Yamaha Stage Custom Bop // Best Jazz Drums Under $600?
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
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0:00 Intro, Unboxing, First Impressions
5:06 Sound Demo
9:06 Final Thoughts & Conclusion
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#Yamaha #JazzDrums #Drums
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Love Yamaha drum hardware. The kick drum pedals are a great value.
They make amazing hardware!
Needed a dedicated gig set and settled on the Stage Custom after a month of research. Snagged one secondhand for $375 that sat in a basement for 20 years; 10, 12, 14, 20 config. with stand-mounted floor tom. Ditched the 10" tom, cleaned/lubed everything, and re-headed with Remo Powerstroke P3 coateds on all batters, Ambassadors on tom resos, and a PS3 Fiberskyn on the kick reso. Couldn't be happier or more impressed! Plenty of compliments from other drummers when I backline. For the sound, feel, look, durability, and versatility, can't go wrong with the Stage Custom!
Great drums, lucky you!
Those gen 1 SC kits that came out in 95/96 were incredible. The 20” stage Custom BD sounded amazing. I had just bought a recording custom in 1994 when I was a junior in high school and when the stage custom came out and I played them I wanted to 😢 because of how much better the BD sounded.
Do you still have the 10" Tom available to sell?
@@gorbonyak bids starting at 25.00, do I hear 25? 😂 I can do 35!
@@williamperri3437 @gorbonyak I hadn't considered selling it, but I'm open to it. It's a deep red, almost cranberry stain with woodgrain visible beneath. Is that what you're looking for?
Thank you for your detailed video and review!
Nice playing too!
Continued success and Happy Drumming!!!
Appreciate it!
@@malonedrum My pleasure 😃
These are great drums- my first college had them in all the practice/ensemble rooms. One of my friends (who now plays with herbie and Kenny Garrett) used them in college for so many types of music and always made them sound great. I’m not a huge drum nerd, but it’s nice to have an affordable option that can cover a wide base
It was my college kit as well!
I got this boo set for a church I previously played at. Very good set for a church with a 500 seat auditorium. Easy to tune, set up, and move. Highly recommend this set for gigging as long as you are able to mike in louder or large rooms.
I’ve also played at some churches that had bop kits as opposed to larger sets (I think somewhat to not scare the congregation) and they performed super well and took up less room on stage.
Mike, thank you once again for another informative and entertaining video. You are a wonderful host.❤️🙏👏❤️🙏👏❤️
Thanks
Another great video
🙌
love these little kits
Yup!
nice review, well narrated and nice playing. And, yea, can't go wrong with Yamaha, even the less expensive models. Well done
Couldn't agree more!
Yeah I had this kit, same sizes and finish, and I absolutely loved it. Nothing bad to say about it and would definitely have another. I’ve even toyed / toying with building a stage custom shell bank.
Oh, that has crossed my mind as well.
Great video! I was on the fence about getting one of these or a PDP New Yorker and ended up going the New Yorker simply for the color.
That's fair. I've done the same at points.
I love smaller drums as a gigging player as well! And I found the DW “frequent flyer” to be the BEST small kit to cover all bases!
The 20x12 kick is such a great size, it can tune up for jazz. But it will go low / punchy as the 12” depth is just gonna have a lot of control.
Peter Erskine designed them with DW and I actually like the kit for rock / pop / cover band stuff and I’ve used it at weddings for years!
I also love the Yamaha stage customs too though! The YESS mount is so great and the birch shells produce such a nice sound for a tremendous cost!
I’ve been fascinated with the frequent flyer for ages. I’d love to find a steal on one used to use for those exact circumstances you mentioned.
The only thing with DW is they tend to (in my opinion) overengineer the hardware a bit making the drums a bit heavier than I would like for hauling around gig to gig. Not a deal breaker, but something id imagine I wouldn’t prefer.
I’d love if they offered the Frequent Flyer in a mid tier kit like a PDP.
@@malonedrum COMPLETELY agree, the drums are heavier than your average compact kit. But it’s still a small kit, so it hauls around easily.
And I agree on the price point, $1700 is way too much! They would sell soooo many more of these at $999 - $1100!
Leave out the snare, and get it to a better price point! The players who want a kit like this, aren’t concerned with a matching maple snare drum, I sold it immediately for $250.
I bought mine a long time ago when they were about $350 less costly and I got it used for $800. Really, really good sounding drum set though, especially the bass drum.
I have a Stage Custom, the 5 piece with the 20" kick, and I believe that the Stage Custom may be the best value of any mid range drum set. The shells and hardware are top notch, and while this bop kit doesn't have a snare, the 5.5x14 snare is really great (10 lugs, not common on many lower price snares). It works well for lots of styles and settings, I like Evans Coated G2s over Reso 7s for the toms and the Frosted EQ4 for the kick, and a variety of snare heads over Evans 300. Definitely the first recommendation I make for anyone looking for a good kit for a great price!
