I had a yamaha catalogue from 1977 and there were two lines a 900 or 9000and a 700 or 7000 ,anyway one line was all birch and was offered in natural stain and piano black laquer,I believe these became the venerable recording custom,the other line was made from falkata with an outer ply of birch so you could mix and match with the top series,or was offered in a chrome wrap.I believe that a chromed metal snare was offered also.The lugs were the tail light lugs which were kind of gretsch looking,they look like they re- appeared on the beech custom line.If the kit you are buying is that series as long as they are in decent mechanical shape that you are getting a really good quality kit for the money.If they are in very good condition they are a steal at 250.00 imo.You might try yamaha's site to start your research.

Hey Thanks E!

The only issue he says is with one of the Tom holders... He said it needs to be tightened quit a bit to prevent it from working free... Is that bracket for the Tom holder replaceable or do i have to hunt

for an original? Also the wrap is in ok shape just a bit dull from age. Is it better to keep the original wrap or can it be replaced? Im not sure if it will take away from the value if any.... But besides that he speaks highly of the kit and the sound of he snare... He said it up there with a snare called superphonic (if im correct)... Anyway I hope the see it in a few days...

Thanks Again

As far as the wrap goes,I know little about the mirror,I know that it scratches easily,but if it is dull some people will probably advise on how to clean it up,you might check out this thread on mike dolbear http://www.mikedolbear.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=80380,

Welcome

If the drums are in good condition, the 250 is a very fair price. Wrap is not all there is to the drum, and should be taken as only a 1/4 indicator of condition. This guy selling you the set is a friend and you have a definite advantage in that he is willing to tell you all the issues. Replacing the tom mount should be with an original if at all possible. These are Yammies, and finding those will be difficult, but not impossible. Yamaha drums will hold the value as serious drums better than our funky love for the Pearl/Star stencils, as they are more of a curiosity for some of us. Not to say that these are less desirable, just easier to find, and the more rare the badge and wrap, the better we like them.

As far as the snare, those are sleepers. There are some very good Japanese snares out there. Star/TAMA had the KingBeat, Pearl the Jupiter, and Yamaha has that one, I think is an SD. And yes, they do sound very good. A Ludwig Supraphonic is, arguably, the #1 sought after snare for all playing situations. They sound great, but they are not the only great sounding snare. And then there are those rare gems that the Japanese snuck in here that can be had for a song, and they do sound every bit as good, and for WAY less that 400-500 bucks. I have a no-name Made In Japan chrome over steel that sounds like a supra. That drum alone could take you all the way to the top, without ever having to buy another snare. They are that good, no matter what anyone my tell you. There are people who will look down their noses at these drums, and I just smile, and grab them for 20 bucks, and they never know the difference until they actually see the drum. Good luck, and when you get some pix, post them up for us!

OK Cool....

Thanks to E & J... I will be in touch....

AS always your advice and comments are much appreciated...

Cheers

The only issue with the kit is with the the bracket on the tom (mounting hardware is ok). The thread on the tom bracket (where the wing nut screws in) in slightly stripped/oversized... I think loctite will hold it, maybe Ill take to work and see if I can tap it and install a heli-coil... Any suggestions?

There is a discussion on here somewhere about that. Use the search function and you should find at least one thread on this subject. I would enter "stripped threads" or "stripped mount" and see what that brings up.

There is some discussion of helicoil.

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=2461&highlight=stripped+threads

hi did you buy them? that's a steal jump all over it!

Its seems my friend had cold feet... I am ready to buy but he had a change of heart... I know he does not use the kit ( he has a newer more decked out arrangement )... Anyway I'll try him again soon... Since Christmas is around the corner I'll have to wait 'till after the gift shopping to consider newer, or brand new kit for practice... I keep you all posted...

Thanks Again