Majestic Drum Set

[vaj6319]

I've got an early 70's Majestic 5-piece drum set, along with a Ludwig snare drum from the same time period. Does this set have any significant "vintage" value?

[Mazzhole]

The snare might have some value but I don't think the kit has much. I could be wrong. Maybe give some more info on the snare. I also rock a Majestic Kit on a regular basis. Majestic De Lucce I have an Orange Sparkle 16x20 10x12 14x14 .. Had the snare but it fell apart. I love the kit!!! I'd never get rid of it. It's nice to know that there are some others out there. I can tell you this about that kit .. C.Bruno and Son out of San Antonio TX (now KAMAN Music out of Bloomfield CT) distributed those drums in the early 70's as a Slingerland copy/knock-off. We have an old catalogue in the office.. Enjoy the drums!!

[Sparkletone]

Sweet! I also have a Majestic De Luxe kit and love it. It's from 1968 and is in White Marine Pearl.

Snagged it off of ebay for $300. Due to lots of pitting (and some rust), I replaced all the hoops and tension rods with new Gibraltar stock. Next came the heads, which I replaced with Aqaurian True Vintage heads. The last thing I replaced was the snare thread, which had been bent and wasn't very responsive.

When everything was finished, I poured about $150 more into the kit, but it now looks and sounds fantastic. I've played out on it quite a few times, and really enjoy it.

Anyway, nice to be part of the "club." I'd love to see pics from the old catalog! Ever considered scanning 'em and posting to this site?

[ARCHxANGEL]

Mazzhole pretty much summed it up.Majestic isn't a kit with much value as it falls into the " stencil " catagory.These were the lower end drums and the list of names is vast and i'm always finding yet another name to add onto the list.The thing in recent times is this though...while there is nothing grand about a Majestic,U.S.Mercury,Tempro ( etc ) kit there are alot more collectors than there used to be and the drums do sell for me.Especially ones in good condition or have a rare finish or feature to them.I am a stencil kit collector myself and love going on ebay and to local shops and hunting them down when I have the means do to so.If you could post some photos that would be great and that would definatly help with placing a value.

[Mazzhole]

Here's my Majestic De Luxe kit... I took it all apart and cleaned everything. I think it looks pretty sharp!! I also removed the bass drum cymbal mount bracket and added the Gibraltar version. Works pretty well. This kit has been a workhorse for me. D' Drummer These pics were from a gig this past Saturday night in Portland CT. I'm kicking myself for getting rid of the snare. It was in bad shape but knowing what I know now, I could have fixed it.

[Lesizmor]

Ha! I just found this tom in a used gear shop and now I am on an all out search to find a Kick and floor tom to make a 3 pc. Is this finish rare? what about a year?..any way of telling??




Thanks,

-Les

[IsaacHeath]

Mazzhole, mind blowing set. How cool. Thank you for posting pictures.

Isaac

[Jaye]

Les...that's a nice drum...dammmit....I sold an identical wrap snare drum about 6 months ago...it had a different stencil name, not Majestic, but it was an exact match of that olive oyster wrap.

It is a Pearl stencil kit (meaning made by pearl, badged another name)....Majestic, Apollo, Whitehall, Revere, Lido, ZimGar, etc. were all made by Pearl. It's an early 60's to late '60's drum.

Cool piece...it ain't gonna be easy to find the matching drums though....

[Lesizmor]

Yeah, I was walking through my local used gear shop and I stumbled across this very cool looking wrap finish tom. I just gravitated toward it. I had no desire to start collecting old Japanese drums..it just looked so cool!
The pix I posted are the tom in uncleaned, as found condition! The drum and wrap are in near museum condition.

I know it will be near impossible to locate a kick and floor tom to match this tom. Ultimately that's what I would like to do, but I won't be upset if I can find a floor tom and kick (Majestic semi pro badge) in similar condition in whatever color wrap.
I plan to restore them to gigable shape and use them as a player kit.
They are just so cool!Cool1

If ANYONE has any information on where I can get my hands on more (kick and floor) of these drums (finish not that important) PLEASE PM me!


Thanks for the info!

