Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Maple Series Kit

96
| OCTOBER 2014 WWW.RHYTHMMAGAZINE.CO.UK
GEAR REVIEW
E
xciting times for Yamaha’s drum
division as it continues to drive
innovation in drumset
development, just as it always has.
Over in China, Yamaha has gradually
expanded its state-of-the-art, highly
eco-conscious guitar, piano and wind
instrument production since 1997. In July
2013 a long-held plan to develop a similarly
cutting-edge drum facility was realised with
a 200,000sq ft factory, Xiaoshan Yamaha, in
Hangzhou, near Shanghai. Yamaha tested
the water with the Custom Live (
Rhythm ,
August 2013) and now proudly presents the
fourth generation Absolute series, the
Absolute Hybrid Maple.
Build
It really feels like Yamaha has embarked on
a new era with this kit, there are so many
purposeful innovations. First though,
everything rests on the shell construction
and the manner of this is something
Yamaha had from the very fi rst days, back
in 1967. In fact, by a genuine coincidence,
the kit featured in this month’s Vintage
Gear is a 1960s Yamaha and an examination
of its shells reveals the staggered diagonal
seams which are still the foundation of
Yamaha’s methodology.
In layering-up plies in a shell mould,
historically seams would be vertically butted
up, or overlapped, tapered and scarfed. But
in 1967, following the Japanese principle of
kashikomi , Yamaha introduced staggered
diagonal seams. So when the air bag is
inserted, putting pressure on the shell
internally, the seams push down and out into
the mould, creating a perfect extra-stable
From £494 Award-winning next step in Yamaha’s long-standing
mission to make the most cutting-edge production drum kits in the world
YAMAHA
ABSOLUTE HYBRID
MAPLE SERIES KIT
WORDS: GEOFF NICHOLLS
join. Thus these shells could be
made thinner without the need
for reinforcing rings. Other
companies eventually followed
suit, but Yamaha was fi rst.
However, Absolute Hybrid
Maple takes another leap forward
because of the constitution of
the shells, which follows from
the fl agship Phoenix PHX
series. Hybrid Maple shells
consist of seven plies: paired
maple plies inside and out,
with a core triple sandwich of
maple-wenge-maple. Wenge
is a particularly hard, dark
African wood, often used in
guitar manufacture. Indeed, it
was the ability to draw on the
company’s expertise in guitar
and piano making etc that
enabled the drum division to
move forward. Yamaha UK’s
Gavin Thomas explains that,
“We found with the Phoenix
that the majority of the
sound vibrations come
from the central ply.
So [
with the Absolute
Hybrid
] we wanted
a dense musical wood with lots of
resonance, [
wenge ] creating the majority of
the tone and then softer wood [
maple ]
outside to help that resonance – as it goes
further out and loses energy it has less to
push through.”
Shells have ‘optimised’ bearing edges,
45° on toms and snare, 30° on bass drums.
They are supremely fi nished and level. The
WITH THE WHOLE KIT SET UP,
THE FIRST TIME I RATTLE ROUND
THE FOUR TOMS –WOAH! THE
WHOLE ROOM SHAKES
FINISH
Finishes include the
Red Autumn lacquer of
the review kit, while
inside the shells have a
protective vintage fi nish
insides of the shells are also coated with a
vintage fi nish for a fraction more warmth.
Outside there’s a wide selection of colours
and sparkles. It goes without saying the
review kit in Red Autumn lacquer is
fl awlessly presented.
Next come the hook lugs, which were also
originally designed for the PHX. The squared
brackets hook over single posts and just by
loosening each lug bolt a few turns the lugs
come free and the whole hoop lifts off. Hook
lugs offer a viable alternative solution for
RHY234.gear_yamaha.indd 96 9/3/14 10:38 AM