I've played on those Stage Custom snares, and they are pretty good.
I think the one screw lugs are a great idea. I notice the lugs that have broken in the past of vintage drums are always the rear lug because just about all the tension is on the rear lug.
Hmmm, I haven't thought to look at old lugs that way. Interesting.
Coincidentally a few weeks ago I just learned that same Mozambique style rhythm on my second hand Yamaha stage custom bop kit. Great little drums!
It’s almost like we’re twins, and we finish each other’s….
This was fantastically helpful and very well put together! Nice grooves too! Subscribed:)
Also, could you please let me know the cymbal used in the sound demo section from 5 minutes. Sounds mint!
Glad you enjoyed. Bosphorus 1600 era ride, 20th anniversary hihats
Many thanks!
Sorry, but could you let me know the size of the ride? Enjoying your channel! Many thanks!
@@djidmusic7730 21”
I love the stage custom drums!!!! I'm not a drummer but for the drummers I've recorded one/two of them had that kit.
It’s great to get another ears’ endorsement!
2:45 - I recognize that backdrop! It’s the yacht club from “Three Gigs in One Day”.
Ha! I'm making the venues in my hometown famous. Good eye.
Actually, longer floor-tom legs isn’t always a bad thing. Could be useful for mounting accessories, such as cymbals stands (booms) via an adaptor. Excellent for situations when space is at a premium and you can’t possibly fit in an extra full size cymbal stand.
That’s a cool creative look at it.
Also for tall people. I’m 6’5” and I like to have my throne higher than average (to relieve tension on my back), so with longer floor tom legs, I never have to worry about it being too low for me.
Sorry if that’s a run on sentence.
I love 18" kicks. For me, I never port anything smaller than a 20" If you keep the resonant head on there you get way more umph out of the small kicks. They're small enough too that with the right beater you'll still get plenty of attack with the right heads and beater.
I can understand that sentiment, but I enjoy a port for convenience of access to the inside not only for miking the drum, but quickly adding/removing muffling. I love the sound with a full head as well though.
@@malonedrum That's a good point!
Hey Mike interesting review. I bought my sc kit about 4 years ago. I always wanted to buy a brand new drum kit. So i invested in the has. 10, 12,14 floor, 20 kick. I also invested in gig bags. Total amount came to about 1200 to 1300 dollars. But I've never been happier with a drum kit. 2 years later i bought an additional 16 floor tom. 2 up, 2 down, kick snare configuration. Natural gloss finish. I also replaced the stock heads with remo coated ambassadors. Power stroke 3 coated for the kick. This kit cracks, thumps, and sings.
They are fantastic drums, not suprised to hear your experience.
Hi Mike, thanx for an another great video. What Bosphorus ride do you recommend for country music/rock?
I wouldn’t really say that’s their specifialty, but I’ve found great versatility from the traditional and gold series. Kind of your A and A Custom concept in Bosphorus’ catalogue.
I picked up a used stage custom kit, 22,16,12,10. I paired it with a Ludwig black magic snare. It’s a cost effective way to get a great sounding kit!
Sounds like a great set!
I love the stage customs. I have found that the fusion sizes are very flexible...much like the bop kit, but with a 20 inch bass drum and an added 10 inch tom. I like to do a 3 piece with the 10 inch instead of the 12 inch. It works great for smaller jazz setups and for louder rock settings.
I think a 20" bass is probably the most versatile size out there that can cover pretty much anything.
@@malonedrum I've come to really like a 20in Kick, I've only played some of the 60's Japanese Stencil kicks in Mahogany and man they pack a punch
Greetings from "down south" i.e. Madison! I love my SC bop kit. I considered selling it but can't bring myself to it - they sound too good. They punch WAY above their weight for a "student-level" kit. Thanks for the review!
They are a great value.
Great sounding kit. What brand and size ride cymbal in this video? The sizzle chain adds a good effect.
It's a Bosphorus 1600 Era ride. 21"
That single screw lug is a recent concern of mine. A reviewer pointed it out on the Jimmy Chamberlin snare. His explanation about the reduced longevity made perfect sense. So I'm definitely going for the Recording Custom instead because the lugs are mounted with 2 screws.
I’m not sure I see it as a serious enough concern to warrant spending four times as much, but just an oddity to me. I doubt it makes a marginal effect in sound/resonance, but maybe somebody from Yamaha has the data to back it up.
@malonedrum the Chamberlin snare is going for $1200+ on Reverb if you can even find one. The Stainless Recording Custom that the Chamberlin was based on is readily available new from all major outlets for half the price.
