~NiroScene: Yamaha Rock Tour Custom Drums & Percussion Sadly for Sale
Drums, Percussion & Music Page
~ Welcome to my Drums ~ All Were Sold to a Deadbeat in Texas Who Still Owes Me $500 for Shipping But Has Of Course Disappeared; The below was all written before they were sold and I only keep the page up as a reference and to visit them once in awhile ~
When my wife and I moved into our new home, I had to make quite a few changes to the set-up shown in the pix at bottom.
NOTE: THE LATIN/AFRICAN PERCUSSION KIT (CONGAS, BONGOS, TIMBALES ETC.)
SEEN IN THE BOTTOM PIX WERE ALL SOLD IN 2006
THE REST OF WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS FOR SALE
The only reason I'm selling them is because I was re-diagnosed with cancer in mid-summer of 2007 and really can't play much anymore (and certainly can't justify keeping them); plus it's killing me to look at them in my basement sports den/"man room." I have receipts totaling over $5,000 for everything seen below, but that might include the congas, bongos and timbales I already sold -- I just don't recall right now.
The main feature is the set of Rock Tour Customs (made in Japan, not the less expensive and lesser-sounding English versions).
If you've never heard the sound which comes out of Rock Tour Customs, and you're a rock drummer, you're really missing something. They sound spectacular onstage, in the studio or even in your basement. Just a phenomenal booming BLAST of thunder. The most famous drummer I'm aware of who played RTCs was Matt Sorum (Guns 'n Roses, 1990-97), but these kits are legendary. CLICK HERE for Sorum's set-up while he was with GnR.
Here are some links to what RTC owners have said about these incredible drums (based on the British board, it appears that I have a configuration which was called the RTC 3182, with an additional smaller mounted tom):
BBS Discussion at HomeRecording.com
British Drum Forum - Make sure you click on the additional pages of this thread
~ Description Of What's For Sale ~
Drums, Cymbals & Gibraltar Cage First
5-piece Yamaha Rock Tour Custom Drum Kit:
NOTE: THESE ARE TENTATIVELY SOLD (IF THE BUYER HASN'T PAID BY 5/1/09 THEY WILL BE BACK UP FOR SALE AGAIN)
These have a nice warm medium-brown natural finish, with birch & mahogany 8-ply shells (the bass drum is 11-ply). When I bought them in 1996, the seller -- a metro Detroit drum collector -- told me that this particular set was once owned by either Matchbox 20's or Blink-182's drummer, although unfortunately I've no provenance to prove that. I do have the old fibre cases for most of these (all but one, I believe), which will be included with the sale. The drums themselves have been dusted up a bit since I took these pictures in early June of 2008. I really haven't played them seriously since moving in 2002.
You'll notice that the rim on the back of the kick (bass drum) is painted with a royal blue lacquer -- I've no idea why this is, but it's how I bought the kit and never got around to re-painting it black (to match the front one). Likely not even visible from the stage, but it'll be up to you to change it if you'd like. Obviously it doesn't interfere with the sound. I never gigged with these so it was immaterial to me. These drums have been moved twice sine I purchased them: once to get them into my old house and the second time when Laura and I bought our home in 2002. Then, while I was dusting (with a flashlight), I also saw some places on the front bass rim where blue is showing from under the black, so I'm beginning to think that they were BOTH blue at one time, and a previous owner only painted the front one black. Just odd.
I'd say that the RTCs are in VG condition, especially considering their age: I noticed a few small dings on each drum after dusting them, which I've never seen in the six years we've been in our home -- so they must have happened during the move. Nothing serious (or I'd have seen it sooner), and no "tom rash" on the top of the kick, but I'm trying to be as honest as possible. The rims appear to all be in excellent shape with no pitting.
The cymbals (and gong) all sound terrific, although you'll notice that I'm not one to clean my cymbals. So some are pretty shiny and others are darker -- I've owned either the 18" or "20" Zildjian since I got my first good kit in 1971; the rest are much newer.
Also, the spindle of the hi-hat stand is slightly bent (no idea how that happened, and I'm sure that it can be straightened by anyone who's ever taken one of these apart). The unit works perfectly so it shouldn't be a concern to the next owner.
Lastly, I do smoke Al Capone cognac-dipped cigarillos in the "man cave" -- I would think that drums don't soak up smoke, especially as I have a professional ventilation system down there, but in the interest of honesty I felt it should be mentioned. You'll see in the very bottom pix that I have a cigarette dangling from my lips. I switched to cigarillos in 2001.
The Yamaha Rock Tour Customs consist of...