-LesKeep on Pl

[Lesizmor]

Here's my Majestic De Luxe kit... I took it all apart and cleaned everything. I think it looks pretty sharp!! I also removed the bass drum cymbal mount bracket and added the Gibraltar version. Works pretty well. This kit has been a workhorse for me. D' Drummer These pics were from a gig this past Saturday night in Portland CT. I'm kicking myself for getting rid of the snare. It was in bad shape but knowing what I know now, I could have fixed it.
Beautiful kit!Cool1

How do they sound?
What heads are you running? Looks like G1s perhaps?!?
I am trying to piece together a Majestic semi pro myself..
Just wondering..

[Jaye]

Yeah, I was walking through my local used gear shop and I stumbled across this very cool looking wrap finish tom. I just gravitated toward it. I had no desire to start collecting old Japanese drums..it just looked so cool!
The pix I posted are the tom in uncleaned, as found condition! The drum and wrap are in near museum condition.

I know it will be near impossible to locate a kick and floor tom to match this tom. Ultimately that's what I would like to do, but I won't be upset if I can find a floor tom and kick (Majestic semi pro badge) in similar condition in whatever color wrap.
I plan to restore them to gigable shape and use them as a player kit.
They are just so cool!Cool1

If ANYONE has any information on where I can get my hands on more (kick and floor) of these drums (finish not that important) PLEASE PM me!


Thanks for the info!

-LesKeep on Pl

eFlay........

[Ralf]

@ Jaye:
quote
...
It is a Pearl stencil kit (meaning made by pearl, badged another name)
...
unquote

Sorry, Jaye, that I have to answer, but I guess, that 'Majestic' was part
of the 'other Japanese family' Star (now: Tama).
Look at that lugs: didn't Pearl use other types of lugs in the 60s?
But surely, the lug looks like identical copies of those on all early Star toms.

Am I right?

Greetings - Ralf

[big daddy]

That badge cracks me up - Semi-Pro... Why would you even put that on the badge?? LOL!!

Did Majestic offer a "Pro" kit?? Or maybe a "Beginner" line as well???

Too funny.

[Jaye]

Ralf...quite honestly, I never did figure that out. There are a whole bunch of different '60's Pearl lugs...not just one type...most were knockoffs of the big American companies.

I know that the lugs on this Majestic tom...sort of a slightly elongated Slingerland style.. look like the lugs on old ZimGars...and I thought ZimGar was a Pearl stencil...but really, I am not sure of this.

It could be a Star, I suppose....

[Lesizmor]

Still searching for floor tom and bass drum..:confused:

[jonnistix]

Still searching for floor tom and bass drum..:confused:
Well, if my son decides to pass, I just bought an entire kit, with ALL drums intact. I mean an hour ago. They are Blue Sparkle. The snare is in the best condition, I have not clean them yet. All of the original stands, or least period correct, are included. I got one hell of a deal. I will post them to my blog, then post the address here.

[VernDrums]

I started researching Majestic and I found the thread you gents have been posting via Google, so I though I'd share this story with you:

I found an old Majestic set in our attic about 9 years ago and brought it down to the garage. Apparently my grandparents bought it used for my dad around 1974 and he had it all through his middle school and high school years. I learned to play drums on this kit.

I was gifted a Mapex and it went back up to the attack, but I've always wanted to restore it and over the past week I've begun the process.

Took it all the way apart, cleaned and polished Everything, waxed the outer shell, found some old rental heads for sale in a Portland shop on Hawthorne and put all new REMO Weather king Battered heads on her. I still have the original heads, but they're fragile, and :

If any of you gents wanted to do more research, the bass drum head is stamped " Don Worth Drum Shop "

She has all the original parts, except the high hat stand that was bought with the set. It's the only thing missing.

She still isn't all the way done being that I'm still searching the attack and garage for Bass Drum Rods and the rest of the bolts BUT I thought I'd post some pics for you guys.

Isn't she amazing. I'm in love with the finish.




Thank you all very much for all of the information. It was fun tracking down with your help this piece of history. Let me know what you think as far as year, rarity and value. I'll never sell it. Just curious.

