The Imperialstar sounds awesome for an entry level kit! The quality is just top notch. These is perfect for a drummer on a budget like me. Tama's advertisement is on the money here, the only entry level on the whole package is the price! I'm glad I chose the Tama Imperialstar over the Pearl Forum kit. I replaced all the Tom heads with Remo Coated Emperor Heads, Remo Coated Emperor X Reverse Dot Snare head and Remo Clear Powerstroke 3 on my Bass drum and the drums just came alive! The stock Tama heads are okay but if you want an even more awesome tone, you've got to get Remo heads, believe me, it's worth it. The Tama German made cymbals sounds pretty good to me. I will eventually replace them with a set of Zildjian but the more I play them the more they're sounding great! You can tell that they are not some cheap ass cymbals that usually come in these entry level package kit. The 18" X 22" Bass drum sounds deep and clean. The metal black chrome snare looks and sounds awesome!!

The hardware that came with the kit are awesome!! They are high quality stands & pedals and better than the Pearl hardware that came with the Forum kit. The Hi-Hat pedal has a swivel foot that enables the pedal to be re-positioned to make room for a slave pedal from a twin bass pedal which is so awesome since I just ordered a Tama Iron Cobra Twin Bass Pedal, this would be perfect! The Hi-Hat Stand that comes with the Pearl Forum Kit doesn't have a Swivel foot and the pedal is fixed. Good luck using a twin bass pedal on that one. The bass pedal that it came with is also awesome! It features Tama's famous Power Glide drive which are found on their high end Iron Cobra bass pedals and have the bells and whistles of an expensive bass pedal. It has a beater angel adjustment, dual sided beater head (felt & nylon) and slip free spring tension adjustment nuts and it looks cool!! I got my kit in vintage red and the finish looks so awesome! It's hard to believe this is an entry level kit. Everything comes in the box and ready to rock!!!

Super easy to setup. The bass drum, floor tom & the throne requires assembly. The only tool you need to put them together is a drum key which is by the way comes with the kit! A little straight forward easy to follow instruction manual is supplied for the inexperienced beginner. It's very helpful if this is you first kit. Once everything is setup correctly, everything works and functions as they should be.

Absolutely superb quality! An entry level kit that is not entry level quality. Tama is one of the most innovative leaders in acoustic drum designs. They hit it right on the money with the new Imperialstar Kit. There are absolutely no cheap parts on this kit. The kit is as good as it gets on this price range and with the right setup it will sound from good to great. And in the end, a drum is a drum is a drum. You don't need a Starclassic!

Absolutely fantastic value! It's a COMPLETE READY TO ROCK KIT IN A BOX for a super great price. The Pearl Forum series which is on the same entry level price range only comes with 3 cymbals, a pair of hi-hats and a crash/ride. The Tama Imperialstar comes with complete 4 very high quality and great sounding cymbal set, hi-hats, crash and ride cymbal that comes with an awesome Tama straight/boom stand. I couldn't ask for a better value. And yes I bought it here at Zzounds!

I never dealt with the company before and I don't think I will ever need to.

The Tama Imperialstar looks absolutely beautiful! The vintage red finish is deep, lush and brillaint. Makes me look good when I'm playing. It does have the look of an expensive professional kit. Yes, I would buy another kit again in a heartbeat.

Guitar player for 24 years. 6 of those years played semi-pro & now retired. Started playing drums 3 years ago as my new hobby.

Metal, Hard Rock, Classic Rock & Blues.

You may not know, but you can make pretty much any drum set sound great with high quality heads! The wood has some effect, but in the end it really comes down to how the drums were made, what heads are used, and how well you play! The sound of these drums with evans heads are very nice! I have played drums since I was 8. My father had a high quality Rogers kit that I played growing up. This Imperialstar Kicks its tail! If you want an awsome sound these drums are for ROCK!

I was amazed when I saw how much Drumset you get for this price! Amazing Value! 10 years ago you would have paid $1,500.00 or more for this level of a kit! Yes, this has very advanced features that I love! Features found on much more expensive kits.All the features found on this kit are great.

The Stock heads for my kit were very hard to tune. I would suggest however that you talk to your local music shop and get nicer heads suited towards your style of playing. It's very hard to put a head on a drum we all would like. Tama has a great website full of Info. So many famous drummers use Tama drums! Lots of UTUBE video on set up as well. With Tama, you can't go wrong. These drums are tuff! I played a set in highschool! We beat the heck out of them! they kept right on playing.

Made very well! These drums are known for their durability! These drums are flawless! I have owned them for 4 months now! I ordered a 10" Tom to expand my five peice. The set looks sweet! My set is the dark blue, and man I sit and find myself staring at it for hours! The more light you shine on it, the more brilliant it looks! Sweet Drumset! I will tell you I am an experienced drummer on a family budget. These drums are the best choice out there for a kit in this price! Play them, gig them, they will last you and dazzle a crowd!

