Yamaha Drums - Drum Equipment from the World's Largest Musical Instrument Manufacturer

Yamaha drums include YESS hardware for minimizing mount to shell contact and maximizing drum resonance.

Yamaha drums, are made by the famous Japanese Yamaha Corporation. Aside from drum equipment and other musical instruments, Yamaha also manufactures a wide variety of products, including motorcycles, computer hardware, and home entertainment electronics. The founder of the Yamaha Corporation began as an organ maker in 1887, and in 1889 he formed the Yamaha Organ Manufacturing Co. in Hamamatsu.

Yamaha first manufactured drums in 1968. Early Yamaha drum equipment borrowed concepts from from Ludwig drum set models. But Yamaha soon acquired a place among the top drum manufacturers and led the industry with innovative shell construction and finish techniques.
Yamaha introduced its 9000 Recording Custom set series in 1975. The 9000 Recording Custom Yamaha drums, became an industry standard among fusion and studio musicians. The RC 9000 drums featured lightweight, well designed hardware, and Yamaha's original Air-Seal System for drum shell construction.

In 1993 Yamaha came out with the Yamaha Enhanced Sustain System, known as YESS, for mounting drums. YESS hardware minimizes shell to mount contact, allowing maximum drum resonance. Additionally, the mounting hardware is attached to the shell at its nodal points where the shell's vibrations are of the lowest amplitude. In 1995 the RC 9000 Yamaha drums were reintroduced, enhanced with the YESS.

In addition to making acoustic drum kits and hardware, Yamaha is also a major manufacturer of best selling electronic drums. Popular Yamaha electronic drums, in order of increasing cost, are the Yamaha DTXpress, Yamaha DTXpress Special, and Yamaha DTXreme.