Kona - I am going to guess that your no-name steel snare is made by Pearl. The strainer looks like Pearl, specifically the bottom half. Have you ever got any 'expert opinions' on who made it? (no implication of my abilities)
What are the ply/re-ring of those other two?
John
I never have gotten an opinion on who exactly made the drum. As for the Apollo and Stewart I can't recall what the plys are or if they have re-rings. I have most of my drums - including these - in storage right now as we are selling our home and moving to another City. I don't think most of my drums will see the light of day for a few months at best.
Kona - I am going to guess that your no-name steel snare is made by Pearl. The strainer looks like Pearl, specifically the bottom half. Have you ever got any 'expert opinions' on who made it? (no implication of my abilities)What are the ply/re-ring of those other two?John
On the topic of, 'Stewart'... I currently have in my collection, drums that are clearly made by all three manufacturers, (Star, Pearl, Hoshino) that are all badged as 'Stewart'. The Pearls are 3 ply with re-rings, 22", 2x8 lug kick, decent quality. The Stars are no re-ring, thicker ply, (#?) grey painted interiors, with a 20", 2x8 lug kick, appear slightly higher end. Kit came with 10 lug Stewart, chrome snare. Finally, the Hoshinos had no re-rings, thicker ply, unpainted shells, and I believe it had, (sold rest to kid looking for a cheap kit) a 2x6 lug 20" kick drum. My personal experience with Hoshino, (I've handled a few) has given me the opinion that they were at the lower end of the MIJ quality scale, in general. Quite notable differences between each one of these kits. It's probably appropriate that this discussion has fallen under this heading. One thing I love about MIJ, is the historical mystery. Interesting thread.
I currently have in my collection, drums that are clearly made by all three manufacturers, (Star, Pearl, Hoshino) that are all badged as 'Stewart'.
Very interesting! Could you post a pic of the Hoshino Stewart badge? I'd love to see it.
In this related thread, we see that Stewart was a name used by early/mid 60s Pearl, late 60s Star, then 70s Pearl:
http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=16677
As for Kona's snares; the red sparkle Apollo with the teardrops has no re-rings, the WMP Stewart with the small Sling copy lugs has the thin shell with rings, and the chrome snare with the Rogers copy lugs looks Pearl made to me as well.
My bad. Unfortunately there are other things in life to deal with, besides drums sometimes. Here are the Pearl, (Aqua 22" kick) and Hoshino, 'Stewart' badges. Both flat, oval foil, and to be honest, up until now I'd thought they were the same, but they are not.
Some of those drums wee so thin that you could damage them by simply tightening the heads. Probably even tension tuning is the best bet for these so you are putting pressure on the lugs and not the shell. Snares can prove to be really fragile.
Hey guys - (alot of MIJ enthusiasts on here) - if anyone has a late 60s (possibly early 70s) Pearl (or Pearl made) kit - I am selling a COS snare made by Pearl that is in great condition. No consumables, but the price is very right - especially since I have already cleaned it up. Please see my list and pic on the photobucket page and get a hold of me. VTW - I actually have 2 of these for 40 each and they are both 8 luggers.
http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=39428
It's my "HOT" thread that has everyone standing there stunned in silence at such the good deals!! I thought the comments would follow, but much more discussion over to the DFO for some reason.
Thanks,
John
Gee, ya know. I've only been working with MIJs for 40 years or so, but in that time I've restored dozens of MIJs including quite a few Stewies. My experience has been that the Stewies tended to be some of the better of the bunch. Decent grade of wood, no gaps, and well cut bearing edges were the hallmarks of most of them. Having said that though, I have seen all of the problems you have described in various MIJs including some Stewies. Definitely a mixed bag, some are much better than others. There were over 100 distinct brand names these drums were manufactured under and quite a bit of variation.Yes many were crap, but by no means all and no brand name was immune to imperfection. At the end of the day though, it's an unfair assessment to paint them all with the same brush. In any case, even the lowest grade of luan wood improves quite dramatically with age and today many are capable of producing a beautiful dark warm tone that just can't be replicated. You do have to sift through the junkers to find the better ones, but when you do, you really have a gem!
Since you seem to have seen quite a few "Stewie" sets over the years, what do you know about Stewart drums with rectangular textured badges? I can't find anything on them and I just purchase a 14x4 gold sparkle snare and I think a 20x14 bass drum as well as the original leather strap driven BD pedal on a major steal on Craigslist. Any historical info would be appreciated.
The snare has reinforcement rings and a batter side resonant pad built in. Bass drum has mounting hardware for a tom and possibly another mount for additional percussion ie cowbell woodblock. Let me know if you can help. Thanks!
Since you seem to have seen quite a few "Stewie" sets over the years, what do you know about Stewart drums with rectangular textured badges? I can't find anything on them and I just purchase a 14x4 gold sparkle snare and I think a 20x14 bass drum as well as the original leather strap driven BD pedal on a major steal on Craigslist. Any historical info would be appreciated.The snare has reinforcement rings and a batter side resonant pad built in. Bass drum has mounting hardware for a tom and possibly another mount for additional percussion ie cowbell woodblock. Let me know if you can help. Thanks!
PIX Please! This could be another find...or not. But we always seem to find the good ones on here.
