He's played on thousands of albums, concerts, movies and everything you can think of. All they mention is Paul Simon and Aja, enough already. He's played with everyone. He's the backbone of tons of famous songs. Perfect time, always, always. Thank you Steve.
It is increasingly difficult for me to endure virtuous solos with thousands of hits per second. I am increasingly looking for elegance and musicality in the drums. So drummers like Ash Soan or Master Gadd are my guides.
First two sentences pretty much insinuate “thousands of hits per second” don’t portray “elegance and musicality”. Drums are a universal language. If you can’t speak a certain style..it’s ok.
95% of the guys that aim for sheer speed lack dynamic articulation and groove. They just want to blast. That just gets irritating and soulless after a few minutes.
There is something very much true about what all of you are saying. Gadd's technique, when compared to Weckl, Colaiuta, and frankly thousands of others (starting with probably everyone who teaches at Berklee) is below average. He is not a fast drummer. He almost always alternates sticking on 16th note hi hat grooves; he doesn't do a steady "spangalang" on fast jazz ride patterns. But it doesn't matter. NO ONE grooves like Gadd. NO ONE is as creative as Gadd. He has very admirably found a way to flourish within his limitations. He's a real inspiration to me (and others like me) who just don't have dazzling hand speed, but who have a pretty good feel..
When you have respect for the craftsmanship, the raw materials and their tonal qualities you let them do the work, we the artist are just the students of their sound. These drums sound incredible and Steve really lets them sing. Man I love drums 🪘🥁
Am new in my admiration of Steve Gadd. When I first decided to give him a listen, the first thing I heard was the space between his hits. Left me awe struck!! That feel is incredible.
finally pulled the trigger on the new RC's and glad I did. Has been on my bucket list for a long time, trying everyone's best offerings over past 10 years. I tried the older RC's in the past, toms were decent, kick did not overly impress. The new ones have probably the best kick I've played, and my sound engineer thanked me- said he had to literally do nothing but turn the mic on. The toms growl and seem to have a little longer tail on the resonance. Whatever they did, worked in my book- Mine are bigger sizes than this one in the video, but wow, almost the perfect drum sound for me. No moon gels or external dampening required which is nice. I've looked these over very closely, the quality is top notch- the finish is SO nice.
Only one man on the earth is capable,and relevant to give the opinion about the new recording custom,and that is the guy in the video...the one and only...Mr.Recoding custom:) Legend.
This is an absolutly beauty: never heard Such full toms, there seems to be no eq or only a little bit, just the pure natural sound. Marvellous. I have heard the new rc for a while in a store and it blew the other kits out of the water although there are great kits from Tama, Pearl, Mapex etc. This new rc has a special tone, which totally reformulates the old rc, which , in confess, were in my ears a little to „boxy“. Great work, yamaha !!!
I bought my set of Yamaha Recording Customs from a guy who was selling them to get money for school. It was my dream set and I couldn't believe my luck. I've had them ever since then and I can't imagine playing any other drums. They've become my sound. My first influence of course was Steve Gadd....what an amazing drummer. Thanks Yamaha and thank you Steve Gadd.
Cue all the comments from drummers who want to talk down to everyone else about what drumming should be. Pretty much "I don't like fast drummers and because I like Steve Gadd, I can say speed isn't everything, nor is it musical." You only get to define what your musical tastes are, not what everyone else's should be. Every drummer is different. That's what makes this instrument so unique. Stop pontificating and just enjoy what you like. I am just as happy watching Gadd as I would be watching Matt Garstka. Open mindedness leads to inspiration.
I reckon this is an almost unprocessed recording? The recording customs have such a signature almost "pre EQ-ed" sound that I just love, thanks for making them again !
+Raoul Tchoï (ToY) Thanks for your feedback! Yes, close to no EQ´ing has been done on this recording, to capture tha natural sound of the drums. All the best, Yamaha Drums
I actually have experience as an engineer and producer. Having had the privilege of working with recording customs in the past, I know this is how they sound raw : that's what's beautiful about them, they just sound great out of the box ! I was really eager to see them rerelease them because the original series are becoming rare and expensive...
