1960s Pearl Snare.. Not sure what model/year/worth?.

[bogus]

Any ideas?

[Webmaster]

I have been searching for similar Japanese snare drums and they have been selling for between $60 and $125. I would say this drum falls in the $100 range and the more unique finishes will go for higher.

David

[Bebop]

late 1950s-1960s Pearl. Japenese import drum.
Probably 2 ply laun with no reinforcement hoops.
Strainer is probably pretty bad. These drums don't sound half
bad with some good heads.

[pdbang]

look's like a 1968-69 deluxe or thunder king.i think there worth about $60-100.00 dollars,depends on condition.i love these snares,i collect vintage pearl.ther great drums and nnot as expensive as usa drums.

[canoraboy]

Hi,
This snare dates between 66 and 68.
Phil

[Webmaster]

Hey Phil!

Just for introductions everyone, Phil is in Australia and knows his Japanese Drum History! Welcome to the forum and get ready for the questions, we have a lot of them!

Glad to have you on the forum and thanks for your help.

Phil also is helping with the Japanese section on the web site.

David
Webmaster

Hey Phil, did you catch the blue sparkle Pearl that went for $200 on Ebay this week? prices are going up!

[canoraboy]

Hey Phil!

Just for introductions everyone, Phil is in Australia and knows his Japanese Drum History! Welcome to the forum and get ready for the questions, we have a lot of them!

Glad to have you on the forum and thanks for your help.

Phil also is helping with the Japanese section on the web site.

David
Webmaster

Hey Phil, did you catch the blue sparkle Pearl that went for $200 on Ebay this week? prices are going up!

Yes i did David those gold script Pearl badge snares are a little hard to find these days as they were from the deluxe models from 66 to 69, so i guess you expect to pay around the $200 mark for them , although that one looked like a one of the new blue sparkle rewraps .
Phil (Japanese Drums Downunder)

[deadhead]

I just recently got rid of a snare that looked exactly like this one. I can't tell how many lugs from your pic, but mine was a 10 lug, and was the Deluxe model from the late 60s. I got it as part of a trade and thought it would be an easy flip, I was wrong. I was not at all impressed with the craftsmanship or sound quality of this snare. The hardware was cheap and light duty, the wood was poor quality which caused the bearing edges to be extremely ragged. The strainer was possibly the worst I've seen. The only good thing I did like was the wrap. After 40+ years the wmp looked great with only a tiny bit of yellowing and was securely wrapped with no seperations. I posted it for sale on craigslist for a good month and had no offers, I started at $200 and eventually worked my way down to $75 and still had no takers. I ended up getting $50 trade in credit at a local drum shop and used it towards a '71 B/O supraphonic, I couldn't be more happy with the trade.

No offense to the Vintage Pearl junkies, but these are not "player" drums. They sound like crap, so unless you plan to put it on display I would advise against purchasing these snares. However, if collecting is your game, by all means these are some cool drums with some of the coolest finishes out there.

[backbeatkeeper]

I disagree on all those kits sounding like crap. Here is my Pearl kit, Phil being the expert, can you enlighten me on these? They aren't made of wood. Sizes 20, 12, 14. I have the matching snare, but I'm a BB fan.

And yes that's a big ride, 24 inch Hollow block Zildjian, circa mid 50-s, and she roars like a lion.....



BBK

[IsaacHeath]

backbeatkeeper, I am not an expert but I have been told that the round Pearl badge indicates the 50's and the script PEARL badge (found on the WMP at the top of this post) indicates 60's. My roommate owns a snare from this era with a killer finish. I have never heard it because the strainer is awful.



I can't wait to hear an expert chime in on your set.

I also will agree to disagree with deadhead on this era of Pearl drums. If you expect these Pearl drums to sound like Rogers or Ludwig drums you will be very let down. They don't compete. But they do have their own sound that is awesome in it's own right.



I have used my Pearl on many recordings and love the sound. If an old ludwig is like a Gibson Les Paul then I would liken these old Japanese drums to a Fender Jaguar. A little thin and creeky with lots of vibe. I find my old Pearls inspire me to get wild in recording it. It begs to have tons of spring reverb on it or distorted to bring out the crunch. Oh yeah, and the finishes make me happy!


Isaac

[IsaacHeath]

I forgot to mention how much I love Beatkeepers set. Those cymbals are amazing too!

Isaac

[Lesizmor]

Amazing kits! Lovin' the vintage Pearls!!!


-Les

[Jaye]

Since this thread has been resurrected...just a few comments:

1) The oval Pearl badge and the block-letter pearl badge coexisted in the late '60's...go the Pearl website and navigate to their History section.

People make a mistake in that they assume the older-looking oval badges date the drums pre-'60's. Pearl, the company name as we know it, didn't exist before the late '60's...although the company produced stencils in the decade before that.

