Tama took their successful Sound Lap Project (S.L.P.) snare drum concept to a new level with the three drum kits the company officially launched at the 2018 NAMM Show. The Dynamic Capur, the Studio Maple and the Fat Spruce all come with their own specs, finishes, sound and of course their unique S.L.P. look and feel. Below is the complete rundown of all the kits with their own video and all the specific kit-info.
S.L.P. Dynamic Kapur Drum Kit This kit has an all Kapur Shell. Kapur (or Kapor) is a tall forest tree found in the rainforests of Malaysia, Indonesia and South-East Asia. When manufactured as drums, the result is an open lively sound with a good projection. The volume of the drums tends to be high but the sound is deep, dry and warm.
Tama S.L.P. Dynamic Kapur Drum Kit With courtesy of Tama, we added a drum solo of Rodney Holmes from the official Tama video.
Specs S.L.P. Dynamic Kapur
The toms and floor tom are 6ply, 5mm
The bass drum is 7ply, 6mm
Sound Arc Hoops This hoop was specially developed for S.L.P. snare drums. It is an inward curved 2.3mm steel hoop that enhances the natural tone of the snare drum.
Hyper-Drive Toms Hyper-Drive is Tama's standard depth size on tom toms. Tama claims they are easier to tune, have more punch, attack and the sizes have a rich full tone.
Star-Mount System This mount attaches straight to the lugs/hoop of your drum. It has support at four points on the batter side hoop of a drum.
Evans G1 coated drum heads Evans heads are featured on the Dynamic Kapur drum kit (except the bass drum front heads).
Dynamic Kapur Configurations
Configuration #1
16"x22" Bass Drum
6.5"x10" Tom Tom
7"x12" Tom Tom
14"x16" Floor Tom
Double Tom Holder
Configuration #2
16"x22" Bass Drum
6.5"x10" Tom Tom
7"x12" Tom Tom
12"x14" Floor Tom
14"x16" Floor Tom
Double Tom Holder
S.L.P. Studio Maple Drum Kit The Studio Maple is indeed made of 100% Maple wood. There are approximately 128 species of Maple wood. Most of them are from Asia, but Maple can also be found in Europe, northern Africa, and North America. That is why some brands rightfully claim their drums are '100% North America Maple'. And, if you are still wondering but were always too afraid to secretly Google it; yes, Maple syrup is made from the same family of trees.
Special here is that the hoops are also that 100% Maple Wood. Maple's characteristics are that it has a focused, warm tone. Tama's description says this drum is great for live performance, but it performs best in the studio because of the drum's controlled resonance. That well balanced resonance is for a great part due to the added Sound Focus Rings inside the drums, and Tama's new Direct Flexi-Mount system that is explained in the video.
Tama S.L.P. Studio Maple Drum Kit With courtesy of Tama, we added a drum solo of Joel Rosenblatt from the official Tama video.
Specs S.L.P. Studio Maple
All Maple Shell with Sound Focus Ring (image below)
The toms and floor tom are 6ply, 5mm
The bass drum is 8plies, 6mm
Maple Wood Hoop The hoops are 22 mm thick.
Direct Flexi-Mount The new Direct-Flexi Mount has a two-piece structure: a plate that is mounted to the shell, and another piece that holds the L-shaped rod of a tom holder or stand. It is one of Tama's clever designs to increase the resonance of the drums.
Evans G1 coated drumheads
The finish is: Gloss Sienna
Tama Studio Maple Configurations
Configuration #1
16"x22" Bass Drum
7"x10" Tom Tom
8"x12" Tom Tom
16"x16" Floor Tom
Double Tom Holder
Configuration #2
16"x22" Bass Drum
7"x10" Tom Tom
8"x12" Tom Tom
14"x14" Floor Tom
16"x16" Floor Tom
Tama's new Direct Flexi-Mount Tama has brought their successful S.L.P. snare drum concept to a new level with the three drum kits. It features the new Direct Flexi-Mount mounting system. The Direct-Flexi Mount has a two-piece structure: a plate that is mounted to the shell, and another piece that holds the L-shaped rod of a tom holder or stand. Tama designed it to increase the resonance of the drums.
Tama S.L.P. Fat Spruce Drum Kit The Fat Spruce is quit a unique kit. The density of Spruce wood is high, which means it creates a fat sound with a real focused attack. It's rarely used on complete drum sets, which makes it quite unique. All the S.L.P. kits, the Dynamic Capur, the Studio Maple and this Fat Spruce all come with their own specs, finishes, sound and their unique S.L.P. look and feel.
With courtesy of Tama, we added drumming moments of two-time Grammy Award winner Ulysses Owen Jr. from the official Tama video.
Specs of the S.L.P. Fat Spruce Drum Kit
All Spruce Shell
The toms and floor tom are 6ply, 5mm
The bass drum is 8 plies, 7mm
Die-Cast Hoops
Tama's New Direct Flexi-Mount
Evans G1 coated drum heads (Ulysses Owen Jr. actually plays Remo drumheads. The drums come with Evans heads.)
The finish is: Satin Wild Spruce
Fat Spruce Configuration As of now, there is one configuration available.