You also gotta keep in mind hes using coated resonant heads, so that will definitely dry out and sort of "pre -EQ" the sound to a degree, cutting the resonance slightly
I love how muscular Gadd feels the music. If like closely he is verbalizing his phrases and singing melodies. You can see him moving his mouth, so cool
These drums sound fabulous through this SERIOUS Yamaha sound system! Ahh too not listen to things through coin phone speakers. Amazing how much stuff Yamaha has.
Gadd fricking PURRRRS on the drums. Mind boggling what he could do on such a potentially obnoxious instrument. That first floor tom -- he's just caressing that thing and it's resonating my skull in such a beautiful way.
James Leary I agree! At least bring back the classic cherry wood finish. What’s up with that butt ugly blue with natural hoops? Who is making these color choices?
Why? this kit doesn't sound anywhere near as good as his older kits. Listen to his performances with Stanley Clarke on Journey to Love, or Nite Sprite, recordings with early Paul Simon. I think his older original sound was the funkiest and with the most character, this sounds really sterile.
I owned an original yamaha recording custom made in Japan and have tapped these in a store and the new recording customs sound better imo! They are still focused and sound like a Yamaha but slightly fatter and warmer sounding and softer feeling still with that classic attack! China or not they improved as far as I am concerned!
Been playing since 1971. And yes, you have to practice, and listen, and play...and have a decent drum set...but IMO you need to learn how to tune your drums. To me, it has been the most difficult thing to learn...I am still learning. This is a guy who knows how to do it.
+RickHudson Drummer Thanks! The Recording Custom has always been about timeless and classic finishes that you will like for many years. Our previous series had 2 finishes ( Solid Black & Cherry Wood ), we have now added 1 classic ( Real Wood ) and 1 modern finsh ( Surf Green ) to the 2016 reissue. All the best, Yamaha Drums
+Yamaha Drums (Official) thanks for your swift reply. All awesome colours and more importantly it's about the sound, of course. Can I be cheeky and suggest mellow yellow?? 😀👍
Bought a set from 80's made in England. Close to no damage on the drums. Got a 20" kick, 10" Tom and 14" floor Tom for 450€, fucking amazing because I know I would never spend 5k€ for this
All the qualities of the previous generation + more open. What a focussed sound and control yet plenty of resonance on tap. The new Yamaha Classic in my opinion.
Aren't these new recording customs made in China? That may or may not matter to people. But I don't think these drums are getting any cheaper. I don't understand moving production to China (presumably to save on production costs) and selling the product for top dollar. If I'm wrong about the China thing, I'm sure I'll be corrected. But at the price these are going for, there are a lot of other options that are not made in China. Maybe the era of Chinese-made drums being inferior to drums made other places is over. But I'd probably look at drums made somewhere else for this price.
Sean, thanks for getting in touch and sharing your thoughts. These drums are built in China in our modern new facility in China, which is a multi-million investment into the future of our drum production, with modern technology and more invironmental friendly than ever before. All people working there are skilled Yamaha craftsmen. You can see the current level when comparing prices of our PHX series (Made in Japan) and our Hybrid Maple or Recording Custom Series (Made in Cina). Let us know if you have any further questions.
Usually the price of merchandise made in China is much cheaper because it costs a lot less to produce. It's hard for America to compete w/China for that reason. Plus they devalue their currency to make things even cheaper. I'll bet this kit is pretty cheap in China. As soon as it comes to the "rich" Americans, that price goes right up.