Thanks

Ryan

SOU Percussion

[cn679]

That is an awesome set! The finish looks like its in great condition, too. Do you have to bottom hoops for the snare and toms? If not, you can pick them up at Trade Up or order some online. But other than that, looks to be pretty complete. The really nice thing is that the 2 bass hoops are there. Lots of these old kits are missing the bass reso hoop and they are VERY difficult to replace.

I dont know if its worth too much, probably anywhere from $150-400 depending on what someone would pay, but personally I would keep it as an item for the family. Something like that is a great piece of family history. (And obviously its a cool sounding kit as well that can and should be played.)

BTW, I am in Portland as well. Don Worth was/is an old school drum teacher in the area. I remember he came to work with our drum section in high school. He was the recommended guy for private lessons, I think his son teaches as well. Great drummer, as I remember.

Anyway, nice set. Thanks for sharing the pics!

(Southern Oregon University Percussion?)

[VernDrums]

Hey thanks a lot for the info, It's much appreciated. And no worries, I've planned on keeping it in the family since day 1.

I do have all of the all of the original bottom rims, Its just the tension rods to secure them are somewhere hidden in our garage, or could have been thrown out years ago, which would be a shame, because the vintage bass drum tension rods look pretty sweet.

but thanks again

and yeah, I'm under Terry Longshore At southern oregon university. I haven't been doing formal percussion for long such as classical marimba and playing sheet music, but picking it up. Terry is a great teacher and an awesome musician.

[Musicman]

"semi pro" pretty funny.

[vintagedrummer53]

My first set back in '68 was a red sparkle finish Majestic. I played it until I got married which set my music career back 9 years! It's not that these stencil kits were special; they were not since they were being mass produced. It's that they were relatively inexpensive compared to a Ludwig or Slingerland, so more kids of my generation got a chance to own and play a real (not toys) drum set. I tuned them to sound as good as I could with better Remo heads and muffling. I regret selling my Majestic kit 30 years ago and have searched on Ebay for a complete Majestic badge kit, but they are either hard to find or someone is asking way too much. So I did the next best thing and built a kit from different stencil brands like Whitehall, Drum Mate and Lyra. They were all made by Pearl as was the Majestic line, so they look pretty much the same but I have premium Remo Emperor batter heads and Aquarian Classic Clear resonant side on them for a much better sound. Whether Phillipine mahogany, birch or maple, those old 1960s drums can sound very good if you just take the time to tune them. The older, the better. Older drum shells are very dry compared to newer shells, so they resonate more, they ring!flowers2

[wayne]

TOTALLY AGREE!!!Mind Blowi

[johnnyz]

Mazzhole, your kit kicks. i'm jonsing for an orange kit. staggared lugs are cool. gonna try and post pics of my supreme's, found at the side of the road, out with trash, with a 30's ish ludwig 10 lug cob snare. i use the supreme's to gig. i lovem. looks very similar. painted int shells.

[AZBill]

Here's my Majestic De Luxe kit... I took it all apart and cleaned everything. I think it looks pretty sharp!! I also removed the bass drum cymbal mount bracket and added the Gibraltar version. Works pretty well. This kit has been a workhorse for me. D' Drummer These pics were from a gig this past Saturday night in Portland CT. I'm kicking myself for getting rid of the snare. It was in bad shape but knowing what I know now, I could have fixed it.

Duuuuuuude, that's a sweet sparkle wrap. (I don't know what it is about the sparkles, but they really get me.) Nice job on the cleaning; it looks new. Rock on, with those orange babies!! D' Drummer

[jonnistix]

I hate to tell you this, but Majestics are, without a doubt, Star made, not Pearl. I have a complete set, paid 50 bucks for them this summer, and the rail mount end cap tells it all. As well as the different snare lugs from the Pearl and Star lines. They are subtle, but noticable. I can provide the pix, if you wish. The Star top of the line uses the end cap in question. My Majestics have all the exact same hardware.
http://www.tamadrum.co.jp/anniversary/expansion.php?cat_id=3&now=1
The set on the left, in copper, is what I have, 20/14/12/12, but I have the matching wood snare, and the stelly as well, and it is a very nice kit. Bought it for my son's 9th birthday, and got a 18" Paiste, 14" Paiste hats, and a 14" A. Zild crash, along with a Ringo 1124 HiHat stand. It is blue sparkle. I picked up the Steely off ebay with the round blue MIJ badge for 22.00, shipping included, and it looks to have had no more than 5-6 hours of play and into ythe closet for 30-40 years. (the steel snare)

