I was under the impression it was Pearl - can you post a badge photo? There is an old stencil here named Zen-On that is definitely Pearl. I sometimes confuse Zen-On and Zimgar

If you go to the drum badges section for Japanese drums,scroll down about 1/4 way,its on the left side.It says Brooklyn....MIJ..These shells have the wide maple re rings and they need it!!..These shells are thin...wonderfully thin and resonateClapping Happy2

I believe ZimGar to be a Pearl stencil kit, the hardware looks very Pearl-esq in my opinion :2Cents: Any pics??

Bass lugs and strainer are the key the key to ID. Blake and I have found that those two parts are the most telling. The rail could be either, but it is the bass lugs that do the most for telling the diff. The Star lugs are longer, with a more pronounced ridge on top, and the strainers are the next to be more easily catagorized.

Hey Jonni- I like you`re perspective on the importance of the strainer for ID-

I can agree that a strainer is really useful for Id but for Pearls atleast- I can ID any kit by the style of the bass drum tom mount. From 66 to 75 they had a different one for almost every year. Also, in counterpoint to your strainer idea, I`ve seen all kind of strainers on early MIJ stencils here- round ones, clam shell clones, double sided adjustables, the ubiquitous Pearl S-012 and S-013 (found on so very many Pearl stencils)- I see more diversity in strainers than with tom mounts- I don`t have as much experience identifying STAR drums as with Pearl and Nikkan. I like your idea and will look into it more.

[IMG]http://i807.photobucket.com/albums/yy360/zimgar/zimgar5.jpg[/IMG]

This piocture shows all the Star parts, and some Pearl, so you can see the real difference! O'bop,. look at the rack tom: top lugs are Star, longer and more sloped toward the back end, where the Pearlks drop off more dramatically. bottom Pearl The snare lugs look exactly like Slings, to a tee, while Pearl S-K snare lugs are "rounder" if that makes sense, more oblong than rectangular and the "slots" in the Star snare lugs are more pronounced where the Pearl ones are more relaxed looking. I have a Pearl that has the S-K copies, and will provide some pix later. The bass lugs are longer and a more pronounced ridge, or a ridge period, as Pearl Sound King lugs for the bass are shorter and wider, but look more like the Slings.

THIS PICTURE LIFTED FROM POST ON ANOTHER THREAD, ONLY TO SHOW THE MAJOR IDENTIFIERS OF THE STAR/PEARL DIFFERENCES IN LUG DESIGN ON THE SOUND KING KNOCKOFFS. THANKS TO DUSTY, WE CAN SEE THE DETAILS RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES.