Lightening up - Tama Classic Hardware Review (Updated for 2023!)

The kit in all its glory, lightweight stands in tow!

Gone are the days of ‘cage drum racks’, ‘counterweighted cymbal stands with booms the length of javelins’ and ‘triple braced solid lead bases’ for stability. I for one am glad the trends have changed (as is mine and i’m sure many other drummers backs!) and the demand is for the most lightweight and compact hardware setups possible. Of course, i’m always one for sticking to the trends (yeah right!), so have also been lightening up my hardware case over the past few years. First dropping to the Pearl 150 series of flat based stands (still in use in my studio today) which i’d consider lightweight, but last year was time to move to ultra-lightweight stands and drop a few kgs off the hardware case!

Choosing which of the many sets on the market now to purchase wasn’t easy. Yamaha, DW, Canopus, and others all do great options, but for me it was the Tama that best fit my needs. Co-developed alongside jazz legend Peter Erskine, everything has been well thought out and achieved at a price point that is (in comparison to some of the other ranges out there) incredibly cheap.

Rather than buying a set, i’ve managed to accumulate them over the past year or so to now have more than enough for what I need. 3 cymbal stands, Hi hat, snare & pedal. Ironically it was the Classic Pedal that came first for me, which I was rather fond of, so bought the hi hat stand, and so on…

*The stands in question… (Photo: Tama Drums)*

The Cymbal Stands

So down to business with the cymbal stands, obviously they’re light, but despite their thin stature and small footprint, they’re amazingly stable, even lashing into them on rock gigs they haven’t ever threatened to topple or even come close. The legs themselves aren’t too large which makes getting a few stands close together relatively easy (and even easier when you use drum mat markers!). The stands do have a bit of rock in them as you’d expect, which was always the case from their predecessors back in the 60’s, but I quite like that, and i’d say it gives the cymbals a bit more resonance too not being too fixed, thinking about it, it probably helps them to take some of the impact of big crash hits too! The top ‘pipes‘ are all solid metal, which helps give them a really solid feel, but allowing them to keep the tubes as thin as possible, though the stands of the old days came with an issue because of this, that they had a tendency to rattle as the bottom of one tube knocked against the inside of another. Tama have cleverly solved this with the addition of rubber grommets and I must say, it works a treat. Of course, being only offered in a straight stand may be off putting for some, but as someone who plays small rides and usually likes a boom to get it in over the bass drum, with these I can get it just about right with some careful positioning really close in to the bass drum batter hoop. For me, all a boom option would do is increase the weight, which is a bit counterproductive in this case! The cymbal tilters on these have teeth, which some may not be as fond of (with the trend being for gear-less these days) but I got the angles exactly where I wanted them with no issues, and because of the gears, they’ll never budge on stage or in the case. The stock wing-nuts that come on the classic stands are black plastic, and I have nothing wrong with them, but for ease of use and preference, these were quickly exchanged for the QC8 Quick release toppers that Tama offers, a worthwhile upgrade in my books!

*Said stands modelled with a rather lovely kit!*

The Hi Hat Stand

Moving on to the hi hat stand, and probably the part of any hardware line i’d be most picky about. The Tama is compact, easy to put up and pack down and has a few little innovations I wish other stands would come with! Starting at the bottom, you have 3 legs (much the same design as the cymbal stands) and 2 adjustable spikes on the base, which is always good to see to minimise any creeping if you’re not on carpet. The pedal angle and tension is easily adjusted and locked in by a couple of drum key screws down at the bottom of the stand, no complex features, just simple engineering. One feature I really like is the ability to clip away the radius rods under the pedalboard for transit, rather than them flapping around in the case and risking being bent or snapped. Again, simple design but really well done. The height adjustment has a memory lock on it, which makes it extremely easy to get just where you want it with no hassle whenever you set up, and the memory lock is small and matches the rest of the aesthetics which always shows its been well thought out.

The pedal boards are brushed aluminium finish, which is pretty easily marked up by constant use, as well as any bumps and scrapes in transit, i’m sure with a bit of care and cleaning this could be reversed though if it bothered you! They are sitting under your feet after all! The stock clutch does exactly what you expect, but much like the cymbal toppers i’ve exchanged it for a quick release version for ease on the road. The Tama QHC7 option is good, if a little fiddly, and a bit plasticky too, so I eventually went back to old faithful, and have been using the Pearl version (a bit more solid and ruggedly designed). Again though the clutch is players preference, and theres absolutely nothing wrong with the stock clutch that comes on the stand.

