fakes or real 1960s PEARLs?

[gRingo]

Greetings all. I joined to try and find out about a set i own which might or might not be a PEARL, from the 60s.

when i got them i assumed they were nice fakes but now wonder if at least part of the set is legit?

the hardware seems correct and they have the gold Pearl script badges, brad nailed (!!) to the drums but my drums have no wrap finish. Instead they are painted red. I can find no reference to painted sets but do recall that 1960s Japanese stuff was kinda hokey and inexpensive looking. could these have been a low end PEARL set? anyone gotta clue. btw-they sound pretty sweet, and look like mahogany (sp?), at least the visible inner layer. grain runs hoop to hoop.

i have a photo of the snare so will post that if i can figure out how to! hopefully you can blow this image up to see detail?

thx and rock on!

[Ludwig-dude]

Probably a home re-do job. Pearl and the stencil kits they made back then were almost always wrapped. I bet something happened to the wrap over the years and to keep them looking "nice" someone got the bright idea to take the damaged wrap off and paint them instead.....

[kevmugen71]

looks to be 70's, my :2Cents: but im still a noobie. lol

[jonnistix]

Pearl did not make painted sets during this era, nor did Star, Hoshino, Gracy etc....These shells are mahogany and this particular set is 3 ply. You said they are really thin with re-rings, so they are very deep toned and resonant.

Greetings all. I joined to try and find out about a set i own which might or might not be a PEARL, from the 60s.

when i got them i assumed they were nice fakes but now wonder if at least part of the set is legit?

the hardware seems correct and they have the gold Pearl script badges, brad nailed (!!) to the drums but my drums have no wrap finish. Instead they are painted red. I can find no reference to painted sets but do recall that 1960s Japanese stuff was kinda hokey and inexpensive looking. could these have been a low end PEARL set? anyone gotta clue. btw-they sound pretty sweet, and look like mahogany (sp?), at least the visible inner layer. grain runs hoop to hoop.

i have a photo of the snare so will post that if i can figure out how to! hopefully you can blow this image up to see detail?

thx and rock on!

[gRingo]

Thanks fer the info, coupla questions... what is a "stencil" kit? Why's it called that?
I take it my lil ol cheapies have no value now, even as a novelty, because the finish was...altered? Were it still whole, how bout then? Any value? Are there still many of these sets around?

At least I now know the back-story on these things, origin wise! Thanks again.

[kevmugen71]

Not much value to the stencil kits, but with the right set of heads and a little work they can sound like christmas x-mas3

[jonnistix]

"Stencil" refers to any kit, even today's Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean, that are mass produced and then have some obscure, unknown "makers" mark, or name. To us, these are typically MIJ or Made In Japan because they are vintage. Many people on this site despise them and tend to blame the MIJ of killing the American drum companies, even though a high percentage of these guys would NOT be drummers today because of them. These drums filled an economic need. In the boomtime from the Rock-n-Roll explosion, the American makers could not keep up and would not fill the lower budget market, therefore leaving the door wide open to imports.
Now admittedly, most of these old kits are junk, even by todays' standards. However, many of these kits are really great drums. This is also a hotly debated fact. As far as value, the real value is in the fact that they are so inexpensive to collect. Many of todays' vintage guys are beginning to see the value in these as gigging kits. They sound great, and since they are cheap, they can be used to replace the irreplacable American Vintage drums so they are not damaged in the typical gigging places, also known as bar
As for the real sale value of these drums, the funkier, "rarer" the wrap, the higher they will go, all the way to as high as 500, although I probably will never pay more than 100-200 for a complete kit in good condition. Also, the shell composition plays a big part. I prefer the thinner, 3 ply shells, as they have a warmer, woodier sound and resonate beyond anything you will find. Many others prefer the thicker 6 and 9 ply shells as they are higher toned than the 3 ply. Heads are again subjective, however fitting can be a chore as many heads are tight on these old cans. It's just where they live. We, as the keepers of the faith, are publicly and consciously trying to keep the prices down in order that they can remain as a collectible for those of us that like them and enjoy collecting, yet cannot afford the high prices American drums command.
Now, since your kit is de-wrapped, and painted, it is worth no more than someone will pay for them. You will probably end up donating them to a broke kid that has the desire to play, yet has no money to purchase a full kit. And they will appreciate them, just watch the look on the face when you tell that poor kid down the street that you are giving lessons to that they are his, as long as he agrees to a few simple conditions. I donate a few rescued kits a year. These conditions are mine, and anyone that recieves a set of my creatioons must sign a contract. They must never sell or pawn them, and that they must continue to learn, somehow, and if they decide to quit, they must either contact me and return the kit, or find someone else that is similar in stature to themselves and donate them to that kid.
Actually, I think this may be a 60s kit. The tacked on logo is heard to find much in the 70s, but more easily in the 60s. Could be early 70s. They used so many logo designs it is hard to place. Maybe Osakabop will chime in on the timeline for this badge set.

[Pounder]

Stencil kit implies that there were several "brand" names that were created with the same hardware and they usually also have luan shells, sorta like the term "generic" except they have actual brand names on them. I agree with the assertion the wrap was removed, hardware as well, then someone painted the shells and put the hardware back on. So they're probably original except for the finish.

[kevmugen71]

I've seen better paint jobs on stolen bikes in the hood LoLoLoLo

"stencil kit" refers to a large number of drum kits that were imported from Japan and Taiwan. Mainly by Pearl and Tama. But as I stated earlier with the right work they can sound just as good. Jonnistix has some helpful you tube videos that will tune that baby right up flowers2

lol, nevermind the experts have chimed in while i was typing! haha!

