1964/66 Rogers 'Beavertail' Mardi Gras Holiday

[Purdie Shuffle]

Hi All,

See the thread in Vintage Drum Restoration section for the background on this kit. Rare Rogers wrap and because of the combination Mardi Gras w/Beavertails, it's a very rare kit as well.

Enjoy, I know I sure am! These tubs sound warm and punchy as all get-out.

John

[Purdie Shuffle]

Couple of more shots...

John

[brody]

Lovely stuff - that colour is amazing!

[Purdie Shuffle]

Lovely stuff - that colour is amazing!

Thanks, Brody. It is! I'm crazy about the finish. The good news is, they sound every bit as good as they look. Fun kit to play. Great tone.

John

[Powertone]

Outstanding restoration job! To me, that is one of the most beautiful vintage finishes out there.

Enjoy and play those 3 ply shells in good health.

[Purdie Shuffle]

The finish really is beautiful. I saw the 'new' Mardi Gras being offered by Maxwell's. It's great, but it's not the vintage version at all. Lot's of green flecks in the Maxwell wrap that gives it an entirely different look from the old one. The vintage one features the red more, with much better color balance than the new stuff. The speckles on the old wrap are much more densely packed too. My wife says it looks like an astronomical photo of the night sky. Maybe they should have called Mardi Gras, 'Galaxy!'

They should bring back the original. They'd sell a bunch of kits immediately. These are great, warm sounding drums, PT. I'm loving playing them.

John

[tayedrummertom]

Hey John,

Beautiful job on the restoration. I know it took alot of time, but I'm sure it was worth it. I'm glad to know that you scored this ultra-rare kit. Now that it's got a new lease on life, you can enjoy playing them AND showing them off.

Enjoy them for many years to come, my friend. Thanks for the continual up-dates via the forum. It felt like I was right there with you when you were doing all the dirty work necessary to bring them back to life, except I didn't have to get MY hands dirty. Know, though, that as I was perusing your progress, I had a beer or two. This was out of respect for you and all your hard work. That's just the kinda guy I am! No need to thank me.

Rock on!!

Tom

[kevins]

They turned out nice, man!!
Congrats !
Kev

[mlayton]

looking great as always john. i always enjoy your restorations. it inspires the ones that i do. these are beautiful!

mike

[Purdie Shuffle]

Thank you.

Maxwell's valued them, (as players) to be worth; $1500. to $2500. and that was only going by photos I provided. I did good with my little $277.00 investment + labor. Every dog has his day and I've just had mine!

She's a keeper. The good news for me is; because it's a 'player' I get to play them out! I love the idea of taking a kit that sounds this good, to gigs. I would never play my Oaklawn Camco's out, but this kit sounds every bit as good without the 'spilled beer' worry. The old phartz in my band are too long in the tooth to try to jump up on my bass drum, so no worries. lol

I'm a happy camper. I'd like to offer my very special thanks to, GaryN for helping to make the restoration possible.

John

[green glass drum]

At first I thought it was Zappa. Then I checked.....Firesign Theatre!!
I listened to them and laughed my *** off, when I was 16....... wow.
BTW this is about PurdieShuffle's sign off at the bottom, regarding a certain diminutive reference. "endangered by being crushed by a dwarf"
Gotta love the Mardi Gras Beavertail Shuffle.
SA

[Purdie Shuffle]

LOL - Only old hippies get the reference to Fire Sign Theater. You're showing your age! LOL

"Feeling left out of the New Age? Well, don't worry brother, there's a seeker born every minute!" (Fire Sign Theater)

John Danger, 'Danger' is my middle name! :p

[tamadrm]

Nice job as usual John.I wonder why Delmar can't recreate that wrap since most vintage drum freaks love that particular Mardi Gras.Anyway...beautiful drum my friend...Prost.Cool Dude

Steve B

[Purdie Shuffle]

> I wonder why Delmar can't recreate that wrap

My sentiments precisely! (see earlier post.) If they had a few drummers on staff, I'm sure one of them would tell them what a great idea it would be to reproduce, Mardi Gras, Black Galaxy sparkle, Burgundy Sparkle, etc etc. at their next sales meeting.

The one they're offering at Steve Maxwell's is beautiful, but it isn't anything like the original. (see attached sample of Maxwell wrap.)

Thanks for the kind words, I gave it my best shot. I knew how rare the kit was that I was working on. I approached the job with due respect and consideration.

John

[jomeli57]

Don't forget Capri Pearl wrap, My favorite.
Why can't we have it made as a custom wrap?
I wonder how much you would have to order, if it could be done?

[Purdie Shuffle]

Jomeli57 - There are a few companies, like Precision Drum where you can order custom computer generated wrap finishes. The problem is; they use a photographic process to reproduce/print the wrap and you end up with repeating patterns. At $168.00 a sheet, I want better than a repeating pattern.

As for Delmar doing production runs of any wrap, that costs big bucks and would have to be initiated at the highest levels of the company. I don't think a few orders from us is going to justify an entire run by the company. They will have to arrive at the conclusion on their own, that it would be smart and cost effective to reproduce some of our favorite classic wraps. It would have to be a purely business decision on the part of the company.

John

[MikeJtone]

John those are beautiful, awesome score too! BTW was it already mentioned that the inlay should be silver sparkle - I may have missed that but that is all that set needs. Unbelievable pick up! Great restoration too.
Mike

[Purdie Shuffle]

Hey Mike! Good to hear from you. Yep, I knew silver spkl. was traditional, but I like the red glass in there better. Punches up the kit in a good way. Thanks for the kind words. As soon as I discovered what I had, I gave it the 'Royal' treatment. They sound awesome too. Warm, woody tone and with great attack and clarity. I'm really impressed with these. Like my Camco's, they are very 'musical' drums. I'm not a 'dull thud' guy, I like to hear clear notes when I hit my drums. Preferably with a good spread between them. These tubs fill the bill. Great sounding drums, fun to play/listen to.

John

Added later: Looky what I found! Original kit with -red glass glitter- in the bass drum hoops! I wasn't so off the mark with my choice. Apparently 'some' Mardi Gras kits left the factory with colors other than silver sparkle in the hoops. (see photo)

[salty 1322]

Unreal! John, you are an artist! I consider it a good day if I can find a good lug for my old Stars. You, on the other hand, work magic!!!
Brian

[Purdie Shuffle]

Just doing my best... all any of us can do. The important thing is; this rare, old kit was saved for future drummers.

John

[Yoshi]

Gorgeous!
Great drum Yes Sir

[Purdie Shuffle]

Thanks, Yoshi. I see you're in my 'home-town!' (I was born and raised in Manhattan,) man I miss popping into Maxwell's whenever I was in mid-town. Always a great browse. Do you ever go by Maxwell's? If not, put it on your 'must see' list.

John

[hawghunter]

John, Man oh man! speechless! Bowing Just beautiful! Bowing Once again, it looks like you have hit it out of the park. Great job, great kit! Awesome Bowing Tommy