LACQUER FINISHES 1. Mahogany Burst 2. Transparent Black Burst 3. Silver Snow Metallic 4. Classic Cherry Wine

WRAPS 5. Galaxy Silver 6. Midnight Gold Sparkle 7. Brushed Charcoal Black 8. Indigo Sparkle 9. Bright Orange Sparkle

70 DRUM! September 2015 DRUMmagazine.com

M ore a reimagining than a rebirth, Tama’s new Superstar Classic series is a surprising change

from the many incarnations of birch-shelled Superstar kits from the past. Now offered with 100-percent maple shells, this line’s sharp finishes and modern fittings are a powerful statement of Tama’s seriousness about competing at this very affordable price point. But how do these drums match up? Let’s find out.

SHELLS & CONFIGURATIONThe Superstar Classic line begins with 100-percent maple shells

fashioned with a modern thin-shell design — snare and toms are 6-ply and 5mm thick, and the bass drum is 8-ply and 7mm thick. Tama clearly designed these drums to have a round, warm tone with lots of resonance, since thinner shells offer more warmth and low-end compared to thicker shell designs, which tend to emphasize projection and high-end. Unlike maple shells found on inexpensive drums from other brands, Superstar Classic shells are made up of actual maple plies rather than recycled maple scraps. They also feature the same bearing edges as the company’s Starclassic Performer series.

Two configurations are available, including 5- and 7-piece setups. Our review kit was a 7-piece set with 8" x 7", 10" x 8", and 12" x 9" mounted toms, 14" x 12" and 16" x 14" floor toms, a 22" x 18" bass drum, and a 14" x 6.5" snare. I’d love to see Tama expand the line to include configurations with 20" and 18" bass drums, but for now the only kick offered is a 22" x 18".

In case a 7-piece kit just isn’t expansive enough to suit your tastes, Tama also released a number of add-on drums, including two additional snare depths, a couple larger rack toms, and an optional 18" floor tom, which could easily be converted into a small jazz bass

TamaMAPLE FOR THE MASSES

By Brad Schlueter

Superstar Classic Drums

Low-mass lugs

Toms and snares are

6-ply 5mm maple.

16" x 14" floor tom with eight

lugs per side

Gaskets isolate the shell from lugs and

brackets.

1

5

2

6

3

7

4

8 9

Memory locks supplied on all floor tom legs and bass

drum mounting post

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DRUMmagazine.com September 2015 DRUM! 71

CONTACT Tama.com215-638-8670

Lined die-castclaw hooks

Matching wood bass drum hoop

Starclassic bearing edges

Star-Mount tomsuspension system

MTH600 double tom holder withOmnisphere

tilters

Retro T badge

MC69 tom clamp

22" x 18" bass drum

with eight lugs per side

14" x 6.5" snare drum with eight

lugs per side

14" x 12"floor tomwith six

lugs per side

8" x 7" tom with four lugs per side

10" x 8" tom with six lugs per side

Tom and snare drum hoops are 1.6mm

triple-flanged.

12" x 9" tom with six lugs per side

PRICE $1,499 MSRP

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72 DRUM! September 2015 DRUMmagazine.com

drum with a lifter. Superstar kits are available only as shell packs (no stands), although Tama offers the very affordable HB5W medium weight, double-braced stand pack that would be a nice complement to these kits.

FINISHESA variety of attractive finishes is available in the Superstar Classic line, without any looking too garish or trendy. They include five Unicolor wraps that are even less costly than the four lacquer finishes offered, although the price difference between finishes is so tiny that it won’t cost much to upgrade to the tonier lacquer look.

The Mahogany Burst lacquer finish on our kit was very well executed for this price point. Its color ranged from a dark rich brown to a golden color that revealed the grain clearly. The clear gloss was smooth as glass. I’ve seen a number of kits priced well beyond this one with finishes that don’t equal these drums.

