Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

Hey guys great group and i have been scanning the messages for a few 
weeks now. As an interested e-drummer, whose interest lies 
specifically in the variety of sounds and the ability to practice in 
a quieter environment than my currrent acoustic kit, I have arranged 
to go look at a guy who is moving to the US(from the UK) Yamaha 
DTXPRESS 2 kit. I was just wondering what kind of things i should 
check out and ensure to ask him before committing to buying the kit 
off him.

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "willpeach2002" <028215@c...> wrote:
> Hey guys great group and i have been scanning the messages for a 
few 
> weeks now. As an interested e-drummer, whose interest lies 
> specifically in the variety of sounds and the ability to practice 
in 
> a quieter environment than my currrent acoustic kit, I have 
arranged 
> to go look at a guy who is moving to the US(from the UK) Yamaha 
> DTXPRESS 2 kit. I was just wondering what kind of things i should 
> check out and ensure to ask him before committing to buying the kit 
> off him.

Hi Will,

Welcome. I'll start, but I hope that others more familiar with the 
details of the II will contribute to this thread as well. One thing 
in your favor is that the II isn't particularly old; not too much can 
phyically depreciate during the relatively short time that it's been 
out. The unfortunate part is that unless you're familiar with how to 
program the kit, you won't know whether any anomaly that you 
encounter is a deal breaker, or just a user error. Have the seller 
assure you that all parameters are in good working condition so that 
if you find something wrong, and he can't fix it, you can think twice 
about buying the kit.

Forgive me if I'm too obvious. Sit down at the kit, preferably with 
headphones, because distortion is less evident through amplification 
and speakers. Hit each drum and cymbal repeatedly, listening for 
uniform, clear triggering--in other words, no drop-outs, no 
stuttering, and no double triggers or echoing (reverb excepted). If 
you notice something odd, ask the seller to correct it. If he can't, 
make a note of it and report it to this board.

Based on members' observations, the kick pad is subject to wear 
fairly quickly. Look for signs of thinning and discoloration where 
the beater hits it. If you see any suspicious damage, get a few bucks 
off the asking price and check back here about how to inhibit the 
problem. if the kick triggers poorly no matter what the seller does, 
internal damage may be indicated.

Hit the snare and hi hat at the same time. If one of them won't 
trigger, a parameter is wrong, but don't worry. It shipped that way 
and is easily fixed. If they work simultaneously, ask the seller 
whether he had to contact Yamaha or whether he figured it out 
himself. The question will show that you're a force to be reckoned 
with.

Play the hi hat--open, closed, and in-between. The middle part may 
not permit much variation, but it should be distinct from the 
extremes. If it sounds too dry or too wet, don't worry; that is 
subject to control.

Ask the seller whether he ever uses the kit for external MIDI 
applications. If he says "yes," ask whether he had to do a factory 
reset to make MIDI work. The unit out of the box requires an 
immediate factory reset for the external MIDI feature to work 
properly; again, a minor Yamaha bug, though it cost a few of us a lot 
of time and trouble to discover it. This point would be another 
feather in your cap.

Check the rack hardware for stability. None of the pads should wobble 
or move on their mounts when struck. If they can't be tightened, the 
clamps may be stripped. Does the ride cymbal have the metal stopper 
that keeps it from turning on the stand? If the seller has it, you 
should get it; it's a useful part. 

Are you getting the throne and kick pedal with the kit? They may not 
have come with it originally, so it's worth asking. Has anything 
original been replaced? Let us know.

I'm sure that I've neglected a few things, and maybe some important 
ones. I hope that my fellow members will pick me up.

Ed

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	willpeach2002 [SMTP:028215@...]
> Hey guys great group and i have been scanning the messages for a few 
> weeks now. As an interested e-drummer, whose interest lies 
> specifically in the variety of sounds and the ability to practice in 
> a quieter environment than my currrent acoustic kit, I have arranged 
> to go look at a guy who is moving to the US(from the UK) Yamaha 
> DTXPRESS 2 kit. I was just wondering what kind of things i should 
> check out and ensure to ask him before committing to buying the kit 
> off him.
> 
> 
Welcome aboard,

Somethings I would do:

Determine the value:

1.Go online and get the price of the individual components new: KP65, HH65,
TP65, TP65S, PCY65, PCY65S in the UK. Get the price from Yamaha parts for
the TPL65 pad mounting bracket and the CYAT65 cymbal mounting bracket. 

2. Get on Ebay and look at want some of the Yamaha components/ kits are
selling for there.

I would take the average price on Ebay as a starting point for negotiation.
I would then start deducting from that point what it would take for me to
replace any damaged items.  Since I would know that actual cost, I would
have a strong negotiating position. Also, if the seller has some extra
components, you maybe able to get them throw them in for free, to cover a
damaged item.


Determine the accessories that you will still need to buy:

1. If you have a good set of headphones, take them with you and listen to
the kit through them. If you can't hear the sound of the kits over the
sounds of striking the kit, you will need to buy another set of headphones. 
2. If you will be playing along to music cd's, take the actually player (if
possible) and plug it into the Aux-in on the front of the module and listen
to it through the headphones. Adjust the volume on the aux-in knob. Is the
sound quality good at low/mid/high volume levels?
3. Does it come with the bass pedal? 
4. Does it come with the Throne?