My first set back in '68 was a red sparkle finish Majestic. I played it until I got married which set my music career back 9 years! It's not that these stencil kits were special; they were not since they were being mass produced. It's that they were relatively inexpensive compared to a Ludwig or Slingerland, so more kids of my generation got a chance to own and play a real (not toys) drum set. I tuned them to sound as good as I could with better Remo heads and muffling. I regret selling my Majestic kit 30 years ago and have searched on Ebay for a complete Majestic badge kit, but they are either hard to find or someone is asking way too much. So I did the next best thing and built a kit from different stencil brands like Whitehall, Drum Mate and Lyra. They were all made by Pearl as was the Majestic line, so they look pretty much the same but I have premium Remo Emperor batter heads and Aquarian Classic Clear resonant side on them for a much better sound. Whether Phillipine mahogany, birch or maple, those old 1960s drums can sound very good if you just take the time to tune them. The older, the better. Older drum shells are very dry compared to newer shells, so they resonate more, they ring!flowers2

[jonnistix]

You found those on the curb? In that condition???? Man, what am I doing wrong???? I must have really made God mad.....

Mazzhole, your kit kicks. i'm jonsing for an orange kit. staggared lugs are cool. gonna try and post pics of my supreme's, found at the side of the road, out with trash, with a 30's ish ludwig 10 lug cob snare. i use the supreme's to gig. i lovem. looks very similar. painted int shells.

[johnnyz]

its the closest i'll ever get to winning the lottery.
I cleaned them up. took the tom mount & cymbal arm off the bd. now i'm always looking at the side of the road, esp garbage day. the snare is on loan to a local artist in the studio over the holidays. send pics when i get it back. That was a great day

[jonnistix]

You should keep those(tom mount/cymbal arm). And if you don't want them, I'd love to have them as I am looking for a set for my current project. I have a 22 sitting in the living room that needs those to complete the rescue.

its the closest i'll ever get to winning the lottery.
I cleaned them up. took the tom mount & cymbal arm off the bd. now i'm always looking at the side of the road, esp garbage day. the snare is on loan to a local artist in the studio over the holidays. send pics when i get it back. That was a great day

[johnnyz]

I've got them bagged/stored. Didn't want to wear them more/break them. There is a slight crack with the grain on the inside of the bd shell where the tom mount was, and didn't want to stress it out any more. it's such a thrill to find an old kit. This great site proves i'm not alone

[poppy79424]

I sure could use that cymbal arm for my majestic kit

You should keep those(tom mount/cymbal arm). And if you don't want them, I'd love to have them as I am looking for a set for my current project. I have a 22 sitting in the living room that needs those to complete the rescue.

[MattTolleson]

This is my first post on the forum (this is awesome... other drum people ;)) I have on my hands a red and black "tiger" wrapped Majestic De Luxe kit with all original parts including bass drum hoops and tom mounts. Seems very old and I cant put my finger on the year. The lugs are offset and look to be the Slingerland style. Bass Drum, two mounted toms, and floor tom with all hardware (no snare, it has an old ludwig snare). Also came with a Speed Pedal hi-hat stand and some unidentifiable hi-hats. I can only make out a Vibe stamp on the bottom hat. Pictures to come. I would like some advice on restoring these bad boys.

[JSdrums]

Is there a difference between the "Semi Pro" and "De Luxe" ????

[jonnistix]

Is there a difference between the "Semi Pro" and "De Luxe" ????
From what I've seen, the "Semi-Pro" is a 3 ply shell. I have a floor tom that has that badge on it. The rest are 6 and 9 ply. Also I have seen a 13" tom that is a 3 ply.

