House of Drumming.com

Haven't had a chance to check these out yet- looking fwd to though!

Quoting Yamaha on the "New Weighted High Tension Lugs"

"The revamped modern design retains the traditional essence of the Recording Custom. In order to maximum the attenuating properties of the birch wood, we’ve increased the weight of the lug, further enhancing the artist’s expressive power and reducing undesirable noise from the shell without using a mute. This ensures optimum sustain for the core sound, producing a crisp, articulate tone."

Old Pit Guy wrote:You watch and read all this and you have to wonder just how much R&D was actually required to reintroduce this line. Those three years of meetings were for what again?

Determining the shell thickness, bearing edge, weighted vs. non weighted lugs, which version of YESS, inner or outer bead on the snare drums, shell composition, depth......it was all done one step at a time. And it's no like Steve was just sitting at home waiting for the next batch of prototypes to show up. We had to get him when we could. This meant sometimes shipping protos to NY, PHX, some times he could come to Burbank.

seemed like the phx yess mounts would be better on the new rc's imo.

drumnhands wrote:

Old Pit Guy wrote:You watch and read all this and you have to wonder just how much R&D was actually required to reintroduce this line. Those three years of meetings were for what again?

Determining the shell thickness, bearing edge, weighted vs. non weighted lugs, which version of YESS, inner or outer bead on the snare drums, shell composition, depth......it was all done one step at a time. And it's no like Steve was just sitting at home waiting for the next batch of prototypes to show up. We had to get him when we could. This meant sometimes shipping protos to NY, PHX, some times he could come to Burbank.

I appreciate the reply, and I sincerely didn't mean to compel crowd control by basically thinking out loud. I've read it took three years to train the new employees, so it's all a little foggy to me with the timeline. Not that it really matters.

And so I'm listening to Steve Gadd in the promo video and it doesn't come across to me like he's all that engaged with whatever the concept was, if one of substance existed, with any of this. But that's totally an armchair opinion. In any event, I've always thought highly of Yamaha drums, so it's not at all a troll thing.

Old Pit Guy wrote: listening to Steve Gadd in the promo video and it doesn't come across to me like he's all that engaged with whatever the concept was

Steve had final say with everything from what I've been told. They built drums with numerous variations and had him pick which option he liked best or which sounded best to him. I can see how that would take three years, since they would be testing things both individually or in isolation, and then in combination with other factors. Then you have to factor in scheduling Gadd's time too.

drumnhands wrote:

Old Pit Guy wrote:You watch and read all this and you have to wonder just how much R&D was actually required to reintroduce this line. Those three years of meetings were for what again?

Determining the shell thickness, bearing edge, weighted vs. non weighted lugs, which version of YESS, inner or outer bead on the snare drums, shell composition, depth......it was all done one step at a time. And it's no like Steve was just sitting at home waiting for the next batch of prototypes to show up. We had to get him when we could. This meant sometimes shipping protos to NY, PHX, some times he could come to Burbank.

On a side note, are you discontinuing the PHX line?

Paul Marangoni wrote:

Old Pit Guy wrote: listening to Steve Gadd in the promo video and it doesn't come across to me like he's all that engaged with whatever the concept was

Steve had final say with everything from what I've been told. They built drums with numerous variations and had him pick which option he liked best or which sounded best to him. I can see how that would take three years, since they would be testing things both individually or in isolation, and then in combination with other factors. Then you have to factor in scheduling Gadd's time too.

I respect all of that, and I don't want to keep going and be a buzz kill about the reintroduction of these because I'm sure they're fine drums. But I'm basically cynical with marketing because most marketing is inherently cynical, and I know that from having been close to that side of it.

Old Pit Guy wrote:

Paul Marangoni wrote:

Old Pit Guy wrote: listening to Steve Gadd in the promo video and it doesn't come across to me like he's all that engaged with whatever the concept was

Steve had final say with everything from what I've been told. They built drums with numerous variations and had him pick which option he liked best or which sounded best to him. I can see how that would take three years, since they would be testing things both individually or in isolation, and then in combination with other factors. Then you have to factor in scheduling Gadd's time too.

I respect all of that, and I don't want to keep going and be a buzz kill about the reintroduction of these because I'm sure they're fine drums. But I'm basically cynical with marketing because most marketing is inherently cynical, and I know that from having been close to that side of it.

I guess that it took 3 years because Steve was so busy. there is going to be some lead time, getting a prototype made and getting it shipped from China to wherever Steve is going to be and then having to wait for Steve to come home from wherever he has been. It could be 6 or 8 months for his schedule to allow him to be available, knowing how much he works.

Take all the marketing hype with a pinch a salt, most people do and let the drums stand up on their own. The sound clips that I have heard sound really great and I want to try them out in person. A friend of mine, who is a Yamaha endorser has played them recently. He has been using an old 9000 kit in the studio day in day out for the past 15 years and he said that the new drums are really good.