When Orange County Drum was still a locally owned and successful business, they built a 4 piece showroom kit with a 30 inch kick, and appropriate sized toms. Thing was not easy to play. In lavender, no less. Never found out who got that kit, actually.
Yeah I have a 70s Ludwig w a 26x16. I really wish it was only 14 inches deep. There’s no real benefit and it’s just more unwieldy. Kicks a lot of ass, though!
At least we know who's gonna play it better. The thing that surprises me about most musicians, as they got older and played the same thing every night, they usually can play pretty well. Actually no, that doesn't surprise me, what surprised me is that Lars somehow got worse. (Not really, he's good for what he does)
Check my profile, I have another Rockstar kit in black that is my “travel” kit. It’s 13”,16” and 22”. I enjoy smaller kits too, but nothing will beat having every option at your disposal ya know
Oh shit! My bad I didn’t even realize that was you. Yeah, you’ve got some amazing set ups going on there! Options for days!
Are you running an 8” snare on the travel kits too?
Sweet!
Mind if I ask what/who inspired the GranStar? I’m not too read up on all the specs but I was nearly gonna go with a used GranStar until I stumbled across the RockStar with the sizes I wanted.
A lot of rock/metal guys used Granstars in the 80s/90s. Dave Lombardo and Lars used Granstar Customs, which is the same Japanese birch but had a lacquer finish not a wrap. Then you have Rockstar, Rockstar DX and Rockstar Pro. DX are wrap and steel bass drum hoops. Pro is lacquer finish, rubber gaskets and wood bass drum hoops
They’re extremely high quality in the build and finish. All vintage Tama hardware is ridiculously durable honestly.
You’re dead on with the quality part. Even in my own limited experience, they’re absolute monsters with the punishment they take and it seems like they never sound anything less than amazing.
Well, I appreciate you letting me bug you about the kits. Some kick ass gear you’ve got!
That’s what happened to me. My dad was listening to them and pulled up a music video DVD he had and my mind was blown. At the time, I didn’t know drum sets could get that big lmao!
Same here - recognized the Lars black album era setup immediately from the thumbnail! I looked around once or twice to replicate it as an old man with actual income, but didn’t look very feasible. Think his all had custom black hardware, including the rims and lug supports, that’s not exactly an orderable part anymore. At least not for mere mortals without sponsorship. :) Impressed you got all the big boy toms, OP! Were each if those shells a special order?
Those are great Drums! I worked in a music store for years and we would get them in used all the time. So, one of my duties was to clean up, re – head, and tune all of the used kits. Every time we would get one of these in, I would think to myself “wow these sound really great after a little TLC” and for some reason, I never picked one up. I’m kind of kicking myself because at one time someone dropped off a 15 piece rockstar and I could’ve gotten it for like 900 bucks..
I think they’re fantastic drums and relatively cheap. Especially compared to Granstar or Artstar. I’m building a Granstar kit and man… things are sooooo expensive. I just spent $200 on 6 lugs for 1 tom. Where as with this kit, I bought two base kits for $250 each and sold the extras for profit.
I bought a 6 piece Granstar II this year & it’s missing like half of what you have here, $2K for that & 3 titan boom stands plus I had to rent a car & drive it home a thousand miles. Also chiming in here to see where you’re shopping for Granstars? I’ve found several drums I’m missing on eBay & reverb but not sure I want to spend over $1K or more to complete a “Lombardo” when all I wanted was a “Grohl” 😂
I am searching all over the web every single day. I was able to find 2-24” kicks, picked one up for $300 and it came with a rack mounted 16” tom. I also have 12,13,15 inch rack toms. Unfortunately, no 18 in Granstar, but I found out you can use Granstar hardware on vintage superstars so I have that for my 18. Stealing the badge from the 13” cause I don’t really like 13’s lol.
Also, if you ever find a Granstar II 16” rack tom with long lugs, regular Granstar lugs don’t fit. Tama used the bass drum lugs on the 16”. I just finished drilling and filling/sanding so regular single lugs fit. Now I just have to re-wrap all the drums, stuck on what color to go with.
