On Your Gear!
Too Many Drum Companies!
It’s easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of choices to pick from. You may be specifically wondering, is Tama a good drum brand? Let’s delve into that a little bit and see!
Tama Overview
If you’re looking for a quality, affordable drum set, Tama drums may be a good option for you. Tama has been making drums since the 1970s and is known for their high-quality sets that don’t break the bank.
Some of their popular models include the Starclassic Performer B/B Drum Set and the Imperialstar IE52C 5-piece complete drum set.
Tama Unlocked
With the best drum brands hindering your decision, it may still be difficult to make a choice based off of that. Let’s take a look at tama kits (and even their individual drums), and talk about why they are one of the best drum companies.
A Staple Drum Company
Whether you are purchasing an entry-level kit or looking for a great value deal with your hard-earned money, I wanted to go over a few things about Tama, their history, the great sound and feel they’ve achieved as a staple, and popularity among professional drummers (plus a bit more)!
- History
In 1961, Hoshino Gakki was making drums under the name, “Star Drums”. The family name, Hoshino, actually translates to “star field”.
The drums were manufactured by Hoshino at its subsidiary, Tama Seisakusho, which had opened one year later to become the exclusive producer of Ibanez guitars and amplifiers.
By the mid-1960’s production of guitars moved out of the factory, but drum production was seeing growth.
Imperial Star and Royal Star, two higher lines of their drum models, were unveiled to the American market with success.
These entry-level drum kits were successful at a lower-cost and competing against more expensive/well-known American-made drums offered by Ludwig Drums, Slinglerland, and Rogers at the time.
In 1974, Hoshino wanted to improve its products and focus on building high-quality drums and hardware; it began marketing its drums under the Tama brand.
The owners wife’s name was Tama and is also cognate with the Japanese word meaning “jewel.” “Star” is still being used in the names of Tama drum kits and models to this day.
What’s interesting is the history Tama has with DW drums (who also makes some of the best drum kits in the world today)!
Tama and DW jointly purchased Camco, a company that had been bankrupted. As part of the transaction, DW inherited the Camco tooling and manufacturing equipment, and Tama was awarded the Camco name, designs, engineering and patent rights (possible wiki cite for previous sentence).
Camco, at the time, was making what was thought to be the greatest bass drum pedal on the market. DW continued producing the pedal, using that original tooling, but renaming it as the DW5000.
Tama also began producing the same pedal, but under that Camco name. Camco’s engineering was integrated into Tama’s production process, resulting in an improvement in the quality of their drums.
Marketing low-end Tama drums to beginners and using the Camco brand to sell high-end drums to professional drummers was the original plan.
However, pros were apparently starting to use the Tama drums due to the low cost of the Asian-made drums, along with the higher quality of hardware.
Tama was among the first companies to introduce heavy-duty hardware and systems for mounting drums that didn’t go into the drum shell (most brands were still doing this in the 1970s).
Nothing more annoying to me than protruding tom mounts! Tama also invented Octobans, which is pretty sick to know!
I wanted to give this insight to their beginnings before I dive into the sound and design of their drum shells and why they make some of the best kits you can get. As you can see, they already had great beginnings
2. Sound and Design
I’m going to go over most of their different lines for drums, as well as the hardware lines. I want to stay current with what they are offering now, so you have the relevant info.
Club-JAM Kit Line:
Current price range: $350 – $800
This compact kit has some ideas from vintage kits, like a cymbal holder that’s mounted on the kick drum and also kick drum spurs that are curved.
The sound is deep and focused, utilizing poplar shells, and it’s perfect for smaller gigs. There are currently 5 different kits under this line, with a few differences.
A couple of them don’t have the cymbal protruding from the bass. The Club-JAM mini kit only has a rack tom and no floor tom. They also vary in shell depth, but they all bring the sound you’d be looking for in a compact kit.
Cocktail-JAM Mini Kit:
Current price range: $350 – $800
If you are looking for a smaller kit, this is one of the best drum sets you could hope for. It’s even smaller than the club-jam kit, but it offers the opportunity for expansion with cymbal clamps.
There are two bags that you can pack the entire kit in, which makes it super easy to travel with. These are made with 100% birch shells and utilize the same molding method as used in their higher-end drums.
You’ll get surprisingly rich, powerful, and warm tones in resonance from this little kit. I actually used to have this and I was always surprised at how fat the sound was for being such a little kit.
