ooooops ...

I misspoke. These are not Rosewood. These are single ply Shina ... which is from the Asian "lime" (not the citrus!). We call it basswood. Anyway, this should be correct now. I fell into the trap that many have ... we read the cats and Shina is not specified on this kit. These have been called "rosewood" for years by a large portion of drummers (including myself).

Excellent information! Thanks!

I want to add that not all of the Brazilian Grain kits are single ply. That's going to make it a true treasure hunt. I've recently checked out a kit that had plies. My kit is single ply. Another gent on another forum has a single ply kit.

eBay will be a blast to watch over the next year or so as people play the odds.

There could be a book written, or at least a pamphlet, about all the myriad transitions the 'Royalstar' line has blundered through.

It always amazes me how Star / Tama continues to re-use the same name for lines that are all over the quality scale.

AMEN!!!

The SuperStar line (late 70s-mid 80s) is absolutely fantastic. They are flat out amazing drums. Beautiful Japanese Birch shells perfectly formed with stunning finish work and SING like there's no tomorrow.

The SuperStar line they are serving up today has "mediocre" on the horizon ... hoping one day to achieve "Mediocrity".

I honestly don't get it. It can't be a business decision. To intentionally destroy a time-honored brand name is not good business. Heck, just ask the Rogers crowd about that one. It blows my mind how effortlessly some very respected drum companies today emblazon the side of a mediocre drum with their mark. Most all are guilty of it. Ludwig, Gretsch, Tama, Yamaha, etc etc etc. That will never make sense to me.

As far as the RoyalStar line ... who the heck knows what they were thinking back then. It's like the Melting Pot of drum build ideas.