I have an early Yamaha snare in my collection.

[IMG]http://www.vintagesnaredrums.com/images/my_collection/snare_yamaha_black_oyster_thumb.jpg[/IMG]

The shell construction back then was not what it is today and they were basically making cheaper imports of that time. The were directly competing with the USA drum makers and selling sets cheaper then the big US manufacturers. To do that they used cheaper wood etc..

That is not to say they are cheap drums in fact compared to most import sets of that time I would consider them the best quality and craftsmanship.

The lug design and strainer design were unique unlike the rest that were basically copying American lug and strainers and changing them slightly to look different.

From what I have seen Yamaha came into the drum market in 1967 so your drums would be early in the history of the company.

Ironically Yamaha is one of the best drums made today and I have always liked their innovations and craftsmanship.

In regards to price or fair market value I think your drums have plusses and minuses. The plus side are the sizes, which are very popular at the moment with many players. Also the fact it looks all original and yours have a better wood construction then earlier drums.

On the down side you need to get that snare cleaned up if possible and the finish would not be as popular as other wrapped drums with the rarer Yamaha finishes.

So I would value the drums between $600 and $800.

This is just a rough estimate based on what I have seen and not necessarily what someone may pay at the moment. The drum market fluctuates and drum values go up and down.

Also we have to consider what someone is willing to pay and if you have the buyer. Just because a drum has a particular value does not necessarily mean it will sell for that.

The perfect buyer is the person that had that set when he started out and sold it later and wants to find a set like he had when he was a kid. That particular buyer will pay what is necessary to finally find a set like they had when they were a kid. Drums can be very nostalgic in that regard.

David

Webmaster

What is often referred to as "mahogany" is, in reality, "lauan" -which is a very low-density/structurally weak wood that is readily available and inexpensive. However, Yamaha was at the high-end of low-end, import drums and sometimes a collector of vintage Japanese drums will go crazy for them regardless of the lower-quality construction.

A couple of things I can recommend:

Get the drums detailed. Clean them very carefully and meticulously -even if it takes weeks. Clean every thread of every screw. Don't miss an atom!

Get them out of that dank area where you photographed them. I can see mold growing on that wall and those drums will not hold up in high-humidity conditions -no drums will...especially if that humidity/mold infiltrate into the inside of the drums.

Re-photograph them and try to get some detailed pictures of the edges of the shells and the insides of the shells. People who are interested enough will want to see these things. Trust me, if you are interested in getting top-dollar for them, then a ridiculously-thorough detailing is in order.

That's a cool kit! The finish is pretty. I'll bet it could be made to look really, really great.

Thank you very much, David, for your answer.

I can see your snare has exactly the same serial numer and logo plate as my drums. Can you tell me the year of production of the snare you posted a photo of?

Anyway, I'm directly in contact with people from Yamaha in Germany and they're interested for the set, because they want it for purposes of displaying on musical fairs, etc...

regards,

vedran.

I don't know if this is relevant, but the YD in the uk market stands for "young drummers" kit, certainly in its last incarnation which was before the current Yamaha Rydeen Kits, which are aimed at young drummers todayband2 .

Hi zhekkie....Rudi here...I just joined this forum...

Cheers ! D' Drummer