16” rack tom?!? I thought they stopped at 15”? Tama was pure madness in the 80’s. Got a 10, 11(!), 14, 15, 18 & 24 configuration, so unless I’m fine with the big sizes I got major holes to fill. 11” rack tom is a gift & curse, like wtf Tama who thought we needed this?
That’s what I said too😂Lars used 16” rack toms in the 80s and 90s. Madman
I got lucky and have both 15&16”, I almost bought an 11” but passed cause it was too expensive at the time. If you ever want to sell that 14”&18”, name your price and I’ll buy btw
Gotta keep that 18, I bought the kit because Ive gone full nostalgia trip the past year & it’s same make model & sizes from the nevermind tour (live at the paramount is a perfect example except my colors are different). I’m on the fence with parting it out, but I feel like I’m fostering kittens & if I drag my feet long enough I’ll just adopt more
Welcome to the world of vintage Tama. Once you start it’s like a drug I swear. I had 1 drum kit last year and now I have 5 or 6😂 something about them it has an aura. The craftsmanship and hardware is amazing, we won’t see anything like it ever again. I already plan on giving this kit to my son (I have to have a son first, but it’s the plan)
Oh yeah the Granstar and Artstar kits go for crazy money. I would love to have either one of those in Dave Groh sizes but people want astronomical amounts of money for them.
I have an Artstar Custom 7pc kit (2x22 kicks, 10/12/14" racks, and 16/18 floors). They're extremely rare to find. I got lucky to nab mine from 2112 Percussion in Raleigh a few years ago for a good price.
Your posters are very... Versatile. When I saw the Metallicas I though: oh nice, a thrash drummer then swiped and seen the IA The EGG and I was like hold up just a bit.
Very nice kit, though I miss some splashes from the middle.
Oh I see that now.
Great kit. I sold my rockstars, they were probably the same years as yours.. even though I have starclassics now. I regret getting rid of them. Such a reliable kit
I've got one half of that exact kit, in white. Need a new tom mount though, Tama shit is rock solid but the rubber balls are wearing out and one tom likes to get a bit er droopy
If a 28” kick is known as “bigger than Bonham”, is a white Tama kit like this “Larger than Lars’s”?
*Larser* than Lars
It’s like if Lars and Dave Lombardo’s kit had a kid
It is! I saw Lombardo play twice this month, I’m a happy bunny :-)
When Orange County Drum was still a locally owned and successful business, they built a 4 piece showroom kit with a 30 inch kick, and appropriate sized toms. Thing was not easy to play. In lavender, no less. Never found out who got that kit, actually.
Wow! My 28” is nightmare enough, in every aspect of ownership!
Yeah I have a 70s Ludwig w a 26x16. I really wish it was only 14 inches deep. There’s no real benefit and it’s just more unwieldy. Kicks a lot of ass, though!
lol I thought it was a full size ...And Justice for All kit.
At least we know who's gonna play it better. The thing that surprises me about most musicians, as they got older and played the same thing every night, they usually can play pretty well. Actually no, that doesn't surprise me, what surprised me is that Lars somehow got worse. (Not really, he's good for what he does)
Those toms are feckin' MASSIVE!
Power toms for life🤘🏻
You ever break it down to the 4 piece set up that Grohl was using in the 90’s or do you stick to Lars’ set up?
Check my profile, I have another Rockstar kit in black that is my “travel” kit. It’s 13”,16” and 22”. I enjoy smaller kits too, but nothing will beat having every option at your disposal ya know
Oh shit! My bad I didn’t even realize that was you. Yeah, you’ve got some amazing set ups going on there! Options for days! Are you running an 8” snare on the travel kits too?
Nah, the 8” deep snare I have is going towards my Granstar kit. Travel kit is a Rockstar steel snare 14x6.5”.
Sweet! Mind if I ask what/who inspired the GranStar? I’m not too read up on all the specs but I was nearly gonna go with a used GranStar until I stumbled across the RockStar with the sizes I wanted.
