New Heads for pre-international Premier Kit

[complexcarbohydrate]

Greetings all, this is my first post.

I ended up here after asking a bunch of vintage drum experts where i could find replacement heads for my 1957 Premier Kit, which has 11 3/4" and 16 1/4" [by 19"!] toms. Used to be I could order them through Remo, but they seem to be a lot less helpful these days.

Has anyone else purchased these lately that may have a good tip?

Coated ambassadors, or anything really!, would be fine.

Muchos gracias,


James

[Pete Stoltman]

Not sure this would work and others may have better knowledge but I'd check on the Aquarian Modern Vintage series heads. If you call there they have been very helpful to me in the past.

[gaz farrimond]

Mike Ellis, www.dmdrums.co.uk can supply pre-international heads, and, sometimes, with original Premier logo for the bass drum.

Not too sure of anyone in the US.

[complexcarbohydrate]

thank you both, i will let you know how i go.

cheers, james

[mikeellis]

The supply of pre-int heads (in the UK) is pretty hit and miss, not sure how the USA and the ROTW is, but we try hard to keep them in stock and there's nothing more pleasing to my heart to have a full rack of the little blighters!!

I'm sure a lot of music and drum stores have them, collecting dust but the round shouldered, callow 'yoofs' who seem to populate a lot of 'shiny' stores really can't be bothered sometimes. So, if you see 'em, buy 'em!

[Drumdad]

I have a similar problem and the Aquarian American Vintage heads do not solve the problem. That leads me to ask the following question: What would be the consequence of using a head that was, for example, 1/2" larger in diameter than the shell? I recognize that the tension rods would need to screw 1/4" further into the lugs. Assuming that is possible, would the drum tune properly? Would it sound any better or worse than a properly sized head? Thanks.

[mikeellis]

We have 'converted' a number of pre-international Premier 12" (11 5/8ths) toms to 'international size' by getting new hoops and heads and it really doesn't seem to bother the drum or rods. You can deal with the very slight angle of the rods by cutting and fitting rubber plinths to go under the lugs and raise them off the shell.

Premier v.2 Soundwave drums from 1980 used 'undersized' shells with lugs on plinths, the USP being the 'extra clarity' this arrangement gave since the head hoop was clear of the drum shell.