Tama was the first significant company to offer drum sets with birch wood. This tradition started forty years ago, and it has continued into their all-birch series of kits.
One of their biggest lines is the Silvester product series, which is among the most affordable drums. Young drummers and budget buyers will find them quite appealing at this price range.
As you would expect from any Tama product, their drums do not disappoint in terms of features.
I have always loved Tama drums for their quality. That is why it should be a surprise to find this budget kit with professional drummers.
Although I must confess that I had never used a Silverstar before, my interest only started growing when I noticed many online users recommending the kit for starters.
Having been in the drumming community for many years, I understand the importance of an excellent review. And this is why I aim to offer in this guide.
Tama Silverstar Drum Kit Review
Tama is not a new name in the drumming world. Those who have been in the industry for a long understand how much it means to have Tama sets.
Five decades ago, Tama ana Yamaha were the only companies offering straight-sided birch shells for their drum kit to the USA market. Birch was seen as a better alternative to Maple as it delivers a more focused tone.
Silverstar is a new line that stands on the intermediate slot. Below is the Imperialstar, while above it, you find the professional Starclassic.
The line is defined by a great design, small lugs, and clean isolation mounts. All these features work together to deliver the best side of any affordable sets from a reputable brand.
If you have been used the classic standard Superstar line, it could be the best time to upgrade with a Silverstar. However, the Superstar Hyperdrive remains largely in production.
Pros:
• Versatile sounds
• Professional quality sounds
• Affordable shells
Cons
• None at this range
Who is the kit for?
Tama is known for producing high-end products. It’s therefore easy to assume that everything they make is designed for the higher market.
However, increasing competition forced many large brands to consider budget buyers, who are many. And Tama is not left behind.
It is here that we find the Silverstar line of drums.
In other words, the kits are perfect for beginners who are serious about their passion. It comes as a great quality drum set up at the most affordable price.
I have only believed in two main brands throughout my life, and that is Yamaha and Tama. There are many others, but these two always have something extra to offer.
The Silverstar is an intermediate-priced kit. Hence, you will be glad to have it if you are looking for a high-quality drum kit, but you don’t have enough to invest.
Professional drummers will also love this piece, especially for practice. It has some excellent features you can find in higher-end products, making it ideal for all environments.
Construction
How can you tell if a drum setup is really worth your consideration? Most drummers, started by looking at its build quality.
A great brand like Tama understands the importance of making high-quality drum kits, and that is why they have remained top on the market.
Tama is proud to have introduced the birch tradition on the drum market. Hence, we can start by looking at the shells of this setup.
The snare and toms are made with 6-ply of 6mm birch wood, while the bass drum carries 7-ply 7mm.
They are modern straight-sided shells designed to deliver the best service of modern drummers. That means they do not have reinforcing rings. They come with 45-degree bearing edges.
I realized there was a tiny glitch with one of the edges on the bass drum. But it was nothing to worry about since everything else about the shells was perfect.
Also, I was not expecting such a high-quality at this price range, which also proves that Tam does not joke when it comes to offering the best.
A perfect drum pack is all about the appearance of its drums and how they sound. You can therefore be sure the Silverstar is not an average mid-range set.
Tama seems to have included their diagonal seams, which have been correctly fitted, making it mimic the first-grade birch.
You can find the kits in eight finishes. Five are lacquers, while three are wraps. My piece came in a Transparent Red Burst.
As if that is not enough, you get a handy range of drums for your choosing. There are ten different tom sizes, ranging from 8-inches to 18-inches. Bass drums are four, ranging from 18-inches to 24-inches, while the snare drums are two, 14 by 5-inches and 14 by 6 ½ – inches.
Each configuration assures a unique tonal quality, allowing the drummer to choose what meets their needs.
These drum sizes have been bundled into four-piece setups. This review looks at an Accel Driver 5 Piece shell pack configured with a 22-by 18-inch bass drum, 18- by 18-inch and 12- by 9-inch mounted toms, 16- by 14-inch floor tom, and a 15- by 5-inch snare drum.
Silvester line has been designed with new low-mass lugs and a clean square-edge design on rubber gaskets. The bass drums’ claws are deeply recessed.
The snare drum is my favorite component. It features double-ended bridge lugs with a better design than any other drums. This pull-away MCS70 piston strainer comes with a perfect performance design. The lugs are eight in number, on a thin shell, which makes the snare lighter.
A redesigned Star Mount system isolation bracket is added to make work much easier for the drummer. This part is an angular steel band suspended from four lugs. And it’s set against the top hoop where it assures reduced obstruction compared to others.
My biggest issue comes from the memory lock, which is not fully contoured to the slot. Tama is not known for making such mistakes.
Tama’s Silverstar kits are equipped with a complete Roadpro hardware pack. Double-braced straight and boom stand, hi-hat pedals and bass drum pedals, a snare stand are all part of this kit.
Seeing that it has almost everything you need to start playing, this product is a true budget deal.
Performance
Roadpro hardware is one of the best on the market. Apart from the parts mentioned above, you also get a sliding double-bass tom holder and floor tom legs.
