Tama Club Jam Pancake Kit Review & Demo

I recently got the Tama Club Jam Pancake Kit, and I’ve got to say- this thing’s been a really pleasant surprise. Turns out, it’s got a lot more to offer than just portability.

In this review, I’ll walk you through my experience with it, how it performs, and whether I think it’s worth picking up. If you’ve been eyeing a compact kit for practice, gigging, or just playing in tight spaces, this one might be well worth your time.

First Impressions

The Club Jam Pancake kit is clearly designed with portability in mind. The drums are really shallow (hence the name) and the drums can stack inside one another and fit into a single large bag. 

That alone is brilliant if you’re someone who does a lot of travelling, or you just want something that won’t take over your whole room or studio.

This kit I’ve got has the new Electric Yellow finish – it’s pretty vibrant, and I’m digging it. The black nickel hardware complements it really nicely and just looks amazing against it. I’m also into the vintage-style badge- I think it ties the look together nicely.

It also comes with wood hoops on the kick- which is a nice touch and gives it a nice, premium look and feel. 

Build quality-wise, it actually feels really solid. The hardware is decent, the wrap looks clean, and everything feels robust. 

The floor tom legs are nicely designed, because the height felt spot-on for me whilst I was sitting behind the kit. Tama even includes an extra shorter leg for more positioning options.

And the included Tama FastClamp tom mount is excellent. It’s actually the same one I use on my Tama Star kit- another nice touch for a kit at this price!

The drum shells are made with Poplar wood and they’re 6-ply and 8 mil thick across the board. You get a 18 x 4” inch bass drum, 12 x 4” snare, plus a 10 x 3.5” rack tom and 13 x 3.5” floor tom.

How It Sounds

This kit might look tiny, but it actually packs some solid tone, and it’s a blast to play. It’s super responsive, and the compact size encourages you to get creative.

The snare drum is a little pocket rocket- surprisingly loud, with some nice body to it. It’s got a nice crack when tuned up high. 

The stock head isn’t amazing however. Swapping it out for something like a Remo Ambassador would definitely bring it to life even more. But even as it is, it holds its own.

The toms are fun to play and responsive, and while they don’t have the longest sustain (no reso heads), they still have a nice tone. The 10” rack tom is a little finicky to tune- you’ve got to make very small adjustments. But once you find the sweet spot, it sounds great. 

The 13” floor tom, in particular, surprised me with how deep it sounded. For a drum that’s only 3.5 inches deep, it’s got a really satisfying low-end thud to it.

And the kick drum really impressed me with how punchy and focused it sounded in the recordings. Despite being only 4 inches deep, it’s pretty beefy. It’s got this short, tight, focused sound that works really well for funk, hip-hop, or even rock music. 

I’m using the stock drumheads, tuned to my preference, but I reckon this kit would sound even better with pro-level heads. That would really unlock its full potential—not only improving tone, but also durability. (I already wore through the coating on the snare head after just a day or two.)

Despite that, the overall sound is genuinely impressive, especially when you factor in the shallow sizes and the lack of resonant heads on the toms. 

The Poplar shells produce a nice, musical tone, and I think this kit would really shine on small stages, in bars or lounges, or even for street performances.

My Overall Experience

I mic’d the kit up in the studio and filmed a full demo with it. And I’ve got to say, it recorded way better than I thought it would. I was fully expecting to have to EQ out weird overtones or make big adjustments, but it actually sounded tight straight away.

With just a bit of light compression and EQ, it sat really nicely in a mix. I could definitely see this kit being used for stripped-down sessions, lo-fi beats, or even as a practice kit for recording grooves and ideas on the fly.

There were a few downsides. Firstly, I found the hoops on the toms and snare are really sharp. I play a fair amount of rimshots and they definitely started chewing into my sticks after a while. Just something to be aware of if you’re heavy-handed like me.

And like I mentioned earlier, the stock heads are very much “starter” level. They’re fine, and you can absolutely get a good sound out of them, but they’re not going to last long. If you’re planning to gig or record with this kit, I’d definitely upgrade them.

Lastly, the toms don’t have resonant heads, which does limit the tone a bit. You’re not going to get long, open sustain out of these drums, and if you’re someone who likes really melodic, tuneful toms, that might be a dealbreaker. But for quick, punchy tones, it actually works well.

I did have a bit of trouble keeping the rack tom in tune over longer sessions. It tended to drift after a while, which meant I had to keep tweaking it. It’s a minor thing, but worth mentioning if you’re looking to use it for extended playing or live gigs.

Final Verdict

Is the Tama Club Jam Pancake kit worth it? Absolutely. It’s a cool little kit, super affordable, and excellent value for money considering what you get. It sounds really good mic’d up, and I think it looks fantastic too.

Obviously, it’s not going to give you the same punch and projection as a full-size acoustic kit. But that’s the trade-off—you get portability and convenience in a seriously compact form factor.

Coming straight from my high-end Tama Star Walnut kit, it was obvious this little kit doesn’t have the same level of punch and resonance. But it’s not trying to—it’s meant for small spaces, quick setups, and easy transport.

If you’re after a compact kit, this is a really solid option. Just be prepared to swap out the stock heads if you want to get the best out of it.