[JSdrums]

here's my Majestics!!! I hope to post a better pic soon...this is from last Sunday's Open Jam that I host. The snare is a Rogers SuperTen w/ 2 logos. If you look, this kit is painted black, but I just found out it has a little secret...
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs313.ash1/27799_433172358312_542548312_5147346_3896222_n.jpg

[jonnistix]

Tell me it is Avocado Strata under the paint...
That ia indeed a rare-ish color.

[JSdrums]

Tell me it is Avocado Strata under the paint...
That ia indeed a rare-ish color.

ummmm, no. It's more like a blue diamond pearl but in strands (?)
It got lightly scraped in a few spots, I saw the blue and decided to take paint remover (the water based, eco-friendly I used on my Vistas) to an area under the kick and investigate it. For some reason I seem to get a hold of cool looking drums that people felt the need to paint black.

I'm going to spend my time playing the drums for now before I restore 'em. They sound really good!! Got coated Emeperors on the toms, clear Ambassadors on the bottoms and a Powerstroke 3 on the kick.

[jonnistix]

ummmm, no. It's more like a blue diamond pearl but in strands (?)
It got lightly scraped in a few spots, I saw the blue and decided to take paint remover (the water based, eco-friendly I used on my Vistas) to an area under the kick and investigate it. For some reason I seem to get a hold of cool looking drums that people felt the need to paint black.

I'm going to spend my time playing the drums for now before I restore 'em. They sound really good!! Got coated Emeperors on the toms, clear Ambassadors on the bottoms and a Powerstroke 3 on the kick.
OMG! that is a killer color! Be very careful remove it slowly and you will be rewarded with one gorgeous set of drums! Are you shells all Semi-Pro?

[Randydrummer]

Awesome!! PM sent.

[JSdrums]

Are you shells all Semi-Pro?

no, they're DeLuxe, painted grey on the inside.
I gotta take closer pics because there's 3 holes for what I believe is a ride cymbal mount on the bass drum.
Do ya think I can score one of these? I might go Gibraltar or Gretsch if I have to.
I'm in no rush with drum projects at the moment. I'd much rather play.

[jonnistix]

no, they're DeLuxe, painted grey on the inside.
I gotta take closer pics because there's 3 holes for what I believe is a ride cymbal mount on the bass drum.
Do ya think I can score one of these? I might go Gibraltar or Gretsch if I have to.
I'm in no rush with drum projects at the moment. I'd much rather play.
Yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about exact match, except you could get an email to Mikey, ask for a Star cymbal arm mount, he has a ton of them. Use his email as PM here is always full.

[Drumdreams]

ummmm, no. It's more like a blue diamond pearl but in strands (?)
It got lightly scraped in a few spots, I saw the blue and decided to take paint remover (the water based, eco-friendly I used on my Vistas) to an area under the kick and investigate it. For some reason I seem to get a hold of cool looking drums that people felt the need to paint black.

I'm going to spend my time playing the drums for now before I restore 'em. They sound really good!! Got coated Emeperors on the toms, clear Ambassadors on the bottoms and a Powerstroke 3 on the kick.

Man, that finish should be awsome when you get it cleaned up, although the kit looks pretty cool with the black finish:). Love those offset lugs too. Wish my Silvertones had offset lugs:(

[randrohe]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about exact match, except you could get an email to Mikey, ask for a Star cymbal arm mount, he has a ton of them. Use his email as PM here is always full.

Hi,
First post here..
I found a set Majestic drums that need a ride cymbal arm for the kick drum...
I hear that Mikey may have some laying around???
So, Mikey, if your out there and have one available for sale, hit me up>>
THanks,
Rand

[jonnistix]

Hi,
First post here..
I found a set Majestic drums that need a ride cymbal arm for the kick drum...
I hear that Mikey may have some laying around???
So, Mikey, if your out there and have one available for sale, hit me up>>
THanks,
Rand
If this is the Majestic from ebay in black pearl, it is a Star arm, that one is like finding a hen's tooth. Please post a pic of the set. If these are the ones, they are overpriced. Can you please give the details of your kit and the pix?

[javazqueza]

Hello everyone! I am new at this forum, I have a Majestic '83 drumset.
I will try to post photos, because it is completely new, even drumheads are original. The only thing I changed were the cymbals. Now I have a set of Sabian-Power Beat.

