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Taye StudioMaple unboxing

Sunday, March 29th, 2009 | by


Three Boxes of drumsBefore…

After:
IMG_8951

In between: two hours of work, and 41 more pictures.

The kit is a 6-piece Taye StudioMaple “shell pack,” which includes 3 toms with rim mounts, a floor tom, a snare, and a kick drum. The toms measure 8'', 10'', 12'', and 14''; the kick is 16×20.

First impressions… The kit is beautiful. The laquer finish is spotless. The chrome looks perfect. Somebody wiped these down before packaging, then packed them well. (By the way, the color is “Green Black Burst,” color code GBB.)

With the sole exception of the kick drum, the drums were completely assembled. Setup was easy; if I hadn’t been taking pictures I could have done it in 40 minutes.

No documentation was enclosed — I found no warranty, owner’s manual, assembly guide, parts list, nada. I think Taye is missing an opportunity here. For example, each drum’s badge is stamped with a serial number; these numbers could be reproduced on a warranty page for future reference.

The included rim-mount hardware is basic but functional. I think this is one of the primary distinguishing features between the StudioMaples and higher-cost options such as Tama’s Starclassic Maple — the shells in both cases are thin cross-laminated maple, but Tama’s StarCast mounting system is more robust, yet lower-profile, allowing the toms to be mounted closer together. (See why here.) But, a comparable Starclassic Maple kit costs more than twice as much.

Aside from the rim mount itself, the hardware had some nice features. I appreciated the use of nylon washers on all tuning lugs. I like that the double-tom mount has room for a cymbal arm in the middle; that’s a great touch. The SlideTrack rail that allows the mounted toms to be easily moved forward or back relative to the kick drum is a nice innovation.

So far, I’m impressed.

You no doubt want to know how they sound. I’d love to tell you… but I literally haven’t played them yet. This was just a check to see if the drums survived shipping. I’ll have them back out and miked up next weekend.

Update: Alas, these drums had to be sent back. The shells were out of true, and/or the bearing edges were not flat. Read all about it, in How to test bearing edges. I ended up buying a Tama Starclassic Maple kit instead!

Posted in Drums, Photos | 7 Comments »




7 Responses to “Taye StudioMaple unboxing”

  1. Aaron Lyon

    March 30th, 2009 at 3:41 pm

    So exciting! *jumping in place*

  2. Chris Leroux

    April 11th, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    I have the same set up but also including a 16 x 16 floor in Indigo Blue and no Taye snare (I already had enough snares – one more and the wife would kill me). You will love this kit as I do. I believe Taye makes the thinnest maple shell available on the market. I slapped some Emperors on the toms instead of the stock heads. Ambassadors are an option if you’re not too heavy handed and this is what I put on my 8” to avoid too much of a choked sound. I’ve only ever tried a Superkick I on the kick but I’m pretty happy with it. The 20×16 inch rivals most 22×16’s, but I still find myself wondering if I should get a 22×18 and a 13 inch tom for heavier/louder gigs… at least for now I’ve got those sizes & more with my Yamaha Turbo Tours (8000 series from the late 80’s/90’s – also in blue!) that I bought off the old drummer for Celine Dion (they were in a couple of her music videos!). I slight prefer playing, recording & performing with the Tayes even though my Yammies are also quality drums as they inspire me that much more every time I sit down to play them… The differences in woods, construction, sizes & heads could be why, but regardless, Taye does make excellent shells and for an even better price…

    Enjoy!

  3. Jesse Gimbel

    June 19th, 2009 at 5:13 pm

    sweet jesus those are some beautiful drums!

  4. Eric Chan

    December 3rd, 2009 at 10:57 am

    I have the 10″, 12″, 16″, 22″ set up in natural maple finish with a 14″ x 5″ snare in burgurdy colour. I bought this kit used (like new) for a really good price and all I can say is that these drums sound much more lively compared to my 1996 Tama Starclassic Birch drums. The snare is not loud enough (most likely because of its depth) but soundwise it’s good. The drums are very light weight and it has become my gigging drums instead of my Tama. As the original poster said, the mounting hardware (other than the SlideTrack) is not as good compared to most other major brand names. Also, I personally prefer the finish to be less glossy.

  5. How To Check Your Bearing Edges « The Caffeinated Drummer

    February 20th, 2010 at 7:29 pm

    […] McGlynn from Recording Hacks had this problem with a kit he recently bought. He wrote an article about what happened and how he was able to check the […]

  6. duh?

    May 29th, 2010 at 1:07 am

    So, they had to be sent back because of quality issues huh? Wow . . . . what a shocker. And this is one of their “higher end” sets?!?!? Junk drums, totally junk hardware, and almost ZERO resale value. Yep, that’s Taye Drums.

  7. matthew mcglynn

    May 29th, 2010 at 5:45 am

    I wouldn’t call them “junk.” The finish was gorgeous, and the snare drum kicked ass. Had the toms’ bearing edges been true, this kit would have been a keeper.

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