TAMA - Musikmesse 2011

TAMA – Musikmesse 2011

Musikmesse2011_TAMA

Tama Drums, internazionalmente conosciuta solo con il nome Tama, è un marchio di proprietà dell’industria giapponese Hoshino Gakki Group. Sotto il suo nome vengono prodotti strumenti musicali a percussione, in particolare le batterie. Tama è tra i marchi più altisonanti nel campo delle percussioni ed è sostenuta da un gran numero di endorser (in massima parte rock e heavy metal).

TAMA – Musikmesse 2011

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Il marchio vide la luce nel 1962 per iniziativa di Junpei Hoshino, familiare di Matsujiro Hoshino, fondatore della Hoshino Gakki. Tama era il nome della moglie di Hoshino, che in giapponese significa “gioiello”. Come la Hoshino Gakki, la Tama produsse strumenti musicali a corda e amplificatori, fino al 1966. La Tama iniziò ad affermarsi sul mercato musicale a metà anni settanta, grazie ai suoi prezzi molto vantaggiosi. Infatti, il mogano filippino usato dall’azienda giapponese risultò più conveniente rispetto al costoso acero offerto dalle occidentali Rogers, Ludwig e Slingerland.

Sempre in questo periodo, la Tama e la Drum Workshop acquistarono la fallita “Camco Drum Company”. L’accordo tra le due parti prevedeva l’acquisizione di attrezzature e impianti di produzione da parte della Drum Workshop, invece il nome, i progetti e di diritti di brevetto spettarono alla Tama. Grazie a questo affare, l’azienda giapponese subì un grande incremento a livello qualitativo e riuscì a raggiungere un ottimo livello competitivo con le case occidentali, soprattutto quelle statunitensi, fino a quel momento leader nel mercato delle percussioni.

La Tama fu anche tra le prime aziende ad aver introdotto aste meccaniche molto pesanti e salde, che presentavano un sistema di montaggio proprio, a differenza di molte altre aziende che proponevano meccaniche, obbligatoriamente, da attaccare ai fusti dei tamburi. L’azienda ha anche inventato l’Octoban, tamburo dal fusto di lunghezze diverse e dal diametro piccolo, e il Gong Bass Drum, che sono usati largamente da numerosi batteristi moderni.

La Tama divenne famosa verso gli anni ottanta in particolare grazie a due serie di batterie (delle quattro allora prodotte), ovvero la serie “Superstar” (da non confondere con l’odierna omonima prodotta per i musicisti semi-professionisti) in legno di betulla e la Imperial Star (oggi prodotta piuttosto come modello “entry”), sempre in betulla ma con fusti trattati internamente con speciali vernici ed esternamente rifasciati con pellicole colorate ad alta resistenza adatte per l’uso professionale live. È da notare che la Tama negli anni ottanta non usava l’acero ma solo il mogano e la betulla; venivano comunque prodotti anche fusti in fibra (ad es. octoban) o in metallo (il rullante “Bell Brass” ricavato per tornitura da un getto di ottone a sezione circolare a forte spessore). Da menzionare anche l’hardware delle serie “Titan” e “Spartan” realmente per impieghi gravosi ed i pedali per la cassa, dei quali il più noto era il modello “King Beat”.

Per le serie più economiche venivano prodotte le batterie “Swing Star” e “Royal Star” simili esternamente alla “Imperial Star” ma di mogano anziché di betulla. L’Hardware corrispondente era costituito dalla serie “Mercury”, più leggera della Titan ma ottima per altro. Sempre verso gli anni ottanta (1983)esce un prestigioso e particolare modello di tama chiamato artstar. Molto pregiata e ricercata è infatti la tama artstar costruita usando internamente ed esternamente il legno cordia (al centro era betulla)che conferiva a tutti i tamburi una insuperabile eleganza ed una particolarissima sonorità. Negli anni novanta la casa giapponese conosce un certo declino ma nel decennio successivo con i modelli Starclassic e gli accessori collegati, riprende vigore e torna ad essere uno dei marchi di riferimento per i professionisti.

La Tama produce diversi set composti solitamente da una grancassa, due tom-tom ed un timpano, integrabili con una seconda grancassa ed un numero maggiore di tom-tom. La Tama oggigiorno commercializza set divisi in varie serie, da quelle più professionali e di conseguenza costose, a quelle più economiche e quindi per principianti.

