YAMAHA HEXRACK

£480 Yamaha revamps its mounting system with a sleek
new hexagonal number. Geoff Nicholls is on the right rack…
THERE ARE THREE
different types of hinged
clamp – all are steel castings
THE HORIZONTAL
T-leg supports come in
both 23" and 33" lengths
THE HEXRACK
comes with a clip-on spirit
level to check for horizontal
ALTHOUGH IT LOOKS
chunky, the hollow design
means it is lightweight
PRICES:
HXR2L, £480
HXR3L, £584
44" curved pipe, £41
36" curved pipe, £41
24" curved pipe, £30
33" ‘T’ leg, £114
23" ‘T’ Leg, £114
Open clamp, £62
Ball clamp, £51
Double bass drum
clamp, £114
Tom clamp, £30
Cross clamp, £62
L-rod tom mount, £20
Logo clip with
integrated level, £20
CONSTRUCTION:
Hexagonal cross
section matte steel
tubing. Steel hinge
clamp castings.
Range of add-on
clamps for different
thickness tubing
CONTACT:
Yamaha-Kemble Music
(UK) Ltd
Sherbourne Drive
Tilbrook
Milton Keynes
MK7 8BL
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: drums_uk@gmx.
yamaha.com
www.yamaha-music.
co.uk
YAMAHA HEXRACK
RECOMMENDS
MAY 2009 RHYTHM 105
EXCLUSIVE
Y
amaha’s much-praised System
Hardware with tom holders – based
on the hexagonal steel rod and
hard resin ball design – is quick,
simple and steady. So the company’s
adaptation of this concept to its spanking
new rack system should prove a winner.
There are two basic confi gurations, the
HXR2L and HXR3L, for fi ve or six piece kits.
Build
The Hexrack’s sumptuous matte steel fi nish is
created by a blasting process, which reduces
susceptibility to scratching, not to mention
messy fi ngerprints and glare from stage
lights. Holding it up are three different types
of hinged clamp – all sleekly designed steel
castings – for securing the legs, the rails and
for mounting your toms. There are three
lengths of curved horizontal rail (24", 36" and
44") plus two straight lengths (23" and 33")
for legs, although these can also be adapted
as rails if needs be. As with Yamaha’s System
Hardware, toms are held by a synthetic ball
clamp that allows wide rotation and
positioning. This new design though has a
IKEA – the diagrams are accurate, but you’ll
need to work out what all the numbers refer
to. First assembly is not totally intuitive, but
once you get the hang of it, it should take no
longer to erect than normal stands and it’s far
more stable, particularly than stands used for
mounting fl oor toms and boom cymbals.
Although the hexagonal tubing and cast
assembly blocks look super-chunky, the whole
thing is surprisingly lightweight because the
tubing is hollow. It’s also claimed that the
hexagonal cross section reduces resonance
associated with round tubing. Certainly if you
tap the tubing you get a click not a clank.
Verdict
Many other rack systems, including Yamaha’s
previous Super Rack, utilise round section
tubing, while Pearl’s use square. Square and
hexagonal surely have it over circular in terms
of stability. The hollow hex-tubing, while rigid,
is not especially heavy. It’s considerably dearer
than conventional stands and mounts – not to
mention some other racks – and it’s a matter
of debate whether racks are more convenient,
especially for casual gigging. Either way, the
Hexrack is beautifully engineered and
devilishly handsome.
Rating ✪✪✪✪✪
larger synthetic ball that is split so that it
wraps around the hexagonal rail. The ‘L’ tom
arm itself, attached to its clamp, is then
tightened around the ball at the angle you
wish. A spirit level ‘bubble meter’ clips onto
the main rail to check for horizontal.
Hands On
The review rack is the larger HXR3L with two
curved rails (44" and 36") rather than one. In
essence you have three leg assemblies
supporting two horizontal rails. The rails each
have two tom mounting brackets, so by
positioning one rail higher than the other you
can have two small toms up high and two
fl oor toms lower and to the side. You can slot
cymbal mounts (not provided) into the top of
each leg assembly. Hence the whole structure
accommodates a six-piece, four tom kit with
three cymbals. For extra items like percussion
or double kick set-ups Yamaha offers further
brackets to buy as add-ons. All brackets are
massive castings, designed with the heaviest
of pro touring drummers in mind.
The rack comes in a large fl at cardboard
box together with instruction sheet. It’s a bit
RHY163.gear_yama 105 25/3/09 11:30:30 am