Look around, I did! No better kit out there for the buck. Yes, a drum is a drum, but when you look at hardware, cymbals, and the legendary durabiltiy Tama offers you, these drums are unbeatable! The cymbals you get are definatly nice sounding. A beginner would score big time! An advanced player will upgrade to be expected as they want a custom sound!

Tama has been around a long time. They don't mess around.I have not had any warranty issues. The drums are superb.

These drums look awsome! On a stage the girls would go wild if you are a great player! The drums have the class to carry you all the way!

Active Musician

Rock, Metal

have had over 50 kits in my yrs of drumming had high end kits just sold my dw's 7 piece kit they looked great but the sound was iffe so i bought a 5 piece imperialstar w/ menel cymbals changed the heads to aquarian 2 ply performance and i was amazed at the sound deep shell toms the kisck sounds like a canno now the cymbals are great for cheapies i got the midnoght mist actually darker then the pics all most black but the glitter under lights looks grea, still inpressed with the quality buy a kit you will love them

more then i expected in quality and the sonde will blow you away change the stock heads

great

WELL MADE FOR CHCINA DRUMS

I PAID 679.00 FREE SHIPPING

NO PROBLEMS

PRO DRUMMER 50 YRS EXP

OLDOES CLASSIC RICK BLUES JAZZ BIG BAND

I am very pleased with the sound of these drums. After tuning, and some break in time, they are a good sounding set. I bought some Aquarian studio muffling rings and combined with them, they are great! The Meinl cymbals are much better than you would think. They are very much better than any entry level set that comes with some of the other sets. They seem to sound better if you hit them a little harder, and after some break in time.

I was very pleased with the quality of the hardware included in this kit. The only reason I gave it a 9 was because the throne that comes with it is VERY uncomfortable. But the rest of the hardware is well made and easy to set up.

The fit and finish of this kit is GREAT! They look great and make even me look better! Replace the heads with some Remo's and I wouldn't hesitate to take them on the road!

Well worth the money! No other kit provides this level of quality to price ratio!

I haven't needed them, but I hear they stand by their products!

I got the midnight wine color and it's awesome! The chrome finish on the hardware is great, and the cymbals look good too!

Active semi-pro musician

Blues, Southern Rock, Country

The sound of this drum kit is amazing for an entry level kit. It was easy to set up and tune. These drums easily accommodate many different styles of playing. They are not overly loud for residential practice yet they don't sound wimpy like so many of the retail store models. Studio rings are a must especially in a small room. This set is perfect for the serious and committed beginner or for anyone who wants an acoustic set for home use.

TAMA hardware is an amazing value. It is sturdy, stylish and functional. This particular set included everything you need to get started playing. My particular set did not have drum sticks but I am sure it was just an oversite when packaging it. It included Mienl Cymbals which are an unbelievable value. These things ring like Zildjan A's at a fraction of the cost. I was surprised at the superior quality of these things.

As I said before this kit was very easy to assemble. It came with a step by step DVD to show you how to put it together yet I didn't need it. You can set it up right out of the box and begin having fun.

The finish was very nice and the hardware is superior quality. I got the Midnight Blue and it has alot of bling. The only drawback with this set that I could see is that the kick drum has plastic hoops which may break if you transport your drums often. The kick pedal may be a little flimsy and I will probably replace it in 6 months.

The overall value is excellent. If you are looking for a new kit that won't break the bank and if you are new to drumming then this is the set for you. It smells so much better than the used garage kits I checked out.

Great web site with lots of information and user forums for support. TAMA is a major brand name and local dealers can help with any questions you might have.

I like this kit a lot. It's like a piece of furniture and the new Imperial Star Logo on the drum head makes people take notice. Looks kind of like a crown or a crest. It is different than what you see in the pictures. Everyone who sees this kit says it is awesome and they want it. Even people who don't like drums will want to beat on this thing.

Wannabe Rock Star

I'll play anything

Have just set up my new imperialstar, great sound, miele cymbals excellent, finish is first class bass drum sounds amazing, so glad I made the right choice. Tama do the business like no other! Big sound.

Didn't like the bass drum plastic hoops. Loved the 10" splash and it's sturdy clamp.

Easy to tune, great first kit, and very easy to set up.

Well made and very sturdy, bass drum spurs are chunky and easy to adjust.

Yes, definitely.

Not yet.

Great just to look at, big,big sound, the total ease of setting it all up, clean lines and sharp practical design.

Active musician

Rock

This is my first drum set so I have no idea what a good set sounds like next to a bad one. What do you want from me...It sounds like drums.

For the price I believe the set is excellent. I went to my local music store and the stands that come with this set are far better than what comes with a more expensive set. Excellent quality. I am very happy with the set.

The set is beautiful. No scratches, dents, etc. Only had one problem with a piece of hardware but was able to fix it myself.

As I said. I believe this product is an excellent buy for the price.

Not needed

It's a good looking set. They had 3 color choices. If I could have any color I wanted, I would have gotten something else.

Hobby

all

If you have a young one that wants to start playing the drums, this is the set to buy, you can set this drum set up with out reading the instructions, yes it's that easy!!!!!

