Yamaha Absolute Hybrid Maple Series Kit

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| OCTOBER 2014 WWW.RHYTHMMAGAZINE.CO.UK

GEAR REVIEW

However, Gavin reveals that Yamaha has

taken another step, pinpointing unwanted

shell frequencies. So the lugs are actually

mounted slightly beyond the nodal points,

effectively to ‘eq’ the drum.

Next, the tom holders, where we ﬁ nd

the third generation YESS system (the ﬁ rst

came in 1993). Where earlier YESS brackets

were attached just at the top, this has an

additional ﬁ xing point at the bottom.

Despite appearances there is no shell-to-

metal contact whatsoever. The mounting

plate is attached to the shell by special

grommets of extremely high-grade rubber,

as used on Japan’s ‘bullet’ train. The

grommet passes through the shell and is

ﬁ xed on the inside and outside by two quite

separate screws which make no contact. The

result is that the tom is held just by the

ﬂ exible high-grade rubber and is free to

bounce around a little.

There is a single snare drum with a

14"x6" shell and 20 hook lugs. It’s ﬁ tted

with Yamaha’s new piston strainer, seen

previously on the Live Custom, an

admirably chunky device which inspires

conﬁ dence. Attached by cords are

Yamaha’s own 25-strand high carbon steel

snare wires.

Hands On

With the whole kit set up, the ﬁ rst time I

rattle round the four toms – woah! the whole

room shakes. As for the bass drum, it’s a real

chest thumper. With a ﬁ rm mid-tuning, there

is so much depth and rounded tone. Though

Yamaha is keen to push the broad ranging

tonal sensitivity of the drums, this is also

undoubtedly one of the most lively of kits.

To gauge the impact of all those technical

resonance innovations, I mount my own

1982 RC9000 (birch) 10"x8" tom on a dual

stand next to the Maple Hybrid 10"x7". The

RC has a birch shell with a pre-YESS clamp,

so you’d expect a difference, but what I hear

is dramatic. The RC produces a (beautiful)

focused tone, a fast peak and good sustain.

The Hybrid has much more sustain and of a

quite different kind. After the initial impact

and momentary lull the note seems to

amplify, to stretch out and grow, before

slowly petering out. It’s an all-round fuller

sound with a more complex tone.

At Gavin’s suggestion I also put my foot on

VERDICT: Calling on expertise in

various areas of instrument

manufacture, the Absolute Hybrid

Maple exempliﬁ es Yamaha’s pursuit of

excellence. Extending boundaries on

several levels, this is a beautifully

designed, versatile sounding kit.

BUILD QUALITY

PLAYABILITY

VALUE FOR MONEY

RATING

Also try…

SJC CUSTOM

HYBRID SHELL

KIT

We say: “With the truest

shells and the silkiest

bearing edges I have

seen in a long while, SJC

proves its commitment

to quality.”

DW ECO-X

PROJECT SERIES

We say: “An impressive

set of drums, with the

added bonus of being

environmentally

sound.”

Gavin, the Absolute Hybrid

Maple shows Yamaha

continuing at the cutting edge.

“We have just spent $10million

on a new factory in Hangzhou,

two hours from Shanghai, China. No one else is

doing that in the drum industry.”

This is a serious high-end kit.

“Where the ﬁ rst kit from the factory, the Live

Custom, was all about power, punch and live

playing, this is more about expression and tonal

dynamics. What we wanted was to create a

really resonant sound with a wide spectrum of

tonal qualities. Good for lighter, sensitive

playing, but it has power as well and does

not choke whatsoever.”

What is the background?

“The idea came through from the Phoenix,

where we wanted to push the envelope in terms

of how the instrument works. Yamaha thinks

futuristically, always trying to improve the

instrument. We also have guitar and piano

divisions etc, and people who look after

manufacturing and materials, and we went to

them to ﬁ nd new materials with different

qualities. This is all about being innovative and

creating the most resonant drum.”

Gavin Thomas is the UK Product

Manager for Yamaha Drums

They say…

THE ISOLATION OF THE YESS MOUNTS

IS SO EFFECTIVE AND THE BASS DRUM

YIELDS SO MUCH ‘OOMPH’, THERE’S NO

INDICATION OF ITS BEING CONSTRICTED

ABSOLUTE

Absolute Hybrid

Maple is the fourth

generation of Yamaha’s

Absolute series

SHELLS

Shells are a 7-ply

hybrid of North

American maple with

a single inner core ply

of extra-hard and

resonant African

wenge

the tripod of the dual tom stand. With the RC

you could feel the vibrations – the energy

lost through the stand. But with the Absolute

tom (and YESS III) the energy is released

through the shell, you don’t feel any

dissipation through the stand.

Maybe paradoxically, there’s no problem

with the small toms being mounted off the

bass drum. The isolation of the YESS mounts

is so effective and the bass drum yields so

much ‘oomph’, there is no indication of its

being constricted at all.

The aluminium die-cast hoops really

come into their own with the snare drum.

Being lightweight but solid they give the

drum bright and ringy rim-shots and

cross-sticks with just the right mixture of

clang and sweet tone. Like the toms the

snare is resonant and expressive, crisp but

with a fat tone, never losing that softer

warm tinge of wood, sounding equally

good whether tuned for heavy slogging

or nimble skittering.

RHY234.gear_yamaha.indd 98 9/3/14 10:38 AM