Yamaha Drums: Caught with their pants down

I am amazed that there is still is no 2013 drum catalog for Yamaha Drums, what do they currently make?

The only line they make now is the Live Oak...Oak drums are you kidding me?
If you want maple, you have to spend a fortune on the Phoenix drums.
I can't even find out if I can get parts or what is still available by looking online.
Their website is a mess and they still have stuff listed on there that they don't even make now.

You would think they would have been better prepared,
knowing that the change with Sakae was coming...instead it seems to be total chaos.

When you have a huge corporation that makes everything from motorcycles to stereo equipment,
I guess this is what happens, Tama and Pearl are looking a lot better to me now.
Yamaha has a long way to go to prove themselves, now that this has happened.

So far, they are not doing so good...We will have to wait and see what happens.

Time will tell I imagine.  As far as their different divisions
are concerned, I don't think one effects the other.  If it
did I don't think they would be as successful as they are
within each division.  From motorcycles to stereo equipment,
ALL Yamaha products are among the best in their class.

This particular endeavor seems to be going through some
major changes.  They'll either fix it or not...  I tend to believe
that they'll pull it together eventually.

Didn't Billy post something recently that people should be on the look out for some new things from Yamaha?

Being in the USA I wonder how Yamaha is doing in their own country and other oriental countries closer to them? The USA is probably every company's biggest market, but I imagine Yamaha is still putting things out in Japan and far east as they regroup for the rest of the markets.

I think everybody who can should make their own drums, anyway. They sound just as good.  

???
How do you make your own drums?
Easier said than done, not worth the effort, I'll stick to buying mine and spend the rest of
my time playing.

drumman wrote:???
How do you make your own drums?
Easier said than done, not worth the effort, I'll stick to buying mine and spend the rest of
my time playing.

Yeah, I'm with you on this one, drumman.  I did do a tom once
though not totally from the ground up.  I bought a totally bare
10 inch maple shell on ebay.  redid the bearing edges, sanded it,
painted it, ordered and assembled all the hardware.  

That was enough for me.  It's the tom in the middle. still looking
for some black chrome diecast hoops to match the original drums.

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Cool kit, what series of Ddrums is that?

I like their stuff, I was just a bit reluctant because they don't make a 16" depth bass drum.
They were all 18 & 20 inches deep, and I was hesitant because of transportation issues.
What depth is your bass drum?

This set is the Maple Dominion series, which they
no longer make. It was a special edition model made
exclusively for the Guitar Center chain.

It originally came with a 12" rack tom only and two floors.
I then ordered an 8" tom and later realized I wanted the
10". Problem was they had discontinued the color which
was called "Snow". You can't tell in these photos but
the paint has red and green sparkles in it that when certain
light shine on it, it gives the drums that iridescent quality.

Anyway, I found a bare, 10", maple ddrum shell on ebay that
came with the black lugs. I went to the hardware store and
found a matching color paint via a spray can and also a can of
multicolored metal flake sparkle paint. sometime later I found the
mounting hardware again on ebay, I used the hoops off an old
10" Pearl tom I have and the results are what you see here.

The bass drum is a 20X20.

I remember seeing that at Guitar Center now, I really admired the look that kit had.
Great story on the tom, I can't really notice from the photo, it matches pretty well.

I have done a similar thing with my DW kit, I started with two toms and a bass drum, then
managed to find two more toms to add to it, because it was a discontinued wrap.

It is like being Indiana Jones, trying to search for the right missing piece of the puzzle...Lol.

So cool when you can find the hard sought pieces
you're looking for to expand your gear arsenal!

Nice going, drumman.

Wow!...what an act to follow. Those are gorgeous drums D. How many kits do you own? I've seen a few that you've posted over time and can't keep up the count. Main thing is that you enjoy your investments. I'm still in love with my Tamas. Last year, I actually found a Tama 22" bass drum to go with the rest of my 18" jazz/fusion kit and I really enjoy them.

rac

LOL...  Let's just say that I have more than a few, Rac.
Discovering and rediscovering the attributes of each kit
I choose to play is a challenge in itself as each of these
drum sets has it's own unique personality.  Thus I have
no choice but to play each kit with respect to it's character.

This definitely keeps me on my toes and non complacent.

Drumman, like D stated, you can make your own drums from component parts sold all over the web. Someone with more craftsmanship can make shells themselves, in various ways, like stave drums, or other methods. Some make their own lugs. I have, but it's pretty laborious. The thing is it is special to play an instrument you make yourself. It can be customized any way you want. The DIY industry has exploded in the last couple decades.

For me, after 20+ plus years of doing it, I would never purchase a manufactured kit again, unless there was some finish on it I am not able to reproduce.