Look on this site-Vintage Drum Guide-Japanese drums-Apollo page 2-double tom outfit.T rods,bass drum mount,lugs all match.Slight difference on the clip mount tom HOLDER itself.And Slingy style rims.I bet those drums are spray painted black.Did not like the psychadellic red-green-yellow swirl.Clapping Happy2

Wow, I think you're right on all points. Everything matches, even the cowbell mount and the bass drum hoops. I think you are right about the spray paint too. The guy on the phone said they may have been rewrapped (aka spray painted). And the finish looks too flat to be a glossy wrap, like a Ludwig Black Panther. So, what approx. year would these be?

I'd guess a few years either way of 1970.My grandfathers Ralston drums were around 72-and were similar.The pearl insert on the hoop is not painted,and is light colored-I'm going to guess it's either silver sparkle or WMP under the spray paint.Solid colors were not popular that early.HMMMMM-the plot thickens.......

The suspense is killing me now. I have yet to see this kit in person and I'm already totally excited about the possibilities. The single poor quality picture really adds to the mystery. If there is some sort of sparkle or pearl underneath, I may be able to strip the paint and preserve the original wrap. But there's also a good chance that if someone painted it, they pulled the wraps off first.

If the wraps are gone, I'm thinking some kind of veneer (red oak?) with a dark stain and gloss, or dark stain with Tung oil. That would be pretty sweet looking with all the chrome polished up.

Ehh, depends on what the real deal is. If they are currently wrapped in a rare wrap, I would beg you leave them as is. If something other...we'll get to that later. Veneer is infinitely less expensive, but more headaches that you can imagine...I have done veneer, it is not for the faint of heart.

Your best bet for veneer is certainly wood. They have some kewazinga/waterfall bubinga for a great price. Ask for Kevin, he will do you right and he understands a drum builders' needs.

This is a sample of what to look for: http://www.certainlywood.com/detail.cfm?ID=3057

I am going to be doing a complete kit in this later this summer, if they still have what I need. You get enough for an entire kit for under 50 bucks, and possibly under 40.

They have some pretty incredible deals. I would want to do an inlay of some sort around the centers, which means I could get the thinner strips for even less. Is that paper backed veneer?

Raw wood. I think they offer backing, you would have to ask. Bubinga is one of the few woods that require you to use a "sizing" or whetting material. Go to

www.joewoodworker.com for info on veneering, that site is invaluable for information.

Oh jeez, that may be beyond my abilities. I'm trying to find out about sizing/whetting. The most I can find is that sizing involves applying a layer of glue to both surfaces and letting it dry before the actual adhesive coat. Whetting involves soaking the veneer in a water/alcohol/glycerin mixture to soften it.

Is this correct, and do both of these need to be done to bubinga? When I got the idea for veneer, I was thinking of the paper backed stuff from home depot that you just attach with contact cement.

You can use the HD stuff. Nothing at all wrong with it.