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The TAMA Starclassic Performer 5 Piece Shell Pack - Blacked Out Black Edition is now available with us at Graham Russell Drums!

The TAMA Starclassic Performer Blacked Out Black Edition takes one of TAMA's established professional drum platforms and gives it an uncompromising new identity. Created as a limited-edition Starclassic Performer, this five-piece shell pack combines a Flat Black exterior, matte black shell hardware and deep black-painted shell interiors to create one of the darkest and most distinctive Starclassic kits TAMA has produced.

The concept goes considerably further than simply applying a black finish to the shells. TAMA has deliberately carried the aesthetic across the lugs, hoops and other shell-mounted components, while the interiors of the drums themselves are painted black. Clear Evans G2 batter heads on the toms allow the dark interior finish to remain visible from behind the kit, creating an unusually cohesive appearance both inside and out.

Blacked Out Black Edition

The defining feature of this limited-edition Starclassic Performer is its near-total blacked-out appearance. Each drum is finished in Flat Black, complemented by matte black lugs, hoops and shell hardware for a deliberately understated yet commanding aesthetic.

Even the interior of each shell receives a deep black painted finish. Rather than hiding this detail beneath coated drumheads, TAMA has fitted the rack and floor toms with Evans G2 Clear batter heads, allowing the black interiors to remain visible to the player.

The result is a kit that looks dramatically different depending on the viewing angle. From the front, the Flat Black shells and hardware create a clean, almost uninterrupted silhouette, while from behind the kit the clear heads reveal the matching black interiors beneath.

Contrasting Starclassic badges provide one of the few breaks in the otherwise dark finish, giving the drums enough visual detail to remain immediately recognisable as part of TAMA's Starclassic family.

Five-Piece 22" Configuration

The Blacked Out Black Edition is supplied as a five-piece shell pack with two rack toms and two floor toms, creating a versatile configuration suitable for everything from straightforward four-drum setups through to larger arrangements using the complete kit.

The shell pack consists of:

• 22" x 16" Bass Drum
• 10" x 8" Rack Tom
• 12" x 9" Rack Tom
• 14" x 12" Floor Tom
• 16" x 14" Floor Tom

The 22" x 16" bass drum provides a familiar full-size foundation without the additional depth of an 18" bass drum, while the 10" and 12" rack toms offer conventional modern depths of 8" and 9". Pairing these with both 14" and 16" floor toms gives the kit a broad tonal range and plenty of flexibility when configuring it for live or studio use.

Two TAMA MC69 Single Tom Attachments are included with the shell pack, allowing the rack toms to be positioned independently within the setup.

The bass drum is expected to be supplied without a conventional tom-holder base, with the two rack toms instead positioned using the supplied MC69 Single Tom Attachments and suitable cymbal stands or mounting hardware.

Maple/Birch Starclassic Performer Shells

As part of the current Starclassic Performer platform, the Blacked Out Black Edition is expected to use TAMA's Maple/Birch hybrid shell construction. The rack toms and floor toms use 6mm shells constructed from four plies of birch with two inner plies of maple, while the bass drum uses a slightly thicker 7mm construction with five plies of birch and two inner plies of maple.

This hybrid construction combines two distinctly different tonal characteristics. Maple contributes warmth and body to the shell response, while birch adds a more focused attack and clear projection. Together, the two woods create the balanced, articulate and punchy sound associated with the modern Starclassic Performer range.

Across the complete five-piece configuration, this should translate into rack toms with clear attack and strong definition, floor toms with plenty of body and low-end presence, and a 22" bass drum capable of delivering a powerful but controlled fundamental.

Matte Black Shell Hardware

The Flat Black shell finish is matched with matte black shell hardware throughout the kit. TAMA specifically carries the blacked-out treatment across the drum lugs, hoops and other shell-mounted components rather than relying on the shell colour alone.

The rack toms and floor toms are expected to retain the zinc die-cast hoops used throughout the current Starclassic Performer range. Die-cast hoops provide a more rigid and consistent structure than conventional triple-flanged hoops, contributing to precise tuning, strong rimshots and the focused attack associated with Starclassic drums.

The matte black treatment gives these components a completely different visual character to conventional chrome Starclassic hardware, allowing the fittings to blend into the shells rather than contrasting against them.

Star-Cast Tom Mounting

The rack toms are expected to use TAMA's Star-Cast Mounting System, the suspension mounting design used across the current Starclassic Performer range. Star-Cast supports the tom from the hoop area rather than relying on a conventional shell-mounted tom bracket, helping the drum resonate freely while maintaining secure and flexible positioning.

