Post some pics, if you can. I believe that the US Mercury name was used by both Star and Pearl.

The lacquer thing is a matter of personal preference. I don't do it because I'm not a fan of doing anything to a drum that can't be undone, but a few members here have done it and were happy with the results. I find that the bare shell, after a good sanding, gives me a great sound, so I leave it at that.

And welcome!

Congrats on your new kit! We sure love pics here! There are a few threads on here that mention the use of Tung oil on MIJ shells. If you do go this route it's something you might want to check out.

Yes, pictures please. SO, thet are mij, not US, correct? I have lacquered the bass drums (mij) a couple times and they were good sounding. But I didnt play them without the lacquer so I have no comparison. I thought you said they sound amazing with old heads, so why consider it anyway?

Jeff C

Hey, thanks for your replies; I originally had trouble posting pics, but here goes...

Also, I'm not planning on refinishing the insides, but i thought I'd ask. I did some extra cleaning/setting up the snare and it is THE 60's snare sound-- straight out of a James Brown record or something "POP!"

The high tom has a really great, open sound that is perfect for funk, jazz and classic rock. I'm sure with a different head it could also sound quite heavy.

The kick is the big suprise (i've always used a 22inch.) It is very punchy, plenty of attack, but with the right tuning is can put out some serious low end! I haven't recorded this kit yet as it isn't 100% yet, but I'm sure this will record very well.

and another...

Well that is fun! If you are missing spurs (again, I think a lot of previous owners completely misunderstood the term "disappearing spurs") you can pick up a piece of 3/16" (I think) stainless steel rod from your local hardware store, cut it in half, add some rubber feet or use a grinder to cut some points and you will have perfectly suitable spurs for about $10.

Those photos are a little small, and are taken from far away. If you could take a close-up shot of the badge, snare strainer, lugs, rack tom mount, that would help a lot in identifying what you have. I'm leaning toward thinking it it's a Star made set, however.

Nice set you have there! If you're patient, I'm sure a matching floor tom will come along. I would also be on the lookout for a matching bass drum hoop and t-rods/claws.

Hey, I actually do have the spurs-- I just had taken them off at the time to clean them. I also have the matching hoop, claws etc. but I'd taken them off to put a kick drum mic inside to see what the drum recorded like.

The badges are U.S. Mercury -- definitely a STAR brand "world's finest etc." As far as lugs, hardware etc. goes I was surprised by the condition after all these years-- only one of the tom lugs has any sort of cosmetic damage and that's just a couple of dings...

The most time i spent was getting the snare drum to work! I had to take the strainer apart, clean it and replace the snare wires, but it was well worth the effort. Tuned high it has a great funky sound perfect for pop rock or funky beats, tuned lower it has a fat rock sound that I can see incorporating into some stuff.

I'll post pics a little later today-- I just picked up a couple new heads and am tuning them up!

More pics as promised... for those interested in a kit similar to this-- I found this one by searching 'mij' or 'sparkle' on some of the big music store sites like musicgoround.com and guitarcenter.com ....

Currently a GC out in California has an almost identical kit, but with the slingy style rail mount for $99 bucks. There's also one on the musicgoround site for 79 with floor tom, but no snare-- I checked with that store and it is the later ones with the gray interiors (no re-rings.) If you search 'used blue sparkle' on the GC site you'll find the first one and if you search 'mij' on musicgoround's site you'll find the other one...