I had a line on a Russian kit YEARS ago,and am still kicking myself for not grabbing........

Guy said no re-rings,a la Gretsch.

The foot pedal and hi hat had cyrillic writing on them too!

Reminds me back to my school days back in the early 70s, when my class made a ten days field excursion to Moskow ... Western guys meet Eastern guys.

We (my class-mate played keyboards and guitar) had the opportunity to play there on a meeting with native pupils. Can't really remember the instruments we played with, as they were just standing there around.

It was Russia in times of the 'Cold War'. Meaning: the people there really had absolutely no access to any 'Western stuff': no jeans to buy, no chewing gum etc. etc. - and, for sure: no western made musical instruments!

Tromsa and Roxy were 'Made in Western Germany' at that time, meaning: out of reach for any person behind the iron curtain.

The former GDR (Germany, too, but behind the iron curtain ...) produced drums under the label 'Tacton': some shells even made of pasted (paper) board in lack of production capabilities and often lack of raw materials! If any of such instruments come up today, they will just have museum character, but they'll never offer any playing potential.

And also very important: music from the West was 'no wanted' by the Russian Regime. So why should they let someone produce drumsets, when there will be played with music that is no wanted? I wonder, if there really exists one single drumset 'Made in Russia'.

Ralf

there were/are a considerable number Eastern Bloc percussion companies. i remember seeing a Polish made kit at a vintage drum shop in Toronto about 5 years ago. it was very old world and traditional ----looked like it was made in the 50's; the badge said something like A.Krawelski Co. then the city. almost like the label inside a violin. Tromsa by the way did little exporting and eventually stopped badging their drums.this is why Tromsa drums show up all the time and people say "they are Roxy".Roxies were remarketed Tromsa's and here is my theory. Tromsa, which up to the mid. 50's were fully the equal of Sonor ,Deri,Trixon and Lefima began to fall behind due to their unwillingness to export and increasingly accepted offers to do stencil brands(Voss,Hohner,Kings,Concorde,Roxy,Lindbergh,Korri).Many of these were exported alleviating the necessity for Tromsa to do so-----let Mr. Roxy sell drums in N.A. and because Tromsa mfg. the heads,they used the Tromsa label on the heads as a badge and badged the other drums if wanted by the buyer(it would cost a certain amount extra of course). It is unlikely that many of these drums ended up in the Eastern Bloc. Trixon did ,though, and Trowa and Tacton made a range of drums,some excellent----not just cardboard ones. There is a website ,that I came across about 2 years ago from Hungary that details a lot of unknown drum companies. There were domestic Russian drums ,Polish,Hungarian,Czech and some other obscure East German drums. I'll see if I can find it.

i found it drummuseum.hu----there is a whole world of stuff there. check out the Medveczky jazz kit and the copy from the editor!!! i have never seen cooler hardware. should be in the museum of modern art. there is a section on Tromsa too-----mint condition 70's stuff and no badges but they consistently state that Tromsa was from the G.D.R. ; perhaps i was wrong and Tromsa did export to the East Germans and then a broker then represented them to the other countries because the drums were actually mfg. in Russelsheim in West Germany.

I know that website, as I have done the translations into 'correct' German wording and into (hopefully also 'good') English as well, a few years ago.;)

Unfortunately there seems to be no time for the owner at the moment, to update all the pages.

I've gone into deep vintage since that time and know now, that there are a few more errors at several drumsets stated.

Correct is: Tromsa was a WEST German drums manufacturer (location: Rüsselheim) and NOT (!) GDR.

Ralf

i went to the site once and it said under construction and then i went to the site later and got to lots of pictures and info. about a lot of companies in Europe. it might depend on how----i searched drummuseum hungary. the ones which stuck out that are not well known are Duban(Hungary),Amati(Czech),Kozmosz(U.S.S.R.),Medveczky(U.S.S.R.),Mogyorobsy(Hungary),Remenyi(Hungary),Reissman(Hungary)and Tromsa(D.D.R.) Several of these were prewar companies but to answer the original question of the thread the pictures of the two U.S.S.R. companie's products speak for themselves.

No, Sir:

also Kozmosz = made in Hungary (but primarly produced for the Soviet market),

and Medveczky = made in Hungary!

;)

Ralf

Sorry for archeo-posting...

Not fully correct, Ralf! :)

Hungarian drums were practically not available in SU.

Let me now a few words about Soviet drums.

During before WW2 there were very small drum's industry in Russia and further in USSR - most drummers used, as rule German LEFIMA. But also there was a musical factory in St.-Petersburg (later named - Petrograd, Leningrad and St.-Ptb again...), which produced wide line different instruments, include concert and marching drums and cymbals.

After the WW2 numerous musical instruments came to SU from Germany as a capture and reparation's goods.

Our whole country was almost completely destroyed and the time was not up to the production of musical instruments. However, despite the devastation, as early as 1947 had built a factory of musical instruments in the city named Engels on the Volga river.

In 1962 at this plant started a new product - full copy of Premier line 1958 - 1966, include hi-hat and ride stands, BD-pedal, cymbals and throne. All drum hoops were diecast. You can easily identify those drums and cymbals if you'll see their - its logo on stamp or label is "mermaid with the trumpet" . This label still is great subject for russian drummer's jokes...:)

Factory got the new name - "ЭПОИМИ" : Experimental Music Instrument's Factory.

But all the hardware, stands bases and hoops were casted from the famous Zn-Al-Cu alloy - stands spures often broken, thread spoiled, chrom coating disappeared...

Soviet drummers, as a hunters, waited every new delivering of beautiful and hi-quality TROWA from GDR and some later - AMATI from Chechoslovakia.

Imported PREMIER'es were available only for big bands, as well as with acquaintance for a bribe...

After removing the Iron Curtain competition to the import brands has become very difficult. "EPOIMI" asap introduced new modification - steel stamping flanged hoops, swim-nuts in lugs, new all-steel stands, hi-hats and thrones generations.

But it was too late...

You can see a last version of "EPOIMI" set near 1996' below on the pics from russians buy-sell drumsites.

To be continued...

George.

That was amazing what a great story. i hope every body takes the time to read that. now i want some russian drums thanks for sharing