Funny, I too have had a thing for lower end/mid range drums, and the Stage Custom and Gretsch Catalina lines are my favorite.
My top two as well.
Great video! Played these once in a soul/funk gig and fell in love with them. I'm now considering a Yamaha Stage Custom Stage Hip kit as I don't have much space, how would you compare it to the bop one? Thanks!
I prefer normal sized drums over the hip sized personally.
It's strange you said it sang in the high tuning, because I felt the lowest tuning sounded the best of all, for all rhythms you played. Sounded real good.
Appreciate it!
About those spiked floor Tom legs. Pull the rubber feet off and look inside. You’ll see to slots in the metal piece inside. You’ll also notice two metal extensions on the legs. If you align the extensions with the slots, the spikes will protrude. If you rotate 90 degrees then the extensions will rest on the metal insert, preventing the spikes from protruding. Took me a while to figure it out but it’s quite clever.
I’m thinking that the spikes might affect resonance of the floor tom thereby shortening or lengthening duration of resonance.
I actually did make the adjustment, jt I found that over time they still slowly worked their way back out, and would catch me off guard as I was packing up or setting up.
The brush sounds are what stood out. Kit and the recordings always sound great.
Appreciate it!
These drums are absolutely fantastic. I use a set around town and they sound great. First thing I do is throw the heads straight in the trash. The Remo UT are the bootleg Chinese heads. That’s where they cut cost because they know you’ll change them out eventually. I put fresh USA made heads on the top and bottom and as far as I can tell they sound just as good as my high end Birch Custom.
Great drums!
There's a small pin that sticks out on the floor legs. And if u look at the hole on the rubber feet there's a corresponding notch on a metal cover in the feet. You can pull the feet out a little and then rotate it so the pin rests on the cover to keep the spur hidden
I’m well aware of it, but I still find that it slips over time and the spikes start to stick out again. I thought I mentioned that in the video, but maybe not.
@@malonedrum Oh man, now I know what you're referring to. I recently bought the Stage Custom Hip and when packing up I noticed how easy the floor leg's feet slipped off! I might need to wrap some tape around the leg to make it a snug fit.
There's a local OfferUp seller who sells sets super cheap and he had a 5 piece natural with a 22,kick for $250 and man I missed out because it went fast. I did recently get a Ludwig Accent Custom for free from a coworker and ao far what I've heard while cleaning them ia they sound pretty nice. Nice birch wood which sounds nice and Punchy on the 10in tom, what I really like is the 12in is a 12x7. What I did find weird is it has a 14x14 floor with a 22 in kick which sounds huge. All in all, I'm impressed with it amd i will be setting it up soon to take it for a full test run, another bonus is that the heads are Remo Emperor so I don't need to invest money right away with the exception of the Snare (need heads and snares)
I love a 12" x 7" tom.
I got this same kit while Cascio music (new Berlin) was closing in natural finish bop kit and it sounds great…
Miss that store.
@@malonedrumyes sir! Only thing I near that’s pretty good is music go round and guitar center 🙏🏽🙏🏽
@@joeldrummer23 I love MGR!
@@malonedrum absolutely, they had a beautiful Gretsch broadcaster series but sold em… I just didn’t have the cash 💰
Yamaha hardware is the best in the business. I have two Yamaha kits… Tour custom and a Gig maker. They’re both great at their price point, but the gig maker is surprisingly good for the price
Can’t argue with that
I was looking for a used Yamaha Tour Custom, and couldn't find one. Ended up getting a new 10/12/14/20 Honey Amber Stage Custom with the 5.5 snare on sale for my kiddo when he joined band last school year. I have it set up as a 12/14/20 right now, and also added a set of Meinl Headliner Bongos with a small stand. ...I think I have more fun playing this SC kit than he does - man, it's a been a long time since I played.
The hardware on the SC is fantastic. Love that YES mount system. So easy to position the toms - like....stupid easy. Bought a set of inexpensive Yamaha cymbal stands to go with the kit, and they're heavier duty than my old Ludwig kit from 35 years ago. For a fairly inexpensive kit, the shells are very nice, and it's pretty easy to tune up.
Great story!
@@malonedrum - Very good review. Love your channel.
@@craigjohnchronicles2504 Appreciate the support!
These are great drums. The only thing I don't like is 6 lugs on the bass drum. I prefer 8 so I went with the Sonor AQX jazz outfit (snare drum isn't great), which is technically more expensive but they are also great drums and have some other features that I think are worth it.
