Surpised it's not "Sregor" drum kits. You know, Rogers spelled backwards.
Wasn't there a company in the 1960s Seltaeb, selling Beatles cheap merchandise on the fly..?
Makes me think of a good quote by a VDF member that he would never ever spend a penny on a Yamaha product in protest for what they did to the Rogers name with this insanely cheap drum kit they're marketing as a Rogers.
If 1960s Rogers were the Cadillac of drums, what makes this imposter? The Yugo of drums I guess.
My gripe was never the entry level drums. It still is not entry level drums. Entry level has its right and proper place. Reality is plain to see, a first drum kit is not going to be top of the line unless the child in question is already the spoiled brat of some rich guy who just is not well connected to well... reality. So, entry level drums play an important role in beginning drum set playing, and are the first contact a brand will have with a future high end purchaser. That is all well and good.
When Brook Mays acquired Rogers, there were no drums being made. Spitzer had only made T shirts. Island Music had been gone since the late early 90s. Again, Spitzer did nothing with the Rogers name until they sold it. Brook Mays had a game plan for Rogers and that was to resurrect the brand and elevate it back to its former status. The beginning of that required attaining some market-share, which, being that Brook Mays was the nations leading retailer for student class instruments via its own stores throughout the Midwest, they had a ready made selling platform from which to build a base for future mid and upper range purchasing. From its earliest and cheapest offerings under the Rogers name, steady increasing quality and design quickly became evident. The early 2000s seen improvements in set quality. Brook Mays last releases of Rogers had maple shells, reintroduction of the true Rogers Beavertail lug, modern isolation mounts, quality finishes, great edges, and all of that in a well proportioned mid price range set. And it was to be sold primarily in Brook Mays branded stores. By now, just over five years had gone by and those cheap sets were ready to be replaced by something of much better quality, and guess who had it..... the same store that fronted the credit for the entry level set that was outgrown.
This is exactly where things took the turn to ugly. The lawsuit and ensuing loss by Brook Mays threw them bankrupt. There was a lot of outstanding debt, some of which was owed to that company. Now with Rogers and THAT Company, there is a long history that goes back to the mid 1960s when Rogers used Yamaha for the R series of quality entry level sets. The name of Rogers and its former reputation, the potential to grab a significant piece of market share from not only THAT Company, but also every other manufacturer active in that demographic, made for what I personally believe was an intentional business decision to acquire the Rogers name and rights to settle debt by Brook Mays. So the transfer was made, BM gets to stay alive, restructure, and downsize,... but survives as a business. Rogers goes to THAT Company, with its promises to bring the brand back. This is something I do not believe was ever intended, and I really don't give a damn what the press releases at the time said....... I believe the acquisition was then intended, and has proven in fact, to have executed a death sentence on the Rogers name.
Remember what I said about the last Rogers drums BM was building, some got into the market, they are featured in the 2nd edition of the Rogers Book by Rob Cook. There were plans to bring back the Dyna-Sonic. Quality drums were being built and distributed at the time of the acquisition by THAT Company, yet THAT Company discontinued those drums in favor of super low end drums. There was no cost involved in continuing to build the brand right where it was. They did not acquire a dead name or entry level only drums. What they acquired was a resurrection in progress that would have been unprecedented in the musical instrument industry.
They killed it.
At the time all of my modern stands and hardware were Yamaha. I had a good bit of money invested in that gear, most of which I purchased new. In 2001 I came very close to buying a set of Maple Custom Absolutes, (the only reason I did not was accidentally falling into an Ayotte Custom set) and I am glad in retrospect that I did not. I sold all of it off, for whatever someone would give for it, and gave away what was left. Every single item of gear I owned that said Yamaha is gone. I do not own, and will not own or play on Yamaha.
So to answer what was said about entry level drums... I am fine with entry level, they fill the exact spot in the market place they need to fill.
Great thread. Enjoyed the different POV's. Those of us who appreciate the legacies of Henry Grossman, Joe Thompson, and Ben Strauss hate to see the Rogers name tied to cheap quality drums, regardless of the business strategy. As Jack said, BM's original intention to produce high-quality Rogers drums was on-track until they reversed course. Oh well, plenty of great vintage drums out there.
HughKeep on Pl
My gripe was never the entry level drums. It still is not entry level drums. Entry level has its right and proper place. Reality is plain to see, a first drum kit is not going to be top of the line unless the child in question is already the spoiled brat of some rich guy who just is not well connected to well... reality. So, entry level drums play an important role in beginning drum set playing, and are the first contact a brand will have with a future high end purchaser. That is all well and good.
Wow! Talk about an insidious business move! I totally get the hatred for that company now...and will pass it along to others I have any sway with. There is plenty of entry level gear that isn't made by Yamaha. I'm glad, by the way, that both of my daughters' instruments aren't made by them. I really hate to hear about the intentional destruction of one company to protect another. I suspect something similar happened to Gon Bop percussion, a west coast, top of the line, Cuban style, hand drum company that was bought by pearl and then taken over by DW.
Your story of history really breaks my heart...thanks for sharing.
Warmly,
Brian
Thanks Ploughman for the well written piece. Sheds light on the unfortunate situation that happened. So the BM version of Rogers drums circa 2000 should be rather coveted I guess, if you can find 'em.
I had some BM Rogers conga drums some time back...seemed nice....
I'm with Blair on Pearl. I have never really cared for them. Just never appealing to me. Yamaha seemed to make some decent drums but I was never attracted to them either. I do like my Yamaha Motif ES8 keyboard though. I am a die hard supporter of vintage American made drums. I like them all. I do enjoy my vintage English Premier drums, the exception. There is no comparison to the American made Rogers to the imports. Love my Rogers big R Londoner 5 kit.
Brook Mays last Rogers Drums......
From The Rogers Book, by Rob Cook
The acquisition....and the promises.
What we got from THAT company.........
http://usa.yamaha.com/news_events/drums/rebirth-of-a-classic-american-brand-rogers-drums-returns/
Now, please tell me, how does THAT translate into a "rebirthing?" Even the names sucked.
THE PLOUGHMAN!
Thanks a lot for the enlightening and illuminating post you wrote!
I´m a Luddie guy, but I always felt attracted by Rogers brand mystic....
You did your part, man!
As my favorite Rush song....
Philosophers and Plowmen (could be The Ploughman)
Each must know his part
To sow a new mentality,
Closer to the Heart.....
Those Brook Mays Rogers look pretty nice. I wonder how many sets were manufactured?
