Yamaha Maple Custom Definitve...Chinese Maple...Quality?

[Mündo]

Does anyone have experience with chinese maple drums?

These drums are definitely nice looking, im just making sure they're worth the $2000 ill be spending on them...

All I know so far is that chinese maple is softer than regular canadian or brazilian maple...so possibly a warmer tone?...less durable?...or good quality and just cheaper to manufactor?...

Thanks for your input.

[rockindrummer]

My school has this set. It is a very nice kit and is very high in quality. The sound is warm, as a maple kit should be, but I'm not sure if it is warmer than other maple kits as I havn't had much experience with them. I would say go for it, it is worth the money IMO.

[Damo]

Itll have more to do with the dynamics of the kit. Softer woods cannot project sound as well, because some of your playing gets 'soaked' up by a softer shell. The more dense the wood, the more responsive, sensitive, projecting and articulate the potential of the drum.

Having said all these, Chinese maple kits can be a bit misleading. What does it even mean? Is it a North American maple kit made in China? If so, thats gonna be great quality. However, if its made from maple grown in China, the sound quality will be similar to a mid priced Sonor or Mapex kit. Maple grown in warmer climates grows a lot quicker, and therefore the grain is stretched and spaced further apart than a slow-growth maple tree.

[Double Bass Jim]

The Yamaha Maple Customs are terrific drums, if I had to go with any big manufacture again it would be a yammie kit for sure. Their drums impress me the most out of anything.

[bobby__johnny]

The Maple Custom Definitive are even more so amazing that the normal Maple Customs...

there just something about them that sounds great

[Double Bass Jim]

Look great too, yamahas look so classy.

[Mündo]

awsome...yesh they sound good, thanks for the input, i'll prolly go for it.

[drummer_mp3]

Go for it. Yamaha makes great drums, I bought a Stage Custom Nouveau and the competing Pearl kit sounded like mega crap compared to it. I also saved a 100$. So yeah anything in higher quality then mine should sound more than great.

[The Ska Man]

Is it a North American maple kit made in China?

I learned this from skateboarding.

Even if it is, how do they get the wood over there? By boat, am I right? That means a lot of exposure to water and moisture, therefore, that means warped wood.

[Andy @ MassMusic]

According to a conversation I had awhile back with my Yamaha rep, the Definitive stuff has Chinese Maple (grown in China, and made in China) shells and regular Yamaha hardware (same as the higher end stuff)

[Damo]

Even if it is, how do they get the wood over there? By boat, am I right? That means a lot of exposure to water and moisture, therefore, that means warped wood.
Not necessarily, because the wood would have to be treated and re-treated when it reaches its destination.

Heh, it makes me think of the Australian quarantine laws - just TRY getting a piece of wood in here...

[SolidGoldstein]

the Yamaha Oak drums are very tight grained, more affrdable, and have huge bottom end. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with Maple. Find what you enjoy playing on and buy it. You can talk all day and all night about wood, but if it doesn't get you up, then what's the point?