[cn679]

Whoa! Thanks for posting. I'm picking up Hoshino and Tama vibes. You sure it's an '83?

[poppy79424]

I have a vintage 5 piece red pearl majestic kit. It has offset lugs like my 60's sonor teardrops. Its very cool.

[j.o.2]

Here's a nice Majestic set I picked up on craig's list in Phoenix, AZ a few weeks ago. A (most likely) late '60's 5 piece with the original pro pedal bass drum pedal. The hardware appears to be Star with gray painted drum interiors. The shells are very nice and round and the chrome is in great shape. I added some mid-'80's TAMA hardware (snare stand, hi hat stand and bass drum pedal), used the existing ludwig flat leg cymbal stand and had a similar import cymbal stand. New heads and new wuhan cymbal pack and we are off and running. Sound very good!!! The bass drum hoops are the metal type. The wrap is in great shape--oyster pearl. I had to do minimal cleaning and adjustment. I'm new to the forum and to MIJ vintage drums, so any input about this set would be helpful. Thanks!!!!

[poppy79424]

Very Cool!! Mine are excatly like yours except the color...


Here's a nice Majestic set I picked up on craig's list in Phoenix, AZ a few weeks ago. A (most likely) late '60's 5 piece with the original pro pedal bass drum pedal. The hardware appears to be Star with gray painted drum interiors. The shells are very nice and round and the chrome is in great shape. I added some mid-'80's TAMA hardware (snare stand, hi hat stand and bass drum pedal), used the existing ludwig flat leg cymbal stand and had a similar import cymbal stand. New heads and new wuhan cymbal pack and we are off and running. Sound very good!!! The bass drum hoops are the metal type. The wrap is in great shape--oyster pearl. I had to do minimal cleaning and adjustment. I'm new to the forum and to MIJ vintage drums, so any input about this set would be helpful. Thanks!!!!

[j.o.2]

Thanks!!!!

Kit:
14'' snare
12, 13, 16 toms
20 bass

[CaliforniaLuke]

I have this Majestic Deluxe Kit - missing the floor tom, unfortunately. Can anybody help identify the wrap (maybe Avocado 'Flame') and the approximate year?
Tuned them up and they sound great - I was surprised how good.

Oh... and what's that funny mount on the right side of the bass?

Luke

http://www.lukedavisart.com/majestic%20kit/IMG_4278.jpg

http://www.lukedavisart.com/majestic%20kit/IMG_4275.jpg

http://www.lukedavisart.com/majestic%20kit/IMG_4277.jpg

[Retrosonic]

Dude, those are beautiful drums!! Congrats.

I think you would have a tough time finding the matching floor tho....does anyone have a wrap thats similar to that? Maybe you could roll your own and have it match just enough.

Great set, guy, love it!@!

[teverson-sr]

That triangle mount on the bass is the cymbal arm base.Your cymbal arm is mounted to the tom arm-it was most likely a 5 piece originally.Those cymbal arms-the triangle base ones-are as hard to come by as an Avocado Flame 16"floor tom.....sorry.I think,and I may be corrected here by those more knowledgeable,that that cymbal arm design is not very sturdy,particularly for a ride cymbal.If I were looking for a floor tom to match that set I'd post a wanted here and on other forums,and be prepared to WAIT......Those drums are nice ,by the way.

[fishwaltz]

Yep, sure won't be easy to find the matching FT, but when you do... :)

The triangle thing is indeed a portion of the original cymbal mount. Check with Mikey777, he may have more. I got one for a 'Royal Star' kit a couple years back.

That is a super cool finish on that kit.

[poppy79424]

I found a matching blue slate pearl floor tom for my 60's Sonor teardrop kit. I googled sonor floor tom and one came up on craigslist in canada. I contacted the guy and he was nice enough to ship it to me. My Majestic kit has a cymbal arm. Heres a pic of the bracket. Its just like the floor tom leg bracket, except it has to set screws.

[poppy79424]

I LOve the staggerd lugs on the Majestics!

