[warboy]

Sabian SR2 Recycled Cymbals

These cymbals are probably one of the more unique product ideas to come out of cymbals in awhile. Quite literally, Sabian takes cymbals that get cracked or don't make the cut and melt them down to create these. Here's a link to some info about the cymbals. These are one of the greatest deals in cymbals at the present. The prices on the link I sent are competitive with B8 cymbals, yet they are made of B20 alloy and hand hammered. Even XS20s aren't hand hammered. Instead of the normal listings for the cymbals, they come in weights (light, medium and heavy) and are only defined by size besides the chinas. They come in any sizes from 8" to 22." An interesting thing about these is there are no defined hi hats. The cymbals you see listed as hats for these are really just two cymbals the shop paired as hats. I think this is pretty cool because you can take any cymbal and pair it with another. It is the same concept with the sizes of cymbals. Nothing is defined as a ride and nothing as a crash. It is just which sounds best as what. The cymbals themselves have a very large range of sounds in each model because Sabian literally just mixes the different lines of cymbals together to make a completely different sound.

The SR2 Cymbals I have had experience with include a 8" medium, 15" light (which should have a 15" medium to make a set of hats, but the medium hasn't came yet), a 17" light, a 20" light, and a 18" light china. There were also some band and orchestra cymbals but I won't talk about those. I don't know if it was just the batch we got, but all of these cymbals had pretty large bells. The only cymbal that didn't was the china. The 8" splash had a bell large enough that you could use it as a bell. The cymbal itself almost sounds like an opera gong. It has a very short sustain and a lot of trash. It still had a very dark sound. I haven't really done much with the 15" yet so I won't comment. The 17" also has that large bell. I could use the bell on this cymbal as a ride bell. Despite this, the crash is very dark in nature, almost an HH cymbal. It has a beautiful build with rolls and has a really full sound. It is a great jazz crash. The china is ridiculous. I almost always associate chinas with a tinny, fast decay. This china is completely different than most. It is very dark and almost mellow in sound. There isn't really a trash with it as much as a roar. This is an excellent roll cymbal and crashes really just fill up spaces with awesome sustain and power. I compared it to a K low china I played at the Pasic museum one year, but it sounds better than that! the 20" is an awesome jazz ride. I can play the bell and get a rumble from the cymbal or even a controlled crash. I can even roll on it and get a very smooth sound. But if I move up the cymbal on the bow, I get a great articulated pingy ride sound. The bell is excellent as well. It has a really great latin bell on it that isn't overbearing, but still cuts with a dark sustain.
I do not own all of these cymbals (for now ) but will definitely be buying more of them as time goes on. Because these have such a wide variety of sound within models, I suggest hearing the cymbal before buying. These are one of the best purchases you can make with cymbals though.

[Matt Shank]

warboy, on 11 September 2011 - 06:00 PM, said:

Sabian SR2 Recycled Cymbals

These cymbals are probably one of the more unique product ideas to come out of cymbals in awhile. Quite literally, Sabian takes cymbals that get cracked or don't make the cut and melt them down to create these. Here's a link to some info about the cymbals. These are one of the greatest deals in cymbals at the present. The prices on the link I sent are competitive with B8 cymbals, yet they are made of B20 alloy and hand hammered. Even XS20s aren't hand hammered. Instead of the normal listings for the cymbals, they come in weights (light, medium and heavy) and are only defined by size besides the chinas. They come in any sizes from 8" to 22." An interesting thing about these is there are no defined hi hats. The cymbals you see listed as hats for these are really just two cymbals the shop paired as hats. I think this is pretty cool because you can take any cymbal and pair it with another. It is the same concept with the sizes of cymbals. Nothing is defined as a ride and nothing as a crash. It is just which sounds best as what. The cymbals themselves have a very large range of sounds in each model because Sabian literally just mixes the different lines of cymbals together to make a completely different sound.

The SR2 Cymbals I have had experience with include a 8" medium, 15" light (which should have a 15" medium to make a set of hats, but the medium hasn't came yet), a 17" light, a 20" light, and a 18" light china. There were also some band and orchestra cymbals but I won't talk about those. I don't know if it was just the batch we got, but all of these cymbals had pretty large bells. The only cymbal that didn't was the china. The 8" splash had a bell large enough that you could use it as a bell. The cymbal itself almost sounds like an opera gong. It has a very short sustain and a lot of trash. It still had a very dark sound...

Excellent review.

