This is an excellent thread, Mark!
I have a 4 piece Tele-Star kit that had Sakae die-cast hoops from the factory, just like the photo above. When I bought the kit, it didn't come with a snare and the floor tom was a different brand with a flanged hoop, but I would assume the rest of the kit came with die-cast from the factory.
I've used my John Grey 6 lug die cast hoops on a few of my vintage MIJ snares. Sounds great. Adds more volume, and 'pop', imo.
How did these companies afford die cast hoops for these supposedly cheap stencil kits?
According to size, I see them listed for 50 - 80 dollars each. Of course, a company would buy in volume, and it would be cheaper, but it would still be pretty pricey. What exactly is it that makes die cast hoops so expensive?
wait a second as I mentioned with my experience with a Zim Gar marcher with Die Casts..... They were die cast- Visually- but not ANYWHERE - near what (today's) Pearl, Gretsch die cast are. In stiffness I could BEND the Zim Gar hoop with LIGHT HAND PRESSURE. So yes may have cost more for them at the time; BUT NOT same Quality not in same league as Gretsch later Pearl etc.
glad I cleared that up :) (one more thing. that zim-gar marcher in excellent shape, with die cast was JUNK) a useless soft amateur drum) looked the part. looks only.
I twisted (when I had it off...) the hoop with my bare hands! Light pressure!! :):):):)
had to twist it back. like it was bubblegum. taffy.
..Joe
wait a second as I mentioned with my experience with a Zim Gar marcher with Die Casts..... They were die cast- Visually- but not ANYWHERE - near what (today's) Pearl, Gretsch die cast are. In stiffness I could BEND the Zim Gar hoop with LIGHT HAND PRESSURE. So yes may have cost more for them at the time; BUT NOT same Quality not in same league as Gretsch later Pearl etc.glad I cleared that up :) (one more thing. that zim-gar marcher in excellent shape, with die cast was JUNK) a useless soft amateur drum) looked the part. looks only.I twisted (when I had it off...) the hoop with my bare hands! Light pressure!! :):):):)had to twist it back like it was bubblegum.
Yes, thanks for clearing that up!
So, along with the drums themselves, even the MIJ hoops weren't made very well. I guess they cut every corner they could to keep them cheap. There goes the myth of the "mighty Zim Gar"!
If I would have read your first post more thoroughly, I would have seen that you said those die cast hoops were soft and not of any real quality.DOH
Is maybe not/ It's not that they "cut every corner" It's that. They (JAPAN) were in their Infancy of Mass Production! and Industry etc!
If you're a Boomer you remember the first time-- O say in 1966----when you first laid eyes on a thing ( a metal Toy car at Christmas 1966 aged 10) ---turned it over and read " Made In Japan"... It was Crude ---CLEVER yes!--- folded metal tabs to keep the upper car body attached to the chassis..
But you never saw anything like it;... those were the days when "Made in Japan" meant >
starts with a "J"
..Joe
