Yes, they're basically the same lugs as the Phonics from later. But my kit's a Champion kit--six ply Beech with only the outer ply Rosewood, "Made in West Germany" sticker below the badge, fully rounded bearing edges ...

You can see Sonor lug/badge details here:

http://www.sonormuseum.com/identify/indentify.html

The Action and Swinger lugs are the rounded ones like those in the original thread kit.

I'll tell you what. I've got a 1970 6 ply rosewood teardrop kit that is drop dead gorgeous! I love the design and execution! So much more elegant than most US offerings. Great drums that deserve a cult following.

Those are early 70, small logo Champion series lugs (no snap-lock) that ran on the other end of the spectrum. NO plastic in the Top of the Line drums.

When the Phonic series entered in 75 (officially in 77) Sonor incorperated a snap-lock incert with a flat on the T-rods and a wire lock ring. (to prevent rollback)

Sonorforlife2000, yours are the same as the Phonic of the 70`s except yours have the large logo on them !!

Those Champion lugs (kinda rare) are not interchangeable with the Sonor international series from Europe and other Tiawan made Hardware from the early 70`s !!

So OldSchool, did you take a look at the drums? Buy 'em?

This wrap thing is depending on the wrap. I have owned about 10 colours. These thin gold/black stripped is realy thin and usually fadded. The satin flame is pain in the ass. It is really liable to cracks, fading and whatever.

But the glitters and pearls are really stable and especially the pearls llok great.

An be careful with the shells. There are actually thwo kinds of three ply with rerings. The very early are that thin, but the latter shells are not that vibrating, anyway nice shells, though. The 6plys are asskicking, preferably with 1ply coated heads.

Gotta take up the Great Wrap support on the Teardrop lug drums. I have Ruby Pearl from late 60"-early 70's. 6 ply shells without rerings. There is a gouge in the bass drum that doesn't even go thru the wrap. I thought when I first saw the drum it would be split or badly damaged. Just looks like a slice of some type without any wood or glue damage. Built like a tank.

The swirl wraps were easy to damage, as all of that style wrap did on all the makers from the 60's. Other are hard to punish IMHO.

I have the Cabana Leopard and the Rosewood sets from the late 50's early 60's...amazing drums!!! The Cabana Leopard finish has endured pretty well the test of time, The Rosewood finish being a exposed natural finish has a lot of scars to prove its "experience".

Hi fellows.

One of my sets is "Trowa" 3-generation teardrop wrapped with type which wellknown to collegues Ralf, Calfskin, Hemelsoet, Kellyj, Chester and others forum guys. This one was the same wrap for SONOR and other Western & Eastern German manufacturers.

Some called it as "gold/black stripped" but its original name is "Kristall M- Schwarz-Silber" (or "M-Sparkling Black-Silver Striped" in export catalogs). This wrap on my "babies" is normally strong, good-looking and no cracked or unglued.

It has only one visible lack - it is yellowing of the organic based nitro-celluloid during the long drum's life (it becomes a little bit as "gold"). The new original is not available now from Delmal or Jamminsam --- I decided to create it one by myself.

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=21133

I hope that it will a gift to Sonor, Trowa's, Tromsa&etc owners in future... :)

George.

you forgot the late 60's Ajax throw. ----got to be the best of the lot. they used a combination of brass and steel , with some really fine cast and machined parts. has a big A cast into the face which stands for A+.

I think it has to be recognized that there were three eras in German drum history. Pre-war, Trixon era and post Trixon era. During the 50's and 60's Trixon dominated the scene and by far were the movers and shakers in engineering, design, mfg. and marketing. Sonor had underwent some serious problems and were immersed in traditionalism on the one hand while trying to to keep up with the other.Tromsa and Rimmel were small scale marketers focussed primarily on domestic sales. All of the companies,by the end of the 60's were being beaten up by foreign competion and some needed saving. Sonor was lucky enough to fall into the hands of Hohner ( accordians and harmonicas are one thing, the Japanese did not flood the market with) while Trixon made an ill-fated liaisson with Vox/Thomas and Rippen(pianos). I wonder where all those 700+ employees of Trixon went after 1972? That's when sonor drums really started evolving and changing becoming more Trixon like in certain ways. Personally, I prefer the 1960 Sonors and Trixons and Tromsas ------they were each unique. Trixon by the end of the 60's was morphing and as much as the drums are good, the mentality of the straight thru shells, hardware changes,adoption of a big style either influenced Sonor or invaded Sonor and the 70's drums became more ****genized and less individual.Quality control slipped and more plastics arrived.------------ If you can find a good 1960's Sonor kit with original hardware you will not be disappointed.It should be a gem------- From the mid-70's on it becomes more and more necessary to aim for the high end models to obtain the old world craftsmanship from the past. Prior to the mid-70's each company made a shell, upon which various attributes were fitted. ----but then came the Shell Cult. It is not clear from whence they came but one thing is sure, the Shell Cult control many in the drum circle. Bubinga may be the chief but then there is Rock Maple(don't mess with this guy,he's formerly from a Quebec bike gang), Oak Stave( he's a barrel of laughs), Ma-ho-goni( he draws upon the ancient spirits or would that would be a bottle of Iceberg Vodka?), Birch(his bark is worse than his bite). These are just some of them---the chieftans of the cult, let no simple mass produced drum shell from the past approach the alter or the spin.