(sizes as close as I could measure, as I'm not an expert); quantities are in parentheses:
(1) 22"H x 18"D "Turbo Size" Kick
(1) 16"W x 16"D "Power Size" Tom
(1) 14"W x 12"D "Power Size" Tom (above two toms double-mounted on original double-braced Yamaha stand)
(1) 12"W x 10"D "Power Size" Tom
(1) 10"W x 10"D "Power Size" Tom (both on new Yamaha double-mount on top of Kick)
Additional DRUMS Included:
(1) 14" x 4" Pearl piccolo snare with brilliant sound
(3) Remo RotoToms, 6.5", 8.5" & 10.5," mounted on center lower rail of Gibraltar cage:
I have the double-braced stand somewhere if you prefer to use them that way --
I believe the Pro-Mark sticks holder (which is also included and is seen on the floor
in some of the pix) is clamped to it
(2) Toca Timbalitos, 7" & 8.5", mounted on right lower rail of Gibraltar cage
CYMBALS and GONG Included (all are mounted on stands in Gibraltar mounts)
Note that all positions listed are from from BEHIND KIT:
(2) Zildjian "Z" 14" DynoBeat Hi-Hats
(1) Zildjian 20" China Boy Low (far RIGHT in pix)
(1) Zildjian 20" Ride (far LEFT in pix)
(1) Zildjian 18" Field Ride (2nd to LEFT in pix)
(1) Zildjian 16" Brilliant Rock Crash (CENTER)
(1) Paiste 16" 505 Crash (2nd to RIGHT, next to China Boy)
(1) Paiste 12" Alpha Splash (to RIGHT of Zildjian Brilliant)
(1) Sabian 10" Pro Splash (BELOW Paiste 505 Crash)
(1) Paiste 8" 2000 Splash (BETWEEN Paiste 505 Crash & Sabian Pro Splash)
(1) Wuhan 22" Gong with Beater (to RIGHT of Hi-Hat)
(1) Unused Zildjian Gig Bag, Black with Legendary White Logo:
Holds 20" Ride, 16" Crash and 14" Hi-Hats (not pictured)
ADDITIONAL HARDWARE Included:
(1) Tama Hi-Hat (see note above about VERY slightly bent spindle)
with RhythmTech DST Drum Tambourine on spindle extension
(1) Pearl Double-Kick Beater
(1) Tama Double-Braced Snare Stand
(1) Adams Hydraulic Adjustable-Height Double-Braced Throne
THE CUSTOM DOUBLE-DECK (GENUINE) GIBRALTAR CAGE BY KAMAN is made up of:
(6) Gibraltar 43.5" Horizontal Rails
(4) Gibraltar 69" Vertical Rails
(12) Gibraltar Clamps to hold the cage together tightly
(11) Gibraltar Clamps for the cymbal & drum stands; many are Memory Clamps
KNOWN MINOR ISSUES WITH THE GIBRALTAR CAGE:
Because I want to be as honest as I can, the only issues I see with the cage were all there when I bought it with the Rock Tour Customs from the previous owner:
A. One end cap is missing (which you can buy at Guitar Center or online from any number of dealers). All other caps are here (15 in all), as are all four rubber "feet."
B. There are a total of seven small pieces of masking tape (or what's left of them) on two of the uprights and two of the horizontal bars. There may be more under the clamps, but I've no way of knowing that until it's disassembled. My presumption is that a previous owner who gigged with the set had them there to remember where to put the clamps. The tape should come off with "Goo Gone," "Goof Off" or "Oops! Multi-Purpose Remover" -- and some elbow grease.
C. There appears to be some minor pitting on the upright nearest the snare stand, but as these are chrome-plated, I'd presume that a thorough going over with a high-quality chrome polish will take care of that. Actually, I'd highly recommend that all of the cage be gently cleaned with chrome polish. Because they've always been in a basement (where I smoke) since I purchased them in 1996, much of the metal feels like it has a texture on it; I'm sure that chrome polish will take care of virtually all of this. Kaman's Gibraltar Maintenance site says that steel wool will leave some scratches, but I've used extra-fine steel wool on these rails (when I first purchased the whole kit) with excellent results. Also remember that three of the horizontal bars were purchased brand new by me in '96 from Guitar Center.
D. The Pearl boom holding the Paiste 505 Crash has what appears to be rust, but actually seems to be more masking tape. I make no guarantee that steel wool will make it look brand new but it should :)
E. It appears that a previous owner tried to peel off the right side of the small "Gibraltar" label on one upright.
I've included photos of all of these to show you what I'm talking about. The pic of the tape is the very worst-case scenario of the tape issues.