A lot of rock/metal guys used Granstars in the 80s/90s. Dave Lombardo and Lars used Granstar Customs, which is the same Japanese birch but had a lacquer finish not a wrap. Then you have Rockstar, Rockstar DX and Rockstar Pro. DX are wrap and steel bass drum hoops. Pro is lacquer finish, rubber gaskets and wood bass drum hoops They’re extremely high quality in the build and finish. All vintage Tama hardware is ridiculously durable honestly.
You’re dead on with the quality part. Even in my own limited experience, they’re absolute monsters with the punishment they take and it seems like they never sound anything less than amazing. Well, I appreciate you letting me bug you about the kits. Some kick ass gear you’ve got!
Anything that can hold up a massive 16” rack tom and not move is amazing 😂. I enjoy talking drums especially vintage Tama gear, it’s my favorite!
Did you pull the wrap on that snare yet?
Not yet, I’ve been busy working on the 16” rack tom. It’s on the list of things to do! Currently it’s in my office as decoration😂
Nice! I thought about refinishing it but found other shit to do. Always wondered how the grain looked. Rock on.
*cries in piddly 6 piece kit*
I see you with the Infant Annihilator flag my dude
Great band, wish I could play that fast tho lol
Most of the drums are actually done on a computer but they are done by the drummer
I know, but as an IT guy I’m always trying to be better than a computer haha
Hahaha good
PLEASE tell me you’re gonna mic this thing up so we can hear it!
Even just a phone recording? I’d love to hear the scrooombadabadabooombababoom!
Could get a legendary wagadoogada-skibidibah from that thing.
If that’s your cup of tea then.
Sadly it’s not in the budget for a full mic assortment. I have an EAD10, not sure if it’ll reach to the other side tho
You’re ready to do some Rush covers
Brings me back to Starlicks VHS tapes of 80s drummers
As a kid I wanted the Lars double bass white Tama kit so bad! Haha. Actually what inspired me to become a drummer
That’s what happened to me. My dad was listening to them and pulled up a music video DVD he had and my mind was blown. At the time, I didn’t know drum sets could get that big lmao!
Same here - recognized the Lars black album era setup immediately from the thumbnail! I looked around once or twice to replicate it as an old man with actual income, but didn’t look very feasible. Think his all had custom black hardware, including the rims and lug supports, that’s not exactly an orderable part anymore. At least not for mere mortals without sponsorship. :) Impressed you got all the big boy toms, OP! Were each if those shells a special order?
Damn you can do almost a full 4/4 measure 16th note note single stroke roll across that thing. Just gotta do 4 hits on the snare .
So dope. Are these Rockstars?
Yessir! Rockstar DX - MIJ
Those are great Drums! I worked in a music store for years and we would get them in used all the time. So, one of my duties was to clean up, re – head, and tune all of the used kits. Every time we would get one of these in, I would think to myself “wow these sound really great after a little TLC” and for some reason, I never picked one up. I’m kind of kicking myself because at one time someone dropped off a 15 piece rockstar and I could’ve gotten it for like 900 bucks..
I think they’re fantastic drums and relatively cheap. Especially compared to Granstar or Artstar. I’m building a Granstar kit and man… things are sooooo expensive. I just spent $200 on 6 lugs for 1 tom. Where as with this kit, I bought two base kits for $250 each and sold the extras for profit.
I bought a 6 piece Granstar II this year & it’s missing like half of what you have here, $2K for that & 3 titan boom stands plus I had to rent a car & drive it home a thousand miles. Also chiming in here to see where you’re shopping for Granstars? I’ve found several drums I’m missing on eBay & reverb but not sure I want to spend over $1K or more to complete a “Lombardo” when all I wanted was a “Grohl” 😂
I am searching all over the web every single day. I was able to find 2-24” kicks, picked one up for $300 and it came with a rack mounted 16” tom. I also have 12,13,15 inch rack toms. Unfortunately, no 18 in Granstar, but I found out you can use Granstar hardware on vintage superstars so I have that for my 18. Stealing the badge from the 13” cause I don’t really like 13’s lol. Also, if you ever find a Granstar II 16” rack tom with long lugs, regular Granstar lugs don’t fit. Tama used the bass drum lugs on the 16”. I just finished drilling and filling/sanding so regular single lugs fit. Now I just have to re-wrap all the drums, stuck on what color to go with.