*The most compact of all the compact setups! Out on a Daintees gig last year.*

The Snare Stand

Now to the snare stand, the only tripod base of the set, which is a good decision on Tama’s part, as i’ve always found it a challenge with some of the flat based snare stands, where the base is just a little too large to get set between the pedals. As with the hi hat stand, it has a memory lock to keep the height setting (and keep it in place when you really thwack the drum!) which is always a good feature to see on any snare stand. The basket tilter is simple but solid, unlike the cymbal tilters its gear-less, but pretty solid once locked into place. The snare basket itself is of the vintage style with one single adjustable arm, rather than the more common threaded systems we see today. I’d say it’ll comfortably take any drum from 12” to 14”, and it even manages to fit a 14” snare with chunky wood hoops on (The test drum in question being a Yamaha Steve Gadd). The height adjustment is good, you can definitely get it low for deeper drums (not that you’d wan’t to put a 14x8” Bell bronze on this, it might not like you all that much!). The plastic/rubber protectors at the end of each basket arm are well designed and firmly bolted in place (no more falling off as they do on some vintage stands) which is always good, and once set with the nut under the basket, the drum is held firmly and securely, and it doesn’t wear loose over the course of a show either.

The Classic Pedal

As previously mentioned, this was my introduction to the classic range, the Bass drum pedal. Now there are plenty of single chain, fairly lightweight pedals out there, but a couple of things drew me to the Tama, first of all was the adjustability from the placement of the spring tension. Having the arm up in the air, rather than just beside the frame makes for extremely easy adjustment, even mid gig if you needed to change something between songs. Its certainly not the first pedal with this design, but the simplicity of the way they’ve engineered it is incredible. Another pretty unique feature of the pedal is the adjustability to bass drum size, so being able to lower the pedal height and maintain the footboard angle with the use of a few drum key bolts on the side of the pedal (as well as shortening the chain) means you can play smaller bass drums without the need for a riser to get the beater hitting centrally. Another great feature of this is the way it can fold down without needing to remove the beater. If i’m being really picky, it’d be nice to have some rubber protection on the hoop clamp, and as with the hi hat footplate, the pedal is also very easily marked. The one thing that i’d really love to see with the Classic pedal would be to have a belt drive option. Whether as a separate model or an upgrade pack, I think it’d just take a great pedal up to the next level. Worth noting, although theres absolutely nothing wrong with the stock felt beater, i’ve switched mine out for my preferred Vic Firth VKB5 Wood shaft beater, as I do with any pedals i’m using.

Tom Mounting

Now for those of us without tom mounts on the bass drums, the need to mount at least one tom (if not more) is generally going to arise. Theres a couple of options here, first of which is the Classic Tom Stand. This is basically the same snare basket as the snare stand, in a taller, flat based base, allowing that extra height to get a rack tom where you want it. This is an ideal option for many players, and of course helps keep the weight down. However for me, I prefer to use the tom’s isolation mount for a bit more resonance, and also getting the tom at the height and angle I like can be a bit difficult with a snare-style stand. So in a break from brand, i’ve opted for a mid-range pearl stand (Though the single braced Tama Stagemaster would be equally fine) which is sturdy enough to take the weight of a tom, without being too weighty. It also offers slightly easier positioning of the tom and crash close together.

UPDATE! 2023 me here, managed to grab one of the updated Tama Roadpro Light single braced stands, which is another excellent tom stand option, definitely a bit more solid than its Pearl predecessor and equally if a bit lighter. Swapped the boom arm for the shorter one Tama offers as I really don’t need a huge arm to get the crash where I need it. But so far, very happy and its a really solid stand. My only criticism would be that it didn’t include memory locks out of the box, they had to be ordered and aren’t cheap! But once here they do the job perfectly.

Drum Thrones

*Single braced stools and fluffy covers*

Now lightweight drum thrones can be dangerous territory, it usually means flimsy, liable to break and down right dangerous! So if you want to knock the weight down from your throne, your options are pretty limited. I’ve found the best options are something mid-range and single braced. Of which you really have 2 options: Gibraltar 5608 model or the Yamaha DS750. I have one of each and they both have their pros and cons. The Gibraltar base is definitely the lighter of the two, but does come with a bit of rock here and there, where the Yamaha is slightly heavier but more solid, which is why its my general choice for gigging. The Achilles heel with both of these though is the seat tops that come standard with them. So in the case of the Yamaha, i’ve swapped it for a Natal throne top, topped with a Protection Racket fleece cover for absolute comfort through a long set!

Keeping it Cased

So when it comes to cases, theres plenty of options out there, Tama’s own bag is small, lightweight and ultra compact, and will fit the Tama stands in and maybe your floor tom legs and stool base if you pack carefully. When you add a pedal, stool top, extra cymbal stand and tom stand into the mix though, you’re not going to manage to fit it all in that case. So you have a couple of options, get another small hardware bag and do multiple trips, or get something a little more substantial.

