I'm not aware of any reason other than looks (as you mentioned). I remember when I was in HS (and that WAS a while back) a friend of mine had a set of Majestics in BDP with the staggared lugs. They got the job done OK, but I remember thinking (at the time) that the staggared lug look didn't leave any doubt that they were cheap MIJ's... when at the very least the MIJs that didn't have them MIGHT be mistaken for Slingerlands... :)

Now, I don't want anybody to be offended with that -- that was my line of thinking when much younger! I've proudly owned and dearly loved my Pearl W/FG set that I bought new in 1978, and truly enjoy and get "nostalgic" when I obtain 60s MIJ drums. Those MIJ kits have a proper and important place in the history of drums/drumming!

Good question, Brian.

I guess it's just picking up the idea of similar looking shells when combined with those flat 'pancake' snare drums, being just 3" high or even less.

In that case the lugs at the snare drums often were staggered - and maybe that the producers wanted to look all the drums the same way.

Exception: the bass drum, because it normally stands between the two bottom lugs and staggered lugs on the other side will not not make sense there.

Ralf

Staggered lugs are for functionality when you have short, short drums. Other than that- it's purely aesthetic.

I know what you mean about the bass drum. It was kind of a pain. The spurs would have to be extended out far enough so that the lug which was dead bottom center of the BD cleared the floor a little. And that dead bottom center lug/claw/T-handle didn't allow for the use of any type of BD anchor, so the BD always wanted to crawl away from you while you were playing...

Solution? front head was removed (which was real popular back then), bottom lug removed, then a BD anchor attached directly to the bearing edge. I know, I know... not good on the edge, but it was a cheap MIJ and we were young then...

I have seen some toms with very thin shells(usually older MIJ drums) , with the shells pulled out along a line between the lug tips. The centre of the shell is the weakest point.This would be particularily true of those really thin luan shells with rerings.The shell ends up being somewhat 6 sided around the middle. Perhaps by staggering the lugs, there was some attempt to control this undesirable effect that stiffer heads confer on shells designed for light heads. In the mid to late 60's, I was around a lot of brand new Stewarts(Stewarts were marketed at the department store level here in Canada), Boleros, Silvertone(marketed by Simpsons-Sears), a host of other similar drums with meaningless names and a little later Pearls. What I remember most about them are two things-----the appalling sound of the cymbals that they came with and how odd they sounded. The heads, that they were supplied with were very soft----they would dent with slightest hard hit, you could feel the heads giving under your stroke and they had a very soft almost pastel sound to them.The heads looked like they were made out of congealed skim milk.I remember thinking at the time, that they could not have been made of mylar, that they must have been from another plastic formulation or some cheap version of mylar . The shells were probably o.k. with the tension that those heads put on them but once the drums were reheaded with something taught and firm the shells probably gave. Perhaps by the 70's Tama had figured this out and took the precaution of staggering the lugs ,in order to avoid this problem.

Part of the reason Star staggered the lugs on some of these drums was: 1) so they could use a shallower shell, allowing for choice of lugs, and b), see number one. On the bass drums, it was only for continuity. It was a pain to use a bass anchor, but a good old leather strap attached to a brothas throne would take care of that! It had nothing to do with spreading out the load, as far as I can tell, because I have had MANY Star shells pass through my hands and have seen no evidence other than using a shallower shell. Usually you will see this in the latter era of 6 and 9 ply, no re-ring shells...

Oh, and the plastic heads were, at the very first, an Evans stencil....and until about 63, they were "calf unless specified..."

Guessing you didn't know about Sonor teardrop sets of the late 60's/early 70's with staggered lugs on the wing toms. Not exactly Cheap MIJ sets. I didn't know about them when they were new either........... In my HS days as well.

Or maybe you were already through HS during the late 60's????? In that case, I am surprised you remember that far back in history LOL Walking Laughing H

Sorry, I was speaking only to the issue of MIJ. Yes, I did know of the Sonor and other drums that Star was copying. Not trying to step on toes about the European drums, which are, admittedly, far superior!

European toes are tough as well. No problem with your steps. Lots of nice MIJ copies out there. Wish other companies kept up with the wraps offered from the orient.