About Maple Custom Absolute Nouveau

The Maple Custom Absolute series combines the best of the traditional drum maker's art with Yamaha's cutting edge technology. The low mass lugs and 100% maple shells accompany Yamaha's flawless wood finishes and state-of-the-art hardware. Not only do the drums look great, they sound fantastic. The combination of lightweight lugs and thin maple straight-sided shells (with no sound obstructing inner support hoops) gives the Maple Absolute a bright, un-constricted, deep and powerful tone.

The Absolute series is distinguished by its sleek, classically proportioned chrome lug casings. Each lug is fixed to the drum shell by a single bolt, thus allowing maximum shell vibration. A special nylon insert prevents tension rods from working loose during performance.

The shells are 6-ply tom-toms and 7-ply bass drums. The warm character of the maple is enhanced by our Air-Seal System manufacturing process. Select maple wood is cut into plies, positioned with staggered diagonal seams and sealed together with evenly distributed air pressure. This process ensures that every drum is perfectly round and of uniform thickness.

The shells are finished on the outside with durable polyurethane. Our nine-step, seven day finishing process provides a deep, rich lustre, the culmination of over a century of acoustic instrument manufacturing. The Vintage Natural finish is a new sealed coating which will mature with age and enhances the rich natural acoustics of the maple.

For jazz or jungle/drum & bass players there is the option of the smaller 18" bass drum. This features Yamaha's special floating system which lifts the bass drum off the floor so that the pedal beater can still strike the centre of the head.

Both Maple and Birch Custom Absolute drums have the same number of plies and are available at the same price in the same finishes. This means you can combine maple and birch drums in the same kit if you wish. The thin shells and small lugs also ensure the Absolute series is relatively light in weight, making it a joy to transport. Yet at the same time, because of the Air-Seal construction, the drums are immensely strong.

All the drums are fitted with Yamaha's Enhanced Sustain System (YESS) which provides minimum mount-to-shell contact, increasing the drum's resonance while providing maximum dynamic range and sustain. Finally, the 2.3mm chromed steel Dyna-Hoop rims provide pinpoint stable tuning with cracking rim-shots.

What Do I Get For My Money

Maple Custom Absolute drums are available in 3 shell pack configurations or as individual shells allowing you to build your perfect set of drums in the sizes you want to play.

The price of a Maple Custom Absolute individual drums do not include any tom arms which need to be purchased separately.

If you would like a quote for a Maple Custom Absolute drum kit please contact us with a list of the shell sizes you would like (see below for available sizes)

It is worth bearing in mind that although there is normally a limited stock of Maple Custom Absolute drums available for immediate purchase, most kits would be Special Order, made exclusively for the customer and shipped from Japan, taking between 4 - 6 months.

Available Sizes

Shell Packs

Jazz Fusion - 20"x16" bass drum, 10"x09", 12"x10", 14"x12" rack toms (includes tom holders)

Fusion - 22" x16" bass drum, 10"x09", 12"x10", 14"x12" rack toms (includes tom holders)

Rock - 22"x16" bass drum, 12"x10" & 13"x11" rack toms, 16"x16" floor tom (includes tom holders)

Bass Drums

18"x14", 18"x16"
20"x16", 20"x18"
22"x16", 22"x18"
24"x16", 24"x18"

Floor Toms

13"x14"
14"x14"
15"x14"
16"x14", 16"x16",
18"x16"

Rack Toms

08"x07", 08"x08"
10"x7.5", 10"x08", 10"x09"
12"x08", 12"x09", 12"x10"
13"x09", 13"x10", 13"x11"
14"x10", 14"x12"
15"x13"
16"x14"

Colour Options

The Maple Custom Absolute series drum kit is available in 6 different standard UK finishes.

To view these available colours, click on the icons above.

Yamaha produce a total of 33 different colours in the Absolute range, many of which are only avalable on special order. These take between 14-16 weeks.

For more info on the complete list of colours please click here.