According to SM: "The original set was hand lacquered over the WMP wrap."

There was a translucent pearl that would look like whatever color was underneath it. Some of the rarer marine pearl variations were done with that. I'm not sure how the original two tone set was done (looked like lacquer over pearl when I saw them) but they did do the other type back in the day. I wish someone would offer that translucent stuff today...you could make whatever color pearl you wanted.

Weren't the Cadillac Green sets done with both painted shells with a clear wrap on top and the wrap painted from the underside or the topside? Coffee Break2

I know that there were drums made with the lacquer right on the wood but it seems the majority had the painted wrap.

I'm not fortunate enough to own any of those so this is just based on what people who do have them have said.

BTW: digging through some old catalogs I didn't see the USA Custom name mentioned in the price lists and stuff I have from the mid 80's. I remember them using that name when I ordered a new set in 1987 but it might not have been necessary to differentiate drum lines until they brought out the first Broadkasters (with the gunmetal hardware) whenever that was. Later they had the USA Maple series too. The name isn't really critical since they didn't change the drums in that (top of the line) series at all. They were the same drums they had been always been building but with a different name attached.

USA Custom is a fairly recent designation applied to those drums not made overseas, to their original specifications - die-cast rims, jasper or jasper type shell, etc.

I know the plastic black was used as a laminated top on a Duo-Jet guitar in the fifties. The other four top types were sprayed black.