There was a time in the past when people said that drums made in Japan were junk and they wouldn't buy them. Then Yamaha came along and proved that they could make drums that were as good or better than drums made in the US or Germany, etc. I own a set of Rogers drums made in Dayton, Ohio, a set of Slingerlands made in Niles, Illinois and a set of Recording Customs made in Japan. Each one gives me a sound that allows me to express myself in different ways, and I like love them all. The Recording Customs are my Go To kit, hands down. I am not a paid endorser - I bought all of these drums with my own cash. Their value to me is entirely based on the sound they produce, the reliability of the hardware, the quality of the shells. What it cost to manufacture them has nothing whatsoever to do with what they are worth to me. It also has nothing to do with what I could sell them for on eBay. The market determines what the price of a new premium drum kit should be. The customer decides if a particular brand is worth that price. A $500 snare drum is a $500 snare drum regardless of whether it cost $50 to manufacture or $250 to manufacture. The only consideration is how it sounds. If you are ruling out a brand because of where it was built you are depriving yourself of an opportunity to buy the best product. I don't care what the manufacturer's profit margin is, only that it gives me the sound I want. The rest is just noise in terms of determining value. A BMW made in South Carolina is not worth les than the same BMW made in Stuttgart. Why would a drum be any different?
Steve is leaving space between notes to make them sing.Thats a true musician.
He's played on thousands of albums, concerts, movies and everything you can think of. All they mention is Paul Simon and Aja, enough already. He's played with everyone. He's the backbone of tons of famous songs. Perfect time, always, always. Thank you Steve.
No. Thank you sir. And gawd bless Tiny Tim.
It is increasingly difficult for me to endure virtuous solos with thousands of hits per second. I am increasingly looking for elegance and musicality in the drums. So drummers like Ash Soan or Master Gadd are my guides.
So much of that has been done many times over. It's like the difference between Yngwie and Santana.
First two sentences pretty much insinuate “thousands of hits per second” don’t portray “elegance and musicality”. Drums are a universal language. If you can’t speak a certain style..it’s ok.
Amen to that. Speed isn't everything. Just ask a woman. Not everything needs to be done quickly to be impressive.
Watching Steve Gadd videos is the key to a happy life.
This guy is the best proof, that great drumming is NOT just about speed..
95% of the guys that aim for sheer speed lack dynamic articulation and groove. They just want to blast. That just gets irritating and soulless after a few minutes.
the guy's technique is like a 10 yr old
of course im just bullshittin
There is something very much true about what all of you are saying. Gadd's technique, when compared to Weckl, Colaiuta, and frankly thousands of others (starting with probably everyone who teaches at Berklee) is below average. He is not a fast drummer. He almost always alternates sticking on 16th note hi hat grooves; he doesn't do a steady "spangalang" on fast jazz ride patterns. But it doesn't matter. NO ONE grooves like Gadd. NO ONE is as creative as Gadd. He has very admirably found a way to flourish within his limitations. He's a real inspiration to me (and others like me) who just don't have dazzling hand speed, but who have a pretty good feel..
speed is the main ENEMY of ANY instruments,speed kill the music,speed is for the losers!
When you have respect for the craftsmanship, the raw materials and their tonal qualities you let them do the work, we the artist are just the students of their sound. These drums sound incredible and Steve really lets them sing. Man I love drums
🪘🥁
That kit sounds beautiful, Steve’s playing is silky, it’s not shredding it’s musicality, it’s solid. So much love for this video 👌👌👌
Am new in my admiration of Steve Gadd. When I first decided to give him a listen, the first thing I heard was the space between his hits. Left me awe struck!! That feel is incredible.
So many great grooves recorded by this incredibly in-the-pocket master!
finally pulled the trigger on the new RC's and glad I did. Has been on my bucket list for a long time, trying everyone's best offerings over past 10 years. I tried the older RC's in the past, toms were decent, kick did not overly impress. The new ones have probably the best kick I've played, and my sound engineer thanked me- said he had to literally do nothing but turn the mic on. The toms growl and seem to have a little longer tail on the resonance. Whatever they did, worked in my book- Mine are bigger sizes than this one in the video, but wow, almost the perfect drum sound for me. No moon gels or external dampening required which is nice. I've looked these over very closely, the quality is top notch- the finish is SO nice.
What a great groove! Steve can make a set of pots and pans sound good with a couple of wooden kitchen spoons. Pure genius.