[CaliforniaLuke]

Interesting ....I saw this on the For Sale forum, and it looks to be the same Avocado Satin/Flame kit (with the floor tom too... curses!).

roundbadgedude: 4pc Majestic Deluxe (MIJ) in avocado satin flame

LD

[Retrosonic]

Love the color, but hate the tom sizes. 12' mounted to 16' floor is too much of a jump for me, personally. I also hate using a 12' mounted because its too small for the way I play.

[jonnistix]

Nice find! The original configuration for this kit was an exact knock-off of the 1964 Ludwig "Hollywood", 20-12-12-14-14sn. I just sold the same kit in blue sparkle, except I kept the 14 and subbed in a 16. The boy that bought it wanted the "bigger sound" of the 16, and since 14x14 floor toms are so valuable, I was more that happy to oblige, and the 16 was, interestingly enough, another Majestic I had picked up locally for $40, including a hi-hat stand from the 50s, Sonor, a 40 strand Gretsch snare wire set in original packaging from the early 60s, and some other small stuff. The snare wires made all the money and then some, so everything else was basically free.

[javazqueza]

Whoa! Thanks for posting. I'm picking up Hoshino and Tama vibes. You sure it's an '83?

Hi! Well, I bought it brand new in a music parlor in 1983, but maybe it had been in storage long time before that. Could be older. But any way, I am proud of it. The sound does not envy any of the "big" brands. I just LOVE it.

[javazqueza]

Whoa! Thanks for posting. I'm picking up Hoshino and Tama vibes. You sure it's an '83?

IT'S A MIRACLE! I have found the original invoice, and it is from 1982! Not '83 but '82.http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/images/smilies/icon_lol.gif

[Josh Vibert]

I know I'm bumping a bit of an older thread here, but this is the thread that led me to the site. I have been playing for 19 years now and always owned and played modern drum kits. Last year I began looking for a simple, vintage 3 or 4 pc kit to fix up and play out. I came across the kit below on Guitar Center's used gear site for $50. It was $90 total with shipping, but I figured I couldn't go wrong for less than $100 shipped for a neat vintage kit and in cool sizes as well: 14 x 20, 14 x 14, 8 x 12. I got the kit and it was in pretty rough shape cosmetically, but sounded really good. I had a lot going on at the time with my first child being born and all, but about a month ago I got a call for a gig and decided to fix these babies up and take them on their maiden voyage. I found a thread on the Pearl drummer's forum where a guy showed how to wrap drums in sparkle vinyl fabric pretty inexpensively and it looked great, so I hopped online and bought a couple yards of the fabric in pewter sparkle. I stripped all the hardware off the shells and wrapped them in the fabric. Then, I put on new heads all around. The kit sounded and looked amazing. I assume these are Majestics because the lug shape and offset look exactly like those on the kit in post #50 (this is what popped up in my Google search and led me here). I posted the before pics on another forum and a guy there recognized the kit as one he used to own and gave me some more background to include that the drums were originally wrapped in aqua satin flame. Anyhow, here are some pics to show what they looked like when I got them and what they look like now:

http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/ASH556/20120806_194430.jpg (http://s854.photobucket.com/user/ASH556/media/20120806_194430.jpg.html)
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/ASH556/20120806_194551.jpg (http://s854.photobucket.com/user/ASH556/media/20120806_194551.jpg.html)
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/ASH556/20120806_194522.jpg (http://s854.photobucket.com/user/ASH556/media/20120806_194522.jpg.html)
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/ASH556/IMG_2235.jpg (http://s854.photobucket.com/user/ASH556/media/IMG_2235.jpg.html)
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/ASH556/IMG_2237.jpg (http://s854.photobucket.com/user/ASH556/media/IMG_2237.jpg.html)
http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/ASH556/IMG_2240.jpg (http://s854.photobucket.com/user/ASH556/media/IMG_2240.jpg.html)

[poppy79424]

Is this Charcoal Zodiac Naugahyde?

[poppy79424]

Here's some booths we did out of that! lol

[fishwaltz]

LOL - Poppy...

Hey those look great! And I'd assume you still have less then a couple hundred in the shells... fantastic!

The offset lugs are always cool. Any idea of the brand?