* “Starclassic Maple”: realizzata in acero, è divenuta la scelta dei batteristi di numerose band hard rock ed heavy metal,
* “Starclassic Bubinga Omnitune”: realizzata in legno di Bubinga (legno rossastro di provenienza africana detto anche “Palissandro d’Africa”). I fusti di questa serie sono caratterizzati da nuovi blocchetti tendi pelle che permettono una accordatura efficace e veloce agendo solo sui tiranti della pelle battente.
* “Starclassic Bubinga”: come sopra ma con l’utilizzo dei normali blocchetti tendi pelle.
* “Starclassic Performer B/B”: realizzata con un mix di Betulla e Bubinga ed avente misure standard per i fusti.
* “Starclassic Performer B/B EFX”: come sopra ma con misure e finiture particolari.
* “Superstar”: totalmente realizzata in betulla, si divide in “Superstar Custom Hyper Drive”, “Superstar EFX Hyper Drive”, “Superstar Hyper Drive”.
* “Silvestar”: nuova serie, realizzata anch’ essa in betulla, che sostituisce il modello superstar.
* “Imperialstar”: pensata per il mercato delle batterie economiche.

La Tama ha prodotto il set Rockstar che, pur se qualitativamente di livello leggermente inferiore alle più professionali “Starclassic”, ha avuto un grande successo commerciale.

Oltre a produrre una linea di accessori che spazia dalle custodie alle bacchette, dalle cordiere per rullante a supporti vari, la Tama produce anche una linea Hardware con la nota sigla “Iron Cobra”, ossia aste e pedali. La Tama produce anche una linea di rullanti, tra cui sono degni di nota quelli appartenenti alla serie signature realizzati appositamente per alcuni batteristi professionisti come Mike Portnoy, Stewart Copeland, Bill Bruford, Lars Ulrich, David Silveria, John Tempesta, Simon Phillips, Kenny Aronoff, John Blackwell.

Oltre a tale serie, è in produzione una linea di rullanti da collezione denominata “Warlord” che si divide in 5 tipi:

* “Athenian”: costruito in ottone da 1mm, il nome fa riferimento agli Ateniesi dell’Antica Grecia.
* “Praetorian”: costruito in ottone da 3 mm, il nome fa riferimento alla guardia Pretoriana della Roma Imperiale.
* “Spartan”: costruito in Acciaio Inox da 1mm, il nome fa riferimento ai guerrieri Spartani.
* “Valkyrie”: costruito con 15 strati di Acero, il nome fa riferimento alle Valchirie, divinità della mitologia norrena.
* “Masai”: costruito con 12 strati di Bubinga, il nome fa riferimento ai guerrieri Africani Masai.

ENGLISH:

Tama Drums (stylized as TAMA) is a brand of drums and hardware manufactured and marketed by the Japanese musical instrument company, Hoshino Gakki. Tama’s research and development of products, along with production of its professional drums, is done in Seto, Japan,[1] while its hardware and more affordable drums are manufactured in Guangzhou, China.[2] Hoshino has several offices around the world for marketing and wholesale distribution. Drums destined for the U.S. market are assembled and stocked at Hoshino (U.S.A.) in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. The U.S. subsidiary also contributes to Tama’s market research and development.

Hoshino Gakki began manufacturing drums in 1965 under the name “Star Drums”. Hoshino, the family name of the founder, translates to “star field,” thus the selection of the “Star Drums” brand name. The drums were manufactured at Hoshino’s subsidiary, Tama Seisakusho, which had opened in 1962 to manufacture Ibanez guitars and amplifiers. While the production of guitars and amps was moved out of the factory by 1966, the production of drums there continued to grow. The two higher lines of drum models, Imperial Star and Royal Star, were introduced to the American market and were successful lower-cost drums competing against more expensive American-made drums offered by Rogers, Ludwig, and Slingerland at the time.

By 1974, Hoshino decided to make a concerted effort to make high-quality drums and hardware and start marketing its drums under the Tama brand. Tama was the name of the owner’s wife, and means “jewel” in Japanese. In keeping with its heritage, “star” continues to be used in the names of Tama’s drum models to this day.

Tama and Drum Workshop (DW) jointly bought the bankrupt Camco Drum Company. As part of the deal, DW received the Camco tooling and manufacturing equipment while Tama received the Camco name, designs, engineering and patent rights.

At the time, Camco was producing what was thought to be the best drum pedal on the market. DW continued production of the pedal using the original tooling, rebadging it as the DW5000. Tama began production of the same pedal under the Camco name. The Tama version of the Camco pedal is commonly referred to as the Tamco pedal to distinguish it from an original Camco pedal. Tama integrated all the engineering from Camco into their production process and the overall level of quality of their drums increased virtually overnight. The original plan was to market the low-end Tama drums to beginners and use the Camco brand to sell high-end drums to professional musicians. However, even the professionals were starting to use the Tama drums because the low cost of the Asian-made drums with the (now) high quality of hardware was a great combination.

