Mixing drum materials is nothing new in the drum building business. Throughout the '60s and into the '70s, numerous companies produced drum shells that were combinations of Gum, Poplar, Mahogany, and occasionally Maple. Later in the '70s, and then into the '80s, Birch, by itself, emerged as the most popular material, followed by an era in which 100% Maple shells became the wood of choice. A few brands experimented with other materials - Beech, Oak, and Ash each made limited appearances along the way - but the bulk of the drum world was built of Birch and/or Maple.
Fast forward through dozens of experiments to the year 2006. Our out-of-the-park home run, the TAMA Omni-Tune, was not only an unbelievable advancement in the mechanics of tuning, but our first major product line featuring a Bubinga shell. In terms of tone, the Bubinga shells perked up plenty of ears. Unfortunately the material expense of 100% Bubinga drove the price out of the reach of most drummers. We had to wonder: was there any way we could offer these great sounding shells at a more affordable price? Our answer was the Starclassic Bubinga. The basic strategy was simple: Omni-tune style shells, but with regular lugs and hardware.
After fully establishing the sonic identity of Bubinga wood, we continued to tinker with our drum sound in search of a wider audience. We experimented with a variety of mixed wood shells: Maple and Bubinga, Birch and Bubinga, as well as a few other unique combinations. In that process we tried a variety of shell thicknesses, alternating the plies of the different woods, then running select plies together in particular orders. After months of trial and error, we hit what we believed was The Perfect Combination: The Bubinga/Birch combo that has become known as the B/B shell. Specifically, by marrying the outer plies of Birch with the inner plies of Bubinga, a new and distinct sound was born. The result is a combination of the most favorable aspects of both woods: the focused attack of Birch, paired with the enhanced lows of Bubinga.