[kevmugen71]

"
We, as the keepers of the faith, are publicly and consciously trying to keep the prices down in order that they can remain as a collectible for those of us that like them and enjoy collecting, yet cannot afford the high prices American drums command."

Bowing AMEN!!!

[QUOTE=jonnistix;75953]
"Actually, I think this may be a 60s kit. The tacked on logo is heard to find much in the 70s, but more easily in the 60s. Could be early 70s. They used so many logo designs it is hard to place. Maybe Osakabop will chime in on the timeline for this badge set."

Lets be honest though, that script badge could have been added to the drum when it was "painted". I think we need more photos Jumping2 of the strainer, and some headless shots of the interior. I love these mysteries!!! i'm so addicted D' Drummer lol

[gRingo]

You guys are awesome! Thanks for the info. It is so cool to learn about this stuff!

And, ironically, I was recently a set of 1961 marine white pearl LUDWIGs so intended to in turn gift my 'fake PEARLs' to some deserving someone.

Now I can do that with a cool story to pass on and idea for a 'contract.' Good stuff...

[gRingo]

I will get some additional photos as requested to see what more might be ascertained. Could be a few days tho, the rest of the set's in storage.

[MIKEY777]

By the badge/lug's on the snare drum it would date your set of pearls from the late 1960's,1969 at the latest.Pearl change badges in about 1970 or their about..As far what your set is worth maybe 50.00 to 75.00 with the cover re-moved and painted,if the cover was still on your drums maybe from 100.00-200.00 tops,these price's are if the drums are complete with out any missing parts...Mikey

[jonnistix]

Lets be honest though, that script badge could have been added to the drum when it was "painted". Yeah, it's possible, not probable though. Who would destroy 2 kits for aset of badgfes, even old MIJ, seeing as how they went to trouble to paint these, another kit would likely have gotten the same treatment from this person.
I think we need more photos Jumping2 of the strainer, and some headless shots of the interior. Agreed....more pix of the kit are needed to get the era closer to correct.
I love these mysteries!!! i'm so addicted D' Drummer lol It's like heroine to a junkie....

...let's see some more...

[gRingo]

Howdy all, here are the additional photos promised. Thx for any additional info you can provide...like can we verify mfr date to 60s or 70s? Is it worth it to recover these with new or vintage wraps? Are vintage wraps even available from PEARL, elsewhere?

[jonnistix]

Nope, those are the real deal. The shells are maple/mahogany/maple. The wrap was indeed removed and they were then painted. You can see the external scarf joint on the mid-right side of the bass.

[john rutsey]

10 lug kick is pretty hot. id buy some inexpensive wrap and do it up.

[jonnistix]

Almost any wrap would go well on these. A nice BDP, maybe a red glass glitter, if you want to spend the extra duckets. Be careful of lighter colors as they may be rather thin and would possible allow that extreme red to bleed through. The WMP is probably not a good choice, nor would a silver sparkle. Any of the "thinner blues", like a blue sparkle might look rather unique on these as it could alter the color somewhat. I doubt, honestly, whether the small samples provided by most of the purveyors of wrap would be big enough for you to cover enough of an area to get any noticable bleed as the area directly around, with all the bright red would distort any effects.
Good luck with them, and let know what happens when you are done wrapping them! Another application that would look great on this would be to take some silver, gold or pearl white glitter, comes in a large bottle, available at Michael's for about 5 bucks, and a quart of clear high gloss poly. Mix the glitter in a high ratio. You can mix it and then test, on the bottom of the bass drum in progressively higher concentrations, until you have it right, then apply 3 or 4 coats of this mix to the drums. You do have to constantly stir the mixture to keep the glitter well suspended, but the results are nothing short of breath taking, if done correctly. This will make an amazing finish. It gives an elegant, understated shimmer and looks simply stunning, in a muted, understated majesty. You do have to tape an area about the bearing edges to keep the heads from getting tight, using blue painters tape, or the new Frog Tape. Measure the heads' depth while at full tension by marking it with a pencil on the top and bottom so that you can get the tape line in the right spot.
If you like red, and this looks like a viable solution to you, it is a very inexpensive way to freshen painted drums on the seriously cheap side of the budget. We're talking like a total of $20.00 as opposed to the cost of wrapping, and the very real possibilty of messing it up if you have never done a rewrap, and the cost is in the $200.00 range, more or less.

[gRingo]

Great info Gents, many thanks! I like the glitter idea. Onward through the fog!

[Drumdreams]

If your interested, on the Pearl Drummers Forum, in the Vintage Drum section, there is a thread about a gentleman, "Barjack", who re-wrapped his Pearl fiberglass set in an inexpensive sparkle material. Apparently the whole kit only cost $45 to completely wrap. Very detailed description and pics too.

[OsakaBop]

I just saw this thread. What a strange hybrid of a Pearl kit. The mount is only from 68. The diamond lugs began in 69 but not on wood drums-only fiberglass. Wood shell, hi-end drums probably got diamond lugs in 70/71. The Pearl logo there lasted only till about 70. The 10 lugs on that bass drum indicate a Super deluxe or President level. A wood president line drum possibly but why the 68 mount??? Why the 60s badge??? Shell interior does look sweet. I would make the investment and put a decent sparkle wrap on it- carefully. Read a few web pages on how to re-wrap and I`m sure you can do a nice job if you try your best. Very interesting.