Mikey, I can't believe that there are still further old (and gone) brands/ stencil kits popping up on the other side of the ocean from time to time.

All those names (from A like Apollo to Z like ZimGar) really NEVER appeared in Europe.

It must have been a unique situation in USA in the late 60s/ early 70s in the USA, that not only STAR, but also other oval badges with 'World's Supreme Quality/ Made in Japan' came up over there. But why? Was it the beginning of the end of STAR due to the legal reasons we already discussed here some time ago - and which made STAR switch over to TAMA then? I don't know.

Ralf

No, Ralf. This "name game" had nothing to do with the end of Star, it was more about American distributors and music stores getting into the game of "building thier own line of drums". Back in those days, it was much easier and very cheap to get into the music business. All you needed was enough money to buy the kits from a national importer, much like today, but much simpler.

You see, as St. Louis Music Supply grew, it reached more and more markets. The regional sales rep visited stores, selling their wares, and occasionally telling of the great success they had with their own line of drums. Occasionally, one these regional stores would ask for their own "brand name", they would be checked out for a credit line with the local bank, same as today, then the rep would hand off a spec sheet, and the buyer would choose the hardware, colors, name badge design and other components, then viola, they had their own "cusom line of drums" and other musical instruments.

We continually see this, and there are likely going to be another 30-50 "name brands" pop up in the next few of years as the old drums come out of the attics across America, as more and more of us, our generation, begin to clean out our parents homes, and our children begin to finalize our estates.

Let's be realistic. In my family, those on my fathers' side of the family that struggle with alcoholism much past 40 die by their mid-50s from various maladies. My mothers' side is rife with cancers and it begins to take it's toll on them starting in the late 50s to early 60s. This is a trend across this country as we eat far more processed foods with God knows what for preservatives than any other country on earth, period. The doctors and researchers are just beginning to listen to the people that have been crying foul for 30 years and they are beginning to see the direct link from preservative to cancer and heart disease, which is another wonderful trait of my fathers' faimly. I drew a great medical mystery myself, a clotting disorder that has ravaged my arteries for going on 15 years. I get these absurdly large blood clots in the large arteries that must be surgically removed. And I have had open heart surgery. When I was 46.

Anyway, the deal is, these will continue to show up for likely the next several years as we age and the whole cycle of "antique musical instruments" of bygone days continue to surface.

Whose brand is Mayfair? This is a name that is still in use today by a large corporation. Here is one simple explantion of the name. I will add anothe below if I find more from my search.

From AllExperts, the question:

[COLOR=#000000][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Expert: Bill Ruxton - 10/11/2006

Question

I HAVE A "1968 MAYFAIR DELUXE" MADE BY A COMPANY IN JAPAN IT IS SIMALER TO THE FENDER STRAT DESIGN. IT HAS REAL OPAL FRETS. MY FATHER BAUGHT IT IN "68" FOR I BELEAVE ($600 I THINK) IVE HEARD OF OTHERS OUT THERE. IVE BEEN OFFERED $8000 FOR IT. THAT WAS FROM A SCHOOL TEACHER 10 YEARS AGO. IVE READ THE MAYFAIR "?" THAT WAS ASKED. THAT GUITAR SOUNDS SIMALAR. BUT IT MUST BE A DIFF COMPANY THOUGH I NEVER RAN INTO ANYTHING ON MAYFAIR BUT THE INFO I GATHERED. THEY ONLY MADE GUITARS ONE YEAR AND ONLY THAT MODEL. YET IVE WANDERED MYSELF THE VALUE. MINE SAYS NOTHING ABOUT KOREA IN FACT MINE SAYS JAPAN ON IT AND IS HOLLOW. IVE LOOKED UP INFO ON IT. AND FOUND OUT MAYFAIR CAME FROM JAPAN. MY DAD TOLD ME THAT HE BAUGHT IT NEW IN "68" I DONT REMEMBER FOR SURE HOW MUCH HE PAID. BUT I REMEMBER THAT IT WAS ALOT OF MONEY IN "68" IVE SEEN THE BOOK THAT CAME WITH IT ON A VINTAGE GUITAR SITE. AND THE BOOK LOOKED THE SAME AS THE ONE MY DAD HAD. THOUGH I CANT FIND IT. IF YOU COULD LOCATE MORE INFO I WOULD BE THANKFUL. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]And Answer:[/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=#000000][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Dear Travis,

Mayfair was a brand name used on inexpensive Japanese guitars marketed in the USA in the 1960s and perhaps into the early 1970s. The Blue Book of Acoustic Guitars, 8th Edition, says only that further research is needed on this brand name.

The brand name could be one used by the maker, or by the importer or distributor. If an importer or distributor, different makers may have been the source of these instruments at different times, or for different models.

Although some of the inexpensive Japanese guitars of this period were exceptionally good guitars for their low prices, most were merely cheap guitars.

The few Mayfairs I've seen were unremarkable cheapos. That doesn't mean yours isn't a decent guitar. Still, these are not in any demand by players or collectors as vintage instruments. Even if in perfect shape, it's probably not worth more than a few hundred dollars. A Mayfair Deluxe recently sold on eBay for $52 plus shipping. It appeared identical to some inexpensive Asian-made models made under the Harmony name after the original USA Harmony company went out of business. If someone offered you $8000 for it, you should have taken the money and run.

But it doesn't have to be valuable to be cool. If it suits your ears, hands, and eyes, that's all you can ask of any guitar.

Hope this helps. Have fun with it,

Bill [/FONT][/COLOR][/FONT][/COLOR]

I'm not sure if this badge has been discussed yet, but I picked this one up for about $30 a while ago...Lido Supreme.

Thank you, jonnistix, for your frank explanation. Hope that we have a long run left to discuss about vintage drums in the future!

Ralf

@cancerdude: yes, it's well-known. If you use the 'search' you'll find several information about Lido Supreme.

Nice little snare. Is it really thin w/re-rings, or is a thicker shell with grey painted interior? And the orange sparkle tom under it, what is that one?

thanks ralf...i'll do that :)

it's thin with no rerings. it looks like it's 3 really thin plies, with a vertical grain on the inside and outside. i don't know about the tom it's sitting on. the picture i have is from the seller's listing. i was too lazy to take my own pic of it...lol. i haven't done anything with it yet. any suggestions?

i forgot to say, the inside is raw and unfinished.

Dear jonnistix,

On behalf of all sentimental, feeling members of the Forum, I'd like to thank you for your frank and honest revelation concerning your own health issues. As you know, you have been a great influence to me for the last couple of years. Sure, I love the old drums almost as much as you but , when it comes to such personal matters that you have opened up your heart to, I really don't give a damn about bloody drums! You are more important. May you live a thousand years, young man!

Your biggest fan,

Brian

I would need to see the edges and interior before I can advise, but these can be really sweet little snares if you follow my lead. I have some that sound amazing. It is not hard to do, just takes some dedication to the craft and understanding of the wood, how soundwaves are affected by wood types, that sort of thing.

The thing is, finally, some of the community is beginning to believe me, and they are finnally finding that a cheap, $30-40 drum can be made to sound so much better, just takes some work, and not too much either. If it were too much, then it would not be worth it. But with my experience and trial and error, you can have a great drum, on the cheap.