Wow, I appreciate all of the input. The drums on the left are just some industrial strength Pearls. Beat to hell, but still functional and loud. Nothing to write home about. I also have a vintage Ludwig Rocker set (blue w/maple rings) that is in very nice condition. All of this is a little crazy as I am primarily a guitarist. I have quite a few guitars and tube amps. I keep the drums on hand for visiting musicians to jam on. I'm looking forward to springing the Vox Telstars on my good buddy, Dan Miller. I guess the snare should be my first priority. Everything is on the drum except the hoop and wires. I could probably modify anything with the proper screw configuration. More later. Thanks again for all of the info!

Hold on a second here....

Are you SURE about the Eliptical Bass drum being part of a "Telstar" set?

My understanding was that all elips are "Speedfires", wether they are labeled Vox or Trixon.

Also, my understanding was that Vox named ONLY the "conical" sets from Trixon the "Telstar" and they never had the Eliptical bass drums. In fact, I dont believe any non-conical drums can be called "Telstar".

To me, it looks like the set the OP posted the pic up is a hand assembled set of a Speedfire, and two normal non-conical Trixons, all the same color. I dont believe this set was ever sold this way.

Dont get me wrong, its cool looking as heck and i dig 'em!

But...I do not believe one can call this a "Telstar" set. Please correct if I am wrong. I have only been into Trixon drums for about a year since I saw the Telstar sets.......I REALLY want one...to the point that I would even sell my Gretsch Round Badge Set to get one!!

Love those drums. Whenever I see a kit like that I can't help but feeling like they are melting. Trixon had some kooky designs!

[QUOTE=Retrosonic;160862]Hold on a second here....

Are you SURE about the Eliptical Bass drum being part of a "Telstar" set?

My understanding was that all elips are "Speedfires", wether they are labeled Vox or Trixon.

Also, my understanding was that Vox named ONLY the "conical" sets from Trixon the "Telstar" and they never had the Eliptical bass drums. In fact, I dont believe any non-conical drums can be called "Telstar".

To me, it looks like the set the OP posted the pic up is a hand assembled set of a Speedfire, and two normal non-conical Trixons, all the same color. I dont believe this set was ever sold this way.

It apparently was due to the conflicting distribution deals between St. Louis Music Supply and The Thomas Organ Co. who had the U.S. distribution for VOX since 1964. Trixon distributed by St. Louis..... were Luxus,Telstar and Speedfire but the same kits distributed as VOX by Thomas Organ... were Thunderbolt, Fanjet and Telstar. For some reason they kept the Telstar name but moved it to another kit. There are many pictures of VOX drums from the late 60's. Buddy Rich with all VOX badged kits, magazine adds profiling all three kits, Karl Heinz Weimer shaking hands with Joe Benaron of the Thomas Organ Co. in front of a VOX Telstar( Trixon Speedfire) kit. They all have Vox clearly emblazonned on the front bass drum head. There was no VOX Speedfire because it was renamed Telstar.

Calfskin..an absolute spot on bit of knowledge from you mate and i couldn't put it better myself..

heres a couple of promos that will help clarify the Vox /Trixon association on drums..the vox picture is from their 67' add..

The Vox association made by Trixon only lasted a couple of years and also the usual wrap found is croco nylon finishes in red, sliver, blue and gold, with a limited amount of sparkle wraps produced!

Additional info...

Lastly the Trixon Telstar Floor Tom that was introduced in 62' originally had the 16" Top Batter with the 20" bottom to match the Bassdrum.

But this less than 2 years later this was then changed to 16" Batter and 14" bottom which is why the Vox called Fanjet is different to the Trixon (Telstar)set !

FYI

Hey Calf: Thanks for the explanation. Moving the name 'Telstar" to a different set was a really wierd and dumb move on their part, not to mention confusing!!

Boy, I love those conical Telstars!! I actually know someone who would sell me a set for $2,500.....but i feel thats too high. Plus the color is not my fav.

I tried to work a trade for my round badge 1960s Gretsch Set but he wasnt interested. Dang!

Update: The snare is now a functioning drum. I also have the floor tom leg parts online. Still no kick drum head. I'd actually be happy with an old head that I could customize to my liking. As long as the tension ring is in good shape, the rest doesn't matter. I'll post a new pic when I get them fully operational.Guitar Dude Man

...just to let you know that there is a guy on e bay selling the heads...

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