The Tama Imperialstar was my 1st set i bought it 2 years ago and still own it this kit comes ready to take a bashing im a hard drummer and it can hold its own it is not my Gig set but i still play it.I recommend getting new heads and cymbals ASAP..I put Evans on the toms,Remo on the snare and a mix of paiste,Zildjial and Sabian cymbals.With a good ear and good cymbals you can really get a Great sound out of this kit Hands down this is the BEST entry level kit out with time new heads and cymbals you'll have this kit sounding FANTASIC..

Bought this kit 2 years ago. It is very high quality, I am a hard hitter and a very big guy and never once, have it broken under pressure. I put on some Evans EC2 heads and got my self some new cymbals. This is a great kit and i use it for gigs all the time. Dont spent your money on a much more expensive set, you will get evrything you need in this set.

You only get 1000 characters to write a review, so I will try to be as brief and to the point as possible. First of all this kit has got to be the best pure value in drum equipment out there. The hardware is top shelf, the memory locks are a big plus, and even the things that usually suck on entry level kits (such as the kick drum pedal and hi-hat stand) are rock solid a smooth as silk. The shells look good, although a "sparkle" finish would have made this kit a real head turner. The kick drum is great, the toms are very good. The snare is much better than I had expected. It took minimal tweaking to tune the kit to sound very similar to the imperialstar that Stewart Copeland used so many years ago with The Police. The Meinl cymbals that come with the kit are probably the biggest surprise. They ain't bad folks. The ride is the best, with a nice bell tone to it. The 16" crash is above average for cymbals in this price range, and the china is actually a fun piece of hardware to play around with given the right application. The hats I didn't use, instead opting to put in my 20 year old Sabian B8's (old habits die hard). The cons: the heads that ship with the kit kind of suck, but that is to be expected. I've replaced the heads on every kit I've ever bought new, from Sonors to Ludwigs, so this is no surprise. To the reviewer who wrote that the throne could not hold up a 140lb person without sliding to the lowest setting I have to strongly disagree. I'm weighing in at 250, and it holds me fine. That reviewer needs to learn to use the memory lock to clamp his throne in. Overall, super value for the money. Replace the heads, sub in your favorite cymbals and you've got a kit that will not only continue to produce good sounds but not break the bank while doing so.

I am a new drummer, and this being my first drumset, i asked my stepson who is a very accomplished drummer of 15 years to help me select the right one. He plays on a Pearl Export Series which is a very nice set. Since i had a budget to stick to and couldnt really afford the cost of a pearl set i went with the Tama Imperialstar series mainly for the value and i wasn't dissapointed in the least. The drums set up really easy, and when finished looked great. The only thing you really need to upgrade out of the box is the heads, i upgraded to Remo Rockstar pinstriped heads. The Meinl cymbals sound good and really make this set a great value. I have since added three more Meinl cymbals, and a set of 8x8 and a 8x10 toms, i also replaced the single pedal with a double bass pedal to complete my set. Even though this is listed as a beginer to intermediate set to me it sounded just as nice as his pearl set.

I think that the Tama Imperialstar Drum set with cymbals is a good drum set for any beginner or intermediate drummer. The only problems are the bass drum and china cymbal. The bass drum doesn't really have much of a punch. You will need a pillow in there, but once it's in, you should be fine. The china sounds more like a bell than anything. But other than that, the kit is great. I highly recommend it.