It performed as expected. The double-braced stands offer extra stability since they are a bit heavier. A swiveling footboard is added to the hi-hat stand to accommodate a double bass drum pedal. That means you can easily adjust the angle to your desire, allowing you to play fast and with ease.
One snare stand that can accommodate anything between 12-inches and 15-inches. Hence, it’s an ideal choice for drum kits that have thick hoops. A swiveling basket means to can rotate the strainer in the right position to avoid hitting your thighs.
Tama’s Quick-set cymbal Mates are included on both straight and boom cymbal stands. You won’t find the standard wing screws on this product. The feature comes with red buttons that allow for quick cymbal release when you want to change. I found this to be an exciting thing, theoretically. But I don’t think it actually works.
Sliding tom mount allows the user to bring the bass drum mounted toms nearer. This is a nice feature for different drummers to create their playing positions right. That is one idea any drummer will find useful.
If you buy a jazz shell pack, a bass drum lifter has been added, raising the drums slightly. With this, the beater hits near to the center of the head. Such an approach ensures a deeper fundamental without too many overtones.
A new low-mass lug on this line is simple and yet nice-looking. It’s a stamped-steel model that looks expensive. It comes with Tama’s die-cast lugs found on higher-end lines.
The bass drum claws are the same you will find on more expensive kits from Tama. Rubber spacers on the lugs keep the metal from contact with wood, ensuring a silent performance. These lugs are sturdy too.
Tuning up the drums is very easy. I turned each with the same measure of resistance, which assures a faster setup than other cheaper products.
Sound
My drums were fitted with Tama’s Powercraft II heads. They are single-ply 10ml. Both the snare and bass drum batter featured a creamy coating.
The clear batter on the toms and bass drum were all good-looking. The jazz kits come with coated heads, which I find better.
Internal muffling rings are added to the bass drum dampening overtones. As such, you get a clearer bass drum tone that you would expect from any other kit at this price range.
Both kits sound excellent after tuning. You will like it when upgrading to a professional kit since you are already used to high-quality sounds from this product.
There is also the rock kit, which delivers a deep, a bit boomy kick sound. You might want to muffle it a bit for the best performance. But they still sound well. The toms are clear and with a remarkable sustain. A 4-inch leap down added to the 16-floor tom makes it sound even better. And the tom holder makes them sturdy.
I would recommend you upgrade heads to 2-ply for rock. You want something stronger to handle the aggressiveness of rock music.
A crisp tone comes from the snare – as you might expect from a birch snare. The hoops are only 1.6mm thick, which assures better rim-clicks. Birch is one good material for such tones.
Even with the 4-piece jazz kit, you still get the same quality of tones. Positions the bass drum and tom higher, and you get deeper tones.
The bass drum seems to be the main focus point.
In a nutshell, the Silverstar drum kit is a worthy investment. It comes with all the tonal features of a useful kit. Any drummer will find them good.
Tama Silverstar Drums
I was recently going through online comments on Tama Silverster’s and got one that captured my attention. The person who posted on the Drummerworld forum was comparing Yamaha Stage Customs to Tama Silverstars.
He says … “Yamaha has my favorite finish (Honey Amber) so far, but Tama has my favorite hardware included (Iron Cobras and boom stands). I think they both sounded wonderful, and they are both birch. It’s a difficult choice to make since it’s going to be my kit for a long time before I get an upgrade.”
I was in such a dilemma once too. But then, I tried out the different drums that Tama was offering and settled on it.
The thing is, you get a lot for your money. You cannot go wrong with either kit.
Tama Silverstar options include:
Tama Silverstar Mirage Drum Kit
Tama Silverstar Mirage 5-piece shell pack offers a clean and clear tone, inspired by their name. The Tama’s Limited Edition Silverstar Mirage kit is more than what you can pay for in its range.
It comes with seamless acrylic shells that offer a bright, cutting punch with a lot of body. It also assures durability and sustainability.
Its powerful sound is all that matters. As a modern kit with a focused sound, this kit will be perfect for any drummer.
They are called Mirage because its price is almost too good to be believable. Tama has included a free marching snare with a stand, which you cannot find in the other kits.
Tama Silverstar Jazz
For jazz drummers, the Silverstar jazz kits promise playability, performance and durability, and the best rate. The birch shells deliver a focused, punchy sound that you can be sure to like.
Coming from the newest innovation from Tama, cutting-edge features characterize the Silverstars. Enjoy hardened steel-triple flanged hoops and a more improved Star-Mount Suspension system.
Tama Silverstar Cocktail
The Tama Silverstar Cocktail-JAM kit is an excellent option for modern drummers. Use it for hip-hop, jazz, intimate settings, and tight rehearsal rooms, and the kit will not disappoint. It’s a compact kit that you can easily set up and play using a throne in even the smallest places.
It’s a 100% birch kit, expandable, and with great hardware. It also comes with specially designed drums and hardware bags for easy transport.
You can place the Sound Focus Pad on top of the bass drum to get a tighter and more isolated sound for the bass drums.
Verdict
The new Tama Silverstar series delivers professional sounds at an affordable rate. All the finishes and hardware are perfect too.
This is a nice kit that could be everything you need to start a serious journey into professional drumming. I hope this review helps.