Really nice setup! Wow 7 years. That's a long time congrats on getting them together. Is that a wrap or lacquer finish on them?

It's the original wrap. I started out with the 24, 13 and 16, with the Granstar Steel 14 x 6. Eventually about a year later, I tracked down the 10 with a purple wrap for a good price.

I used the snare a little bit, but it was so damn hard to tune. I didn't really dig the sound too much, Eventually, I sold the steel snare about a year later (I tired it in every setting possible, every tuning possible, still didn't like it) and I started the long, arduous search for a mythical 8" tom.

About 2 years ago, I got my break. I had spent almost every day for 3 years checking eBay, craigs, and any possible site which could offer me a 8 (I narrowly lost a bid on one on eBay for about $230, the rage was insane)

Finally, I received a random email from a random German guy who saw my plea for help on another forum. He sent me a Google translated email talking about his 8" tom that went unused for a long time. With some back and forth, he sold it to me (that feeling when I picked it up for the first time after 3 years searching was golden).

After that, about a year ago I started drum refurbishing as a job on eBay. The first big splash I made I managed to pick up a kit with a weird golden snare with it... upon closer inspection, I found a brass version hoops of the previous snare I owned, with die-cast hoops! I knew straight away from the pictures what it was, and when I asked him if he knew what it was he had no idea what he had ("I think it's aluminum or something") so I managed to get his kit and made enough money to justify keeping the snare.

All I needed was an 18". I wanted one because I wanted a lightweight version of the kit for gigging, and No 20" Granstar II bass drums existed (as far as I know). So, after about 2 years of craiging and eBaying, I checked like I usually did, trying misspelled Granstar listings (Grandstar, GranStarr, GrandSter etc. etc.) and BOOM! One 18" for sale in Chicago, which was only 6 hours drive away! Needless to say, I rushed down before Anyone else could grab it and he only wanted like $170!

So, finally I got everything I needed. The cymbals are another story, but those I got more by chance rather than intentionally looking for them.

Whatever you do, dont sell these. Do you know how much your time is worth???..Why let some grease ball take advantage of you!!...GREAT KIT.

Thanks! Oh don't you worry, I wouldn't sell this kit for anything. I love everything about it. The only thing I might do to this is customize it down the road, thin out the toms a little, pull off the wrap, make a white stain veneer, update them a little to play better in the studio. But yeah, I just love these dang drums. They're a lot more sensitive and responsive than you'd think.

Here are some extra pictures of the original set up:

[IMG]https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/516x387q90/80/dsc00002t.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/516x387q90/523/dsc00001l.jpg[/IMG]

And here was the original snare drum. I know, it's criminal that I sold it, but it just would not tune up. No matter what happened, you got 9/10 lugs equal, and had to adjust one, it just threw all of them off. I suspected a faulty shell... but you know, I really learned a lot about tuning from this thing. I hope it went to a good home.

[IMG]https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/516x387q90/523/dsc00007z.jpg[/IMG]

Tama did make a 20x16 grandstar bass drum,but they didn't make a 13x13 tom,but they did make a 13x12 tom.Artstars were available in square sonfiguration like 10x10 or 13x13 ect.I would guees that 20' drums are pretty rare though.Really nice kit :D

Steve B