About Rick Marotta Hip Gig

Ask any drummer what's the worst part of gigging and they'll tell you setting up, tearing down, and carting home the drums. The ingenious HipGig is a compact four-piece drum set which can be set up in five minutes, needs the minimum of floor space, and can be carried from car to stage in one easy trip. The snare and two tom toms are stored inside the hinged bass drum during transport, then mounted off it when set up. And all the stands, pedals and brackets fit into the 'throne'-style canister seat. The whole caboodle fits into the two supplied soft bags.

The Hipgig shells are made from a 7-ply sandwich of high quality birch and mahogany. Toms come equipped with Remo Pinstripe heads, the bass drum with Remo Renaissance PowerStroke-3s and the snare with a Remo coated Ambassador batter. This combination supplies attack alongside control and body. The 10"x6" and 13"x7" toms may be small, but they sound surprisingly full and loud. In addition there are now two more tom-toms which can be bought separately. These measure 8"x5.5" and 12"x6.5" and both are supplied with soft carrying cases. The 12"x5" snare is suspended rather than placed on a normal stand, resulting in an extra liveliness and a huge reverberant cross-stick sound.

The 16"x20" bass drum is fitted with a special floating bass drum system, which enables the bass pedal beater to strike centre for maximum punch. What the bass drum loses in diameter it makes up for in its 20" depth; and by raising it off the floor, resonance is again maximised. The sound is deep but articulate, works well tuned low or high and doesn't require any damping.

The Hipgig comes in three distinctive finishes: the original eye-catching Mellow Yellow lacquer, White Marine Pearl and Rick Marotta's signature Cherry Red lacquer. While the portability and speed of set-up/break-down are obviously big attractions, the Hipgig ranks alongside Yamaha's other top lines. It displays all of the craftsmanship, sound quality and durability that has made Yamaha a worldwide professional's choice. With its unmistakable incisive sound the Hipgig has found a place in the hearts of everyone from small group jazz drummers to cutting edge jungle and drum 'n' bass stylists.

About Al Foster Hip Gig

The new Al Foster Signature Hipgig Sr. takes the original Hipgig formula and applies it to larger sized drums. The drummer gets a bigger, deeper tone from what is still a compact and easy to transport kit. The bass drum has increased two inches from the original 16"x20" to 18"x22", while the 14"x8.5" and 12"x6.5" tom toms and the 13"x5" snare drum are all one size larger than before. In addition you can now buy a 10"x6.5" tom as a separate item supplied with its own soft case carrying bag.

The Hipgig shells are made from a 7-ply sandwich of high quality birch and mahogany. Toms and snare drum come equipped with Remo Ambassador Coated batters, the bass drum with Remo Renaissance PowerStroke-3s. This combination supplies plenty of attack alongside control and body. The exceptional 22" depth gives the bass drum a cavernously deep sound, which is further amplified by raising it off the floor.

Because of the larger drums the hardware set-up has been slightly modified from the standard Hipgig. There are now two separate CS641 cymbal stands which allow the use of bigger cymbals and wider variation in positioning. Like the standard Hipgig, the snare and two tom toms are stored inside the hinged bass drum during transport, then mounted off it when set up. But instead of the canister throne the Al Foster Hipgig has a normal drum stool. This and the other hardware pack easily into the supplied soft carrying bag. To add further distinction, the Al Foster Hipgig has its own sharp 'jazzy' finishes: Jaguar and Gold Marine Pearl, along with the more traditional White Marine Pearl.

The Hipgig is perfect for the busy gigging jazz drummer. But, with its larger sizes, the Al Foster Hipgig is a versatile kit which will find a place in almost any style of music.

About Manu Katche Hip Gig

The Junior Hipgig is built using the same processes and with the same care as all our other drum series. Fitted with quality Remo drum heads it produces a bright, clean and articulate tone.

The bass drum is 16"x16" and 9-ply while the 13"x13" floor tom, the 10"x7" mounted tom and 12"x5" snare drum are all 6-ply. The shells are all made from Philippine mahogany which gives a loud, warm and open tone. Like all Yamaha shells the mahogany plies are laminated using the exclusive Air Seal System, which ensures that every drum shell is perfectly round and of uniform thickness. The shells are covered with a tough polymer wrap, available in a choice of four cool colours.

The hardware includes a pro-quality ball-clamp tom holder, bass drum and hi-hat pedals, alongside two lightweight but sturdy cymbal stands. There's also a newly designed low-cradle snare drum stand. The bass drum is fitted with our special floating system, which enables the bass pedal beater to strike the centre of the head for maximum punch. Also, by raising the drum off the floor, the maximum resonance is obtained.

The Hipgig Junior is a genuine Yamaha drum set, very affordable and perfect for the young player just starting out. But its outstanding quality also makes it ideal for any drummer looking for a truly compact and easily transportable kit that delivers a great sound.