[warboy]

Yamaha Gigmaker Drum Kit
The store I work for recently purchased two of these kits as our beginner series kits. These are Yamaha's newest kit line that is exactly what I just said, a beginner kit and thus I will review it as so.

The looks
The two kits we received were both a sparkle wrap finish. The specific variants were the blue ice glitter and black glitter. I have to say, probably one of the things I was most impressed about with these kits were the looks. The wrap is very nice for the price. I would use this kit as a gigging kit just for the looks and low price. All of the seams are placed so they are hidden when the kit is set up and the hardware has very clean lines throughout. As much as I love the Forum and vision series from Pearl, The tom mount just looks so much better on a Yamaha. This kit looks great for a beginner kit.

The Sound
This kit doesn't sound spectacular out of the box. No beginner will care the shells are make of Poplar and basswood, but it does matter to the overall sound. THe real issue is the heads that come with it. These heads are not the generic Remo UT stock heads that come with most sets. Instead, they are only branded with the Yamaha logo. These are the definition of "stock heads" in most drummer's minds. There is little to no low end and almost no frequency muffling at all. If you were to tune these heads low, they wouldn't even sound like drums. The only thing I could do with the heads on the drums was tune them high and go for a little jazzy sound. I did succede somewhat, but there is a reason jazz heads commonly are coated. The bass head is much the same. Luckily the company we ordered the drums from (not Yamaha, but a secondary distributor) included an old school muffling strip to go with the bass. Yes, the felt strips that sit on the head and a secured by tightening the hoop down. As sketchy as those things are, it got the job done and I was able to get a nice low thud out of the bass that you hear on most Yamahas. This fact tells me that with the right heads, these will sound fine. The snare head that came with the set was not all that bad though. It was only branded with Yamaha once again, but this time with a coating. This head strangely seemed to have too much low end for the snare sound compared to the papery sound the tom heads made. But the main point is I could tolerate to use this head until it broke if I bought this set. straight out of the box, this kit will not sound spectacular. But I guarantee with some new heads the kit would hold its own.

Hardware/Value This kit does come with the Yamaha hex rod system for their tom mounts we all know. I personally feel that simple L arms work better for mounting because the vertical angle takes some pressure off the actual ball the set screw is attached to. However, I will say that these things don't move. The toms actually do not have isolation mounts installed but then again, Yamaha hasn't quite figured out the whole isolation mount system yet anyways so you probably aren't missing much getting this kit over a stage custom. The bass drum spurs are very nice for this level kit as well. They have retractable spikes and haven't slipped yet. One nice feature I noticed is the batter side bass drum hoop had a hoop protector in place when the kit got there. There are no spring lugs in this kit so there's no lug noise or any rattles for that matter. If I were to point one thing out I wasn't fond of when it came to hardware, it would be the bass drum claws. They seemed rather flimsy and just seemed to be bent out of Aluminum. They were not Die-cast claws and I fear they will bend over time.
This kit is a bit pricy as a beginner kit, but then again Yamaha kits are on the high side price-wise no matter what skill bracket they fall into. I feel this kit is well worth the money and that it will last anyone a long time. The stuff is quality and well built.

[DrumPhil]

We need a forum for reviews

16" Sabian Paragon Crash Brilliant:
A medium/heavy crash great for crash riding, sounds bold and bright, produces a heaving crashing sound with longer than average decay. Bell is small and not very pronounced. Not a fast crash or a light crash, just a good overall cymbal that could be used as a foundation for a starter kit. Very versatile, sounds gorgeous when paired with other Paragons or bright Sabian's. Somewhat pricey in the high 100s, but well worth every dollar. The only complaint would be that I have cracked a few, but that is my fault, and Sabian is very good about replacing new cymbals for free. Excellent crash overall!

18" Sabian Paragon Crash Natural:
Much like the 16", this is medium/heavy crash with a loud, bright sound. Amazing sustain and effect when crashed or when wash riding, the bell is beautiful and very cutting. I love This cymbal, if I could keep only one to play with from my setup this would be it hands down. Very versatile, both as a dedicated crash and as a bright sounding ride, once again playing the bell brings out such a wonderful tone. For the price, somewhere in the low 200s, this cymbal is a bargain. If I had a choice between this cymbal and any other 18" crash, I would probably get this again in a heartbeat. Good for most types of music, except maybe very dark or heavy metal.