FEATURESThe Superstar Custom has some nice appointments that include lined die-cast claw hooks to protect the hoop’s finish, Tama’s Star-Mount system that increases sustain by supporting toms from four lugs, Omnisphere ball and socket tom holders, new low-mass lugs, and the retro Superstar “T” badge. Thoughtfully, gaskets isolate all lugs and brackets from the shell and memory locks are included on tom arms and the post that inserts into the bass drum tom mount. All of these modern features combine to create a kit that should last decades with proper care.

Both the snare and bass drum feature 16 separate lugs (eight per side). Our kit was supplied with floor tom legs, a MTH600 double tom holder, and a MC69 mounting clamp to attach the 8" tom to a cymbal stand.

It’s tempting to compare this kit side-by-side with Tama’s Silverstar line, since both inhabit a similar price range. There are some notable differences. Superstar bass drum tom mounts are in a fixed position while the Silverstar mounts can slide backward and forward in a

channel to accommodate drummers of different heights. I love that sliding mount design and wish it were included here.

Die-cast counterhoop claws on the Silverstar are designed so that tension rods are recessed behind the claw to protect lug receivers when the bass drum is set flat on a hoop (as I often do when putting them in their case). In contrast, the square drum key heads of the Superstar bass drum tension rods protrude past the claw, offering a bit less protection.

SOUNDOur kit was outfitted with Tama’s Powercraft II heads. The snare batter was a coated single-ply head, tom batters were clear single-ply, and the bass drumhead had muffling rings along the head circumference that do a good job of reducing unwanted boominess. The logo head wasn’t ported and had the slightly creamy off-white color common to Tama kits, which I think looks a bit upscale.

Superstar Classic toms were impressive, without a single dead-sounding one in the bunch. It was easy to find each one’s natural pitch and they tuned up effortlessly. There were equal degrees of pitch separation between each tom size, making roundhouse fills resonate in evenly spaced intervals. The 14" x 12" and 16" x 14" floor toms were a little shallower than usual, which

might enhance attack and reduce hang time a little. In fact, despite the thin shells, all the drums had plenty of attack and sounded great without requiring any muffling. The smaller rack toms sounded resonant as well, but obviously had a little less sustain than the others.

Our snare was 6.5" deep, which added to its fat sound and ample volume. It had a full midrange voice and, due to its thin-shelled design, emphasized resonance over attack and high-end. I could tune it over a reasonable range, though its depth lends it to rock applications (or any other style where you want a solid midrange punch). With its moderate amount of ring, it never got out of control during rimshots. The coating on the snare’s batter started to wear off after about a half hour of playing, so I would suggest replacing it before gigging, especially if you intend to use brushes. The snare’s only downside was that the rim-click wasn’t as loud as some, and the sweet spot was small due to its thinner 1.6mm triple-flanged hoops.

The bass drum didn’t have a ton of attack, but it sounded good, with a fat low-end. If this were my kit I’d add a touch more muffling or use a more muffled head to bring out attack and punch. And if I intended to regularly play these drums at gigs, I would upgrade to a more professional set of heads, which would offer greater durability and make it easier to dial-in

sounds and tuning. However, if you’re not gigging, these heads sound perfectly fine and will work well until they need to be replaced.

I think this kit sounded good enough to outperform most kits at this price range, and even some more expensive ones. If you want to hear them for yourself, check out the video I made of my test at drummagazine.com/ssclassic. I used a minimal miking setup to provide a good overall picture of the kit’s warm sound.

VERDICTTama's Superstar Classic series is another fierce competitor in the sub $1K street price arena. Interestingly, some of the company’s stiffest competition actually comes from itself, especially the successful Silverstar series — another nice kit at a similar price. So if you’re in the market for an affordable Tama kit, your choice may come down to whether you prefer maple (Superstar Classic) or birch (Silverstar). The Superstar Classic is great news for Tama fans looking for a fat drum sound on a budget as well as professionals who seek a good sounding kit to schlep to gigs while saving the more expensive setup for special occasions. Getting a 7-piece kit, with a beautiful finish, nice features, and warm sound for such an affordable price makes me envy drummers shopping in this price range.

“Superstar Classic toms were impressive, without a single dead-sounding one in the bunch. ”

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