Tama

Tama “ The Strongest Name in Drums ”, with this slogan the success story of the Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments from the Hoshino Gakki Group began in 1974. The first Tama drum production went into operation in 1962. After World War II, the demand for musical instruments picked up again, causing global exports of inexpensive drum kits to boom. However, export business was rapidly slowed down by the “Nixon Shock” at the beginning of the 1970s. The yen appreciated by 30% against the US dollar, which resulted in a significant price increase and made sales abroad almost impossible. Based on this situation, Hoshino Gakki decided to focus on professional high-end products. With numerous innovations and in-house developments, such as the first boom cymbal stand or the super-stable, double-braced titanium hardware, it quickly became clear where the journey was headed.

Tama Drums & hardware has become synonymous with innovative and high quality . The first patents were registered, which further supported Tama 's unique selling point. Developments like the Gong measurements bd (set only) or Octobans then brought the big names of the international drumming scene onto the scene. Drummers like Billy Cobham (Mahavishnu Orchestra), Lenny White (Return to Forever) were enthusiastic about the sound and the innovations. This is how the first endorsements came about between Tama Drums and the stars of the drumming scene. Numerous collaborations followed in the 70s with drummers such as Simon Phillips, Neil Peart (Rush), Mick Fleetwood (Fleedwood Mac), Kenny Aronoff and Stewart Copeland (The Police), most of which still exist today. The close collaboration with drummers allowed Tama to always have his finger on the pulse of the times and thus recognize trends and developments in music.

The 80s brought new bands and genres onto the scene and Tama developed new series with Artstar and Granstar that met the sonic requirements and tastes of the time. New Tama artists like Lars Ullrich (Metallica), Charlie Benante (Anthrax) and Dave Lombardo (Slayer) shaped the “heavy metal” of their time with their drum sound .

In 1994, a new generation of drums was introduced with the Starclassic Drums. Extremely thin maple shells, resonant tom mount, cast rims, low mass lugs are important details of the “back to the basic” development. The Starclassic series , in all its variants, is still an important part of the Tama brand today.
A milestone in Tama's company history is the expansion of its own production facilities. In addition to the main factory in Japan, a new factory was opened in Guangzhou - China in 2005. First, the new edition of the Tama Superstar Drums was manufactured exclusively in Guangzhou. Little by little, from 2012 onwards, parts of the Starclassic production and the new SLP series were added.

The Star series, introduced in 2013, is the absolute highlight in Tama's portfolio. Perfect drum construction combined with fine materials and innovative techniques are the special features of this extraordinary series. With the Star series , Tama's engineers and drum builders impressively demonstrate what achievements they are capable of.
By the way, the Tama brand, which has been established since 1974, was named after her first name, Tama , in honor of the wife of the first president Yoshitaro Hoshino. And if you're wondering why there's always a star in the name of the series - Swingstar, Imperialstar, Royalstar, Fiberstar, Superstar, Rockstar, Crestar, Granstar, Artstar, Starclassic - the family name Hoshino means star when translated into English.

To experience the entire Tama range with all your senses, we would like to recommend a visit to our Walldorf branch. On site we are home to the first Tama flagship store in Europe , where you can find the entire Tama portfolio and of course play around and try it out.

To the Tama flagship store