Determine the functionality of the kit:

1. Don't be tempted to just listen to the sellers user programmed kits. Ask
the seller to perform a factory reset. This will put the module at the "from
the factory settings."
2. Select several pre-programmed kits to make sure all of the pads are
triggering.
3. On the Snare pad TP65S, make sure the pad, and both rims trigger, as it
is a 3zone pad.
4. On the Tom and hihat pads TP65, make sure the pad triggers properly, they
are single zone and the rims do not trigger.
5. On the Cymbal pads, the one with the extra groove/line on the edge PCY65S
is the stereo pad that should trigger the bow and the edge. Also make sure
that it chokes by grabbing the edge after striking the pad. The other cymbal
pad PCY65 is a single zone pad that does not choke.
6. On the KP65 strike it with various levels of force. There is an adjust
knob on the back. Rotate it to make sure that the sensitivity level adjusts
without cutting out.
7. On the HH65 there are really just five levels of sounds between open and
closed, it has footsplash, and footstomp. Check for all of these.
8. While you are playing each pad, jiggle the cord at the pad connect to see
if you are getting a good connection. Also, check the connections at the
back of the module.
9. There will be some wear on the bass pad's rubber cover. If there is major
wear, the foam behind is probably damaged as well. If there is just a slight
wear, you should be ok.
10. Check all the clamps, is anything strip?
11. Does the seller still have all the manual on the module and the booklets
on the pads and rack?
12. Sit down at the kit and ask the seller to start a pre-record song and
play along to one or two. 

Go to the photo section and look at the photos I took of the inside and
outside of the components, to get a better understanding of what you about
to buy. This may give you a leg up, considering the seller may not have ever
opened up the pads. IF the seller appears to know what the inside looks
likes, he/she may have had to open one up to "repair it". IF he/she goes
glassy eyed, when you start describing what's really inside, then you can be
somewhat assured, the pads have been taken apart for one reason or another.
(OK, yes I have taken some of my pads apart, rest assured these pads will
never be sold, but will be given them away for free when that time comes to
replacing them with something new/better.)

Good luck!

OGD
 
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Wow thanks guys, great help. Well i went round i negotiated £550 for 
it, it's in really good condition with only a little wear on the 
bass pad (light discolouration), everything triggers well and the hi-
hat and snare work simultaneously. I played most of the preset kits 
and they seem fine, i played along to the preset songs with the 
click and they seemed ok. I used the guy's headphones (full volume) 
and noticed the sound was particularly quiet, but louder than the 
actual sound of me playing, I asked him about this and he said they 
were special recording headphones and that normal headphones would 
be a lot louder. Other than that i was most impressed by the upkeep 
and condition of the kit, he had all the boxes and instructions. As 
for MIDI he said he did connect it externally and used it for 
recording, I don't think he ever tried plugging a CD player in the 
aux jack. As for the guy himself he was really cool and helpful and 
explained he was moving to the states (LA) as he had just got a 
record deal with Interscope records. He is in a band called the 
Davey Brothers and he gave me some free CD's and a DVD which i 
checked out and was most impressed by. The guy himself plays bass 
and sings, and they distributed, produced and recorded there first 
album by themselves, in the UK it sold around 3,000 copies. So look 
out for them, i think they'll be big.

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "willpeach2002" <028215@c...> wrote:
> Wow thanks guys, great help. Well i went round i negotiated £550 
for 
> it, it's in really good condition with only a little wear on the 
> bass pad (light discolouration), everything triggers well and the 
hi-
> hat and snare work simultaneously. I played most of the preset kits 
> and they seem fine, i played along to the preset songs with the 
> click and they seemed ok. I used the guy's headphones (full volume) 
> and noticed the sound was particularly quiet, but louder than the 
> actual sound of me playing, I asked him about this and he said they 
> were special recording headphones and that normal headphones would 
> be a lot louder. Other than that i was most impressed by the upkeep 
> and condition of the kit, he had all the boxes and instructions. As 
> for MIDI he said he did connect it externally and used it for 
> recording, I don't think he ever tried plugging a CD player in the 
> aux jack. As for the guy himself he was really cool and helpful and 
> explained he was moving to the states (LA) as he had just got a 
> record deal with Interscope records. He is in a band called the 
> Davey Brothers and he gave me some free CD's and a DVD which i 
> checked out and was most impressed by. The guy himself plays bass 
> and sings, and they distributed, produced and recorded there first 
> album by themselves, in the UK it sold around 3,000 copies. So look 
> out for them, i think they'll be big.

Will,

Congratulations. Sounds like a great experience, from everyone's 
point of view. If you see him again, tell him that 900 members of the 
DTXpress Group will buy their first record. I hope you'll stick 
around with us as you get acclimated to the new kit, and thereafter. 
We have a pretty good UK contingent.

Best,
Ed