I needed a kit with power resonance projection ease of tuning built to last and looked great. It was always going to be either Starlcassic Maple B/B or Mapex Saturn or Sonor Hi Lite kit. I had a Tour custom before this and that was a great little set of drums. This kit turned up and from the Pics and reviews I had read I had made up my mind before hearing it. When I got the kit my first impression was how cool / sexy the Musashi Black looks. The Hardware is best of the best and inside the Oak drums looked unique. Great start. I got the drums home and tested them and tweaked to my preferred tuning range and they more than delivered. I found it was easy to get a great sound out of the drums with the emporers on, just a little adjustment to get the toms tuned and harmonise with the same sustain. Bass drum liked to be tuned medium tension for a great open BIG sound. Toms are happy slack skinned or tuned high, my favourite with these drums was they're ability to take anything you throw at them slight to Heavy hit through. Excellent. These are keepers...fanatastic drums punch well above thier class.

Yamaha Oak Custom 10, 12, 16, 22" shell pack.
This kit is very versatile and fitting for a wide range of musical styles.

Played lightly, the tom toms are clear with really good definition and this is great for jazz. For rock or pop, I just play them alittle harder. The toms produce lots of volume, but retain a nice, taut
sound. The floor tom goes really deep but with clarity and openness.


The bass drum also produces tremendous power and depth. Full and resonant. I use some moongel
to tame it a bit.


The tom tom hardware is super easy to use, too. The ball mount is solid as is the YESS mounts.


If you need flexibility in the snare sound, the Oak Custom snare may not give you that. I returned the 14 x 5.5" snare as it seems to prefer high tuning more than the moderate range. Great for rock or metal, though.


I bought a Pearl MCX 14 x 6.5" snare, instead. It's wider tuning capabilities and maple shelled warmth made it more useful to me.


One minor quibble. I didn't notice when I purchased it that there are no plastic inserts for the bass hoop claws.

Otherwise, this is a very fine kit and the Honey York Amber looks awesome.
I really enjoy playing it.

Yamaha Oak Custom - 10, 12, 16, 22" shell pack.
This kit is very versatile and fitting for a wide range of musical styles.
Played lightly, the tom toms are clear with really good definition and this is great for jazz. For rock or pop, I just play them alittle harder. The toms produce lots of volume, but retain a nice, taut sound. The floor tom
goes really deep - whoa!
The bass drum also produces tremendous power and depth. Full and resonant. I use some moongel
to tame it a bit.
The tom tom hardware is super easy to use. The ball mount is solid as is the YESS mounts.
If you need flexibility in the snare sound, the Oak Custom snare may not give you that. I returned the 14 x 5.5" snare as it seems to prefer high tuning more than the moderate range. Great for rock or metal, though.
I bought a Pearl MCX 14 x 6.5" snare, instead. It's wider tuning capabilities and maple shelled warmth made it more useful to me.
One minor quibble. I didn't notice when I purchased it that there are no have plastic inserts for the bass hoop claws.
Otherwise, this is a very fine kit and the Honey York Amber looks awesome.
I really enjoy playing it.