Tama was one of the first companies to offer super heavy-duty hardware, and drum mounting systems that did not intrude into the shell like most brands in the 1970s. They also invented unique tubular drums called Octobans. Octobans are 6″ in diameter and are manufactured in eight different lengths (hence the prefix “octo-“) up to 600mm (23.5”). They vary in pitch by using different shell lengths, rather than widths.

Beginner and semi-professional kits
* Swingstar – TAMA’s entry-level drum kit made with poplar shells in a wrapped finish. Swingstar drums feature TAMA’s unique “Accu-Tone” bass drum hoops, which replaces the claw hooks found on most bass drums for quicker head changes. All Swingstar drums include a full hardware pack and cymbals.
* Imperialstar – Tama’s mid-range entry-level drum kit named after the previous Imperial Star line. Like their less expensive Swingstar counterparts, these drums are made with poplar shells in a wrap finish and feature Accu-Tone bass drum hoops. These drums include Meinl HCS brass cymbals as standard equipment.
* Silverstar/Silverstar Custom – New for 2011, the Silverstar series replace Tama’s Superstar Accel Driver line. Like their Superstar counterparts, these drums are made from 100% birch shells and are available in either lacquer or wrap finishes. Silverstar drums feature a more streamlined version of their Star-Cast tom mounts (now done in chrome to match the hardware), new “Powercraft II” heads with a white resonant head for the bass drum, low-mass lugs, triple-flanged hoops, and a slideable tom holder, which is usually found on the more expensive Starclassic line.
* Superstar Hyper-Drive — Tama’s high-end line of semi-professional drums. These drums are made from 100% Birch shells (originally made from birch and basswood) and feature die-cast hoops in a black nickel finish. As the name implies, these drums are available in TAMA’s trademark “Hyper-Drive” configuration, which consists of shorter tom depths and a longer bass drum depth (20 inches, also known as their “Ultra-Deep” depth) for optimum sound quality. These drums come in either a Wrap or Lacquer finish.

[edit] Starclassic series
Tama’s Starclassic Bubinga logo. Note that the logo is painted onto the shell instead of badged onto it.

The Starclassic series is Tama’s high-end line of drums. Originally hand-crafted in Japan, some of the Starclassic lines are now made in TAMA’s Chinese factory (a notable difference is that Japan-made Starclassics has their badges and vent holes painted on the drum’s shell, while Chinese-made Starclassics feature badges and vent holes drilled onto the shell). All Starclassic series drums come with a more streamlined version of Tama’s Star-Cast mounting system made from aluminum, air-cushioned floor tom legs, “Hold Tight” washers which keeps the tension rods in place (Starclassic Maple-Starclassic Bubinga Elite), die-cast hoops, and Evans drumheads as standard equipment. The drums are also available in a Hyper-Drive configuration, with individual snare drums also available.

* Starclassic Performer B/B – Drums made from a mix of birch and African bubinga shells and come in a wrap or lacquer finish.
* Starclassic Maple – Drums made from 100% maple shells and come in a lacquer finish.
* Starclassic Bubinga/ Starclassic Bubinga Elite – Drums made from 9 plies of African bubinga, with the Elite series made of either quilted bubinga or 8-ply bubinga shells with an outer ply of either maple or cordia. Starclassic Bubinga drums come in a lacquer finish, while Starclassic Bubinga Elite drums come in an exotic lacquer finish.
* Starclassic Bubinga Omni-Tune – Drums made from 100% bubinga shells. As the name implies, these drums feature Omni-Tune lugs, which were invented in the 1930s by drum designer William David Gladstone. These lugs allow the player to tune both drumheads at the same time using a special drum key, and minimizes the time spent on drumhead changes.
* Starclassic Warlord Exotix Spartan – Drums made from stainless steel shells with “Warlord Collection” lugs & emblems with Black Diamond Swarovski crystals. Limited worldwide production to 50 kits.

