Not so intriguing that pretty much nails it. Silly term. Never cared for it much. Prefer MIJ.

Glen

I agree... talking to 'unschooled' drummers is much easier with MIJ -vs- stencil... it also sounds better.

Thanks Glen, been anoying me for a few weeks that has! Are they any good as an beginner intermediate kit?

MIJ sounds good to me, so MIJ it shall be from now on. If they are anything like Japanese Cars then I asume they would be quite good value for money & well built?

Think back to early Japanese cars- some were great, some were really bad. Most old Japanese kits had weird mystery wood; however, their wraps were killer and there is a unique and sometimes spectacular sound from old MIJ drums. They definitely have their charms. I was a hater until I played one after careful head selection and edge prep.

With careful head selection and edge prep- these can be pro-quality. I would change the hardware before gigging, however.

I agree with bunnyman 1000%! I have all of the hardware from my old Stars but, to be honest, by the standards of today, it is flimsy and somewhat wobbly. When one invests a great deal of time and money into these old kits, the last thing a person wants is to have his snare falling off the stand while playing a gig. When I play, I use new Dixon hardware. It's fairly inexpensive and quite sturdy.

Thanks, how far do you go with edge prep? I imagine it would be easy to trash a bearing edge though I am reasonably handy I don't have any special wood working tools.

Cool, ok, we have Dixon hardware here in NZ & it's quite reasonably priced