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Three new lacquer finishes are available.

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Yamaha's Oak Custom drums made their debut nearly five years ago. In that time they have found fans among a broad range of players. Jazzers are attracted by the wide open yet clean nature of drums made of oak, while rockers are impressed by the wood's strong fundamental tones and capacity for volume.

With a variety of drummers already tuned into the benefits of an alternative wood, Yamaha has expanded the Oak Custom range further, introducing three new lacquer finishes and a greater choice of individual drums.

From the smallest acorn

Oak is an extremely hard and durable wood, commonly used to make floorboards, doors and furniture. When made into drums, its hardness imparts distinctive sonic characteristics, but this very toughness has foxed many previous attempts at creating drums from it.

Yamaha experimented for some time before launching the original Oak Custom series, only going into production after almost universally positive artist feedback. The company's Air Seal System of manufacturing and the diagonal seams it employs help achieve consistent results from a demanding wood.

Though difflcult to work, oak is fairly cheap as a raw material, so Yamaha can market the drums at a competitive price.

The first Oak Custom kits were distinguished by some quirky sizes, not least among floor toms, which came in 13" and 15" diameters. Though making perfect sense for the wood involved, these uncommon sizes never really caught on, with most drummers opting for even number-sized floor toms. Accordingly, Yamaha has reverted to more conventional 14", 16" and 18" floor toms, which pretty much covers most musical palettes.

Some of the quirkiness remains however; the toms are all Universal lengths (deeper than Quick sizes but substantially shorter than Power depths), while three of the four bass drums (20", 22" and 24" diameters) are 17" in length, with the 18" model being 15" deep. While super-deep bass drums are all the rage, a greater range of sounds is possible from shorter kicks, so 17" would seem a sensible compromise between outright power and a more rounded versatility.

The shell pack supplied is bang up to the minute, comprising a 22"x17" bass drum, 10"x8" and 12"x9" rack toms and a 16"x16" floor tom. An extra 14"x14" floor tom was also included, along with a 14"x7" snare drum. There are two other shell packs available; the same bass drum and rack toms with a 14" floor tom, and a 20"x17", 10"x8", 12"x9", 14"x14" kit. A 14"x5½" snare and individual toms from 8" to 16" complete the options.

Oak gets in your eyes

Up to this point, Oak Custom drums have only been available in one finish, York Honey Amber, a light, warm stain that lets the grain of the wood below blush through. There are three new lacquer finishes, the snazziest of which, Silver Sparkle, graces the review kit. It's the sort of finish that makes any kit more desirable.