The biggest difference simply put is birch.

The earliest Superstars ( late 70's ) were 4 and 6 ply

maple but the "classic" years were 6-ply birch with

no reinforcement rings.

Much has been said about "the more focused tone and

accentuated high and low frquencies" that make birch

an excellent recording drum.

I just thought they were very classy looking ( the lugs

are reminicsent of Rogers ) and of course they were

"the strongest name for the '80's".

Not as warm as a '72 Rogers or punchy as '79

3-ply Slingerlands but solid and very loud.

At 28 years old they still look and sound great.

They aren't truly vintage yet but I would call them

classic.

:2Cents:

Roscoe:

Appreciate the input.

One question, if I may:

Do the first two numbers of the TAMA Superstar serial numbers designate the year the drum was manufactured?

THANKS in advance for your help!

OldSchool

The kit is date stamped inside ( ala Ludwig ) 1-81

with SN starting @ 105XXX rack toms and 106XXX

Floor and kick

I bagged a matching snare a few years later

and that one starts with 83-12887.

So yes, it appears that may be the case.

While the badge states "Superstar" the 82-83

snare series was named Mastercraft and this

would have been the Artwood model #AW456.

Incidentally, Tama was making some of their

finest snares in this period. 12mm bell brass,

10 ply rosewood and fibreglass were also

offered.

Grab 'em! Cool1

I can tell you this: IF the finish is top notch, they will continue to appreciate. The "Super Mahogany" finish is very classy and gorgeous when under medium lights. And they do sound fine. I like the earlier maples myself, not to say one is better, just a personal ears thang.

The main name in superstars was Peart, but his were coated on the inside with fiberglass, so you really couldn't tell how the drums actually sounded. These birch shells played way different from the recording customs, though both were birch. To make this even more difficult, the deep shells play different than the shallows. So, if one wanted to nail down the sound of a superstar, one would need to sit behind it.

They are very nice drums that are filed under "desired", but not "vintage".

I personally like the sound of the shallow drums. They are very focused and have just a tad of ring. Head choice will drastically impact this.

Bottom line, I wouldn't put this in an equation of superstar or vintage kit. There is no real choice there. Vintage will win every time.

But, if I were trying to choose between superstars and pretty much any other kit from about 85 on, I would select the superstars.

I realize this sounds sort of squishy and non-direct, but it was the only way I could think of laying this out. It's not cut and dry.

Apples and oranges. Tama wins on shell construction, and consistency of sound, and probably sound more focused. The vintage sets are more inconsistent but they have a great mellow tone and are obviously preferred by collectors. In terms of value it will depend on what vintage set(s) you're talking about, by comparison. The super mahogany finish is more common than the candy Apple Red is. Heavy metal drummers swear by Tama Supes. True about the deep power toms not being as desired as the normal depth versions.