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First post and my first run in with an old British kit.

Posts: 18 Threads: 6

Hey there! Cool forum you guys have here. Just a bit of background...

I'm just getting back into playing drums again. I took some time off, as I was playing guitar in my last couple of projects. I've decided I'm interested in getting into a vintage kit for my next outfit, which led me here (with some guidance from my friend Ryan).

My return to drums also coincides with me taking recording studio space. It's fallen on me to clean up and make playable the drums currently serving as the studio kit. It's a 60's (I think) Premier kit with (I'm guessing) birch shells. Cosmetically, they're pretty rough with the wrap badly faded and cracked, but they sound great. Or at least they would if they had new heads. So I went to put new heads on what I assumed were 12" and 16" toms, except those crazy Brits built some odd sizes. I didn't have a measuring tape handy, but I'm pretty sure they're somewhere around 11.75" and 16.25". A little googling tells me these heads are out there, but I'm likely to pay through the nose for them, and/or wait a while. Great. On with the search!

Here are some pics. Sorry they're from the cell phone and not great. Anything you guys can tell me would be great though! Thanks!

[IMG]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh41/speakerjones/Dirt%20Floor%20Studio/DirtFloor054.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh41/speakerjones/Dirt%20Floor%20Studio/DirtFloor056.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh41/speakerjones/Dirt%20Floor%20Studio/DirtFloor051.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh41/speakerjones/Dirt%20Floor%20Studio/DirtFloor065.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh41/speakerjones/Dirt%20Floor%20Studio/IMG_2098.jpg[/IMG]

Posted on 12 years ago
#1
Posts: 106 Threads: 28

Hi, i have a premier kit from the same era. I absolutely love it. I think everyone complains a bit too much about the heads. they are special sizes called pre international sizes, but Remo still makes them. They cost a bit more but it only took about a week and they only cost a bit more than normal. It was well worth it. If you do a little bit of searching online you can find the part numbers you need and you can give them to your music shop to order. Good luck and feel free to ask questions if you have them.

Welcome to the forum by the way, lots of great members!

Posted on 12 years ago
#2
Posts: 1432 Threads: 110

Hi and welcome!

Your kit comes from the late 50s or early 60s, due to the style of the damper. The wrap was called 'Sparkling Aquamarine'. I personally would leave it as it is (and not rewrap it).

You may find the kit in one of the catalogues here:

http://www.drumarchive.com/Premier/

Ralf

Vintage STAR (= Pre-Tama) website: www.star-drums.de
Posted on 12 years ago
#3
Posts: 18 Threads: 6

Thanks for the info folks! If the heads aren't too expensive, I'll probably just order a couple of each to have them on hand. The floor Tom still had what looked to be original heads!

No plans to re-wrap them. Even faded and cracked, they still look pretty cool, and it's a studio kit anyway, so it really just needs to sound good. I would like to clean it up a bit though. Any suggestions on products to use? I typically use nevr-dull to clean hardware, but what about the drums themselves?

Posted on 12 years ago
#4
Posts: 161 Threads: 24

rock em out buddy. those are nice. i would try novus polish on the wrap. gonna be hard to really make em shine without a high speed buffing wheel. if you do buff them out be careful if you stay in one spot too long friction will burn the wrap. hippie!

"Time fly's like an arrow. fruit fly's like a banana"
Posted on 12 years ago
#5
Posts: 2115 Threads: 26

It's funny that I just posted about how difficult it is to find aquamarine sparkle in pristine condition. It fades like nobody's business. Here is what they looked like when new:

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48646&d=1348673413

It is a really beautiful color IMHO. If you ever decide to re-wrap, drummaker.com can produce a period correct color wrap for you.

tnsquint
Very proud owner of a new Blaemire Snare 6.5 x 14 made by Jerry Jenkins "Drumjinx"
Posted on 12 years ago
#6
Posts: 8 Threads: 0

From tnsquint

It's funny that I just posted about how difficult it is to find aquamarine sparkle in pristine condition. It fades like nobody's business. Here is what they looked like when new:http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=48646&d=1348673413It is a really beautiful color IMHO. If you ever decide to re-wrap, drummaker.com can produce a period correct color wrap for you.

Sweet - that's my kit! I was excited to post it yesterday. The aquamarine sparkle came to life after some high end car wax and some elbow grease!

Glad to share with you guys!

www.whitestudios.com
Vintage Premier 303B Outfit - Aquamarine Sparkle 12/13/16/22
Vintage 70's Premier 2000
Custom Drummers World Nesting Drum Set 12/15/20
1968 Ludwig Pioneer Red Sparkle
1967 Ludwig Acrolite
Posted on 12 years ago
#7
Posts: 2115 Threads: 26

From whiteflowerperc

Sweet - that's my kit! I was excited to post it yesterday. The aquamarine sparkle came to life after some high end car wax and some elbow grease!Glad to share with you guys!

That's why I mentioned how special your kit is. AM sparkle first turns green, then it gets dark "liver spots", presumably from humidity, and eventually turns a sickly yellow and on into grey. My kit, which is not as nice as yours, but still in good shape, never sees the sun and never leaves climate control.

tnsquint
Very proud owner of a new Blaemire Snare 6.5 x 14 made by Jerry Jenkins "Drumjinx"
Posted on 12 years ago
#8
Posts: 79 Threads: 1

pre-international Remo part numbers:

BA-0112-PR- AMBASSADOR®, Coated, 12" Diameter, 11-7/8" Actual Dia.

BA-0116-PR- AMBASSADOR®, Coated, 16" Diameter, 16-5/16" Actual Dia.

BR-1120-PR- AMBASSADOR®, Coated, 20" Diameter, 19-5/8" Actual Dia.

PS-0312-PR- PINSTRIPE®, Clear, 12" Diameter, 11-7/8" Actual Diameter

PS-0316-PR- PINSTRIPE®, Clear, 16" Diameter,16-5/8" Actual Diameter

PS-1320-PR- PINSTRIPE®, Clear, 20" Diameter,19-5/8" Actual Diameter

Posted on 12 years ago
#9
Posts: 18 Threads: 6

Thanks again all for the valuable info! I got a quote from Guitar Center on special order heads and they're really pretty reasonable, not much more than standard sized heads.

whiteflowerperc, that kit is beautiful! Congrats! It really is a nice looking wrap. Just curious, do you have the snare drum too? What would be the correct snare that went with this kit?

Posted on 12 years ago
#10
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