Since every kit currently in my personal collection is American-made my experience with vintage non-American made kits is minimal at best.
I was hoping that some of you Sonor experts out there would be kind enough to tell me the "good" and "bad" points of purchasing a vintage (60s) Sonor kit? I guess what I'm looking for is some suppport for why I "should" or "shouldn't" consider getting one.
THANKS in advance for your time and your help!
Pros: They are QUALITY drums.
Cons: Harder to sell if you want to get rid of them.
Pros: User friendly, set up and break down !!
Cons: Metric everything !!
pros: they are awsome drums , pro built drums , and once you play them then you will understand why some of the big names played them .
cons: on the re sale you might have to work a little bit harder to find the right buyer .
Pros: great sounding and made set's..The 3 ply shells with rings are Great for jazz..5 ply shells with out rings Great for R&R......Cons none....Mikey
A friend of mine had one and I played it quite a bit,5 ply straight shells,Pro's, late 60's were international size heads,between the rounded edges and die cast hoops they were kind of Gretschy to my ears,and great sounding,sounded good with pinstipes,coated and clear ambs.Cons,I have heard you can find kits with less than perfect edges like american kits of that era,and be careful how much you pay for an incomplete kit,if you have to replace Bass t's and claws and spurs,tom mounts hoops etc,it can get quite pricey from what I have heard.
I have a couple of friends who are Sonor junkies. I've worked on some of their kits, and I have to say that the Sonor drums of the 60's ("Sharktooth" era) and 70's (Phonic era) and right up to the Sonorlite series were just some BADASS drums. Real woody and warm, and built with the typical German precision and attention to detail du jour.
THANKS to all for your input regarding my initial inquiry. It's truly appreciated.
I've now got a few somewhat more specific questions, if I may: Can anyone tell me what era the Sonor lugs shown in the pic I've attached might be from? Also, was this lug used on the company's "high end" models or its "economy line"? Finally (I promise!), did Sonor produce any drums without badges on them?
Once again, thanks in advance for your time and your help!
Q1: Those are early 70`s lugs !!
Q2: Those were on the Rocker, Action, Medley, Swinger, and Ranger. These were the entry level drums, on the other end were the Champion and Super Champion series.
Q3: Yes, all the afore mention except the Champions, had "lick-N-stick" tags.
I`m not sure about that snare yet !!
