Great topic!

I my opinion, the reason why Rogers and Camco didn't last is simply because the world didn't need more drum manufacturers! People back then were not sticklers for details regarding drums/drum sets. The "pros" played whatever was provided...and what was provided was, basically, all the same thing.

For example: Nobody ever questioned what kind of wood or how many plies a shell was made from. It was more a matter of which drums Buddy Rich played...or which drums Louis Bellson played...or Ringo...or Ginger Baker...or Elvin Jones...etc. People wanted what their favorite drummers played.

I think Rogers did the most to address the problematic things that working drummers complained about...i.e., hardware issues. And as a result, they are still known as one of the most innovative design companies. They certainly set the bar high enough that the other companies started to incorporate similar ideas.

Catalogs helped to embellish the "dream" of getting those drums. Ludwig had a lot of famous drumming stars endorsing their drums and so their catalogs always meant the most in terms of seeing what the big names were playing. I think Ludwig realized this and went about making their ads "invite" the viewer to enter into the kit from the drummer's perspective -not the audience's. I can't tell you how many times I sat at the helm of that "Octa-Plus" kit ad when that catalog came out! I LIVED inside that ad for years! Those ads fed the fantasy!

I wish I had a copy of all those catalogs now.

I also just noticed that Ludwig started photographing kits from the front in 1980.

I think a drum set comes across as a "shield" when seen from the front. But, when the ads show kits from the rear-view (that of the drummer), then it invites the viewer to imagine themselves sitting there. Photographing from the front makes the viewer stand back and see it as the audience would see it. I guess it makes a better "billboard" to photograph the logo head on the bass drum, but....Mister T

Yes, that all does make sense, all of these companies, besides Camco started in the 20's or earlier, so in keeping pace with each other and doing what any good company does (Checking your Competition) I think Rogers really missed the boat..

I'm sure it was a budget issue and they thought they did not need to spend the money on printing and photography to do a nice 4/4 color catalog.

If anyone has a chance go to each of these companies catalog pages, you will see Rogers had more configurations and options then any of the others..

I think it probably really confused people when making a drum purchase and seeing the drums in B/W really does make a difference to a buyer. At least a young kid looking at them side by side, which would you pick as a kid?

Later on though Rogers did step up to the plate and put out some nice interesting and artistic catalogs.. These two are my favorites..

[IMG]http://www.vintagedrumguide.com/images/rogers_sets/1976-77_rogers_drumsets1_th.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.vintagedrumguide.com/images/rogers_sets/1973-74_rogers_drumsets2_th.jpg[/IMG]

David

I think the drummers that endorsed the brands had as much to do with sales as anything else. When I was kid taking drum lessons in the late 70's, my favorite drummer was John Bonham. Once I found out that he played Ludwigs I had to have a Ludwig set. My friends favorite drummer was Charlie Watts, so he had to have a Gretsch set. You hear what I'm saying. I remember seeing a Roger's poster of Roy Burns in the music shop where I took lessons. I was 13 and had no idea who Roy Burns was so Rogers drums didn't appeal to me. I never saw any catalogs or knew what kind of wood the drums were made out of. All I knew was the Bonham played Ludwigs and I was going to play Ludwigs too.

Yes, I understand that, but the topic for me is about the marketing of the product. They printed catalogs because they sold products from it. It still is a driving force behind business even with the Internet.

My point is strictly the quality of the presentation of the product in relationship to business.

Endorses and why they are used, is pretty evident in marketing.

I'm not talking about the directly, just the quality of the material presented to the customer, many of which visited a drum shop and took catalogs home to decide on what they wanted, or they wrote to the company to get the catalog.

I'm sure many people did buy sets based on the drummer they like the most, but over time probably realized they were not that drummer and changed to a set that fit them and the type of playing they did.

It could also be why Bonham, Buddy, Ringo and other endorser kits bring the top dollar and are hard to find.

That is another discussion I guess....

David

The later Rogers catalogs were GREAT! WOW! -every bit as cool as the Ludwig ads! And, I see Rogers went ahead and used the logo heads on the batter sides for the picture! -nice!

Ive always played Rogers. Since 1974. I have also thought their catalogues were inadequate. That the drums were far better than the presentation of them on paper. In the 70s and into the early 80s, their catalogues got a lot better, but by then, Rogers was done anyway.