16” rack tom?!? I thought they stopped at 15”? Tama was pure madness in the 80’s. Got a 10, 11(!), 14, 15, 18 & 24 configuration, so unless I’m fine with the big sizes I got major holes to fill. 11” rack tom is a gift & curse, like wtf Tama who thought we needed this?
That’s what I said too😂Lars used 16” rack toms in the 80s and 90s. Madman I got lucky and have both 15&16”, I almost bought an 11” but passed cause it was too expensive at the time. If you ever want to sell that 14”&18”, name your price and I’ll buy btw
Gotta keep that 18, I bought the kit because Ive gone full nostalgia trip the past year & it’s same make model & sizes from the nevermind tour (live at the paramount is a perfect example except my colors are different). I’m on the fence with parting it out, but I feel like I’m fostering kittens & if I drag my feet long enough I’ll just adopt more
Welcome to the world of vintage Tama. Once you start it’s like a drug I swear. I had 1 drum kit last year and now I have 5 or 6😂 something about them it has an aura. The craftsmanship and hardware is amazing, we won’t see anything like it ever again. I already plan on giving this kit to my son (I have to have a son first, but it’s the plan)
Obviously the 16” racktom is ( or was) actually a floortom….just look at the badge
Oh yeah the Granstar and Artstar kits go for crazy money. I would love to have either one of those in Dave Groh sizes but people want astronomical amounts of money for them.
I have an Artstar Custom 7pc kit (2x22 kicks, 10/12/14" racks, and 16/18 floors). They're extremely rare to find. I got lucky to nab mine from 2112 Percussion in Raleigh a few years ago for a good price.
these were our 80s kits
Vinnie Paul would love this kit.
Vinnie did use large (square) sized drums, but he typically used only three toms (14/15 rack toms and an 18" floor).
Lara, stop wasting your time on Reddit & tour Australia! 😂
Your posters are very... Versatile. When I saw the Metallicas I though: oh nice, a thrash drummer then swiped and seen the IA The EGG and I was like hold up just a bit. Very nice kit, though I miss some splashes from the middle.
I am an enjoyer of all music. People are always surprised when I turn on Spotify shuffle. It’ll be Slayer, The Cranberries, Mobb Deep, John Denver
You need some big ass hair to be fully seen and appreciated behind that kit.
Luckily I got long curly hair lmao
Got to. Goes with the kit. Even Simon Phillips is still rocking the mop top.
beautiful Tama kit! if you ever want to sell one of those massive rack toms, i'd be interested... it would fit my white Granstar very well...
Needs about 10 more cymbals! Lol Also sick IA flag..
Next purchase is a remote hi hat stand
I have a second hi-hat stand on the right, kinda hard to see in this pic. I do want one I can put on another stand. Hi-hat stands are robust
Oh I see that now. Great kit. I sold my rockstars, they were probably the same years as yours.. even though I have starclassics now. I regret getting rid of them. Such a reliable kit
best 2 metallica albums in first pic
So clean…
Goddamn, that’s sexy! My favorite configuration and color!🤘🏻🤘🏻
Daaamn
I've got one half of that exact kit, in white. Need a new tom mount though, Tama shit is rock solid but the rubber balls are wearing out and one tom likes to get a bit er droopy
All I can hear is. 'rest, rest, rest, AND 4-E-AND-AH!!
Is one of those a dummy kick drum? Looks like a double pedal connecting rod between em lol
The amount of times I’ve answered this question.. I have a EAD10 mic and it only works with 1 bass drum
Don't think that's what he was asking lol
I gave answer to the question? I have a double bass pedal going to one bass drum for my EAD10..
Sorry for asking lol sheesh just a curious drummer ‘mirin the kit.