The use of our original Air Seal System is, in part, responsible for the superior quality found in Yamaha drum shells. Select woods are cut into plies, positioned with staggered diagonal seams, and sealed together with evenly distributed air pressure. The resulting shells are perfectly round and of uniform thickness delivering superior tone quality and exceptional durability.

The bass drum utilizes an 8-ply, 10mm shell construction while the floor tom and 12- through 16 toms use a 6-ply, 7.5mm shell. The 8 and 10 toms also use 6-ply shells but 6mm thick. Their new designs place an emphasis on mid- and low-frequencies with just the right amount of power to deliver a well-balanced sound. Beech has the attack and presence of Maple and the bottom-end throaty sound of Birch.

The Vintage finish is a special synthetic resin finish that is applied by hand on high-quality wind instruments. While enhancing the tone of the beech shell, the Vintage finish also provides a durable, waterproof finish that virtually eliminates the influence of weather and humidity on the drum. Over the course of time, the color of the shell will change to a deeper hue that you will surely love.

The unique chrome lug casings found on the Absolute series are fixed to the drum shell with only a single bolt allowing the drum to vibrate freely. A special nylon insert prevents tension rods from becoming loose during play.

The aluminum die cast hoops give these drums the benefit of accurate tuning that die cast hoops are known for but are much lighter weight than zinc so they do not choke the drum like zinc die cast hoops do. They allow the drum to open up much like a triple-flanged hoop.

A sturdy hexagonal design and fixed angle position allow our spurs to withstand bass drum kicks. For the Absolute Nouveau series we made the spurs heavier and even stronger. Height adjustment and the releasing and retracting of the pointed spur is made easy with a drum key.

All new Absolute bass drums come with die cast claws that are lined with plastic so they wont scratch the hoop or rattle if they are loose. The claw has a nylon insert that keeps the claw and tension rod from separating so you dont have loose parts getting lost when changing heads.

Height adjustment on the pedal side of the 18 bass drum is possible with the pipe post stabilizer. Use of this system ensures that the beater makes contact at the center of the head. The stabilizer fits into a pipe clamp on the underside of the drum that allows quick and easy adjustment of the height. The post is equipped with a memory clamp that ensures subsequent settings will be quick and precise every time, while a pair of supports provides added stability.

Long found on our high-end drum kits our original YESS (Yamaha Enhanced Sustain System) mounting system is on all Beech Custom Absolute toms and floor toms. This rod clamp system allows attachment of the drum to the tom holder without the need of a hole in the drum shell for the rod to pass through. The YESS clamp is attached to the shell at the nodal point with two bolts so as to allow the shell to vibrate freely without degrading the shell's dynamic range and sustain. The nodal point is the location on a shell with the least amount of vibration allowing for the mount to have minimal affect to the resonance of the shell.

This round ball clamp has long been a fundamental part of Yamaha System Drums. Made of super-hard resin, the ball is held firmly in place with a steel plate and large wing bolt. While providing ease of operation, this system also delivers total freedom in setting and superior stability.

The triple tom holder accommodates two toms as well as a cymbal holder to provide a wide variety of set up possibilities.