2) With some work to the bearing edges and good heads and head tuning, these can make a respectable-sounding kit. But they are luan shells, either 6-ply, 3-ply, or even 1-ply sometimes...so, no...they do not compare sonically to a Slingy, Rogers, Luddy, Premier of the same vintage (but neither do they cost nearly as much).

3) Those snares, even the 10-luggers, really don't have a value over $120 or so. Maybe if it has one of the really cool, old Japanese wraps which are no longer made (such as Tiger's Eye, Candy-Cane swirl, or their crazier dark red oysters or such) they can get $150-75. But, generally, $50-120 range is about where they sit, the snares.

4) It varies, but some of the old Pearl hardware is actually excellent...really heavy-duty cast copies of Slingy and Gretsch stuff...good, good hardware..probably used on their higher-line kits. Their knockoff of the Rogers Swivomatic tom mount system is actually superior to the originals (dare I say).

Generally, just cool old '60's kits with a lotta vintage MOJO which can be bought for cheap, and with some tweaking, worked up into a decent kit. They are neither the sh#t many people consider them, nor the equals of the big American and European mfr's of the time.

[Ludwig-dude]

[/QUOTE] Their knockoff of the Rogers Swivomatic tom mount system is actually superior to the originals (dare I say). [/COLOR][/QUOTE]

Ummm.........I hate to disagree with you on this one but.....I disagree......the earlier Machined Swivomatic hardware was far superior to the Pearl copy.....the later CBS cast Swivomatic, probably about the same.....either way, I will say that it took Ludwig, Slingerland and Gretsch years to catch up with Rogers' innovation in hardware......most modern hardware is a derivative of both kinds of Rogers hardware, be it Swivomatic or Memriloc.....with that said, I'd say the best imported hardware on the market today is Yamaha, and the best domestic......ok, so nothing from the domestic brands are actually domestic today...LOL!.....but if I was to pick one it would be DW.

[Jaye]

LD...you and I disagree ?

Whod'a ever thunk it ? Eye Ball ;)

I knew it would offend someone...BUT...there were 2 types of hex rod Japanese swivo knockoffs...one was a simplified ball joint connecting 2 straight rods, with a single screw to tighten and loosen tension. I like those, they are simple and they hold well, and are easier to use than the multiple screws on the Rogers ones. They were about the same sturdiness as the Rogers and tend to bounce a bit.

The second was a ball joint connecting 2 rods, one rod bent 90 degrees, and the other straight..with 3 tension screws to loosen and tighten coming out vertically from the mount, not horizontally the way the swivomatics did. THOSE are heavy duty kick#ss, heavier guage than the Rogers and they are much less bouncy, much more sturdy. Those suckers were seriously engineered. It's this second design which I feel is significantly superior to Rogers swivos, regardless of whether they were from Cleveland era, Dayton, or Fullerton.

Funny how timing can be, in the Dixie thread right next door in this section, member Dde just posted his Dixie kit , the red one...& it has this exact tom arm (second design) on it in his pic:

http://vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=7389

And Rufus' pic in that same thread shows the first type of arm I mention above.

I agree with you, LD, the Swivomatic was sheer genius as the first ever adjustable hardware of its kind...and all hardware using a ball joint since then owes a lot to the swivomatic...but I think the second version of the Japanese knockoff bested 'em.

Unfortunately, although people think you CAN do this...the hex arms are NOT really interchangeable between the Japanese and Rogers tom mounts...the Rogers hex rods were a tad smaller in diameter...and I have seen plenty of swivomatic plates and collets messed up because someone used the Japanese arms in the Rogers mounts, they had to force the collars open wider and some even routed out the backside of the plates of the earlier ones to make 'em fit.....:(

[Fayray]

That snare would be a good match for my kit. I have 2 old Pearl kits (as well as one from the early 80's) and they are fun to play and sound perfectly acceptable, especially in a live situation. One has a 20" bass and the other a 22". To be fair, I use a Rogers Dynasonic snare rather than one of the originals.

[mlayton]

i am a ludwig enthusiast. but when i came upon this early pearl snare, i just had to have it. i have since seen a matching kit on ebay but it has way too many issues. this one sounds great as well.

mike

[wayne]

I have a Zimgar blue sprkl kit with re rings and casr hardware so im not sure what,when or where that puts it,but im taking it on an audition tonite with a local band that is very popular here.My point is that i feel comfortable enough with its sound that im not concerned about it.All i have to do is play well enough to nail the job,and i certainly wont blame "the drums" if i goof upExcited........BTW Fayray..BEAUTIFUL KITS!!!

[wayne]

For what its worth..Got the gig..drums sounded fantasticMind Blowi