Combined with the two included MC69 Single Tom Attachments, this allows each rack tom to be positioned independently and makes it easier to tailor the setup around different cymbal and hardware arrangements.

Evans G2 Clear Tom Heads

The Blacked Out Black Edition is supplied with Evans G2 Clear batter heads on both the rack toms and floor toms. These two-ply clear heads offer a useful combination of durability, attack and controlled sustain while also playing an important visual role on this particular kit.

Because the heads are transparent, the deep black-painted shell interiors remain visible from the playing position. This gives the Blacked Out edition a far more complete appearance than would be possible with conventional coated heads and reinforces the kit's distinctive all-black theme.

The toms are expected to retain the clear single-ply TAMA Power Craft II resonant heads currently fitted to standard Starclassic Performer kits.

Black Bass Drum Presentation

The bass drum completes the aesthetic with a Black Fiber Laminated front head, described by TAMA as having a Fiberskyn-style appearance. Combined with the Flat Black shell, matte black hoops, claws and shell hardware, it creates an almost uninterrupted black finish across the front of the kit.

A contrasting white TAMA logo remains clearly visible against the black head, giving the bass drum a bold focal point without taking away from the deliberately restrained finish.

On the playing side, the bass drum is expected to use the Evans Clear EQ4 batter head fitted to the current Starclassic Performer range, providing a controlled and focused response suited to the 22" x 16" shell.

A Starclassic Performer with a Completely Different Character

The significance of this edition is not simply that TAMA has produced another black drum kit. The Blacked Out Black Edition takes the existing Starclassic Performer concept and extends its finish through areas of the drum that would normally receive far less attention.

The black-painted interiors are particularly unusual. Combined with transparent tom heads, matte black shell hardware and the Black Fiber Laminated bass drum head, they make the finish part of the complete playing environment rather than something only visible from the audience side of the kit.

For players who prefer understated finishes but still want a drum kit with genuine visual presence, the result is remarkably effective. There are no elaborate bursts, exotic veneers or contrasting chrome fittings competing for attention; instead, virtually every element works towards the same dark, industrial aesthetic.

As a limited-edition Starclassic Performer, it also offers something noticeably different from the standard production finishes while retaining the familiar proportions and professional layout of the range.

What's Included?

• 22" x 16" Bass Drum
• 10" x 8" Rack Tom
• 12" x 9" Rack Tom
• 14" x 12" Floor Tom
• 16" x 14" Floor Tom
• 2 x MC69 Single Tom Attachments

The matching 14" x 6.5" Blacked Out Black Edition snare drum is available separately and is not included with this shell pack.

Cymbals, cymbal stands, hi-hat stand, snare stand, bass drum pedal, drum throne and other external hardware shown in the product photography are not expected to be included unless otherwise specified.

Key Features:

• Limited-edition TAMA Starclassic Performer Blacked Out Black Edition
• Five-piece shell pack
• Flat Black (FBK) finish
• Matte black shell hardware
• Black-painted shell interiors
• 22" x 16" bass drum
• 10" x 8" rack tom
• 12" x 9" rack tom
• 14" x 12" floor tom
• 16" x 14" floor tom
• Evans G2 Clear batter heads on rack toms and floor toms
• Black Fiber Laminated front bass drum head
• Two MC69 Single Tom Attachments included
• Maple/Birch hybrid shell construction
• 6mm rack tom and floor tom shells: 4-ply birch + 2 inner plies maple
• 7mm bass drum shell: 5-ply birch + 2 inner plies maple
• Zinc die-cast tom and floor tom hoops
• Star-Cast rack tom mounting system
• TAMA Power Craft II clear resonant tom heads
• Evans Clear EQ4 bass drum batter head
• Bass drum expected to be supplied without a tom-holder base
• Matching snare drum available separately

The TAMA Starclassic Performer Blacked Out Black Edition takes the familiar versatility and professional layout of the Starclassic Performer and gives it an unusually cohesive visual identity. From its Flat Black shells and matte black fittings to the black-painted interiors visible beneath clear Evans heads, almost every detail has been chosen to reinforce the same uncompromising aesthetic.

Buy the TAMA Starclassic Performer 5 Piece Shell Pack - Blacked Out Black Edition from Graham Russell Drums and receive on our next day delivery service when you order before 2pm!