Paragon is an amazing line of cymbals, check them out on youtube
http://www.youtube.c...h/1/MPvTX5lWCc8

[Donna]

The Quick Torque Bass Pedal Cam
Eccentric Systems Drum Company

Hey Y'all! I had quite an adventure earlier this month and wrote about it. It's addressed to an FB group 'The Art of Drumming' cause there was an earlier thread there about my kick pedal bummout - owning a new Iron Cobra, no less. The "David" mentioned is the author of "Mastering The Tables of Time", who told me about Lucas Jacobson, the inventor of the Quick Torque Cam (Lucas also invented the DW 9000 Pedal among other cool things). It might be good info to know about, even if you're not in the market right now.
_____________________________________


"Grab a beer, maybe? This is long, I hope that's OK. Maybe what happened to me is familiar to quite a few of you. But I'd not been served like I was tonight, by a drummer & friend to drummers, helping me w/ my pedal, and beholding his workshop where all this beauty is going on.

"I got a special cam that modifies the torque on a kick pedal, installed on my Iron Cobra by the inventor himself, Lucas Jacobson. Fittingly, Neil Peart was the reason Lucas started dreaming up this cam (more on that below).

"A word on Lucas' workshop.... he demo'd these gorgeous little Shonga and Shonga Guiros -- small enough to fit in the hand---calf skin heads --- and they are shakers as well, with (this blows me away) different melodic intervals, so that you can make a melodic triad in "shaker", depending how you shake them. I saw the beams of wood stacked at workshop entrance, waiting for him to hand craft the Shongas, it was so cool! I loved that the Guiro shongas were 3 percussion instruments in one: A hand-held conga, a shaker (w/ a TRIAD of pitches tuneable via the drum) and a guiro. He got about 6 different pitches/sounds on that little drum.

" 'Can't get enough kick pedal tension' was the reason I sought Lucas, but I can report for sure that his cam on my pedal is a smooooth, good improvement for less tense players than I, because I went through the gammit of tensions. Apparently he's only had 2 clients ever who needed more tension than I did --- and he gave me plenty of time to play using the different increments, so I tried that pedal out at a fairly wide range of tension (including beater position) for a good 20-30 minutes. I didn't feel rushed in the least, but welcomed. This man loves to serve drummers. Lucas made the adjustments prone on the floor next to the kit. And so far so good, I 'm pretty hopeful because tonight was the first time in many a moon that I was able to hit a 32nd note ruff. With a witness!

"The 2nd part to this ('why do I need so much tension?'), we talked about parallel thighs (a new culinary dish!). Discussing the merits of sitting low. Lucas told me that back in the 80's when he was sitting regular in a chair, nailing that 3rd fill of Peart's in Tom Sawyer...but when he went to the kit, his pedal could not pull it off, he vowed right then & there to make one that would! It'll take a little while to get used to the Iron Cobra w/ the quick torque cam and I suspect that I will lesson the tension, but not much. If I follow through w/ sitting lower, then I may use even less. I kind of hope I do, because the action at the lowest tension Lucas used was *really*nice and easy.

Here is Lucas' contact info -- the cam was inexpensive, like David said -- 30 bucks!

- Lucas Jacobson invented the DW9000 bass drum pedal, the DW9500 Hi-hat pedal, drum hoops and has created several other drum innovations.
Eccentric Systems Website
Here is the Eccentric Systems Drum Company Facebook Page:

[einarabelc5]

Donna, on 20 November 2011 - 09:36 PM, said:

The Quick Torque Bass Pedal Cam
Eccentric Systems Drum Company

Hey Y'all! I had quite an adventure earlier this month and wrote about it. It's addressed to an FB group 'The Art of Drumming' cause there was an earlier thread there about my kick pedal bummout - owning a new Iron Cobra, no less. The "David" mentioned is the author of "Mastering The Tables of Time", who told me about Lucas Jacobson, the inventor of the Quick Torque Cam (Lucas also invented the DW 9000 Pedal among other cool things). It might be good info to know about, even if you're not in the market right now.
_____________________________________


"Grab a beer, maybe? This is long, I hope that's OK. Maybe what happened to me is familiar to quite a few of you. But I'd not been served like I was tonight, by a drummer & friend to drummers, helping me w/ my pedal, and beholding his workshop where all this beauty is going on.

"I got a special cam that modifies the torque on a kick pedal, installed on my Iron Cobra by the inventor himself, Lucas Jacobson. Fittingly, Neil Peart was the reason Lucas started dreaming up this cam (more on that below).

