Thanks, Jonnistix, for fixing that rare acrylic set here.

And: aren't these pics thwarting my previous wording:

'... The arrangement of the lugs is not in opposite, like I've seen it ONLY and ALWAYS at STAR ...'

Feels like your pics are laughing at me, just like saying: I was kidding ...

Teverson-sr: good idea to ask someone of the elderly workers.

But I am afraid, time has ran out ... It's too far away on the time line ...

Anyway, we're looking at a time nearly 50 years ago.

Ralf

Did Tama make Zimgar drums?

That one is a maybe, in my mind. I am sure Ralf will know.

Ralf, I didn't even see it that way. I never actually noticed until you mentioned. Now if you look at the lugs, they are too long to fit that shell

lined up. And the Majestic ride toms are almost the same way. If you look at the tom, it does not seem so, but those line up with only about 3/4" to 1" between them. I honestly think the distributors had more options than we might give credit. Look at all those different brands, they are each set up the way their named buyer wanted. I was bidding on a set on ebay a couple of months ago that had wrap removed and from stained, they also had those teardrop lugs, the only way I knew they were Star is because the bass shell had the telltale grain.

'... I am sure Ralf will know.'

Thanks, jonnistix, but that's too much of honour for me. I'm also only fishing in the murky waters of the STAR-past ...

The more we discuss about STAR, the more, I guess, we come to the one conclusion: there must have been either a 'neutral' exporter in Japan or a third party importer in the USA dealing with these conglomerated drumsets, from which I've posted the badges in my article on the first page.

Hi Wayne,

If you remember, I've posted in your 'Zim Gar'-thread the following:

quote

... If you look at ebay USA, at the moment there are a 'ZimGar' drumset

and a snare drum listed. Especially the snare drum has some significant

and characteristic traits:

- it has a type of lugs, that Star never used and

- it has a type of snare strainer, that Star never used as well.

(The Star snare strainer look similar - but he definitely is not equal!)

These small differences (assuming they are original ...) make me think once

more that Zim Gar is NOT made by Star.

unquote

Sorry, but I cannot better report anything else today: Zim Gar seems not to be manufactured by STAR. (I believe that, as long as I don't see a Zim Gar drum with STAR-coincident features ...)

Ralf

When I was in university I bought a set of Star's for $40 and used them a lot, and sold them for $100.

They weren't spectacular (I'm trying to be nice) but were a fun set.

They were stamped inside with circled letters. One of the drums had a stamped "K" with a circle around it, so they became known as the "Circle K" drums, named after the convenience store of the same name.

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Not to throw a monkey-wrench, here but....this doesn't clarify things, it confuses things.

I have had Apollo snare drums which had the lug style from the LEFT photo.

So, I do not know what that says about who made Apollo....but if you are saying that STAR never used the left pic lugs....and I am saying that Apollo DID...that leaves us no better off, eh ? Coffee Break2

[/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"]My observation lends credence to this theory...Apollo was mfr'd by both companies at one time or another....[/COLOR]

[COLOR="DarkRed"]I would concur w/ Ralf...and say, based solely on aesthetic features...that ZimGars more closely dovetail with early Pearl-made drums than Star-made drums....

Except (aaaargh !!!!!!)

.....the lugs pictured in Ralf's reply #7 on this thread....do appear on early ZimGar drums...I have seen 'em, I have taken 'em apart...they were those very lugs....[/COLOR]

Here's the DFO thread that might be of interest: http://www.drumforum.org/index.php?/topic/12820-sorting-the-stencils-project/page__hl__apollo__fromsearch__1

Also, I was wondering about shells. I have a no re-ring gray painted shell which I'm pretty sure is Star. Then I have a thin re-ring kit which I'm 99% sure is Pearl, though the tom mount is nothing like theirs. OK, so far, so good. Then I have another drum, thin shell with rings, but looks like a Star to me. Sooooo, was there a type of shell Star favored?

Great, Rob!

I definitely will enter that forum as I can't see the pics as a visitor.

Concerning the shells: the early STARS seemed to be of cheap Luan or Mahogany. My two (and late) STAR kits from the early 70s do have the thick maple sheels with the reinforcing/ reinforcement rings, like mentioned in the DFO. Really very heavy weights.

I think STAR switched to quality shells as they wanted to get rid of the image for cheap drums: in the late 60s. And then they launched an economical series with the 'Swing Star' series, still under the brand name STAR (with the horizontal 'S' and 'Swing Star' badge).

Ralf

Oooops, I forgot 'DrumMate' ...

That series was made by STAR as well. Similar cheap features like SwingStar (plastic bass drum hoops, 6 lugs only at the bass drum, 'slip in' tom brackets and no tom dampers). I don't know what the real marketing strategy was behind that line.

DrumMate: 'World's Supreme Quality - Made in Japan'.

Ralf

OK, my little blue sparkle kit has to be Star. Gray painted interiors, those kind of upsidedown U shaped tom brackets, the 6 lug bass drum with plastic hoops. Want more proof? This bass drum came to me missing a lug and guess what worked perfectly as a replacement? A modern Imperialstar lug! Looks a little different, but the holes are a perfect match. Nothing else I found worked.