I have been searching for similar Japanese snare drums and they have been selling for between $60 and $125. I would say this drum falls in the $100 range and the more unique finishes will go for higher.

David

late 1950s-1960s Pearl. Japenese import drum.

Probably 2 ply laun with no reinforcement hoops.

Strainer is probably pretty bad. These drums don't sound half

bad with some good heads.

look's like a 1968-69 deluxe or thunder king.i think there worth about $60-100.00 dollars,depends on condition.i love these snares,i collect vintage pearl.ther great drums and nnot as expensive as usa drums.

Hi,

This snare dates between 66 and 68.

Phil

Hey Phil!

Just for introductions everyone, Phil is in Australia and knows his Japanese Drum History! Welcome to the forum and get ready for the questions, we have a lot of them!

Glad to have you on the forum and thanks for your help.

Phil also is helping with the Japanese section on the web site.

David

Webmaster

Hey Phil, did you catch the blue sparkle Pearl that went for $200 on Ebay this week? prices are going up!

Yes i did David those gold script Pearl badge snares are a little hard to find these days as they were from the deluxe models from 66 to 69, so i guess you expect to pay around the $200 mark for them , although that one looked like a one of the new blue sparkle rewraps .

Phil (Japanese Drums Downunder)

I just recently got rid of a snare that looked exactly like this one. I can't tell how many lugs from your pic, but mine was a 10 lug, and was the Deluxe model from the late 60s. I got it as part of a trade and thought it would be an easy flip, I was wrong. I was not at all impressed with the craftsmanship or sound quality of this snare. The hardware was cheap and light duty, the wood was poor quality which caused the bearing edges to be extremely ragged. The strainer was possibly the worst I've seen. The only good thing I did like was the wrap. After 40+ years the wmp looked great with only a tiny bit of yellowing and was securely wrapped with no seperations. I posted it for sale on craigslist for a good month and had no offers, I started at $200 and eventually worked my way down to $75 and still had no takers. I ended up getting $50 trade in credit at a local drum shop and used it towards a '71 B/O supraphonic, I couldn't be more happy with the trade.

No offense to the Vintage Pearl junkies, but these are not "player" drums. They sound like crap, so unless you plan to put it on display I would advise against purchasing these snares. However, if collecting is your game, by all means these are some cool drums with some of the coolest finishes out there.

I disagree on all those kits sounding like crap. Here is my Pearl kit, Phil being the expert, can you enlighten me on these? They aren't made of wood. Sizes 20, 12, 14. I have the matching snare, but I'm a BB fan.

And yes that's a big ride, 24 inch Hollow block Zildjian, circa mid 50-s, and she roars like a lion.....

BBK

backbeatkeeper, I am not an expert but I have been told that the round Pearl badge indicates the 50's and the script PEARL badge (found on the WMP at the top of this post) indicates 60's. My roommate owns a snare from this era with a killer finish. I have never heard it because the strainer is awful.

I can't wait to hear an expert chime in on your set.

I also will agree to disagree with deadhead on this era of Pearl drums. If you expect these Pearl drums to sound like Rogers or Ludwig drums you will be very let down. They don't compete. But they do have their own sound that is awesome in it's own right.

I have used my Pearl on many recordings and love the sound. If an old ludwig is like a Gibson Les Paul then I would liken these old Japanese drums to a Fender Jaguar. A little thin and creeky with lots of vibe. I find my old Pearls inspire me to get wild in recording it. It begs to have tons of spring reverb on it or distorted to bring out the crunch. Oh yeah, and the finishes make me happy!

Isaac