[edit] Discontinued

* Royalstar
* Beatstar
* Granstar – Drums made from 100% birch 7-ply shells.
* Starworks – Introduced in 2009, Starworks is Tama’s mid-range line of drums aimed for rockers. These drums are made from birch and comes in two different configurations: a rock kit with a 20″ deep bass drum, and a fusion kit, both included with black hardware, a unique bass drum head, and four unique finishes. Due to slow sales, however, the Starworks line was discontinued the following year.
* Rockstar – Drums made from Philippine mahogany shells. Later models made exclusively for Guitar Center had birch/basswood shells.
* Artstar – Drums made from birch wood sandwiched between two plys of South American Cordia wood. They had 9mm bass drum shell and 6mm snare, floor tom and tom tom shells.
* Artstar II – Drums made from 100% Canadian maple 9-ply shells.
* Stagestar – Drums made from Philippine Mahogany.
* Crestar – Drums made from 100% Japanese birch 8-ply shells.
* Techstar – Electronic drums.

[edit] Snare drums

* Warlord Collection – Tama’s top-of-the-line series of snares. Warlord snares feature gothic-styled lugs with Swarovski crystals embedded into them (jet black on wood drums, clear black on metal drums), and feature Tama’s “Resonant Sound Edge” on its metal-shelled drums, which adds resonance and increases tone and projection. Warlord drums are made from either titanum (Titan), brass (Athenian), stainless steel (Spartan), bell brass (Praetorian), bubinga (Masai), and maple (Valkyrie) shells, all in a 6″x14″ size. All drums come with a hardshell carrying case and a certificate of authenticity from Tama’s Japan factory.
* Starphonic – Drums made from either maple, bubinga, brass, or aluminum. Starphonic drums feature Tama’s patented “Groove Hoops” and “Freedom Lugs” for quick head changes and increased sound quality. These drums also feature a Linear Drive strainer system which allow for quieter snare deployments. All drums are available in a 6″x14″ size.
* Artwood Custom – Snares made from a 7-ply maple shell. The snares are outfitted with an Evans Power Center Reverse Dot batter head and black nickel-plated hardware. Available in 6.5″x13″, 4″x14″, 5.5″x14″, and 6.5″x14″ sizes, each in a different color.
* Metalworks – Snares made with a 1.2mm steel shell. Like the Artwood Custom, they come with Evans heads and black nickel-plated hadware, and are available 6.5″x13″, 4″x13″, 5.5″x14″, and 6.5″x14″, with the addition of a 4″x12″ snare.
* Starclassic – In addition to their bubinga, maple, and birch/bubinga snares, this line also includes a 5.5″x14″ copper snare made with a 1.5mm copper shell and a 5.5″x14″ nickel-plated brass snare made with a 1.5mm brass shell.

[edit] Hardware

In addition to manufacturing drums, Tama also offers a variety of stands, pedals, thrones and multi-clamps as well as a rack system.

RoadPro
Tama’s top-of-the-line series of stands aimed at traveling musicians, as RoadPro stands for “Road-Proven”. It features double-braced legs, die-cast joints, a reversible cymbal sleeve, and Tama’s patented Cymbal Mate. RoadPro cymbal stands also feature TAMA’s Quick-Set Tilter for adjusting the cymbal to any angle.

Stage Master
Tama’s bottom-line series of hardware with single and double-braced versions available.

PowerTower Rack
Tama’s rack system featuring a variety of pipes, clamps, and accessories for a custom drum rack.

1st Chair Throne systems
Tama’s top-of-the-line thrones with possible options of a hydraulic lift and back rest.

* Round Rider – round-type throne
* Ergo-Rider – hybrid round and saddle-type throne
* Wide Rider – saddle-type throne

[edit] Pedals

Speed Cobra
Introduced in 2010, the Speed Cobra line features double and single pedal versions that are designed to be lighter, more responsive and have more power than the Iron Cobra series. The Speed Cobra pedals include new features as well as many similar features to the Iron Cobra series.

* Speed Cobra Hi-hat

Iron Cobra
The Iron Cobra line features a selection of Tama’s top-of-the-line pedals and hi-hat stands.

* Bass drum pedals:
o Power Glide – Features an offset cam for increased power and speed
o Rolling Glide – Features a rounded cam for uniform response
o Flexi Glide – Features a traditional strap (made of Kevlar) drive cam
* Hi-hat stands:
o Lever-Glide Hi-hat stand – Features a lever pull system
o Velo-Glide Hi-hat stand – Features a traditional pull-action chain
* Other:
o Cobra Clutch – Attaches to the side of a hi-hat stand to allow the cymbals to be closed or open; a foot-controlled version of the drop-clutch

[edit] Other

* Rhythm Watch – Metronome and practice tool.
o RW100
o RW105

* Tension Watch – Drum head tuning tool.
o TW100

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