I have a few questions regarding 60?s Premier drums as I have found a nice set that I?m tempted by. Firstly I heard they are thin Birch shells with Beech rings, how do these compare to say Ludwig?s 3ply maples? Anyone know when Premier started using international sizes? The set I?m looking at is supposedly from 65. I really like the look of Premier?s hardware, looks very innovative for it?s time and very solid, can anyone confirm or comment on this. Also Premier?s chrome was suppose to be the best for it?s time. What about build quality, other brands had their issues with cracking lugs and wraps. Are there any colours that are more collectable and valuable? I know Ringo first played a dark wood coloured set of Premiers, do people go crazy over that finish too? What would be a fair price for a nice set in the ?downbeat? sizes with a matching wood snare? Lastly, and most importantly, how do they sound? I know that is completely suggestive but are they comparable or as highly rated to the US brands of the time? I?d really appreciated any help here as I am new to Premier and have a lot to learn. Cheers.
Premier Help?!
I'll give some input here. ALOT of Premier drums were a Mahogany/Birch combination. I'd have to see a pic of the kit to identify it so guessing it's Birch composition is what we'll do. Birch compared to maple has long been an arguement between drummers as to which is best. I'll tell you this, if you were a sound guy ... you'd LOVE Birch as it's more "Pre-EQ'ed" than Maple, meaning it has a narrower sound. Maple is alittle bigger sounding especially in the low's department. Birch is great for high and mid tones while maple is great for lows to upper-mids but can also bring out some highs that may not be wanted especially when mic'ed up. Now with that said, it wasn't 15 years ago that birch was the choice of many, many pro's out there. What eventually happened is 13" toms and up, they would use birch. Anything bigger and it would be maple. Now, the build quality of Premier's greatly varied on the model like everyone else. The Chrome was very good and the hardware was decent as well. I have owned a couple of Premier's and I gotta tell ya .... I loved them!! The sound, appearance, quality ... it was all there!!! As to what colors are more collectible?? That would depend on the buyer really. What I might like may not be what you like. Premier did some sets in wraps, but mostly in Lacquer. Alittle known fact is Premier made Yamaha shells for awhile. I believe it was in the 80's or 90's. The Premier's are not as pricey as some of it's US competitors of the time, but they are coming up in value and you really can't go wrong. If you like it, Buy it!! Good Luck.
Premier drums are usually very good kits. the chrome plating was the best for a number of years, but enviromental restrictions put an end to plating here in the UK years ago. A 1965 should be a safe bet on the intenational size front, but like just about every other drum company, they used whatever shells they had at the time, so best to check with regular tom and floor tom heads (they will be the pre-int drums if at all).
Thanks for the replies, a lot of good info there. I ended up passing on the Premiers, got a beautiful Rogers set instead. I hope others found this info helpful. Premier don't seem to get much of a mention around here.
Cheers.
- Share
- Report