Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Jim Haler, Product Manager for Yamaha Drums. There is a LOT of false information here, so I'll set the record straight. First, we are not going out of business. These are merely rumors being spread by compettitors that WISH we were going out of business rather than putting ourselves in a position to be more price compettitive. I'll start with a post I wrote for several other forums, and go a little more into detail.
I’ll step in here and enter the discussion.
We are at the beginning of an exciting time at Yamaha Drums, and there are a lot of fantastic things coming. Many of you have seen our Live Custom Series, which was launched at Winter NAMM and received rave reviews by dealers, artists, and press. It is the first drumset out of our Yamaha-owned factory in Xiaoshan, China. And this is just the start.
It’s important to remember that all of the techniques and processes that have made Yamaha one of the most respected names in drums were, in fact, created by Yamaha. The transition to our new state-of-the-art factory has allowed us to update and improve these processes and tools utilized by the craftsmen to build our drums. Also important to note is that the Xiaoshan factory was built from the ground up as a Yamaha factory and is ISO 14001 certified. Yamaha has been building pianos and wind/brass instruments in that facility for years; as a result, each craftsman is very familiar with our high standards and expectations, being trained not only in how but why we do things the way we do.
Ultimately, Yamaha drums will be better, while becoming more affordable: not by downgrading the quality of the materials, but by making the processes more efficient and still crafting some of the world’s best-sounding drums.
Now, for a little more detail. First, all of the machinery and techniques that Sakae used to make Yamaha Drums these last 45+ years were developed by Yamaha, and taken to Sakae. As a parting gift, all of the machines and molds that were installed in their factory were given to Sakae as a gift so that they can manufacture and market their own branded drums, something they have wanted to do for some time. Every design element, every nut, bolt, and screw are Yamaha, and always have been. Yes, we are moving production to a factory that was designed and built from the ground up to be a Yamaha factory, with the capability to produce instruments of the quality that Yamaha has always been known for. The factory at Xiaoshan is ISO14001 certified, and the staff trained by the people at Yamaha Japan who design and develop all of our instruments and manufacturing techniques. They are trained in not only how, but WHY we do what we do. We have been building pianos in the factory for almost 14 years, wind and brass instruments for several years, marching percussion, and the latest kit we launched (with rave reviews from dealers and artists), Live Custom is the first acoustic kit to come from this factory. We are already in late term development of the next Absolute and artist response has been overwhelmingly positive. One artist said "I don't care if you're making them on Mars as long as they sound this good".
The logistics of moving production to a different factory make it necessary to discontinue all of our curent lines, but replacements are in development for all of them. This move gives us total control over the manufacturing of our drums, allows us to implement design improvements quicker, and takes away one level of them being stepped on by someone who has to make a profit before they get to our dealers. The end result will be drums with better specs, for less money that have all of the features that make a drum a Yamaha drum(staggered diagonal seam/Air Seal System), great finishes, hand craftamanship. PHX has always been, and will remain to be made at Yamaha Music Craft in Hammamatsu, Japan.
If you have any more questions regarding this, or anything regarding Yamaha Drums please feel free to contact me via private message or email.
JH
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