I got some stuff in the works with a AQX kit. So stayed tuned...
got a stage custom and theyre nice but I always hear this rave about the YESS system and its very much usable but I notice you have to move the bass drum a little bit further up in order to get the tom more "right" sided. I like my tom to be right in front of my snare and with my set up, I have to push the bass drum more forward so that it can swivel closer to me. I also share the same idea with the bass drum leg spikes, though it isn't anything life or death. I just have to be aware of where I am putting my toms down. Yamaha's finishes are amazing btw. I just wished they covered the entire bass drum hoop but I understand costs need to be cut where they can be.
I’ve never had issues placing a tom, I’m sure you’ll work something out in time.
I just got the yamaha tour custom.
Congrats!
ultimately i want to get an older beech custom, but until then my 3 different stage customs will have to do :) the only ones i don't have are the first square badge generation. they never disappoint. the only downside for me, and it's getting really nit picky, is the lack of memory locks on the floor tom legs, and once you do wear out the ball clamp tom mount, they're crazy expensive to replace. granted it should take more than a while and you'll get your money's worth, but man is it a kick to drop as much as 50 bucks on one tom mount. thankfully there's a mod that can be done that all but corrects the issue in the factory design, and 1/4 hose clamps make for great memory locks on 10.5mm rods.
Yeah, I'd agree that's a small miss with the memory locks. If you've checked out other brands tom arms, $50 may not seem so bad...
i wish the bd had 8 lugs... nice vid
On an 18" I don't find it a huge deal, but on a 20 or 22 you'd really need it to get nice even tension.
@@malonedrum for the purposes of aesthetics, i would like to see 8 ;)
I use an 18” kick on pop/rock gigs and find the best way to get the punch I need is an Evans EMAD2 batter and Aquarian Regulator with a hole in front.
I love the Emad heads.
@@malonedrum Yeah, my favorite head. I’ve tried many heads but always come back to it. Apparently Remo just came out with their own version - I’ll have to see how it compares.
How do these compare to the Yamaha hip gig? Especially for lower tunings? Thanks, Mike!
I’ve owned the Stage Custom hip as well and with a bit more traditional depth on the shells, I think this has a wider range.
I also think if you were willing to use certain heads like hydraulics, you might be able to get a lower rock sound on either of those kits.
The TCs are also dope. They tune better than Renowns imo.
Haven’t gotten to play the new ones, but they look beautiful
In this category you have the PDP New Yorker and the new CM Bop, Tama Club Jam, Ludwig Breakbeat, Pearl EXX, Sonor AQX, Gretsch Catalina, in Europe all cheaper than the Stage Custom. I`m sure everybody can find the perfect match. Stage Custom is great for sure, also the Tama Superstar and Mapex Mars, which are just a few bucks more expensive. The Choice is yours!
Over here the stage custom is cheaper, so price is a factor IMO. Could change my opinion if it was the other way.
What’s your opinion on this kit and Catalina Club?
I love both. The price would definitely direct some towards the Yamaha (Although the Catalina does come with a snare). I think I prefer the sound/vibe of the Gretsch a touch more, but would give the nod to Yamaha on the hardware components on the drums.
Mike, you own a Brooklyn. I’m debating one v. a Pearl Pro series, both in 20. What’s your take on the Brooklyn?
I think a lot of it will be brand preference and things like mounts and such. Both very well made drums.
@@malonedrum Gretsch has the panache. I currently play Sonor (SQ1) and am looking to add to the collection (we all do 😂). Renown, Design, Pearl, Brooklyn (on the high end), Saturn, hard to choose. I know you’re a Gretsch guy, so I thought I’d run it by you.
@@rkaylor5769 I like the vibe of Gretsch, and the drums of course, are built very well and sound great. It's what all my hero's played as well, huge influence.
@@malonedrum Yeah, they do have that mojo.
I think giving the choice, I’d go Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz if I was gonna get a bop kit….
There’s no hiding my affinity for Gretsch, but those are coming in at like $800-$900 new now.
How do you get almost no snare buzz from the rack Tom???
Tight snare action on the strainer and a complimentary tuning between the snare and rack tom.
I’m surprised at the sound you get with the 2 mic setup. I might try that soon. I have a ksm32.
If you take the time to get a nice sound from the source, the miking doesn’t have to carry the load
How do you guys like the ksm32? I've been thinking about one for years
@@kyronnewbury it’s a classic clean large diaphragm condenser.
All good, but no mapple version, only birch :/
There are plenty of great maple drums out there too.
idk maybe you could get a good deal on a catalina club
They're going for $900 new these days.
@@malonedrum oh, I see, in europe they’re going for about 700€ or something
I nLove My Yammy's
I believe it!
Ain’t to proud to beg
Everybody love's a good Motown groove.
Amen
Toms sound great, bass drum doesn’t really do it for me
That’s fair