Hi guys, I'm still laughing over leedybdp's comment about the 1990 Yugo! :-)
In regards to Salty1322's question about Kents, a look at Dennis Brown's book tells us that Kent's 1968 catalog was the first to contain a mix of Kenmore and Japan-made Luan shells and both American and Japanese hardware. The handwriting was on the wall at that time, for the eventual failure of American-made Kent drums a few years later.
I ordered and picked up a Kent kit in the summer of 1967, and although I was clueless at that time about Kent's difficulties, I may have had one of the last of the all-Kenmore-made drum kits. (I was also clueless about bearing edges and other important features of quality drums.)
I returned to the factory a few times in 1968-1969, to buy two of the "stem and socket" cymbal mounts - one for a 3rd cymbal and one for a cowbell - both mounted on the bass drum, and to buy two replacement snare throw-offs. Because I was inept at tuning, I would choke the snares tight until the weak weld of the throw-off lever broke away from the strainer assembly...That, and I enjoyed looking at the centerfold pin-ups on the wall at the front counter!
Attached are two pics of that kit. Yeah, I'm a lefty. A bit embarrassed that I couldn't afford Ludwigs - at some time in the early 1970s - I attached a Ludwig resonant head and tore off the blue scalloped/flower pattern badges from all the drums. Do you think I fooled anyone that I was playing Ludwigs? :-)
Regards, mb