Hobbyist, Active Musician

Rock

This drum set sounds more like a 4 rather than a 7 when you get it. Why? Because the heads it comes with are awful, as are most stock heads. They are dull and suffer from very bothersome overtones. But like i said, most stock heads are like that. Now, i've replaced the stock heads on the batter side (except the head on the snare, because it sounds awesome for some reason) with an Evans EMAD2 for the kick drum, and Remo Black Suede Emperors on the toms. All of a sudden, these shells were inspiring me to play just from the sounds they were making. I loved it. An EMAD 2 i found for as little as $35 and the tom heads come in a pack you can get for that price also. You spend 70$ extra, but it's SO worth it. The cymbals are a different story. They may be "GERMAN-MADE" as the description reads, but they are Meinl HCS cymbals. These things in a pack cost about $180 new. They are not professional quality. They are all too quiet for me, they all lack a wash of overtone, and frankly just sound bad. THe only exception was the bell of the ride cymbal, which cut nicely. Meinl does make WONDERFUL cymbals, but like all brands their entry-level B8 bronze cymbals aren't the best. That said, for a beginner, these will work just fine, as they did for me for a while. Just plan on wanting to replace them after a while.

I have had very few problems with the hardware. You can definitely see the lack of pro quality in the hardware...but nothing that should hinder your playing at all. Setting up may just be slightly annoying from time to time. You'll see when you get it. Also, don't try throwing some huge 24" ride out on that boom stand cuz it doesn't have a counterweight. Overall, no issues at all. Good value! Note: I did replace the bass pedal for a number of reasons. First, its a cheap, entry level pedal. It does everything its supposed to and does it well, but I wanted some more adjustment ability so I bought Tama's Iron Cobra Powerglide (Godly pedal). The pedal is definitely a matter of feel. Some may love it, some might hate it. Either way, I thought it was fine for the price.

Instructions are very easy to get through. Set up was a breeze. It always takes a while to figure out how you want it set up though. If this is your first set, as it was for me, you may not find a configuration you like for a few months. However that's not the drumset, thats just you learning the drums. Also, tuning can be difficult. The floor tom and bass drum must be set up and tuned, while the tom toms and teh snare come assembled but not tuned at all. This can be difficult to deal with. But tuning is hard for everyone it seems. Even Derek Roddy once told me he to this day hates tuning his drums. Its just something to be prepared for.

8.5 rounded up to 9. I didn't like the pedal or the drum heads at all. The cymbals are also not good, but two top of the line cymbals cost more than this entire kit. For entry level, this kit is good quality. Put new heads on like I did and it becomes great.

If you can shell out $100 extra for new heads, this is one of the best sounding entry level kits I've heard. You're not gonna compete with a properly arranged Tama Starclassic with this set, but you will certainly be able to lay down some sweet grooves. There's not a lot you can't do with this set if you put a little extra money into it.

Never had to call them. The drum shells never had any problems, and the hardware never conked out on me.

I got mine in black. Once i put the Remo Black Suede heads on, the black shells on chrome hardware, with black heads was AWESOME. Also, the Meinl Cymbals, though entry level in sound, do look very nice when they're fairly clean. Gotta love the brilliant finish. The bass pedal was ugly, but you can't see it anyway unless you're playing it.

Active Musician

Punk, Hard Rock, Metal (Think Metallica kind of metal, not death metal

I replace the heads with Remo Pinstripes and bass drum with evans EMAD. This kit sounds awesome. Definetly not your average entry level kit. Much more.

The double braced stands that came with kit are awesome. Tama far exceeds any other company with this kit in its price range.

I would highly recommend this kit for beginner or experinced drummers.

Absolutely the best value for kit in its price range. Far exceeds its price range

Awesome customer service.

active musician

christian rock

excellent starter set for the money. sound quality is very good, the cymbals are excellent quality, but do have a jazzier tonal quality to them.

all components are well crafted and professional grade. I love the quality of the cymbal stands and snare stand especially. very good stuff.

i really like all the memory locks on the hardware. not only do they allow you to keep your settings if you dissassemble the set but with these locks your set stays put.

one of the best features of this set is how the finish is glued to the shells. finish is very nice. the set comes with everything you need to start playing minus a pair of sticks.

very happy with the set for the money. love how everything was included with the set. the quality exceeded my expectations and was very pleased.

havent had to deal with returning or damaged products... the set was packaged very well and shipped UPS to my door. No damages, and packaged with heavy duty cardboard.

really liked the metal flake grey color.

Amazing sound quality, I'd say the only thing that really needs to be changed are the drum heads, however, the quality of the drums as a whole are incredible, with a nice sound.

Comes with Meinl cymbals, which are not my preference, but very high quality for a beginner's kit.

Very high quality, I've moved mine around multiple times, and have had no troubles with the drums. Everything is very sturdy, and with no effects on the sound despite the trauma I've put it through ;)

More proverbial 'bang' for the buck.

Very beautiful set. Mine is in the black, and I must say, It makes even me look nice, haha.

Beginner-Intermediate Drummer

Rock, Alternative