ニューヨークの芸術。
This is make me feel so good, it’s like a therapy.
Legend, Legend, Legend, if you disagree, then you've never heard him live, or met him, or been born with ears.
Gadd and Bruford are my drum gods. I've been playing for over 50 years and can't approach their feel.
I really like the way these drums are tuned. You hear allot of tone and they are
very musical.
Steve will always have it ❤
Only one man on the earth is capable,and relevant to give the opinion about the new recording custom,and that is the guy in the video...the one and only...Mr.Recoding custom:)
Legend.
He’s so relaxed. A true inspiration.
Such great groove! You can hear him talking/counting as he plays.
おいおい ヘッドホンで聴いて
音域 と 音圧 が ハンパ 無いんですが。最高〜。魂が伝わる。
I can't even look at Gadd, he is my idol. I bow down whenever I see him. So should you, you are in the presence of Drumming Royalty.
The last solo that starts at 3:03 is so sweet. It's some great music.
This is an absolutly beauty: never heard Such full toms, there seems to be no eq or only a little bit, just the pure natural sound. Marvellous. I have heard the new rc for a while in a store and it blew the other kits out of the water although there are great kits from Tama, Pearl, Mapex etc. This new rc has a special tone, which totally reformulates the old rc, which , in confess, were in my ears a little to „boxy“. Great work, yamaha !!!
One word : "Beast" ! Thanks for the post ! 👍
A regular drum set, felter batter, basic cymbals, no drilled fancy stuff. Just pure talent!
the man plays with feeling...a legend
So smooth~~~
Like a Cool Morning Fog after a Hot Summer Night~~~
Brilliant, and btw - cymbals sounds.... well, perfect too.
Best drumset ever made played by one of the best players in history!
beautiful drumming as always. those drums sound so musical...Steve makes them sing.
Simply put.....The Gaddmyster could make ANY kit sing!!
whoooooohoooo!!!! that was sick!! Amazing control!
I bought my set of Yamaha Recording Customs from a guy who was selling them to get money for school. It was my dream set and I couldn't believe my luck. I've had them ever since then and I can't imagine playing any other drums. They've become my sound. My first influence of course was Steve Gadd....what an amazing drummer. Thanks Yamaha and thank you Steve Gadd.
If he keeps at it, he might make a name for himself one day
One of the legends at last!!!! masterpiece man!
Like a walk in the park. He makes it look easy.
Cue all the comments from drummers who want to talk down to everyone else about what drumming should be. Pretty much "I don't like fast drummers and because I like Steve Gadd, I can say speed isn't everything, nor is it musical." You only get to define what your musical tastes are, not what everyone else's should be. Every drummer is different. That's what makes this instrument so unique. Stop pontificating and just enjoy what you like. I am just as happy watching Gadd as I would be watching Matt Garstka. Open mindedness leads to inspiration.
Love it. love Gadd what a player, he's is never in a hurry just feel and class !
That's so beautiful. Fantastic in that less is more kind of way. What a groove.
This is absolutely hypnotizing.
I reckon this is an almost unprocessed recording?
The recording customs have such a signature almost "pre EQ-ed" sound that I just love, thanks for making them again !
+Raoul Tchoï (ToY) Thanks for your feedback! Yes, close to no EQ´ing has been done on this recording, to capture tha natural sound of the drums. All the best, Yamaha Drums
my goodness....what a beautiful sound!!!!!!!!!!!!
I actually have experience as an engineer and producer. Having had the privilege of working with recording customs in the past, I know this is how they sound raw : that's what's beautiful about them, they just sound great out of the box ! I was really eager to see them rerelease them because the original series are becoming rare and expensive...
