The Tama Club Jam Kit: An Honest Review After 4 Years & 400 Gigs
Hey everyone. If you're looking for a compact, beginner-friendly, or "cocktail" style drum kit that’s easy to haul around, you've probably seen the Tama Club Jam. I bought one and used it as my main gigging kit for weddings and corporate dos for the last four years. We're talking about 350-400 gigs.
This isn't just a first-impressions review; this is a long-term, real-world test. Is it any good? Does it hold up? Let's get into it.
What You Get
First off, the kit I've got is the 6-ply poplar model in Aqua Blue. It comes with:
18x12 Bass Drum
10x7 Rack Tom
14x7 Floor Tom
13x5 Snare Drum
A bass-drum mounted cymbal arm.
That cymbal arm is the first big win. It's ridiculously convenient, saves you carrying an extra stand, and it's surprisingly sturdy. I've had a 22-inch heavy ride on it with no issues. The whole kit has that cool, vintage vibe, which I personally love.
The Sound: The Good, The Bad, and The Tuneless
Straight out of the box, it's a good-sounding kit, especially for the price. Live sound engineers have told me they don't have to mess with it much and that it has a nice "old school" sound.
The 18x12 bass drum is a little cannon for its size. It sounds great, especially miked up. The 14x7 floor tom is also surprisingly deep when you're playing it. However, it can sound a bit weak when you hear it back on a recording or through a big PA, but what do you expect from a 7-inch deep tom? See video for sound samples.
Now, the 10x7 rack tom. It has a great sound and a good tuning range, but it is terrible at holding its tuning. If you're playing a three-hour gig, you will be tuning it before you start, halfway through the first set, after the break, and probably once more. It's a pain, but it's the reality of it.
The 13x5 snare drum... well, it's my least favourite part of the kit. It's got a decent crack, and it holds its tuning okay, but that's it. It’s not a heavy-duty snare by any means.
One last thing: buy new skins immediately. The stock heads that come with it are not built to last.
4 Years & 400 Gigs Later: How Did It Hold Up?
For what you pay (under €500), this kit is an absolute steal. It has held up incredibly well to heavy gigging, but it's not without its faults.
The Problems I've Had:
The Snare Strainer: This was the first thing to go, within a couple of months. The strainer just popped off. I had to get new screws and fix it myself. I stopped gigging with it pretty quickly.
Loose Lug Screws: This happened twice on the rack tom. I'd get to a gig, hear rattling, and realise a screw holding the lug on had come loose inside the shell. It's a quick fix with a screwdriver if you have one, but it's annoying.
The Major Issue: After four years, a massive crack has developed in the tom bracket—the part mounted on the bass drum that holds the tom arm. As I tighten the arm, the crack just spreads, making it impossible to mount the tom. But Its understandable at this price and the amount of gigs its played. Thomann will get you the part, the only place in europe and the Uk that could help me with this so thank you guys sooooooo much
The Part: click here for that part and how to attach it yourself, ; https://www.brendanjonesdrums.com/drumming-blogs/tom-mount-tama-club-jam
What Didn't Break? Pretty much everything else.
The floor tom has had zero issues. Still solid, still easy to tune.
The bass drum is a tank. The hoops, legs, and shell are all perfect.
The tom holder arm itself is in perfect nick.
The cymbal arm is still a 10/10 gem. No cracking, no slipping.
Final Verdict: Should You Buy It?
So, is this the best-sounding drum kit in the world? Absolutely not. But you're not buying it for that.
You're buying it for the compactness. You're buying it to get in and out of a venue in one or two trips. And for that, it's brilliant.
Even with the tuning issues, the flimsy snare, and the recent major crack, this kit has survived four years of hard work. If you're a beginner or a gigging drummer who needs a small, cheap, and decent-sounding kit, don't give it a second thought. Just be prepared for its quirks.
If you're in Europe and want to grab one, you can buy it from Thomann at this link: Buy the Tama Club Jam Kit Here
This is an honest, real-world review. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments!