"A word on Lucas' workshop.... he demo'd these gorgeous little Shonga and Shonga Guiros -- small enough to fit in the hand---calf skin heads --- and they are shakers as well, with (this blows me away) different melodic intervals, so that you can make a melodic triad in "shaker", depending how you shake them. I saw the beams of wood stacked at workshop entrance, waiting for him to hand craft the Shongas, it was so cool! I loved that the Guiro shongas were 3 percussion instruments in one: A hand-held conga, a shaker (w/ a TRIAD of pitches tuneable via the drum) and a guiro. He got about 6 different pitches/sounds on that little drum.

" 'Can't get enough kick pedal tension' was the reason I sought Lucas, but I can report for sure that his cam on my pedal is a smooooth, good improvement for less tense players than I, because I went through the gammit of tensions. Apparently he's only had 2 clients ever who needed more tension than I did --- and he gave me plenty of time to play using the different increments, so I tried that pedal out at a fairly wide range of tension (including beater position) for a good 20-30 minutes. I didn't feel rushed in the least, but welcomed. This man loves to serve drummers. Lucas made the adjustments prone on the floor next to the kit. And so far so good, I 'm pretty hopeful because tonight was the first time in many a moon that I was able to hit a 32nd note ruff. With a witness!

"The 2nd part to this ('why do I need so much tension?'), we talked about parallel thighs (a new culinary dish!). Discussing the merits of sitting low. Lucas told me that back in the 80's when he was sitting regular in a chair, nailing that 3rd fill of Peart's in Tom Sawyer...but when he went to the kit, his pedal could not pull it off, he vowed right then & there to make one that would! It'll take a little while to get used to the Iron Cobra w/ the quick torque cam and I suspect that I will lesson the tension, but not much. If I follow through w/ sitting lower, then I may use even less. I kind of hope I do, because the action at the lowest tension Lucas used was *really*nice and easy.

Here is Lucas' contact info -- the cam was inexpensive, like David said -- 30 bucks!

- Lucas Jacobson invented the DW9000 bass drum pedal, the DW9500 Hi-hat pedal, drum hoops and has created several other drum innovations.
Eccentric Systems Website
Here is the Eccentric Systems Drum Company Facebook Page:

I love the fact that he used the compound bow technology and applied to bass drums. Will definitively check it out.

This post has been edited by einarabelc5: 21 November 2011 - 11:15 AM

[Tamatrainee]

DRUM DIAL

I bought a new drum kit two years ago (Tama Imperialstar) and have used it with the Rock Drumming System to teach myself to a reasonable, but slow standard.
I bought new heads about 8 months ago but due to lack of experience and mainly time, I hadn't fitted them.
I bought the Drum Tuning System to assist me and while Mike Michalkow does a great job explaining what to do, I wasn't convinced that my ear was good enough to judge the difference in sounds when tuning.
Last month, my daughters bought me the DrumDial for my birthday so on Sunday, I put a new batter head on my snare drum.
The dial is easy to use. Just set it at each lug and look at the reading.
Generally you would tighten the lugs in the normal tuning method until you get an approximation to the sound that you want and then use the dial for fine tuning.
You can tighten a lug while the dial is on the drum beside it although you have to remove the dial if you are loosening.
Overall, very satisfied that my drum is well tuned.

[Dpty Maddog]

GIBRALTAR (9608 2t) MOTORCYCLE STYLE TWO TONE COMPACT THRONE

I reluctantly bought this due to the one that I meant to buy being out of stock. I have had this model for a little over 6 weeks and have spent about 10 hours a week in it, the longest single session being about 2.5 hours.

First the good: The base is well made and sturdy. I am anywhere between 204 and 220 lbs and move around a lot while playing and have no complaints about the base. The memory lock adjuster is simple and works well and the screw-post is well made and stable.

Not so good: Very disappointed in the saddle. The bracket which locks into the post is one which dryfits onto the post directly. This results in some wobble and squeaking and a general less-than-stellar lock-up. The saddle cushioning is less than impressive and leaves much to be desired. The covering material, though very durable, can be a little abrasive.

Overall, this model is in the same price range as several Rock-n-soc models (one of which my son has) and in my opinion, the Gibraltar does not match up. Go for a Rok-n-soc or a Pork Pie.

[Tamatrainee]

Dpty Maddog, on 17 December 2011 - 02:02 PM, said:

GIBRALTAR (9608 2t) MOTORCYCLE STYLE TWO TONE COMPACT THRONE

I reluctantly bought this due to the one that I meant to buy being out of stock. I have had this model for a little over 6 weeks and have spent about 10 hours a week in it, the longest single session being about 2.5 hours.

