I think Cabrias are a modern Premier model.

Yup, I finally had a chance to look them up - vintage late '90's with a decent report on them. thanks - sorry for putting that out here.

But something interesting is still afoot about these- they are post-Yamaha Premier drums. I can't remember when Premier became English-owned again, but in the late '80s, Premier was bought by Yamaha. I can't remember when Premier's employees bought the company back. I am certain there is a Premier historian on this board who can fill in the blanks.

I'll look forward to more info. I found it interesting to read that The Who pioneered these drums to fame. The CABRIA line is no longer their introductory drums - they have another line for that - and the reviews on the CABRIA were very postive for their playability, durability & sound. One of those rare finds: an inexpensive quality item. As soon as I get the details I'm going to sell the snare & floor tom anyway - it's just fun to learn about different instruments. thanks

People talk about Ringo using Premier drums (which make sense as he is, after all English) before his famed Ludwig kit, but the fact remains that Keith Moon was the guy who single handedly made Premier popular.

I actually fell in love with Premier drums with the band Blondie. Of course Clem Burke played tribute to Keith Moon before the size of his kit exploded into the ten and fifteen piece kits he had before his death. I know that the sound is enhanced by EQ and other studio tricks, but those drums sounded GREAT.

In the '80s, several hair metal guys played Premier. I can't remember when Nicko McBrain switched from Sonors to Premier, but this was pretty recent (in the big scheme, anywho). But Premier has always had an air of mystique in America.

I am working on building a set of Premiers. I want Resonator shells, but I started with buying an APK tom (same hardware, but with very ordinary shells) and will go from there. Premier drums are harder to get (unlike Slingerlands or Ludwigs), so I may be building this kit over a period of years...

It's because we never quite knew who owned and/or distributed them at any given time. Heck, there was still a recent thread debating the existence of the company. Pretty wild and mystical. I don't recall what the final decision was - are they still around?

Premier are alive and well, having a new Nicko McBrain kit as we speak (introduced at a European Music show). I don't know what the story is in America these days...

In 2009, Premier is with yet another bunch of people. Read the wikipedia article...

According to it's own website, Premier are not really available in the US at this time, but seeing a Google result with Sam Ash listing makes me think a few get into the States.

Cool stuff - thanks for the additional info. Mine snare & floor tom are the APX line. Any guesses on their worth? We're getting them ready to post for sale with pics. thanks