It’s super easy to set-up, tear-down, and the best thing is, you are still playing an actual drum kit. It looks like the Cocktail-JAM has 3 different finishes and the Cocktail-JAM Mini has 1 finish available.
Imperialstar Line:
Current price range: $700 – $1,000
The Tama Imperialstar drum kit will give you all you need as a drummer, at a really great price. This line has several kit configurations, finishes, option to add-on drums, accurately-processed shells, and sturdy hardware (which won’t fail you).
What’s great is this kit still appeals to both beginner and more experienced drummers and sound great for a variety of music genres.
Their advanced, precision bearing edges also helps these shells sing, giving a nice full sound, sensitivity, and response.
This line also offers poplar shells (6-ply), which gives it medium attack and warm tones. I’ve always been impressed by the big sound of these drums at different shows over the years.
Superstar Classic Line:
Current price range: $680 – $1,250
Superstar has been synonymous with premier design, premium quality, harmonious tone, and accurate projection for forty years.
Superstar classic takes it a step further! Featuring the powerful star-mount system (for the toms) and thinner gauge 100% maple shells, this line goes beyond other popular brands in its class and price range.
The 2 outer-ply Lacebark pine also gives this a phenomenal visual appearance. These drums are powerful and full of sound, with increased sustain due to the low-mass, low-profile lugs.
The star-mount hardware allows for the ultimate positioning and resonance projection from toms. Come on, it’s Tama, there hardward is ALWAYS solid!
Sound Lab Project (S.L.P.) Line:
Current price range: $1,500 – $2,400
This line is super unique in that you can get kits made with different wood ply. Currently, the variations are: new vintage hickory, fat spruce, and dynamic kapur.
The hickory kit is made with 100% American Hickory shells and as warm and bright as maple, but with a tone that is clearer. It’s perfect for jazz, country, blues, and folk.
The fat spruce is made with 100% spruce shells and is resonant and fat, with a pure tone. The die-cast hoops give it a more focused attack.
With its wide tuning range, it’s perfect for genres from blues to indie rock and ballads. It features Tama’s direct flexi-mount on the toms for even more projection and sustain.
The dynamic kapur is dryer and has great attack and controlled overtones, giving it a very comfortable feel and perfect for funk, fusion, and even rock (due to potential for high volume).
The Spruce S.L.P. and Kapur come with a couple choices of wrap/colors each. I actually have an S.L.P. Bold Spotted Gum snare drum and it is dry and articulate sounding, with great sensitivity!
The hardware is also immaculate, with a sturdy design. For what I paid for it, I am blown away by the value I’ve received in terms of build and sound offered.
Also, it’s pretty cool that they have different woods available for your choice in the S.L.P. line. No offense, but Gretsch drums or even Pearl drums look less appealing when there are drums like this on the market (and I’ve always loved Pearl and Gretsch). The hardware really makes these drums pop.
Starclassic Line:
Current price range: $1,500 – $3,800
There are a few different wood plies available for this line as well. They include: the Starclassic Maple, Starclassic walnut/birch, and Starclassic Performer.
The thin-shell revolution was started with the Starclassic Maple drums. Featuring specially cut bearing edges, this kit sings with beautiful and beefy projection and resonance.
You also have the option for an exotic wood outer-ply. There are so many different wrap choices for this and even a few different lug/hardware choices.
The Starclassic walnut/birch is composed of the perfect amount of those two woods to give it superiorness in low-to-mid frequency, as well warmth and a clear attack (due to the birch).
This punchy, mellow kit is perfect for many styles. The Starclassic Performer recently also features a hybrid shell, utilizing birch and maple.
The clarity of birch and the warmth of maple give these drums an articulate and clean, punchy tones.
With the Starclassic being a higher-end Tama line, you know that Tama is going to hook you up with the best hardware included on these kits.
The different hardware includes: Swivel-Wing Tom Holder, Air Cushioned Floor Tom Legs, Bass Drum Spur Bracket, Quick-Lock Tom Brackets, Star-Cast Mounting System, and Hold Tight™ Washers. You can read all about those ingenious hardware inclusions on Tama’s site by clicking here.
STAR Line:
Current price range: $3,700 – $10,000
This is Tama’s flagship line. The different kits includes Bubinga, Maple, and Walnut. The Bubinga kit offers clear projection and rich dark tones due to the density of the wood.