First the good: The base is well made and sturdy. I am anywhere between 204 and 220 lbs and move around a lot while playing and have no complaints about the base. The memory lock adjuster is simple and works well and the screw-post is well made and stable.

Not so good: Very disappointed in the saddle. The bracket which locks into the post is one which dryfits onto the post directly. This results in some wobble and squeaking and a general less-than-stellar lock-up. The saddle cushioning is less than impressive and leaves much to be desired. The covering material, though very durable, can be a little abrasive.

Overall, this model is in the same price range as several Rock-n-soc models (one of which my son has) and in my opinion, the Gibraltar does not match up. Go for a Rok-n-soc or a Pork Pie.

I would agree. I bought a Roc n Soc in October and have no complaints.

[MaciejasPL]

Tama Iron Cobra beater:

If you are an owner of an average bass drum pedal and want to dramatically improve your performance (speed and accuracy) I stronly reccomend the Iron Cobra beaters. I am a happy owner of a wooden one since yesterday. What follows:

1. The beater is lighter than my previous one - the inertia is smaller - you need less muscle power to accelerate the beater AND you can accelerate it to a bigger speed - you get the sound you want with less effort
2. You can play faster (because you make less effort).
3. As you need less muscle power you can get a greater precision.

The beater is made with the best materials you can get. You get a weight on the rod so you can balance the beater according to your personal preferences. The wooden tip gives a very good sound (personal opinion). You can adjust the angle of the tip so that it hits the head at exactly 90 degrees (less 'damage' to the head and you get a perfect rebound).

To sum things up: If you cannot afford the whole pedal - go for the beater alone, it is a great value for money.

Tip: it is wise to also check whether the spring in the pedal gives you the tension you want - replacing it may also improve your performance.

[einarabelc5]

Donna, on 20 November 2011 - 09:36 PM, said:

The Quick Torque Bass Pedal Cam
Eccentric Systems Drum Company

Hey Y'all! I had quite an adventure earlier this month and wrote about it. It's addressed to an FB group 'The Art of Drumming' cause there was an earlier thread there about my kick pedal bummout - owning a new Iron Cobra, no less. The "David" mentioned is the author of "Mastering The Tables of Time", who told me about Lucas Jacobson, the inventor of the Quick Torque Cam (Lucas also invented the DW 9000 Pedal among other cool things). It might be good info to know about, even if you're not in the market right now.
_____________________________________


"Grab a beer, maybe? This is long, I hope that's OK. Maybe what happened to me is familiar to quite a few of you. But I'd not been served like I was tonight, by a drummer & friend to drummers, helping me w/ my pedal, and beholding his workshop where all this beauty is going on.

"I got a special cam that modifies the torque on a kick pedal, installed on my Iron Cobra by the inventor himself, Lucas Jacobson. Fittingly, Neil Peart was the reason Lucas started dreaming up this cam (more on that below).

"A word on Lucas' workshop.... he demo'd these gorgeous little Shonga and Shonga Guiros -- small enough to fit in the hand---calf skin heads --- and they are shakers as well, with (this blows me away) different melodic intervals, so that you can make a melodic triad in "shaker", depending how you shake them. I saw the beams of wood stacked at workshop entrance, waiting for him to hand craft the Shongas, it was so cool! I loved that the Guiro shongas were 3 percussion instruments in one: A hand-held conga, a shaker (w/ a TRIAD of pitches tuneable via the drum) and a guiro. He got about 6 different pitches/sounds on that little drum.

" 'Can't get enough kick pedal tension' was the reason I sought Lucas, but I can report for sure that his cam on my pedal is a smooooth, good improvement for less tense players than I, because I went through the gammit of tensions. Apparently he's only had 2 clients ever who needed more tension than I did --- and he gave me plenty of time to play using the different increments, so I tried that pedal out at a fairly wide range of tension (including beater position) for a good 20-30 minutes. I didn't feel rushed in the least, but welcomed. This man loves to serve drummers. Lucas made the adjustments prone on the floor next to the kit. And so far so good, I 'm pretty hopeful because tonight was the first time in many a moon that I was able to hit a 32nd note ruff. With a witness!

