PHX

The Sound of Excellence

When asked what they wanted from their drums, a long time Yamaha Drum artist had three requests - a louder sound, a fatter tone and even more sensitivity.

Drawing on long term research and development and vast manufacturing experience, Yamaha decided to make a masterpiece which epitomized all of them.

As a result, the PHX was created with the widest dynamic range of any drums created by Yamaha and an even greater, richer, mid-low response. Handcrafted by our expert technicians, it is rooted in over 50 years of history, tradition, experience and technology in an all-out pursuit of the ultimate in drum craftsmanship and sound.

Hybrid Shell

The unique Hybrid shell was designed to perfectly achieve the three targets of the PHX concept - more volume, more tone and more dynamic range.

The shell uses the hardest and heaviest wood, jatoba, for the center core. The jatoba is surrounded on either side by layers of kapur, another hard and heavy wood. Then, surrounding the kapur is North American maple, the softest wood in the whole shell, which is used for the outer and inner shell plies. This construction allows the shell to vibrate perfectly, free of constraint.

Countless trials, prototyping and sound checking with artists went into finding the perfect shell make-up for PHX.

Bearing Edge

The bearing edge is the single most important element and dictates the tone and articulation of each PHX shell.

All PHX bearing edges are cut at 30-degrees. However, what makes each type of shell different - whether it be a tom, floor tom or bass drum - is the radius of the top of each bearing edge. These radiuses are where the drumhead touches the wood of the shell, and their size allows more or less vibration to pass from the head to the shell.

Therefore, the bass drum edge creates a clearer and sharper sound, while the tom edge produces a fatter, more rounded sound.

The bearing edges are shaped by craftsmen who have specialized knowledge of the characteristics of each wood. During rounds of sanding and special surface finishing, each edge gradually becomes perfectly shaped for its intended use.

Hardware

The lugs, tom mounting system and hoops have a crucial role in achieving the perfect drum sound.

The PHX uses the Y.E.S.S. II system for mounting the toms, which is perfectly matched to the hybrid shell. It is super stable and comfortably supports the thick PHX shell while bringing out its natural resonance without compromise. The mounting plate itself is made of the same maple as is used on the outer plies of the hybrid shell, further contributing to its rich resonance and enhanced low end.

The hook lug on the PHX was designed with a small footprint, which doesn’t disturb the shell vibration and accentuates the fundamental tone. In addition, the unique 3 mm aluminum die-cast hoop features high rigidity and extremely light weight, so it maximizes the head resonance and creates a rich, melodic tone with a full attack.

Beautiful Shell Exteriors

The PHX is not only packed with great features that make it a fantastic drum kit, but it also has all the beauty of an exquisite, handmade musical instrument.

From the selection of the outer ply chosen by the customer to be either traditional maple or stunningly textured ash, the decision-making process begins. The shell is repeatedly painted and sanded, and then polished to a beautifully thin, final finish that is extremely hard and fully realizes the beauty and depth of the chosen outer veneer.

Furthermore, the hook lugs and aluminum die-cast hoops are available in either chrome or gold to match or contrast with the shells perfectly.