You also gotta keep in mind hes using coated resonant heads, so that will definitely dry out and sort of "pre -EQ" the sound to a degree, cutting the resonance slightly
I love how muscular Gadd feels the music. If like closely he is verbalizing his phrases and singing melodies. You can see him moving his mouth, so cool
toms and bass sound stellar.
wow...wow ...wow....Mr. Gadd u r just unbelievable...
saw him live! Legend!
god, the groove is so clean.
flawless drumming with perfect feel
These drums sound fabulous through this SERIOUS Yamaha sound system! Ahh too not listen to things through coin phone speakers. Amazing how much stuff Yamaha has.
No smoke, lights, fireworks??
Say it isn’t so!!! A great drummer without gimmicks!!
Haaaaa voilà du groove et du bon son sur la même vidéo! Je kiffe!
Great groove at 71!
Gadd fricking PURRRRS on the drums. Mind boggling what he could do on such a potentially obnoxious instrument. That first floor tom -- he's just caressing that thing and it's resonating my skull in such a beautiful way.
@ianh purely because you old school cats are closed minded
Bring back the finishes from the 80's-especially cherry, blue, grey etc. would be nice to see a 15" tom choice too.
James Leary I agree! At least bring back the classic cherry wood finish. What’s up with that butt ugly blue with natural hoops? Who is making these color choices?
YAMAHA !!! Gran sonido... FINO, POTENTE.Y CON TONALIDAD..
Master groove 🥁🔥👌
🔥🔥🔥
The Groove Master
Dem drums have sooo much tone!
I love it. The kit sounds great but look who is playing it!
He can do no wrong. Put him behind the drums and he is brilliant.
He still sounds like Steve Gadd :-)).2016 - Planet: Earth....and great Drumsound. I like that.
?? Because he is
They sound great. Very traditional drum sound.
Steve Gadd still brings it!
Whoever decides to hits that dislike button will be sought, found...and smacked with the hardest brick.
Or gagged with soiled underwear..
**Clicks dislike instantly**
Thanks, mate
Why? this kit doesn't sound anywhere near as good as his older kits. Listen to his performances with Stanley Clarke on Journey to Love, or Nite Sprite, recordings with early Paul Simon. I think his older original sound was the funkiest and with the most character, this sounds really sterile.
I think comparing a non eq'd acoustic drumkit demo recording against heavily produced 70s luxury 24 track recording studio albums is a bit naive??
Rob Brown that's me chump
Hey what resonant heads is he using? I think it's just ambassadors on both sides but I can't tell for sure
kick drum is smokin'......great presence....
I owned an original yamaha recording custom made in Japan and have tapped these in a store and the new recording customs sound better imo! They are still focused and sound like a Yamaha but slightly fatter and warmer sounding and softer feeling still with that classic attack! China or not they improved as far as I am concerned!
Sounds Well Steve 😂👍 COOL
incredible
Oh my goodness, that kick and snare
Beautiful.
Been playing since 1971. And yes, you have to practice, and listen, and play...and have a decent drum set...but IMO you need to learn how to tune your drums. To me, it has been the most difficult thing to learn...I am still learning. This is a guy who knows how to do it.
The Recording Custom dream.
I get him mixed up with Steve Smith? Is that the drummer for journey 🤔 both great 👍
3:29 RUN FOR COVER
Sounds amazing
This is such a cool groove. Anyone with a better eye than I have figure out the sticking pattern on this as he starts off on the hi hat?
Legend. Born with a little set of drumsticks I reckon... ;). #1
Great to see them back in production. Any plans for more colours?
+RickHudson Drummer Thanks! The Recording Custom has always been about timeless and classic finishes that you will like for many years. Our previous series had 2 finishes ( Solid Black & Cherry Wood ), we have now added 1 classic ( Real Wood ) and 1 modern finsh ( Surf Green ) to the 2016 reissue. All the best, Yamaha Drums
+Yamaha Drums (Official) thanks for your swift reply. All awesome colours and more importantly it's about the sound, of course. Can I be cheeky and suggest mellow yellow?? 😀👍
+Yamaha Drums (Official) are the drums stained black on the inside as well? I always loved that
+Jeff Wald its not black but a darker brown this time, so you can still see the wood grain.