"The 2nd part to this ('why do I need so much tension?'), we talked about parallel thighs (a new culinary dish!). Discussing the merits of sitting low. Lucas told me that back in the 80's when he was sitting regular in a chair, nailing that 3rd fill of Peart's in Tom Sawyer...but when he went to the kit, his pedal could not pull it off, he vowed right then & there to make one that would! It'll take a little while to get used to the Iron Cobra w/ the quick torque cam and I suspect that I will lesson the tension, but not much. If I follow through w/ sitting lower, then I may use even less. I kind of hope I do, because the action at the lowest tension Lucas used was *really*nice and easy.

Here is Lucas' contact info -- the cam was inexpensive, like David said -- 30 bucks!

- Lucas Jacobson invented the DW9000 bass drum pedal, the DW9500 Hi-hat pedal, drum hoops and has created several other drum innovations.
Eccentric Systems Website
Here is the Eccentric Systems Drum Company Facebook Page:

You forgot to mention he has them on ebay for 30 bucks.

[Zeefour]

Remo Black X 14" snare head review



I decided to write a detailed review of this product, mainly because I haven’t really seen one and for the short comments made about this head, I feel it’s had a fairly negative response. I don’t put the blame on poor tuning or bad drum choice, I just don’t think this head is as “dead” or “boxy” as some people make it out to be. I think that it’s down to the wrong head type for their style of music.
The videos I have watched haven’t been informative at all, either because; the drumming style isn’t suited to that snare head or poor video quality. A while back, I did come across a couple of videos by a drummer who was playing along to dubstep and that’s when I heard how he tuned the head and how well it sounded compared to my tuning. But these videos are a minority, I can find plenty on the Coated Ambassadors or the Pinstripe or the PowerStroke Pro but almost none for the Black X, and Remo seems to think that talking over the sound of their drum head seems like a great idea.

Hopefully for those who plan on trying this head out; read this review and don’t end up making a poor choice then blaming Remo’s product in return.

Overall I have rated the Black X 14” snare batter head:

Tone = Dark
Sustain = Medium
Durability = High
Ease of Tuning = High
Feel = Good Rebound, reverse dot works brilliantly.
Style of Music = Modern Rock, Acoustic, Hip-Hop.

First off, I like this head because of the sound it produces and how it matches the style of music I play; I use a hazy Remo ambassador snare side to keep a more open resonant tone from my drum/head combination. I tried using this with Remo’s Black Suede Snare Side and I found it sounded short and rubbery. I used it in a recording and I wasn’t too impressed, I enjoyed its fierce volume and feel with the stick but it was just too dark and low. The size I use on my current set up is
14” x 5.5” Worldmax Steel snare. Remo Black X (batter) Hazy Ambassador (Snare Side)

Tone:
The tone of this snare head is dark but if tuned correctly it will suit a lot of modern rock and hip hop, although I use a steel snare I think it would suit a wood snare tuned medium to high and if you watched the Remo video, it sounds great on the acrylic snare they use. There is a reverse dot on the underside of the snare head so when you play this drum, I suggest using 5A/5B sticks, 2Bs are to fat and they bring out some unwanted tones and 7As may only work for acoustic gigs because this head is thick and 7As wont produce a loud snare sound; and it’s not suited for brushes or Rods. This drum head is promoted as being for heavy hitters, and rightly so, if you want a good amount of tone then learn how to snap your wrist with a more power and sink your stick into the skin, it can take a beating and overall produces a warm tone with great attack and if tuned correctly you can achieve a fat sound without it being “dead” or “boxy”.
Admittedly this head isn’t very articulate on deeper drums, if you use a brass drum for instance, it sounds very wet and you will have use some moon gel to dampen the overtones, a 6.5” deep drum is probably a good size, anymore you will have overtones that won’t sit well in a recording and your engineer will hate you. I say use a regular steel snare drum or a birch/maple snare drum that’s 5.5” deep and 14” diameter.

Sustain:
I perceive “sustain” of this head with the combination of the Snare Drum itself and Snare Side head that you use and how tightly you have tensioned your snare wires. Simply by using a clear/Hazy snare side head and having your wire tension medium to loose, then you can hear a good crack with decent overtones and a general “open” sound to this snare head. Compared to a regular Coated Emperor snare head then yes, this head does seem overall darker and more muffled but this head is designed was that way so don’t expect this head to suit a Jazz sound in comparison to Remo’s Fyberskyn as it has controlled highs, boosted mids and low end. This head has a little less sustain than a regular coated snare head but you will have more control because of its tuning range and how well it works with Moon Gel, you can achieve a fat, dry sound as well as a wet, open tone.

