I do love my birch bubinga kit. And if I had a choice between the 2, I’d go with the BB. But, this kit does have a sound of its own and really rich and deep so for certain recordings, I may choose this one. The sound is pretty awesome but the BB is my main kit and for good reason. The Birch Walnut is a great live kit.

@rol0511 2 жыл бұрын

@@babaloop would it be possible for you to share how you tune your BB drums? I love the sound you get out of your kit.

@babaloop 2 жыл бұрын

@@rol0511 If you watch my video “How to tune drums for rock”, that’s pretty much the approach that I take when tuning all my kits. Let me know if it helps you.

@rol0511 2 жыл бұрын

@@babaloop I will definitely check that out, thank you!

@aaronmemon7157 3 жыл бұрын

Great video !!

@babaloop 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks brother!

@roybeckerman9253 Жыл бұрын

What’s the snare ?

@babaloop Жыл бұрын

I’m using a steel DW snare for this video. Doesn’t come with the kit. No snare does.

@jcdrums2798 2 жыл бұрын

why you don't use coated emperors on top?

@babaloop 2 жыл бұрын

They don’t seem to be as durable as the Evans heads. I have the coated Emperors on my other Tama Birch Bubinga kit. They sound great. I’ll probably switch next round.

@sogent56 2 жыл бұрын

Try the ead10

@babaloop 2 жыл бұрын

Got it! Love it.

@michaelorthen 3 жыл бұрын

Did you have a chance to compare them to the Starclassic Maple?

@babaloop 3 жыл бұрын

I own a few maple kits. Not by Tama though. I heard some online and you really can’t go wrong with maple but with the right heads, this kit really sounds warm and killer! The maple kit is a bit more expensive so keep that in mind.