Check out my 24-12-16-and brass snare drum brand new on Ebay for $2,350.00
love it very much
Dare sombobody clicks the dislike button because Steve Gadd is the best LEGEND DRUMMER EVER
Bought a set from 80's made in England. Close to no damage on the drums. Got a 20" kick, 10" Tom and 14" floor Tom for 450€, fucking amazing because I know I would never spend 5k€ for this
All the qualities of the previous generation + more open. What a focussed sound and control yet plenty of resonance on tap. The new Yamaha Classic in my opinion.
could you please tell me what the resonant head on the bass drum is???
Ever and singular drummer...
Молодец. Кстати, начало ролика ,это очень хороший обучающий материал для начинающих и продолжающих занятие на ударных.
Does he have rivets in his bottom hi hat cymbal ??
Yamaha🙏🏾🔥
toujours le groove Mr.Steve !
Recording the best!
Живой звук. Красота.
wow.. great drummer!
Who am I to critique - but if that's my set I tune the 10 down a little and tune the bass drum up some. That first floor tom sounds awesome.
Aren't these new recording customs made in China? That may or may not matter to people. But I don't think these drums are getting any cheaper. I don't understand moving production to China (presumably to save on production costs) and selling the product for top dollar. If I'm wrong about the China thing, I'm sure I'll be corrected. But at the price these are going for, there are a lot of other options that are not made in China. Maybe the era of Chinese-made drums being inferior to drums made other places is over. But I'd probably look at drums made somewhere else for this price.
They aren't inferior I can assure you. Top notch all the way
Sean, thanks for getting in touch and sharing your thoughts. These drums are built in China in our modern new facility in China, which is a multi-million investment into the future of our drum production, with modern technology and more invironmental friendly than ever before. All people working there are skilled Yamaha craftsmen. You can see the current level when comparing prices of our PHX series (Made in Japan) and our Hybrid Maple or Recording Custom Series (Made in Cina). Let us know if you have any further questions.
Usually the price of merchandise made in China is much cheaper because it costs a lot less to produce. It's hard for America to compete w/China for that reason. Plus they devalue their currency to make things even cheaper. I'll bet this kit is pretty cheap in China. As soon as it comes to the "rich" Americans, that price goes right up.
"Made in China" is the reason I won't buy a Recording Custom. I'll stick with Sakae or maybe even a custom Pearl birch set.
There was a time in the past when people said that drums made in Japan were junk and they wouldn't buy them. Then Yamaha came along and proved that they could make drums that were as good or better than drums made in the US or Germany, etc. I own a set of Rogers drums made in Dayton, Ohio, a set of Slingerlands made in Niles, Illinois and a set of Recording Customs made in Japan. Each one gives me a sound that allows me to express myself in different ways, and I like love them all. The Recording Customs are my Go To kit, hands down.
I am not a paid endorser - I bought all of these drums with my own cash. Their value to me is entirely based on the sound they produce, the reliability of the hardware, the quality of the shells. What it cost to manufacture them has nothing whatsoever to do with what they are worth to me. It also has nothing to do with what I could sell them for on eBay.
The market determines what the price of a new premium drum kit should be. The customer decides if a particular brand is worth that price. A $500 snare drum is a $500 snare drum regardless of whether it cost $50 to manufacture or $250 to manufacture. The only consideration is how it sounds. If you are ruling out a brand because of where it was built you are depriving yourself of an opportunity to buy the best product. I don't care what the manufacturer's profit margin is, only that it gives me the sound I want. The rest is just noise in terms of determining value.
A BMW made in South Carolina is not worth les than the same BMW made in Stuttgart. Why would a drum be any different?
I notice the moon gel pads on all the toms
Is he using coated resonant heads on the toms ?
the new shells have most of an almost maple timbre imho. A bit longer tone, less growl,bite. Somewhat softer.
Amazing!
my dream mentor! steve gadd
Great!!
ガッドさんがこの動画で使用しているスネアドラムの型番が知りたいです。
Such a pleasure to listen to!!!
Super Mr. Gadd.