Tama Imperialstar 5-piece Drum Kit Review - Sweetwater Sound

Get the Tama Imperialstar acoustic drum kit here: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detai...

In this video I am playing the Tama Imperialstar 5-Piece Kit. Other then a pair of drum sticks and a throne, this drum kit comes with everything you need to get started right out of the box and it all comes at an amazing price. Buying an affordable kit can be a little scary but TAMA has taken the guesswork out it all for you and put together quality drums, hardware, and cymbals so you can get right to making music and not break the bank.

When I was young and just starting out I had a hodgepodge of different things just to make up a kit. It was just the way I had to do it then. There wasn't the opportunity to buy a matched set up. TAMA has put together a quality drumkit that you may buy as a beginner but will grow with you as you improve as a musician and last you a lifetime.

What's in the box
The kit comes with a 5" x 14" snare drum, 9" x 12" and 8" x 10" rack toms, a 14" x 16" floor tom, and an 18" x 22" kick drum. The shells are 8-ply/7.5mm and made from poplar. Poplar is known for having a medium attack that's neither too bold or too soft, so you can be sure you will have a sound that will be suitable for all kinds of different situations. The drums have precision-crafted bearing edges that allow the drums to ring openly and fully, giving off a wider tuning range. Bearing edges have a huge impact on the sound of drums and I was able to get the drums tuned rather quickly. The drumheads sit on the shell equally all the way around which is very important. If the heads do not sit equally then there is something wrong with either the drum or the head. There was absolutely nothing wrong with any of the Imperialstar drums. The edges were perfect. You will also never have to worry about buzzing, warping, or lifting of the wrapped finish because the wrap is glued to 100% of the shell for maximum contact, unlike some drum shell wrapped finishes which are only spot-glued. All of that just made for a nice warm sounding and very playable drum set.

The hardware that comes with the Imperialstar is based on TAMA's high-end Roadpro series and was lightweight but very stable and easy to set up. The set comes with a cymbal stand, a boom cymbal stand, a Hi-Hat stand, a snare stand, a comfortable HT25 drum throne, a tom mount, and a very nice feeling Iron Cobra 200 series kick drum pedal.

The icing on the cake is that you also get a set of quality Meinl HCS cymbals. You get 14" HCS Hi-Hats matched with a 16" HCS crash and a 20" HCS ride.

I enjoyed playing these Tama Imperialstar drums. The drums and hardware are very well made and sound great. Matched with the Meinl cymbals really rounded out the whole experience. The quality of the shell construction made it so I could tune the drums to many different pitches and they gave back a warm tone with a crisp attack. The hardware was stable and stayed right where I put it even when hit the drums hard. This complete kit is a great deal!

-- Nick D'Virgilio