Tones are mellower on vintage kits, and they are quieter in general to they're modern counterparts.

But to the chap talking about studio prowess, new drums are awesome in the studio. But I have found I can(and not by far) reach further out into sounds of all types with with a vintage kit or two in a studio. But thats it.

And being vintage (um.... old) does not gaurantee that fact, as so being vintage and of a certain make either. Plus also just because drums are new does not mean they will be cold and akward. A mate of mine has a new Premier Genista in his studio and it's awseome. Although he has a teardrop Sonor snare behind it.

I don't rate a kit for it's age, but for it's qualities, new, old, Japanese, Brit or whatever.

Not just old growth but very slow growing and from extremely cold northern forests. They found that Stradivarius made his violins from extreme cold weather harvested wood from 1645 to 1715. The "Little Ice Age" occurred between mid 1400s to mid 1800 and was a large part or the secret to the explosive sound and resonance of his violins... North America's Hardrock Maple from our cold weather northern forests is said to be the best Maple available, as is the extremely slow growing musical grade African Mahogany. Maybe the combination of the two that were the inner and outer plys of the WFL drum shells was the key factor in why they sound so amazing?