Durability:
I have had this head for about 8 months and I use it every week for rehearsals or just for fun. At least 3 times a week it has been played and the only difference now from when it was new, is the centre of the drum is smoothing out compared to the rest of the “suede” feel to the head. It hasn’t discoloured nor has the centre of the head become damaged and the coating hasn’t turned clear like some of the other heads I’ve used. This head will last me a few more years at least. I take care of my kit and my heads, I use top quality drum sticks and have worked on my drumming technique so not to ruin my drum heads every time I hit the studio. This is my opinion, when I tuned this head; I never bothered “seating” the head because I am not a savage. I broke it in naturally by tuning it to the range I needed, played it for about 20 minutes then tuned it back up to pitch, I repeated this process a few times a day over a few days and then it stayed in tune and has done since.

Ease of tuning:
This head was surprisingly easy to tune but I advise trying out a few pitches because it’s deceiving so spend some time with it and getting used to its dark tone before settling for one sound. Fortunately I use a keyboard and can tune it relative to a pitch. I tuned mine to a D and the same with the snare side; I used a regular tuning key, not a drum dial or a drill because I am not a savage. Finally if you are experienced in tuning drum heads then it will only take you 5 minutes, maybe less.

Feel:
This snare head feels nice with a normal weighted stick, 5A or 5B are perfect sizes, 7As feel too light and they don’t give enough tone although these are perfect for acoustic sets to limit your volume. Hotrods and Brushes are pointless as the skin wasn’t designed with use for brushes and with the addition of a reverse dot you need to smash your rods into the dot to get a loud enough tone.
The projection is otherwise astonishing, teamed with a steel snare it cuts through the music to your level, if you want to match your music then you can play with a regular stick technique but if you want to climax your music and crank up the volume then lay in to the skin and hear it come alive, it’s a beast of a drum head. The stick rebound is good but not great, use 5A sticks, if you use something heavier then it just dribbles off the skin and doesn’t make snare rolls easy and it sounds mushy, if you use 7A sticks then it gives off a little more rebound and you need to work harder to gain a clean snare roll.


I can’t rate out of 10 as it doesn’t make sense. If you enjoy the heavier tone from your snare heads and you want something a little fatter to compensate for the music you play then this head will work far batter than a regular Emperor. This head gives a warm tone with a good amount of low end and it tunes well at medium to low range, if you want to tune it high then you will need to do a lot of tweaking to receive a good overall sound because it’s high end freq.’s are controlled, you will always have some overtones in this snare head but Moon Gel will work perfectly and doesn’t kill off the heads tone. It has amazing projection and fierce volume. Enjoy.

[The Parasmurf]

Tama Speedcobra Double Pedal Review

I've had these pedals since Christmas, and have more than settled down into them comfortably, so I thought I'd write this review. There is a great deal of information available, however I thought a second (third, fourth, fifth, etc.) opinion would be welcomed! Without further ado...


Background:

These are the latest offering by Tama, and were released in the Summer of 2011. My old pedals I had was a Pearl P902 double pedal. For contrast's sake, I shall compare the 2 to show the differences in a beginner pedal versus those of a mid/high-end pedal.


Features:

The Speedcobra has a multitude of features - very similar to those of their Iron Cobras (for those who are familiar). I think their main selling point was that the Speedcobras are longboards, which is new for Tama. Overall, they're a couple of inches longer than your standard pedal - indeed, longer than the Pearl P902s. This allows for faster playing farther down on the footboard. While on the topic of the footboard, it should be noted that the footboard surface itself is a very smooth surface, designed to allow one to slide their foot easier along the board. Faster playing is done lower on the board, while more powerful strakes are delivered by playing up high. And make no mistake, this pedal certainly is capable of powerful strokes.

Tama's new Oiles Bearing Hinges (connecting the footboard to the heelplate) are a change I welcomed greatly from the Pearl P902s. The P902s developed a side to side motion on the footboards and became less-than-smooth. The bearing hinges on the Speecobra was designed to eliminate this side to side movement, as well as provide an extremely smooth feel to the pedal. All I can say, is that these bearings serve their intended purpose perfectly, and no issues have arisen
Tama's other bearing hinge, the FASTBALL Bearing seems is quoted as being "ultra-precise machine technology". They are supposed to deliver a whole new level of smoothness to the pedals, and compared to the P902s, I must say they certainly deliver. Don't get me wrong, the P902s are smooth - but the Cobras take that to a whole new level.
Their new "Speedo Ring" (enables the spring to work) is supposed to be better than the normal spring-rings (not sure what else to call them) as it has a bearing built right in. This is also designed to deliver ultimate smoothness as well. It should be noted that the bearing is solid metal. Comparatively, the P902's ring was not smooth at all - it required constant oiling, and the ring rested on a nylon stub - for those reasons. This is neither as durable or smooth.