That brings me nicely to the 28” Protection Racket wheeled hardware case, i’ve had these out on the road solidly for years and they’re so dependable and rugged. I manage to get all of the stands (Tom stand and floor tom legs included), pedal, stool top, trap table and spares/tool bag into the main compartment with a little careful organisation, and even have room spare in the side pocket for a collapsible music stand and a few other odds and ends. The wheels on the bag are a huge advantage too, making load ins to venues so much easier, you just pull it like a suitcase and its not too heavy if you need to lift it up onto stage or carry it up some stairs. And everything goes in one bag, rather than having to carry anything separately. If you wanted to take the pedal separately, Tama makes a beautifully compact pedal case (the Powerpad PBP100 model), which conveniently fits perfectly into the top of the Protection Racket case, so in my case it lives there permanently, and keeps the pedal separate from the rest of the stands which helps to keep things safe in transit, and provides an extra pocket to keep small things in if required.

Bass Drum Cymbal Arm

Another update for 2023!

Bass drum cymbal arms have been around since the 1940s Slingerland kits starting as hoop clamps, then later drilled mounts. They went out of fashion later in the 60’s but have seen a bit of a resurgence from various brands on modern/vintage kits and some of the more compact setups. The L arms of this sort of design can be picked up from Gibraltar, DW, Pearl, Tama, Inde, Ludwig and i’m sure many others for usually in the range of £50. Most of these (but not all!) will come with a mounting block that you (or your local drum builder/restorer) can have drilled onto the bass drum in the spot you need it. Not everyone wants to do this to their drum though, as its pretty irreversible.

Recently i’ve seen modern variants of the hoop clamp system (ie to clamp on the bass drum rim) from Pearl and i’ve also cobbled a couple together myself with DW L arms and their very sturdy Claw Hook clamp design. This is a great solution for splashes and smaller cymbals, and with the sturdiness of the DW stuff you could probably get bigger on there too, but this again comes with a drawback, they aren’t quite as solid as something drilled and also could end up chewing up your nice bass drum hoops after a while, and no one wants that! I must admit though that its a great little hack when you need a splash over the bass drum for that jazz or big band gig, and you don’t want a big boom stand or any more hardware! (see pic!).

So what options does it leave you with if you equally don’t want to drill AND you don’t want to risk chewing up your hoops? Well it leaves you with 2 actually! The Ludwig Atlas mount and the Inde BR3. Now I will say right from the outset that I haven’t owned nor used the Inde mount but knowing their throw offs i’m sure of its sturdiness and great design, and really both of these options do the same job. They’re a mount that replaces a lug on the drum to allow you a space to mount without the need to drill holes.

Personally I went for the Ludwig Atlas for 2 reasons, i’d used one before on a tom so I knew what to expect from it, and also because its a bit bigger and chunkier so I feel like its a bit more road weary for me. But if you want absolute lightness the Inde might be more for you! Installation on my Natal bass drum was as easy as removing a head, one lug and putting the thick grommets on the Atlas, lining it up, adding 2 large fender washers and tightening it up nice and securely with locking nuts. It doesn’t really change the appearance of the drum too much and from a distance you’d never notice it was even there. I’m one for matching my hardware as much as I can, and I happened to pick up one of the Tama L arms that goes with their Club Jam range of kits, and it slots straight in to the bracket (as any L arm should, thanks to the inserts Ludwig provide that allow it to accommodate anything up to 12.7mm). Added a quick release topper for the reasons discussed above and it works a charm. Personally I can sometimes find straight stands harder to position, especially with a ride cymbal on there, and particularly little 18” rides I tend to use, but this allows me to get the cymbal closer in and right where I want it, with more room for manoeuvring if needed. I’ve had heavy 18’s and even a 20” on there and it hasn’t slipped or moved at all, so it’ll definitely be sticking around on my live rig for a good while yet. Not to mention the weight saving going from a stand to a twiddly little arm instead. Also, vintage vibes of course!

Conclusions

So in summary, the Classic hardware range is i’d say the best lightweight option around, at least it is for me, so much so that since originally writing most of this review back in early 2022, i’ve bought another full set which means I really never travel without the stuff, its proved that reliable and hasn’t ever faltered (barring one bass drum pedal spring!). Though of course every player has different needs and the great thing with the variety of options around now is that theres the right setup out there for pretty much anything. With a bit of thought to keep the weight down and transport it as easily as possible, and make your setup and tear down the best it can be. Hopefully my thoughts on the Tama stands can help you narrow down what you want from lightweight hardware, and if you had any more specific questions, then do get in touch via the contact page!

If you liked reading this blog and seeing some of my thoughts on this and other equipment, you may want to go and give Groovecast a listen! We did a whole episode based around ‘Geartalk‘ which might be right up your street!

Lightening up - Tama Classic Hardware Review (Updated for 2023!)

Groovecast - S2 Ep9: Recording Chat

Groovecast S2 Ep8: GrooveGuest Steve Pearce Pt.2