I am having amazing luck with restoring and rescuing MIJ drums. A lot of people here are nay-sayers where these MIJ drums are concerned. I am a professional where restoration work is concerned, in that I have been working on stuff since I was very young, and this came naturally to me.

I cannot afford Vintage American drums. I love them. I love them all, MIJ, MIA, MIE, even some MIT. There are some drums I don't like, don't understand at all. But these stencils are truly amazing. Many will say it's amazing they are even still around, they were junk 40 years ago, and still are today. I will admit, many are, but there are, in my estimation, many more that are very good instruments.

Others of us think differently, we look at them with the same respect, admiration and reverence that most of this community only reserves for American and some European drums. These instruments went through a very difficult and sometimes painful evolution. Star and Pearl are the big players, and a third, not unknown, but undocumented for the time being. We are looking into and are investigating the history to get it done. I have become a drum historian, of sorts, along with three or four others. It is also my belief that there was a foundry and metalworks that made most of the metal parts and supplied the factories. I have no proof, just conjecture and having worked on a few, there are some telling signs this could have been the case, in that many stencils have the same lugs, but have other parts that we are certain come from one or the other builder only.

I have learned something here. Something that I will take with me where ever I go. That I can be of value to the drummers of the world, that I can help others enjoy restoring drums, even though they are trash to many. We will take them and make them sing like they never have before. And they are just as lovely, and when we take lessons from the brothers, and sisters, that started this site for the preservation of one of the coolest instruments on the planet, that we can enjoy this hobby for a fraction of the cost, just as was the case 40 years ago. We can take these old, worn out drums and make them wonderful again, and in many cases enjoyable for the first time since they were taken out of the box. We can enjoy music.

If you have never tried your hand at restoring a $50.00 (MIJ) kit, try it. It is a challenge, yes it is. But there are a handful of people here that will guide you, as if you really need it, as you have guided us. When I can afford to to indulge in my first American kit, I will have the skills, the knowledge, to complete it and make it wonderful.

And if you try an MIJ kit, and let us show you the many differences that make them what they are, and how to overcome what you percieve as headaches, and "why the hell is it this way", and then when you are done, and have invested no more than a little time, and very few dollars comparatively, you will find the joy, the song we have found in these drums, a voice you never knew was there, that existed when you were 14, that you could not find, that we learned from you to find, and bring out, then you, too, will fall in love and get bitten all over again.

I love this new found hobby. It is bringing me and my son closer, at a time when he should be getting ready to begin the painful years of puberty and seperation from Mom and Dad.

Anyway, I guess what I am trying to say is this:

Thank you all, thank you for teaching me, for taking the time to listen to me, and bear my ignorance as it turns to education and experience, and for giving me a way to bring my son closer. And for listening to my mumbo-jumbo, and allowing me to teach as well. To help others overcome ignorance and become educated as well. I know there exists a rift between those that think MIJ is nothing but junk, trash to be tossed. But remember this, we all do the same thing, we preserve this history for others, for generations to come, and we do this so that all future generations can enjoy this simple, yet complex instrument, for all walks of life, all budgets. It is what we do, as a community. I respect your opinions, please respect mine. The main difference between us is budgetary constraint, not knowledge, education or experience. It is a love for the instrument, and I love this instrument no less than you. Respect is something we lose in this world of not quite personal interaction, where it is very easy to forget our manners, and forget others have feelings. I know that I have insulted at least one member of this forum, unintentionally, but nonetheless it was painful, and I have apologized via PM, and now publicly, even though it has been quite some time since the incident.

But at least I realized my mistake, where sometimes others stomp and kick others dreams and ideals, and don't think twice about it, going on to another post in another section and leaving us scratching our heads, wondering why, what did we do, other than restore someting they percieve to be of no value, trash, and we continue to show respect for that person, in public, when he just kicked us in the teeth.

Anyway, it has happened to me on many occasions, and it is usually the same and I pass it off as ignorance. I have a slogan, something I used to "hang" on my Yahoo 360 page:

[COLOR=red]"Ignorance may be overcome by education. Stupidity, however, is a lifelong endeavor. Stupidity is the refusal to become educated. We must choose to be stupid."[/COLOR]

I choose to not be ignorant, learning whenever the chance arises, and to help others overcome ignorance. That is what this post is about, offering to help others become less ignorant, not only about drums, but about public humility, not bashing oithers dreams and visions. I like my "addiction" to "cheap, crappy" drums, as some members have called my drums. I don't call yours "overpriced ornaments", because some truly are ornaments. I personally, cannot fathom paying $2500 for an old snare that I am afraid to play. That does not mean I don't find it beautiful, majestic and a work of art, but I don't go to that post and make ugly comments either, saying that a drum could never be worth as much as a car, or motorcycle, or even, to some, a home. Because I understand the deep seated affection, the love of the instrument, not because I think it is absurd to want to pay that for a "drum". It is the same way for those of us that relish our successes with these MIJ drums. We find them just as exciting and alluring, even intoxicating as you find a pristine set of Ludwig Super Classics, or new in the box Gretsch Cadillac Green Nitron, or found in a closet Buddy Rich Slingerland in WMP that was played for an hour on the The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.