First of all Nice set,No your shells will be three ply not two ply with rings, I have a U.S.Mercury catalog that states this...By the way your set was made by Star same lugs used on Star....But not under the Star's name U.S.Mercury drums were sold on the east coast...Mikey

Thanks Mikey. That's great info. East coast makes sense, I bought them from a guy in New Jersey.....

Any guesses on the kit in the background? Never had badges and there are no markings anywhere. No rings and unpainted on the inside. If you think the Mercuries are definately 3ply, then these are more than that. Much heavier and don't dent in when pushed....What's the next step up in Ply? 5?

Not really sure about the kit in background, but I can tell you that the shells will most likely be 6-ply. Many times, the interiors were also painted gray. That's a cool kit for sure!

Those old 3 ply MIJ`s can be made to sound like low pitch "cannons"

Hawghunter, what's the trick with tuning the 3ply to sound decent? I'm kinda new to tuning and I prefer a tighter, snappier jazz sound. I was told my bottom head should be tighter. Any truth in that? What if i want the cannon sound?? Thanks!

Are you asking about the snare? Jonnistix is "The Man" when it come to these snare drums. He has put his "mojo" on many of these old MIJ`S. He will chime in and tell you how to makes these old drums sound as good as they can. This is who led my down the right path. Thanks agian Jonni.

Not exactly on topic, but that background set reminded me of a floor tom I once had. We talked about it about a year ago here.

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=10861&highlight=starry+night

I like the toms tuned a bit higher. As for the snare, I would love the mid 60's crack Mel Taylor got, I believe from Ludwigs, during that period.....

Knavel, I looked at your link! That's awesome. My rack tom matches your floor tom exactly. The bass and floor tom I have are a close match. They are similar to the rack tom but not as swirly and a bit more random and blocky. I'm convinced I have two different wraps, but they are close enough to get away with it...

Mine have no badges or marking. Is it possible that wrap ended up on several different named kits? How many ply was that floor tom? Did it have rings or paint? Mine are 6ply, no rings, no paint....