PLEASE EMAIL ME AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR ADDITIONAL INFO OR TO MAKE AN OFFER
Here's what the set-up looks like right now in the smaller space:
The LARGE LP (Latin Percussion) Stand
8/21/08 UPDATE: THIS HAS BEEN SOLD
Everything you see on the table is for sale! Most of this has never been played: I may have hit the jam blocks and some of the cowbells a dozen or so times but the only damage I see to any of the percussion is a few tiny chips of paint missing on the white Toca Triple Fusion Bell (tri-cowbell) set.
Note: The drum keys and cymbal felts go with the main RTC kit
Here's what this included:
An LP 760A Percussion Table (48.5"W x 20"D x 63"H), including two LP 762A detachable 12"W x 19"D Percussion Table Extension Wings (one on either side) -- with original LP carrying/gig bag, which has never been used.
Top Rung:
(1) LP 1307 Blast Block
(1) Rhythm Tech Ribbon Crasher (15")
(1) Set LP 231B Large Agogo Bells (12" & 8")
(1) LP 311B Triangle, with Striker (5")
Center Rung:
(1) LP 306A Torpedo Guiro, Large (19") with Guiro Scraper
(1) Toca Triple Fusion Bell Set (three white cowbells)
(1) Chrome Cowbell -- Likely an LP 206A Bongo (6")
(1) Jam Bell-style Cowbell, Flat Gun-metal Steel (4.5")
(1) LP ES-8 Salsa "Songo" Timbale Cowbell, Flat Gun-metal Steel (5")
(1) LP 204A Black Beauty Cowbell (5")
(1) LP 209 Vibra-Slap II, Wood, Deluxe (10.5")
(1) Remo Tambourine, Black Plastic
Left LP Table Wing:
(2) LP 389 Maracas, Fiber
(2) Misc. Maracas from Spain
Center LP Table:
(2) T-2512 Toca Claves, Rosewood (8")
(1) LP 234C Afuche/Cabasa (8" x 5.25")
(1) Remo "Senor Kelly" Shaker with Two Covers
(1) Shekere, Real Gourd (11"H x 7.25"W)
(1) LP WorldBeat Percussion Guiro, with "Scratcher" (13.5")
(1) CP374 Sleigh Bell Set (25 Bells) (13.25"): This is the one item I'll miss most; it sounds awesome at Christmas
Right LP Table Wing:
(1) Remo Banana Shaker
(1) Remo Apple Shaker
(2) Misc. Castanets from Spain
(1) LP WorldBeat Rainstick (30")
Miscellaneous:
(1) Remo Hand Drum, 21.5" & 2.5", hanging on wall behind kit
The SMALLER SP (Sound Percussion) Stand HAS BEEN SOLD as of 8/21/08...
But it Included:
An Upright Double-Braced SP (Sound Percussion) Stand: adjustable, but currently 55" tall, with the following...
(1) LP 372 "Everything Rack"
(2) LP 1305 & 1307 Blast Blocks
(2) LP 1205 & 1207 Jam Blocks
(1) LP 570 Black Tri-Bell set
(1) LP 009 Rock Classic Ridge Rider Cowbell
(1) LP 205 8.5" Timbale Cowbell
(2) LP 1231 & LP 1233 Jam Bells
(1) 23" set of India Street Percussion chimes (37 Bars)
My original setup at the old house was the Yamaha Rock Tour Custom kit with a Pearl piccolo snare & Pearl's double~kick beater, a Tama hi~hat with Zildjian Dyno~Beats, (way too many) mostly high~end Zildjian & (a few) Paiste cymbals and one cool gong ~ all surrounded by a CUSTOM double~layered Gibralter cage...
On the other side of the room was my Latin & African drums & percussion area: LP & Toca timbales (4) & timbalitos (2), Matador congas & bongos, Remo RotoToms and a Toca fiberglass Djembe.
Behind this kit was an LP extended percussion table with all manner of percussion. Basically more cowbells, blocks, shakeres, bells etc. than you can shake a rainstick at. The rainstick's on the right side of the larger LP table.
I say "larger" because I also have the more compact, area~efficient SP percussion rack/table to the left of the hi~hat on my main kit. If you need a sweet rack/table like this I'd give it a look.
On each kit I also use the excellent Adams throne (hydraulics with quick~release height~changing and Gibralter~quality double~braced legs). If you haven't played sitting on one of these babies, check it out. Decent price too.
