You should love a late 60s Slingerland made in USA drum set. Theay are very similar in most respects to the most desirable 50s and early 60s Slingerland drums. They are great drums and bargains to buy.

In regards to the late 70's and 80's...There weren't really any good drums coming out of that era! LOL! kinda kidding , but not really. That was when super-heavy stands and electronic drums were starting to develop and "regular" drum making seemed to be on a hiatus. I had the same experience as yourself with a Ludwig B/O kit....Shells were over sized, the glue for the wrap wasn't strong....hated the Hercules hardware with the plastic wing screws and tubular legs. I was looking at the Lynn Drum machine, an Emulator and Simmons drums in the early 80's, myself!

Its funny you posted that. I actually had a 60's Slingerland (cant remember the series), but it had a side mounted tom and ride cymbal stand attached to the kick drum. It was only a four piece when drums sets were HUGE. It was my first drum set in 1982, and I played the hell out of that kit. I don't remember how it sounded because we all removed the bottom heads and deadened them further with napkins/Kleenex taped to the head.

Yeah, the Luddies were a dream kit that I bought about a decade ago. They were an early 1976 3-ply in sky blue pearl. From what I gather, it was mid-way through 76 they switched to the thicker shells. Either way, I couldn't keep them in tune and the wrap was getting worse and worse. It was a big let down to realize I had coveted a **** for all those decades :) Surprised about the Japan drums comment. I have always read that Pearl and Tama were way ahead of the time and head and shoulders above the rest in that era.

Well, all I can say about the Asian Invasion of pro drums into the US market, is that SOMEONE had to raise the bar as far as quality control was concerned. Ludwig was pretty much off the rails during that era. Then guys like Steve Gadd showed up and blew everyone's mind on his Yamaha Recording Customs...and Stewart Copeland with his Tamas. It was a wakeup call to the American drum manufacturers. It wasn't long before Yamaha and Tama and Pearl started to not only compete with US brands....They dominated the market. The "Big Four" American manufacturers took a step back into the shadows. I think DW took their queue from how the Asians were doing things and that's why DW became a force. They took over the Camco designs, too. That, and the fact that John Goode is an extremely good snake oil salesman and got everyone believing in that pitch matching stuff...lol. Anyway...I agree that this era was when Asia stepped up to the plate and started to hit things out of the ballpark.

Agreed on the QC and Japan owning the 80s.

Fate decided it when I found a great price on an early 80s Pearl in Walnut lacquer finish in 22, 16, 13, and 12. I am going to keep my eyes out for a Tama as well. I have an A2E electronic kit that I would love to be able to move between the Pearl and Tama. Same sizing on the shells would allow me to use either as electronic or acoustic. It would be fun being able to jump between them.