Has anybody played Del Rey (or Ray) drums or does anyone know anything about them other than the fact that they're Japanese?
I'm trying to find out if this particular brand is at the "low end" of Japanese-made drums or at the "high end."
Would these even be worth considering for a young drummer just starting out?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Im going to say low end as far as "build" but very much ok for a budding young player.
As I have suggested, when you are looking at any MIJ kit, always look at the shell construction. I am finding that most of the shells are decent, no matter the lay up. The thinner shells are much more resonant, with the bass drums of the 3 ply having a great vibe, with proper tuning, even in the 40 year old head. It will not sound like a new head, but you will get a ghost of what to put on it. For instance: My "new" WMP has the Attack 22" from the 5 pack, with the old, original 45+ year old head as the res, and all I did the the old head was-----spray paint it. Yep, multi-directional passes, at 3:00 a.m. on a cold night in the front yard. And this is a 3 ply shell. After tuning it, and I had to tune much higher than I ever thought would sound right, it came right to it, and it booms, with a low rumble that I was not expeting from such tension. I tried to use Bob Gs guide on the Evans site and it did not work on this drum. Now for my sons' little 20", I was looking through email and had a sale item posted from American Musical. They had a discontiued, or maybe just an old stock item they wanted to turn, anyway iot is a Ludwig heavy batter, and lo and behold, it turned ouit to be the right choice. This shell is a thicker 9 ply typical lauan shell that we all think of when thinking old MIJ drums. The point is, listen for the tones you don't hear at first, the hidden life of the shell is there, if you listen, you can hear it. If they are in good condition, buy them, and then let us know what they need to get there. In other words, itf the hardware is nice, and they are complete, and the shells are not compromised, go for it. You cannot go too terribly wrong, if they are inexpensive enough. Use the Attack pack, for 35 buckd delivered, to get an idea of what they will sound like, and then you will have a complete set of good res heads. Guitar Center sold me a 13 G1 for 5 bucks. Again, some of them are really crappy, and if not well cared for, they will not work out, more than likely, but if they are in good shape, you can always make them sound good. I can give a tutorial on edge re-contouring for these shells. It is forthcoming, I promise.
Let's have a look!
DelRey, it`s a hard call as to say just good or bad on them. They are famous for their totally psychadelic wraps. As far as I know (reading, talking to one Japanese collector here) they were made by TEISCO - who made all those killer Sears electric guitars and basses in the 60s. I know a wild and popular surf band of 50+ year olds in Tokyo who only use all TEISCO equipment- guitars, amps, drums- and swear by them.
With that said I have one 14x5 DELRAY/Dau snare from about 65 and the shell was very cheaply constructed. I was pretty disappointed when I received it after auction. Sound was not so bad but in general- the throw off, shell construction and hardware were on the cheap side. From the outside it`s sweet. Dau is Delray's Japanese sales name. I would want to see an interior shot of the shells BEFORE I bought another. If the shells look sound then no probs.
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THANKS for the feedback to date. I do appreciate it!Bowing
I've attached the only pic I've got of the kit.
I've asked to see it sometime today but haven't heard back from the seller.
He's asking $75 for the three pieces.
Do you think it's even worth checking out?
Yes, certainly 75$ is a more than fair price for what you`re showing there.
If you do decide to get them please send me a close up of the shell interiors, and the a shot of one of the lugs, the snare throw off ect... I lke to see the whole thing. I myself would pay 75$ for that especially if you could pick it up without shipping costs.
OsakaBop:
THANKS again for your time and your input.
I talked to the seller this morning and will be heading out to see the drums in about an hour.
I asked if he happened to have the floor tom to the kit and, to my surprise, he does. He said it would be included with the other three drums for the same price.
If I do get them, I'll take some pics and send them out.
Your help is GREATLY appreciated!:)
This is what I'm talkin' 'bout! 75 is perfect! And look for a 14" floor tom to go with it! Any blue will do. Heck, any 14" will do, although I suspect if your area is like everywhere else, the secret it out. Those 3 ply 14" MIJ floor toms are killer, and no one lets go willingly.
I suspect many of our bretheren of the American only contingency have one and won't admit it, either....nicely re-wrapped, and the badge stored away for poserity. And if they don't well, they should, because we all know how incredibly hard it is to find a good 14 for somewhere near sane prices.
WOW, I was not paying attention and missed the post just before I posted, killer! the ft included, man if you don't want them let me know, I might.
OsakaBop & Jonnistix:
Well, I stopped over to see the kit. The "floor tom" the gentleman said was included was actually a bass drum pedal so in reality he was selling a 20 inch bass drum, 12 inch rack tom and 14 inch snare drum, snare drum stand, bass drum pedal, rail consolette, cymbal mount, L-arm and a cymbal.
All or most of the heads were brand new. The wrap, although extremely dusty, didn't have any significant tears, rips or chips -- only some small scuffs that would probably come out with a good cleaning and polishing. The wrap appeared similar to a blue strata. Very nice, actually!
There were no extra holes in the shells of the bass drum or rack tom. The snare drum did have three small extra holes in the shell -- two by the strainer and one on the opposite side. I'm guessing that the current strainer on the drum is a replacement. The shells didn't have any wooden reinforcement rings.
The hoops on the bass drum were wooden with matching blue in-lays. The badges on two of the three pieces were somewhat bent outward but I'm sure that with a little work (and/or Crazy Glue) they could be flattened back onto the shells.
I decided to pass on the kit. The gentleman now has it listed for $150.
THANKS to both of you for your time and your help!Bowing
Seeing it in person is the best- sometimes on auctions it`s hard to get a real feel for what you`re buying. If something told you to pass it by then I`m sure you made a good choice.
