Recording Custom

REFINING THE LEGENDARY RC WITH STEVE GADD

‘For the past 3 years I’ve been meeting with the Research and Development guys at Yamaha with the aim of bringing the Recording Custom Series up to date. I told Yamaha what I thought throughout the process, the result is that everything is a step up. They still feel like the Recording Custom, when you take them out of the box they don’t feel new, they feel comfortable and I think that’s good. The Bass Drum has a nice fat sound, the drum responds to different heads on it, and my goal was to have a simple Snare Drum design that could respond to a wide range of tuning. I think we did a great job, the new Recording Customs sound great and I think you’ll like them’.

New Weighted High Tension Lugs

The revamped modern design retains the traditional essence of the Recording Custom. In order to maximum the attenuating properties of the birch wood, we’ve increased the weight of the lug, further enhancing the artist’s expressive power and reducing undesirable noise from the shell without using a mute. This ensures optimum sustain for the core sound, producing a crisp, articulate tone.

All Birch Shell

In addition to their punchy power, birch shells are known to reduce unwanted noise and prevent interference when drums are set up side-by-side. The unique sonic characteristics of birch wood ensure that each stroke is clearly delineated, making it widely considered to be the ideal choice for recording environments.

Lifted Style Bass Drum

Steve prefers a 20 inch lifted bass drum, so we adopted this specification.

We reduced interference from the floor to maximize the resonance of the shell, and increased the length of the pedal beater rod, centering it precisely to ensure absolute accuracy during performances.

This lifted bass drum produces a more punchy sound and accentuates the sound produced in the core of the shell.

R1.5/30 degree bearing edge

While testing many combinations of shells Steve Gadd opted for 30 degree bearing edges, to deliver a sharp response. The shells have a wide tuning range, respond well to different head choices and are easy to tune.

Coated head

Toms and floor toms are equipped with Remo Ambassador Coated heads, which are known for their warm, clear tone and open, resonant sound quality. Bass drums are fitted with a PS3 Smooth White Yamaha logo head and a Remo PS3 coated batter head (18" bass drum batter side features a Remo Ambassador Coated head).

YESS Mount

Brackets and shells are connected using the smallest possible contact area, so that resonance damping is minimal. These are the basic concepts that were behind the development of the YESS mounting system. Where it was previously necessary to adjust the rod length to achieve optimum resonance, or in some cases to subdue an excessively resonant shell, YESS makes it easy to achieve ideal resonant characteristics.

Floor Tom Brackets

Floor Tom bracket includes wing bolts. It’s designed to clamp tightly on the leg without damaging it, to save time on stage, and to deliver optimum decay control.

Diecast BD Hooks

Bass drums feature designed doe-cast hooks, which provide noise free function through the use of an insertion plate.