Putting a Pearl style tom mounting system on any American vintage drum is criminal and status of such drums are below player grade in both appearance and value. These swiss cheese drums are essentially "parts" drums, justifiable to be cannibalized as necessary. If rarity justifies the effort, a quality restoration may be an option with some loss in value in comparison to higher grade drums.
Could not disagree more. There is no such thing as a parts drum vs players drum in this context. If the drum is playable and not collector grade, it's a players drum, period. What makes it a players drum is that someone is willing to play it. I know lots and lots and lots of people, especially the younger among us, who could not care less that the L-Arm on their Slingerland is a Pearl. They care that the drum can be played and nothing more. And no it's not criminal do that, not at all. What it is, is practical.
Great topic!On my Slingy's they became players early on. Signs of at least three different tom mounts drilled before I had Pearl mounts put on 35+ years ago.I like that they have been played and updated as new technology came along.Putting them back to former glory but the Pearl mounts will stay because they work well. Vintage tom hardware tends to not be as stable.In the wild finds of untouched kits are very cool but they just sat somewhere collecting dust for years. Not the same feel as a kit that has many stories to tell.Creighton
I couldn't pass up on commenting on the Pearl or Pearl-style mounts. I assume we're talking about what Pearl introduced in the late 70s: the 7/8" tube style, as opposed to their hex-sided drum-key style of mount they used throughout most of the 70s.
My first encounter with the new Pearl mounts came at Hays Music in Hays, Ks in 1978. (I've told this story before, so please be patient.) My group, the Fall River Boys, played as much as we wanted throughout Western Kansas and Western Nebraska. We were in pretty high demand and stayed booked solid. Very early one Sunday morning, returning to Hays from Tribune, Ks we made the decision to not unload the van because we were too tired, leaving it set in the street. Late that night/early the next morning, somebody boozed/drugged up came flying down the street and totaled the van, and most of the equipment inside.
The driver's insurance replaced everything -- but we were so booked up we had to have new equipment before the next weekend. All that Hays Music had in stock at the time was Pearl wood-fiberglass drums, a red set and a blue set. My wife like the blue, so blue it was. The first thing that impressed me about them was the tom mounts -- I thought they were the greatest improvement I had seen on drums since I had been drumming. They were MUCH sturdier and much more adjustable than anything I had seen before -- much better than the standard Ludwig mount.
So... I for one don't blame anyone for changing out mounts, especially during that time period. And, ever since most companies have copied that mount anyway!
Yes, changing mounts "de-values" the "collector" kits. But NOT below "players" grade, IMO.
BTW -- talk about players kits... my first kit was a Gretsch kit out of the early 50s. It had hoop mount spurs and a rail mount tom holder. I thought both looked too "old fashioned," and what I really wanted was a Ludwig kit anyway (too good a deal on the Gretsch to pass up!). So, I added the new Ludwig curved spurs, and a Ludwig Standard tom mount! Now, if I knew then what I know now, I would have never done that nor would I have ever sold that kit! However, all I was at that time was a "player," needing a "player's kit."
Bill
