Mid 1960s 5x14 Kent from the blue badge era in their Oyster Black wrap. Hardware is original except for the strainer, which is now an Inde. If anyone has a line on Kent strainers, please let me know. I know they were unreliable, but it would be nice to have a period-correct part for it if I ever decide to sell it.

These are all sellers pics

as the kit has yet to arrive from Pennsylvania

I found them in Maryland several months ago

but could not get any cooperation from that seller on the shipping end ...so I had to walk away

They showed up again recently on one of the vintage drum Facebook groups that I belong to

and I was able to finally make a deal on them.

The bass drum hoops have been changed the originals were warped and useless

My seller is sure the tom mounting hardware is original

But it does not look like anything I have seen so far also the floor tom legs are shot rust-wise

Note the mounted tom being center lug while the bass and floor have the separate lug sets

a fairly often seen factory mis-match on many Kent drum kits

I actually found a matching tom with the separate lug sets

but with the typical mounting hardware

on the very same Facebook group the seller being from an entirely different area

I bought the tom before securing the deal on the whole kit

Luckily it all worked out and waiting to receive everything I paid 500.00 (shipped)

Very cool that was for sale on my Kent Facebook page as well as some other vintage drum pages . That tom mount is original and your standard W&A rail used by so many of the other US manufacturers of the day and predates their Kent Set O Matic mount . A very cool and hard to find finish and was made specifically for Kent as well as their own oyster red pearl . Nice set of drums !

Hello 1966bmx

Thank You for your reply

Yes the kit was featured on many FB pages

The funny thing was after buying the separate tom mentioned above

I initially could not find the entire four piece kit anywhere

I was resigned to the notion

that I may likely be the proud owner of one cool orphaned tom only

a few days later I stumbled on the kit once again and made the deal immediately

Very nice drums!!

Cheers

My first kit, a 4 piece Kent BDP, With Zildjian Seconds. The first shot is Christmas morning, 1981. I was 12. This is as vintage 1981 as it gets. My middle aged dad wearing Sergio Valente jeans with a velvet jersey, hooking up our new Atari 2600 that's sitting on top of the console TV. And the Lowrey organ is in the background. I took the second pic with my new Polaroid camera the next day after we set them up in my bedroom. To paraphrase Ralphie in A Christmas Story, that kit was the greatest Christmas present I ever received, or would ever receive.

5x14 Black Oyster finish from the blue badge era, with an Inde strainer - everything else is original. There are still glue spots and pencil marks inside :)

Love the pics and the story!

Agreed!!

Cheers

I first started playing drums in 1964 with a "rent to buy" used Kent 4-piece kit in Black Diamond Pearl. In 1967, I purchased a new "Hollywood" type kit in pink-champagne from the Kent factory, which was a short distance from my school in Kenmore, NY - a suburb of Buffalo. (The two attached photos are not printed backwards - I play left handed!)

The Kent factory had a customer-service counter that was manned by a couple guys who were not overly-friendly. Kinda gruff. But I clearly remember the large "girlie calendar" that adorned the wall behind them, with a nude centerfold photo! This was definitely interesting to a 15 year old!

Because I could not afford Ludwigs, I put Ludwig heads on these Kents and used Ludwig hardware (purchased from nearby Kenmore Music), but I doubt that I ever fooled anyone.

Because I was inept at tuning drums, I would over-tighten the snare wires (choking them) to minimize the snare buzz on the toms. This put a tremendous strain on the throw-off, and the "stem" eventually broke off.

Thus I drove over to the Kent factory again to buy a replacement throw-off, and - because it was a different month! - I was able to see another centerfold on the back wall!

Funny, the things one remembers after 50+ years.....The Kents were a good kit, and I played them for 9 years, before having enough money saved up to buy a real Ludwig kit.

I no longer have those Kents because I traded them in to buy the Ludwigs, but I recently purchased a 1960s Kent snare on ebay, and I use it as a "TV tray" in front of the sofa...just for sentimental reasons. Gotta remember your "roots."

Regards, Marty B