Yamaha is the only drum manufacturer bringing the full potential of oak to a drum kit. From the punchy resonant lows of the bass drum to a snare that bites and toms that cut through, the power of oak definitely shakes things up.

Oak custom drums feature newly designed lugs with small footprints and single-bolt attachment that minimize surface contact and maximize shell resonance and sustain. A nylon insert holds tension rods in place under heavy play.

Holding these powerful drums in place are our Absolute series bass drum legs. Large pipes are Yamaha engineered for greater durability and stability. Spurs slide in and out with a handy knob that also shows spur position at a glance, and a standard drum key locks spurs and height adjustment in place.

At Yamaha, the process of manufacturing drum shells begins with selection of the materials. Select woods are cut into sheets with precision cut diagonal ends. The plies are fit into a form and hammered into place by a highly skilled craftman. The angled ends allow the craftman to finlely adjust the ply length, thus maintaining proper tension. Ply joints are staggered by 120-degrees and hammered into place in the same manner. An air bag placed inside of the shell and inflated at high-pressure puts even pressure on the shell’s inner surface creating a perfectly round shell with uniform thickness and excellent durability.
This is the Air Seal System, a process that has been in use at Yamaha for over 40 years.

The secret of our YESS system is twofold: First, it provides minimum contact of hardware with shell; second, it connects that hardware at the nodal point* of the drum – the point at which it will not interfere with shell vibration. Nylon bushings on rod clamps afford maximum stability. The YESS system permits toms to be placed close together, and does not interfere with quick head changes. On floor toms, our YESS system offers wide open sustain while keeping toms stable under the heaviest strokes. * Nodal point mounting is patented by the Noble & Cooley Drum Company.

A pipe post stabilizer on the pedal side of the bass drum provides height adjustment and positions the beater so that it strikes the center of the bass drum batter head. A memory clamp on the pipe slides into a special receiver on the bottom of the bass drum, allowing for quick set up and exact height retention.