Bubinga is becoming increasingly more popular within the drumming community. All the shells are 4.5 mm thick (thinner), which allow the drums to resonate more freely.
There are also sound focus rings for structural support. The Maple kit offers a warm, open, and resonant tone.
There are some rich dynamics added to this in comparison to other Tama maple kits, however (due to a 2mm solid wood core ply between the other plies).
The Walnut version is perfect for the studio or the stage and has a natural EQ to it (as well as perfectly warm and fat sound).
The STAR line features all of the beautiful hardware included in the Starclassic, PLUS the Super Resonant Mounting System, which is supposed to help even more with resonance and stress-protection on the shells.
What’s great is Tama’s kits don’t come as a shell pack. You don’t have to worry about not getting a snare drum (like other brands do), so you can rest assured knowing you’ll get all the drums you need (the perfect percussion instruments).
They have a few snare drum lines as well that differ from the drum set lines, such as Starphonic, Metalworks, and Signature. We won’t go in-depth with these, but there is more to offer if you’re looking for a snare outside of the drum-set lines.
Other Hardware and Pedals:
In addition to manufacturing drums, Tama also provides a variety of pedals, stands, thrones, multi-clamps as well as a rack system.
Tama’s stands include: RoadPro, Stage Master, PowerTower Rack, and 1st Chair Throne Systems.
Their RoadPro series is their top dog and it’s aimed at traveling musicians, so it’s built for a beating.
Even though their Stage Master series is bottom-line, it is still going to be a good choice for beginner drummers.
Tama’s pedals include: Dyna-Sync, Speed Cobra, and Iron Cobra
They also have a few different glides for their bass drum pedals and hi-hat stands for quicker response and power for the drummer’s experience. They are also continuously improving on the quality and build of their drums and hardware.
3. Use By Professionals
Tama is used by many professionals including Mike Portnoy, Lars Ulrich, Stewart Copeland, Kenny Arnoff, Charlie Benante, Simon Phillips, John Tempesta, and Peter Erskine.
These are actually artists who have signature drums through Tama. That’s a pretty stacked list (and doesn’t include the rest of the roster), especially with Mike Portnoy being on it.
It’s always great to see artists from around the world, so you know Tama is continuing to make huge strides.
4. Popularity with beginners
What makes these drums great for beginners is how affordable the price range is, even for mid-line series. You can find a professional sounding, high-quality kit for under $1,000 and even better quality if you find one used.
This is why there are so many beginners using their kits because they know how extremely affordable they are. They also don’t have to upgrade after a few years of increasing their drum chops. The drums will still sound great because Tama’s track record of several decades is evident.
5. My Experience:
So, is Tama a good drum brand? I think so, absolutely! I have owned a Cocktail-JAM Mini Kit and loved the sound I got from that and for the price it was a no-brainer.
The Bold Spotted Gum S.L.P. snare drum that I have is really supreme quality for the price (the shell and the hardware) as well.
They seriously make some beautifully crafted, sturdy musical instruments and gear. Every Tama drum kit I’ve heard playing shows with other drummers have always delivered the beefy, clear resonance that I’d expect from a Tama.
Sometimes I’d double-take because a kit sounded so pristine and I wouldn’t be surprised when I saw that it was a Tama kit.
Tama’s hardware has been the glue for my drumming for a very long time. I was first introduced when I had gotten a used kit with a Tama Iron Cobra double pedal (lower-tiered) and a few stands.
The hardware was solid and held up show after show. Later on, I had upgraded and gotten an Iron Cobra 900 and that pedal is still as solid as ever and it’s been over 10 years.
Later on, I got a speed cobra hi-hat stand and some RoadPro cymbal stands. That hi-hat stand is extremely heavy and a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. I work that thing all the time and it keeps delivering.
Their RoadPro stands are seriously TOP notch and at a great price. You’ll save a ton of money and still get awesome quality that won’t fail you. I had also gotten a RoadPro snare stand years ago and it’s just as solid and compact as the rest of the stands.
Easier Drum Decisions
So, whether you’re searching music stores for your next drum set, or you were asking around, you’ll be well-equipped with some more insight behind the company.
Is Tama a good drum brand? Well, I think so, but you’ll have to decide that based on your own experience. If you’re looking for an affordable, high-quality drum set, their drums may be a good option for you.
Your Experiences
What is your experience or thoughts on Tama drums and hardware? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to hear!
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Until next time!
-Evan C.