Tama S.L.P. Studio Maple Kit

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| MARCH 2018 WWW.MUSICRADAR.COM/RHYTHM

GEAR REVIEW

pure maple and feature a urethane coating,

added for increased durability. The toms

share identical features to the snare,

including the 5mm-thick shells and Sound

Focus rings. The bass drum features a

slightly meatier 8-ply (6mm) construction

and is drilled to accommodate a ball-jointed

double tom holder.

The Studio Maple is available in just two

size conﬁ gurations, neither of which include

the matching snare drum. The four-piece

shell-pack includes a 22"x16" bass drum,

10"x7" and 12"x8" rack toms and a 16"x16"

ﬂ oor tom, while the larger set-up (as review)

bundles an additional 14"x14" ﬂ oor tom.

Rack toms come complete with a brand

new shell mounting system for Tama, named

the Direct Flexi-Mount. This two-part design

uses a plate attached directly to the drum

shell which is hinged to another section that

receives the L-rod. This allows slight

horizontal motion of the drum which Tama

suggests “provides smooth decay for a clear

sound that draws out the intrinsic

characteristics of the shell material”. Unlike

most modern suspension mounting systems

designed for less shell contact and maximum

resonance, this method offers a halfway

house between the zero-contact approach

and traditional direct-to-shell mounts.

Each of the S.L.P. kits is currently available

in just one ﬁ nish option, unique to its own

model. In the case of the Studio Maple, the

From £1,499 Tama expands its Sound Lab Project

range with a selection of brand new kits for 2018

TAMA

S.L.P. STUDIO

MAPLE KIT

WORDS: TOM BRADLEY

UNLIKE MOST MODERN SUSPENSION MOUNTING

SYSTEMS, DESIGNED FOR LESS SHELL CONTACT

AND MAXIMUM RESONANCE, THE DIRECT

FLEXI-MOUNT SYSTEM OFFERS A HALF-WAY-

HOUSE BETWEEN THE ZERO-CONTACT APPROACH

AND TRADITIONAL DIRECT-TO-SHELL MOUNTS

mong a host of new drums,

percussion products and

accessories from Tama this year

are new Sound Lab Project

(S.L.P.) kits. Following the success of 12

stand-alone snare drums previously released

under the S.L.P. moniker, the Japanese drum

giant has decided to expand the range with

the addition of four full kits based on the

same speciﬁ cations as their respective snares.

The Studio Maple model pictured here was

inspired by one of the original eight S.L.P.

snares released in 2012, as was the limited

edition G-Bubinga (limited no doubt as a

result of its extra thick bubinga shells

combined with the recent limitations put in

place to control the use of exotic rosewoods),

while the Dynamic Kapur kit and its snare

counterpart are both brand-new arrivals for

2018. Finally, the Fat Spruce is based on a

more recent addition to the S.L.P snare line.

We managed to get our hands on a full

six-piece, wood-hooped S.L.P. Studio Maple kit

prior to its ofﬁ cial launch at NAMM 2018, so

let’s take a look.

Build

Our review kit includes the matching 14"x6½"

Studio Maple wood hoop snare drum which

comprises a 6-ply (5mm) all-maple shell,

complete with Tama’s Sound Focus

(reinforcement) rings. The distinct thick

wooden hoops are also constructed from

RHY278.gear_tama.indd 84 1/23/18 3:18 PM

Summary of content (4 pages)

PAGE 1
GEAR REVIEW TAMA S.L.P. STUDIO MAPLE KIT From £1,499 Tama expands its Sound Lab Project range with a selection of brand new kits for 2018 WORDS: TOM BRADLEY A mong a host of new drums, percussion products and accessories from Tama this year are new Sound Lab Project (S.L.P.) kits. Following the success of 12 stand-alone snare drums previously released under the S.L.P.
PAGE 2
NATURAL LACQUER The Gloss Sienna finish shows off the stunning natural maple woodgrain WOOD HOOPS Essential spec The distinct wooden hoops are made from pure maple with a urethane coating for added durability PRICES Four-piece shell pack, £1,499; Five-piece shell pack, £1,999 SHELL MATERIAL Maple CONSTRUCTION METHOD Ply NUMBER OF PLIES Snare and toms: 6-ply (5mm); Bass drum: 8-ply (6mm) BEARING EDGES Rounded FINISHES AVAILABLE Gloss Sienna (GSE) HOOPS Maple wood hoops SHELLS LMP42RTLS: 22"x16", 10
PAGE 3
GEAR REVIEW They say… Simeon Read Marketing and Percussion Product Specialist, Headstock Distribution TOM MOUNTS Rack toms come with a brand new shell mounting system called the Direct Flexi-Mount Why expand on the S.L.P. range, where do they fit in the wider spectrum of Tama kits? “In 2012 we introduced the S.L.P. line of snares which proved very successful based on the distinctive characteristics of each drum.
PAGE 4
RANGE There are four new S.L.P. kits. Other models include Fat Spruce, Dynamic Kapur and G-Bubinga BASS DRUM HARDWARE Shell is 8-ply and is drilled to accomodate a ball-joint tom holder into consideration the studio-friendly intentions of this kit, although it wouldn’t sound out of place on stage at the right gig either. Where we’d expect the maple to be extremely resonant, the shells are subdued somewhat by the density of the ample wood hoops.