Tama Starclassic Performer B/B Acoustic Drum Kit Review - Sweetwater Sound

Get the Starclassic Performer B/B shell pack here: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detai...

In this video I am playing on a Starclassic Performer B/B drumkit. "What does B/B stand for," you ask? It stands for Bubinga and Birch. This Tama Starclassic uses a hybrid of Bubinga and Birch shellsto make a drum sound with a strong and punchy attack plus a nice warm tone.

Along with that great sound you get a drumkit that looks beautiful. The Vintage Aqua Marine finish with the Birch wood grain showing through make these drums a show piece as well as a great sounding instrument.

It's all about the shells
The shells for the Starclassic Performer B/B Shell Pack are masterfully put together. The rack-toms and the floor-toms are 7ply/6mm thick with the three inner plies being the Bubinga wood. The shell for the kick-drum is 8ply/7mm think and the three inner plies are also the Bubinga wood. From a visual standpoint, if you use clear drumheads, seeing the darkness of the Bubinga wood on the inside of the shell is captivating.

Nice hardware features
This drum kit has some really nice hardware features like the Tama Star-Cast mounting system. What is cool about this system is that along with providing maximum resonance and stability, the lug screws do not go through the mounting brackets. The tension rods go though the hoop as they normally would, which makes changing heads a lot easier.

The tom-holder expands set-up flexibility with a sliding connector unit that moves back and forth up to two inches. You get premium die-cast zinc hoops, kick-drum spur brackets with memory markers, and Starclassic's Air Pocket rubber feet which have a special air chamber that eliminates the transfer of vibrations to the floor.

The rubber-based claw hooks for the kick-drum deliver consistent pressure, are rattle-free, and help protect wood hoops from damage. To me that is a really big deal. It is good to see a Tama has thought of a way to protect the kick-drum hoops from wear and tear.


This Tama Starclassic Performer B/B Shell Pack with the Vintage Aqua Marine finish is a beautiful, great sounding drum-kit that is super fun to play. It responded really well, was easy to tune, and gave back what I put into it. Thanks for watching!

-- Nick D'Virgilio