Greetings,

I was cleaning up that Blue Sparkle Tele-Star kit I got awhile back and when I got to the hoops, I saw something I have never seen before. Check out the photo!

Also, these were die-cast hoops, AND they were stick savers, as well. I've never seen die-cast hoops on an MIJ kit (at least not without after market upgrades), nor I have ever seen die-cast stick savers at any time. Has anyone else ever seen that before? This kit is 3-ply with re-rings (check the link at the bottom for photos), so I would guess mid to late 60's.

I ended up not using these hoops, I went with triple flange instead. The 8" x 12" is a 3-ply with re-rings, and the die-cast hoops just choked all the tone right out of that drum. Also, just as an odd aside, some of the tension rods were a VERY tight fit into the "ears" of the triple flange hoop. Some fit no problem, on others I literally had to hammer it in with a rubber mallet about 1/4 of the way before it went in on it's own (just to get it started through the ears, not into the threaded insert). I cleaned the threads with a wire brush and all. It's odd that some fit cleanly, and others had to be coaxed. Weird.

Still, I thought that inscription was cool! It is on two spots on each hoop, 180 degrees from each other. Sakae is now a high end company on their own, but they had been making all the high end Yamaha stuff for years. Maybe the current Sakae factory was making MIJ's way back when. To see the kit I am working on, check out this thread:

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=51370

Thanks,

V