Next I'd like to discuss the spring tension adjuster itself. This is leaps and bounds above the P902's tension adjuster. To change spring tension, one unscrews the upper plastic nut, and then pushes down on it to release the plastic nut which changes the actual tension. This bottom nut is then adjusted to the desired tension, and attached to the bottom nut is a plastic piece of plastic which fits into the middle part of the tension adjuster. This stops the bottom nut from moving, not matter if the top nut isn't even tightened. This is rather difficult to describe - to see for yourself, check out Tama's website and look at the pedal: http://www.tamadrum....ear=2012&area=3
With that being said, the P902's tension adjuster is the standard (?) one seen on most pedals.

Moving onto the beater: the beater is a one sided felt beater, shaped like a triangle. This triangle shaped felt can be adjusted to have either a larger, flatter surface hit the head, or it can remain using the thinner, 'corner' of the triangle as the point of contact. This allows for 2 different sounds - a more focused sound from the thin part, or a fatter sound from the flat side.

For the next bit, I'll lump a few more generic features into one section:
The beater angles are adjustable, independent of the footboard angle. Comparatively, the P902s are capable of this as well. The same (of both pedals) can be said for adjustability of footboard angle. Underneath the footboard on the Cobras is the Cobra Coil. This spring is designed to increase rebound. It can be slid up the pedal for less rebound, but requires less effort to push down on the pedal; similarly, it can be slid down the footboard for more rebound, yet this makes the pedal slightly harder to depress. Should one find themselves not liking it, the Cobra Coil can be removed altogether.
Tama also reduced the overall mass of their cam - they call it their "Lite Sprocket". This is supposed to reduce energy needed to play as well.

Another interesting thing is the angle of the footboard - it is at a more steep angle compared to other pedals (indeed, the P902). This causes more of a catapult like effect which projects the beater into the head. The smoothness of the pedal, mixed with its 'natural tendency' to rebound, make for (according to Tama) a "20%" reduction in exertion required to play the pedal.

The drive shaft is, well, a drive shaft. Nothing fancy, a thoroughly typical driveshaft. The only interesting bit is where the tightening bolts connect - instead of connecting with the interior of the drive shaft itself, they connect to an interior piece of metal - this simply reduces the amount of wear on the interior of the drive shaft itself. More lower end pedals do not share this feature.

The Tama Paraclamp securely fixes the pedal to the bass drum hoop, with absolutely no movement whatsoever - the same cannot be said of the P902. The Pearl pedals slowly move sideways, whereas the Paraclamp is quite secure. The slave pedal has 2 spikes as well as rubber grips on the bottom of the pedal to keep it from wandering (as does the master pedal)

The double chains are both removable as well, should you wish to change and customize it. Lower end pedals (often) do not include this feature, and the P902 is no exception
Included, is the Drum Hammer - the drum key (shaped like a "T") which includes 2 different Allen Wrench sizes so as to be able to adjust the pedal.

That about does it for features!


The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

Not all is sunshine and rainbows with this pedal unfortunately. The drive shaft is one such source of irritation. The universal joints have play in them - shake them and see. Also, the right bearing on my slave pedal is not "ultra precise machine technology" like Tama would have you believe - there is an ever so slight amount of play in the bearing so as to create a clicking sound whenever the pedal is played. The beaters are also a minor discomfort - other pedals have multiple sides to beaters, usually a wood side, plastic and felt side. Even the P902s have a choice between plastic and felt. The Speecobra does not - you use the felt, or nothing. Should you choose to use the flat side, there is less felt to wear down before the beater starts to become inoperable, and they're 20$~ to buy a new one.

Other than those few gripes, I must say, the pedal really is stellar. Smooth as all heck, and extremely light, yet also capable of delivering power when desired. Truly, a winner.
I feel this pedal is on a whole different playing field compared to the P902s, and should you have the money, buy them!

Rating: 9/10

Price: bought for $395 (+ tax)
Pearl P902s: $200 - $250

If you have any questions, or feel I haven't addressed something I should have, shoot me a message and I'll see to it!

Cheers!

EDIT: forgot to give it a rating!

This post has been edited by The Parasmurf: 17 February 2012 - 08:23 AM