Phenolic. Isn't that the word for the hobby of collecting postage stamps?
Those are really nice and that badge design could be in my top 3 all time favorite. Probably designed without authorization by some guy a Pearl who was on LSD at the time. Once discovered the following day, the badges were removed from all drums and the guy was fired. A few very number of drums however were shipped out before the badges could be removed, making them ultra-rare and highly prized.
How's that for a story?
No cure, but there are palliative treatments. Buy 1, sell 1. Catch and release. Methadone.
I was never a big MIJ guy, but Pearl in the 70s is kicking my butt.
This set seems a little like some of the clear-out-the-parts-bin designs I've seen from Ludwig and Premier. And Sonor...hmmm, yeah common to companies that build the whole magilla in house.
Ludwig did lines like Standard, Rocker, Educator etc in part to use up existing stock of old parts. Premier did 6000/6500, Olympic etc. Sonor with Performer and others. All use parts from the last big push, or even two big pushes ago, combined into aggressively-priced short-run lines.
WARNING - baseless speculation to follow>>>
I imagine this kit to be one of those, probably around 1971-72. The rail is from 2 big pushes ago and the faceted discoball lugs were about to give way to the world-beater diamond lugs. Phenolic hoops were about to become steel. President was about to fade as a name too. Phenolic shells lived on through the 70s in concert toms and Vari-Pitch shells, but Pearl was offering a wide array of shells by then, with phenolic slowly being pushed down the line.
The question, WHERE were these drums sold? FWIW, I bought them from a guy in Montana. Could they have been for the Canadian market?
The lean of that badge font duplicates the posture of famed 70s cartoon figure Mr. Natural.
Tracing paper, paint marker etc. Came out great, no oopsies.
The goofy port pattern is designed to coincide with dented areas in the head. The damaged spots and the logo all became ports.
Getting ridiculous innit?
I saw these on eBay a while ago, and asked my friend Kazu, who worked at Pearl Japan for 35 years about them. He said he's never seen that badge ever. His exact comment:
"This looks very strange to me. I think I saw almost any badge of Pearl drums, but I've never seen this. It seems that some of the Pearl Distributors asked Pearl to put their original badges, and actually there exist various OEM brands. The lugs are "Diamond-cut design" and the covering should be "Blue Sparkle" which were used in '60 and '70. Sorry that I don't have any idea for this badge. Pearl never used this type of "font"."
Thanks Gutenberg. The mystery deepens. I do appreciate the input and the back and forth with everyone.
So do I understand your friend to suggest that Pearl sold these drums OEM to distributors who asked for Pearl badges rather than their own stencil branding? And Pearl knocked these badges up rather than using their normal badges?
Comparing this "Mod" badge with a normal President badge I can see that Pearl made both. The gridded background and material are the same, as is the chrome and black paint, held by the usual 2 tacks arrangement. The Mod badge is a bit longer though.
I joined the Pearl Forum so I can ask about them, although a search shows the same question was asked in 2005 with no real answer having been reached.
And again the plot thickens! This is a long thread but look through this page for other Mod badge Pearls.
http://www.drumchat.com/showthread.php/pearl-drums-discussion-8259p56.html
