Recording Custom

"For the past 3 years, I've been meeting with the Research and Development team at Yamaha with the aim of bringing the Recording Custom series up to date. I told Yamaha what I thought throughout the process. The result is that everything is a step up, but they still feel like the Recording Custom. When you take them out of the box, they don't feel new, they feel comfortable and I think that's good. The bass drum has a nice, fat sound and the drum responds to different heads on it. My goal was to have a simple snare drum design that could respond to a wide range of tuning. I think we did a great job - the new Recording Customs sound great and I think you'll like them."

The revamped modern design retains the traditional essence of the Recording Custom. However, in order to maximize the attenuating properties of the birch wood, we increased the weight of the lug, further enhancing the artist's expressive power and reducing undesirable noise from the shell without using a mute. This ensures optimum sustain for the core sound, producing a crisp, articulate tone.

In addition to their punchy power, birch shells are known to reduce unwanted noise and prevent interference when drums are set up side-by-side. The unique, sonic characteristics of birch wood ensure that each stroke is clearly delineated, making it the ideal choice for recording environments.

Steve prefers a 20-inch, lifted bass drum, so we adopted this specification.

We reduced interference from the floor to maximize the resonance of the shell, and we increased the length of the pedal beater rod, centering it precisely to ensure absolute accuracy during performances.

This lifted bass drum produces a more punchy sound and accentuates the sound produced in the core of the shell.

While testing many combinations of shells, Steve Gadd opted for 30-degree bearing edges to deliver a sharp response. The shells have a wide tuning range. They respond well to different head choices and are easy to tune.

Toms and floor toms are equipped with Remo Ambassador Coated heads, which are known for their warm, clear tone and open, resonant sound quality. Bass drums are fitted with a PS3 Smooth White Yamaha logo head and a Remo PS3 coated batter head (18" bass drum batter side features a Remo Ambassador Coated head).

Brackets and shells are connected using the smallest possible contact area, so resonance damping is minimal. This is the basic concept behind the development of the Y.E.S.S. mounting system.

Where it was previously necessary to adjust the rod length to attain optimal resonance, or in some cases to subdue an excessively resonant shell, Y.E.S.S. makes it easy to achieve your ideal sound without these modifications.

Floor tom brackets include wing bolts designed to clamp tightly on the leg without damaging it, to save time onstage and deliver outstanding decay control.

The bass drums feature die-cast hooks, which provide noise-free function through the use of an insertion plate.