160462 is the s/n.

Dan

Thats definitely and early number. Late 70's for the shell.

No matter what I like it. Whether its a cut down and even more so an original, its a great snare. If it was cut it looks like it was done perfectly. If its original than its very unusual. To my knowledge Tama never cataloged that type of snare shell.

This last few months I've seen some really strange Tama snares. I have seen a Candy Apple Red Rosewood snare and several strange color Artstar snares from the 80's. This could be another unusual snare to make note of.

Probably a custom order.Tama was THE aim to please drum company at the time.The other day I say a Surerstar mahogany 12x16 tom on eby,yes 12x16.I have an 5 1/2x 8 double headed tom.Standard mount,late 70's muffler,correct bottom stained bearing edge,and flying t badge with original grommet.No extra nail holes where a rectangular could have been.The lugs are offset,but you can't tell me that drum wasn't factory.We continue to see non catalog stuff from that era come up all the time so you really can't say its either a black or white issue.Just my 2 cents.

Steve B

Be careful what you see on ebay. Nobody measures right. The auction you are referring to is 160544110674 and already he has corrected the size in the auction. He now says it 10x16. Still strange. He has a 13x9 on there too. It wouldn't suprise me if its really 10x14 but the guy supposedly has 20 sets and should know the difference.

They definitely made unusual stuff. I have a 16x20 Super Mahogany bass drum. Never seen them in any Tama catalog. I also have a 14x20 which is cataloged so its not like I mismeasured it. I got if from the original owner who ordered it that way. Its not a converted floor tom as there would be holes for the legs and also the badge on bass drums is positioned in a different spot then on floor toms.

Here is pic of it:

http://www.islandcollectibles.net/drums/20x16sm.jpg

I don't think anyone said its black or white but you can't just think everything is factory either. In this case with the Zola coated 14 its not hard to make a snare from a tom and make one look completely original just because you can cut a 14 in the middle, leaving the badge and making bearing edges, add the appropiate hardware and so on. Doing so would not leave any extra holes. However, its very possible its factory as Tama would have no problem making it for a customer. But this is a very early tom, before Tama was super big and before they really started catering to customers. This could have been a endorees drum. I wish I could se it up close to see if I could find or not find any work that was/was not done.

Looking for 10 to complete my concert tom to snare project...

Two things to remember here. 1) Concert toms had the small thin rectangle badges. 2) The Flying "T" badges were placed towards the top and not centered on the drum so it would be close with the top holes...

There still plenty of room. They are maybe around 2 inches above and below the badge to make the snare. Also, if you remember, on the much older double headed toms the badges were placed very low, not towards the top, as they used mufflers.

The bottom line is, it can be converted from a double headed tom and keep the badge were it is.

Also, without seeing the inside of the drum and examining it, a badge can be added. I have some NOS grommets and anyone can add the badge and make it look original if they are careful. You have to inspect it carefully to tell.

Also, we can't rule out the possibility it came from a 14 inch floor tom. I ruled out a 14 inch Xtra series tom as the serial number is early, but thats assuming that it was not rebadged. And of course, it could be original.

My reference to black and white was an inference that you can't use the Tama catalog as the absolute benchmark as to what they produced during that period since custom ordered drums appear all the time which are factory made.But I also agree that each example must be carefully examined to authenticate if it is genuine or altered.What further complicates this is that also during that period Tama would send you extra badges if you requested them.

Steve B

Thats what makes seeing drums like this so much fun! Crazy Tama stuff is turning up all the time. There are many drums out there that aren't cataloged. I don't think they ever cataloged there CAR Superstars which are somewhat common. But more than that they would make you anything you wanted. So when unusual things show up, you have to check them out.

One of the reasons why I went to Tama in the 80's and bought my first set was the great customer service and a great product. I wish I had more money back then. I would have ordered all kinds of weird things. I guess I should be happy with what I have.