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The word 'custom' has figured a great deal in the history of Yamaha drums. We've had Recording Customs, Beech Customs, Stage Customs and now we welcome the new Tour Custom, a mid-market set-up with some high-end features.

Despite the similar name this is no return of the modern-classic Rock Tour Custom of the '90s. Instead it's a set designed to offer a vintage vibe at non-vintage prices. So is Yamaha's new Tour Custom a win-win kit for tonehounds?

Eastern promise

As a sister kit for Yamaha's popular Stage Custom set, it's no surprise to discover that the Tour Custom originates in indonesia, just as the Stage Custom does. There's no escaping the fact that the location of such production facilities adds little to the sexiness of a drum kit - there's still something of a cachet about US or UK-made gear - but the marketplace is now more than accepting of drums with Far Eastern origins.

And so it should be. The leaps made in manufacturing quality in recent years and the keen eye kept on far-flung factories by marketing and design bods means that standards are higher than ever before. And the cost-value ratio of such kits means they make a lot of sense to the vast majority of drum buyers.

Given its Japanese roots, Yamaha has enormous experience of building drums in the Far East. As with all of the company's instrument output, the feel of the Tour Custom is one of real consistency and quality. The shells are 100 percent maple and there's no denying that they're extremely well finished and beautifully presented.

Externally the shells are treated to a lacquer of typically Yamaha luster - with this six-piece set-up finished in suitably retro Brown Sunburst - and fitted with YESS suspension mounts. Underneath the shiny bits are bearing edges of 60º, as opposed to the sharper 45º edges that are used elsewhere in the Yamaha line-up.

The maple shell and rounded bearing edges are the features that the company is clearly relying on to hook in those punters with a penchant for a classically fat low-end response. Where kits of birch and beech tend towards more upper mid-range cut and thrust, the Tour Custom is clearly crafted so as to offer as much warmth and smoothness as possible.

Standing Proud

While we're dealing with the physical aspects of the kit, I should mention the generously proportioned hardware pack supplied with the Tour Custom here. Made in the Yamaha motorcycle factory (where things need to be built properly, for obvious reasons), the double-braced metalwork is top notch.

Pearl, DW and Tama might have the edge in terms of image where brand hardware is concerned but Yamaha stuff is certainly enduring as anything else, and easy to set up too.