Recording Custom

Recording Custom shells are crafted from select cuts of birch. Floor toms and tom toms are formed with 6-ply designs while bass drums use 7-plies. The series is available in two color finishes, a traditional cherry wood finish and solid black.

Yamaha's one-piece high-tension lugs are precision-machined to allow severe, high tension tuning

At Yamaha, the process of manufacturing drum shells begins with selection of the materials. Select woods are cut into sheets with precision cut diagonal ends. The plies are fit into a form and hammered into place by a highly skilled craftman. The angled ends allow the craftman to finlely adjust the ply length, thus maintaining proper tension. Ply joints are staggered by 120-degrees and hammered into place in the same manner. An air bag placed inside of the shell and inflated at high-pressure puts even pressure on the shell's inner surface creating a perfectly round shell with uniform thickness and excellent durability.
This is the Air Seal System, a process that has been in use at Yamaha for over 40 years.

The secret of our YESS system is twofold: First, it provides minimum contact of hardware with shell; second, it connects that hardware at the nodal point* of the drum - the point at which it will not interfere with shell vibration. Nylon bushings on rod clamps afford maximum stability. The YESS system permits toms to be placed close together, and does not interfere with quick head changes. On floor toms, our YESS system offers wide open sustain while keeping toms stable under the heaviest strokes. * Nodal point mounting is patented by the Noble & Cooley Drum Company.

A tribute to Yamaha design technology, our original ball mount and clamp has gone through very few modifications over the years. A large, ultra-hard resin ball sits in an attractive chromed housing, held in place with a titanium ergonomic wing bolt. It is the ultimate drummer-friendly mount, offering non-slip positioning virtually anywhere the drummer can imagine. Additionally, it permits tuning of the bottom head by simply rotating the drum.

Historically, most drums have been vented with a single air hole. Yamaha engineers studied bass drum dynamics and, with the Absolute Series, provided the customary top vent hole one the player's side, and then added holes located around the front end of the shell. The additional air holes permit additional air, the result of "internal combustion", to escape, providing a distinctly more comfortable beater action, more controllable on the rebound. The reduction in beater vibration and backlash in particularly noticeable when an intact head without a hole is used on the audience side.