[Drummerjohn333]

LOL - Poppy...

Hey those look great! And I'd assume you still have less then a couple hundred in the shells... fantastic!

The offset lugs are always cool. Any idea of the brand?

(He'll figure it out sooner than later......yes I am talking about you fish.......)

Josh, there has been entire threads on here about that material. We will all be very interested in hearing how well that stuff holds up. The biggest concern is extreme heat - as in direct hot sunlight and stage lights.....so be careful with that stuff, those drums.

Lastly, are you going to make and install some inlays onto those hoops next?

John

[poppy79424]

Nice Brass too!!!

[Josh Vibert]

(He'll figure it out sooner than later......yes I am talking about you fish.......)

Josh, there has been entire threads on here about that material. We will all be very interested in hearing how well that stuff holds up. The biggest concern is extreme heat - as in direct hot sunlight and stage lights.....so be careful with that stuff, those drums.

Lastly, are you going to make and install some inlays onto those hoops next?

John


Yeah, I hear the concern about the wrap. Honestly, though, for as cheap as it was to do and from what the drums looked like, I don't think things could get any worse. I do not plan to do the hoops. They are mis-matched and so the widths and depths of the inlays are different. Again, from where this kit started, it makes it a lot easier to not try and make it perfect or restored to original. I just wanted a decent looking kit I could take out and play and not worry about. My other kit is a Pearl Session Maple in transparent black lacquer, so I'm always worried about traveling with it.

Oh, and thanks for the compliment on the pies. They do the job ;)

[smirker]

Must say, it looks fantastic.

I have an ugly stripped 60s 20" MIJ kick that I picked up to practice with around the house and to introduce my daughter to drums. Would love to re-wrap it, but no way I'm going to spend $140+ in wrap when I only paid $40 for the kick and tom.

Was thinking of staining them, but may just have to give this approach a try first. Even if it doesn't stand the test of time it seems like a really cost effective hold over.

Thanks for posting!

[poppy79424]

I did a kit out of the "Sparklebrite" or wrap your drums for 59.95. A lot of work to put cheap wrap on, but it is what it is huh?
The naugahyde zodiac Vinyl isn't cheap. Its what Kustom used on their speakers and amps back in the day.

[jonnistix]

The bass will sound much better if you add wood hoops and dump the metal. This will get rid of any ring and bring on a ton more bottom end.
See this vendor.. www.aitwood.com The hoops cost less than 20 each + shipping.
http://www.aitwood.com/StoreFront.Asp?WoodType=MAPLE&CATID=20&WoodPLY=10&Section=HOOP10PLY&wDesc=10%20ply%20Musical%20Bass%20Hoops%20Maple

[Drummerjohn333]

The bass will sound much better if you add wood hoops and dump the metal. This will get rid of any ring and bring on a ton more bottom end.
See this vendor.. www.aitwood.com The hoops cost less than 20 each + shipping.
http://www.aitwood.com/StoreFront.Asp?WoodType=MAPLE&CATID=20&WoodPLY=10&Section=HOOP10PLY&wDesc=10%20ply%20Musical%20Bass%20Hoops%20Maple

Yes, that is right - wood hoops all the way for me as much as possible. I love Anderson - their staff is great and product is top notch. At the same time, also include HB Drums in your shopping. They have lacquered hoops for under 25 each, including also offering bare hoops. I believe they offer birch (not sure if they also offer maple or other woods).....

http://hbdrums.com/home.php?cat=1431

John

[robyn64]

you did a really nice job on that kit josh, looks great. i basicly did the same thing with the kit i did but just used a different type of fabric. it cost me 80 some odd dollars to rewrap a 5pc kit. that is including the fabric, glue and tape. i already had sandpaper and the paint i used to stain the shells with. the kit itself cost me less then 250 shipped to my front door. i think fabric is a good way to go with these mij kits, you have tons of paterns and colors to choose from, it's easy to do, really doesn't take that long to finish so less work and fabrics don't seem to hurt the sound of them. now unless you really have the money and want to put that much into a lower priced kit, that is cool too. i really like mij kits coz they are price efficient for me and with some TLC, they are really nice kits with good sound.