Hi,
I'm new to this forum. I recently came across this snare drum. I wanted to know as much as possible about it. The badge seems to be missing. The strainer arm has JAPAN marked on it. The wood inside seems to go in the direction of hoop to hoop. I'm guessing it's possible Pearl? I'm looking to get value possible make/era and anything else I can find out. I can only upload 5 images per post...I'll post a few more on another post
Thanks so much
Ron
Greetings! Tou certainly came to the right place!
This is a made in Japan (MIJ as we call it) 'stencil' snare drum. These were very inexpensive drums typically manufactured by Pearl or Hoshino and were often copies of major US manufacturers. They are referred to as 'stencil' drums as they were typically manufactured without any identification badges or logos and then sold to American distributors who put their own badge and head logos on them. Therefore the same kit might be sold as any number of different "brands" depending on your geographic location. These kits were sold as the entry level kits at music stores starting in the mid 60's or so with prices far lower than American made drums. They were also the kits sold by major retailers such as Sears, JC Penneys, Montgomery Ward, etc.
This one is a Slingerland knock-off. One of the experts here can tell you who manufactured it. It is a very nice example by the way. There is very little monetary value in these as they were cheap to begin with. Having said that, a lot of drummers have a soft spot for these drums as they started on them in the 60's through the 80's. Also, while the vertical grained Luan shells are generally pretty poor in quality, many here say that they have hardened over time as they dried out and actually sound pretty good now. There is always someone looking for an individual drum to fill out a restored set. Probably the most common colors were blue sparkle and red sparkle so finding someone who might want that particular snare is pretty high. There are also drummers who keep one or two of these types of snares in their arsenal as they are generally not as loud as a higher quality snare so they can be helpful in small venue situations where volume is an issue. Good luck to you.
I was gonna sugest re-wrapped Slingy but I saw it`s all original and Japan on the throw lever !!
It appears that what you have there may be a victim of someone using steel wool, which is forbidden in our circles, other than specific applications (threads).
I'm going to say late 60's Pearl,due to the knob on the throw,square-base slingy style lugs and rims with rounded rod edges.
Great information! Thanks everyone!
looks very similar to either..Early 60's Teisco Del Ray in Blue Sparkle or a mid 60's Dixie snare...
Sure Mikey could also add a bit of further knowledge too...
Greetings! Tou certainly came to the right place!This is a made in Japan (MIJ as we call it) 'stencil' snare drum. These were very inexpensive drums typically manufactured by Pearl or Hoshino and were often copies of major US manufacturers. They are referred to as 'stencil' drums as they were typically manufactured without any identification badges or logos and then sold to American distributors who put their own badge and head logos on them. Therefore the same kit might be sold as any number of different "brands" depending on your geographic location. These kits were sold as the entry level kits at music stores starting in the mid 60's or so with prices far lower than American made drums. They were also the kits sold by major retailers such as Sears, JC Penneys, Montgomery Ward, etc. This one is a Slingerland knock-off. One of the experts here can tell you who manufactured it. It is a very nice example by the way. There is very little monetary value in these as they were cheap to begin with. Having said that, a lot of drummers have a soft spot for these drums as they started on them in the 60's through the 80's. Also, while the vertical grained Luan shells are generally pretty poor in quality, many here say that they have hardened over time as they dried out and actually sound pretty good now. There is always someone looking for an individual drum to fill out a restored set. Probably the most common colors were blue sparkle and red sparkle so finding someone who might want that particular snare is pretty high. There are also drummers who keep one or two of these types of snares in their arsenal as they are generally not as loud as a higher quality snare so they can be helpful in small venue situations where volume is an issue. Good luck to you.
What an excellent summary of MIJ/stencil drums. Thanks :)
