Back in October I became aware of the fact that Yamaha was about to introduce its 2^nd generation HipGig kit to the masses. I was always intrigued by the concept of an entire drum set being able to fit into one manageable bag. Anyone who has had to carry gear around in New York City can certainly share in my interest! I never bought the original HipGig kit because I felt like the drums were just too small – especially the kick drum which max’ed out at only 16 inches in diameter. I mostly do rock shows and that was a bit too small to get a solid "rock" sound. So when I saw that the Al Foster HipGig Sr. kit was basically a bigger version of the original I decided to take the plunge and purchase a kit. Special thanks to AJ at AJ’s Pro Percussion in Florida for contacting Yamaha USA for me and managing to get me one of the first Kits released in the states. My kit was actually sitting in the offices of YAMAHA Corporate headquarters in California. Anyway, here is bit about the drum kit

(… taken from YAMAHA’s site)

I have used the kit on about 12 jobs since November and here are some of my observations.

I think the drums have a great sound. The toms are pretty much normal size toms (albeit not as deep), but they have great resonation. I did experiment with other heads. I’ve tried pinstripes and currently have Aquarian Studio X heads on the toms. The heads that came with the kit were more suited to jazz then rock.

The snare drum is very versatile. I’ve actually used it as both a main snare and a side snare. As for the kick drum… Stick a mic in it and run it through a PA and it sounds huge. I’ve had 3 really good soundmen look at the kit with skepticism initially; but when they ran it through a full range PA they fell in love with the kick! It sounded fat! With bigger kick drums, soundmen have to work to contain the sound; whereas, with this smaller 18 in kick they could use the PA to reinforce the sound (isn’t that what a PA is suppose to do anyway?). On a return engagement to a club I had my normal kit and the soundman was actually bummed! He had invited some drummers out to check out the kit because he loved the sound so much!

The kit is very easy to set up. From the time I start to unzip the bags, it takes me about 20 minutes to be ready to mic up the kit. Yamaha did a great job with the design. The kit takes up very little area on stage.

I used it on some small stages with a 6 piece band that jumps around a lot. The kick drop is 22 inches long so it is longer then most kick drums. Because of this it does stick out a bit more then you might expect.

I went out and also purchased a Sabian cymbal backpack bag, as well as one of those luggage carts. I put my cymbals on my shoulder and the drum and hardware bags on the luggage cart and away I go. The drums can be carried but they are a bit heavy. The larger sizes increase the weight to be pretty heavy. As long as you don’t go too crazy adding extra cymbal stands (the kit comes with two, plus a hi-hat) then the stand bag isn’t too heavy. Since the toms and snare fit into a bag, I sometimes will carry those with one hand, the kick (in its bag) with my other hand and then make a second trip for my cymbals and stands. Still, two trips are better then four!

I haven’t actually seen all the colors. All I could comment on is the Jaguar color that I purchased. The finish is nice and has been applied to the drums professionally. However, those types of wacky colors have never been my favorite. I wish the kit had come in the cherry finish of the original HipGig. But, I bet Yamaha will introduce more colors in years to come. If all three colors would have been in stock, I would have chose the White Marine Pearl, but with that being said the color is not hideous.

The kit is designed intelligently. Unlike the original HipGig kit, the HipGig Sr. kit comes with a regular throne that is adjustable so you are not locked into sitting at a specific height. The longer arms on the tom and snare stands allow for maximum positioning. The high hat stand is not as durable as a normal high hat stand. When I am playing harder, the top hat loosens and eventually the locking lug becomes undone and the high had drops down. But, again emphasis is on light and portable – so this isn’t really a criticism. Because the snare drum is mounted it is harder to do rim clicks (AKA side sticking). When I need to do this, I sort of wedge the snare between my thighs to give it a bit more stability.

The kick drum has normal tom tom rims. You can’t put an Evan’s EQ series bass drum head (or any bass drum head on the kick). You must use tom-tom heads. I currently have a Remo Pinstripe head on the kick.

Normal bass drum heads have a thicker collar that won’t fit on the kick – they are too wide. It would be cool if Yamaha put normal bass drum hoops on the kick. You’d be able to use heads specifically made for kick drums and it might even make to appearance even nicer.

The drums sound great and are fun to play. Be prepared to answer a lot of questions on break about the kit. A lot of people aren’t familiar with the kit and are impressed with the sound vs. size comparison. I am glad I made the purchase. Hey… I can know get home from a gig almost as fast as the singer!

Sound : 10 out of 10

Look : 7 out of 10 (need more colors)

Craftsmanship: 10 out of 10

Portability: 9 out of 10 (it is a bit heavy)

Price : 9 out of 10