Laboz Drums?

[drumfreakruss3]

Hello Vintage drum community! I was given a "LaBoz" drumset a few long time ago and really don't know anything about it. The bass drum is a 20, with 12, 13, and 16 toms and a 14 snare. It came with the original cymbal arm, cymbal stand, high hat stand and bass drum pedal, and 2 cymbals and high hats. Does anyone know anything about these drums? They are yellow sparkle but could have been originally white. I got these drums when I was very young, and broke the original front heads, but the bass drum still has the original front head, and all the bottom heads (except the snare) are original.

Does anyone have any pictures or know anything about these? Thanks alot!

--Russ


http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b41/drumfreakruss3/laboz010.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b41/drumfreakruss3/laboz009.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b41/drumfreakruss3/laboz005.jpg


http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b41/drumfreakruss3/laboz002.jpg

[Sparkletone]

Hi There,

Looks like what you have there is a 1960's era Japanese drum kit, most likely made by Pearl or Tama before these two giants became known as "Pearl and Tama." It's really cool, I dig it!!

Many on this website refer to these as "stencil kits." In the 1960's Pearl and Tama manufactured many Slingerland / Ludwig / Gretch clones using inexpensive woods and exported them to the US, using a variety of names including Zim Gar, Apollo, Chicago Whitehall, Majestic De Luxe and yes, Laboz, amongst numerous others before officially becoming Pearl and Tama.

As far as the finish goes, what you have is actually white marine pearl which has faded graciously over the years to what looks like a honey yellow finish (typical of the aging process for white marine pearl of the 60s).

I own a 1968 Majestic DeLuxe kit in white marine pearl, and my kit looks almost identical to yours, right down to the lug-style. Many would argue that Stencil kits don't sound that great, but when tuned properly with some nice heads, these kits can sound warm and wonderful.

If you're ever looking to sell, you probably shouldn't expect to rake in what one might make for a Slingerland or Ludwig kit of the same era. 1960s Japanese kits usually go from the low to high hundreds on ebay, depending on the condition of the kit.

Here's where you can find your badge (and other 1960s Japanese badges) online:

http://www.vintagesnaredrums.com/japanese_badges.html

Have fun and enjoy your drums!!

[Sparkletone]

BTW, found this great page on everything relating to Japanese drums from the 60s:

http://georgesdrumshop.com/t-faq7.aspx

Enjoy :)

[mpq6350]

Just wanted to say thank you for posting these pictures! This was exactly my first kit in 1978 same color.
Just brought back some great memories.
Thank you

[jonnistix]

These are 60s Star stencils. Star would become, in 74, a little company known as TAMA. Those are very sweet drums. Should bring about 200-300 if you wanted to sell them. The color is actually called White Marine Pearl. They have "mellowed" over the years to the creamy color you now see. I have a similar kit and they are also "mellowed".