I purchased an older set of Tama imperialstar drums from a friend of my fathers who was in need of money. I'm not a drummer, but for the price I got, I figured I'd learn or sell and make a little money. Problem is I have no info on these drums after scouring the internet. I'm trying to get an idea of what I have, as far as a production year, possible value range, and any other info I can get. The price tag is still on the drums and it looks like it's from the 70's or 80's. He paid $1,524.00 for the set, not including the cymbals. It says that they are imperialstar x-tras, which based on what I've gathered means they have a little deeper tom. Also, are these cymbals any good any more? The prices are on those as well, and they were pretty expensive cymbals at the time, but who knows if they're still considered good ones. They are Paiste 505 cymbals. The drums also have the little red mics on the heads, which have a connection jack on the other end. He said they were used in a studio. Should I take those off if I try to sell, or does it matter? The drums were made in Japan. Any info anybody has, or can speculate on would be greatly appreciated. All I know about them is in this post. Thanks for your help.
**HELP**Vintage 6pc Tama Drum Set **HELP** Last viewed: 10 seconds ago
Your drums are a good example of a typical 80's "workingman's"drum set. Not what would be considered vintage or particularly collectable,but rugged and well constructed compared to what you'd get for the same money today.Missing hardware and rims deduct from the value.The cymbals are mid line Paiste's,again showing the "workingman"level-good but not the best.Deep "hair band" toms aren't in vogue these days,either.Those drums are an excellent first set,far superior to entry-level Chinese offerings.Play those bad boys.....I'm thinking "Hit me with your best shot" or "Hurts so good"on the Ipod.
The Imperialstar are mahogany shells with their "zolacoat" sprayed onto them. The power toms used to be "in" but now they are "out". Removal of the bottom heads and lugs makes them power concert toms, (even more out). The Paiste 505 cymbals are entry level and it appears they have cracked and had holes drilled in them so not a good value.
yeh, I was a little confused by the holes in the cymbals as well. I really paid next to nothing for these, I'll probably just keep and play, but wanted to make sure I wasn't sitting on a real valuable set.
Also, is it real bad for them to be in the garage?
Regarding keeping them in the garage. They'll be fine, we roaded my Imperialstars behind the bus in a Uhaul for four years in all climates. No worries there. The reason Tama got big was their toughness and superb hardware.
Looking that set over, I'd remove the big power tom and use it for the lugs to make the smaller one complete, find some more lugs and rods cheap and build that into a bonzo kinda set. The hardware will clean up real nicely with some elbow grease. The Tama coverings shine up well. The snare looks like a 6/12 x 14 Tama. The throne is pretty cool, they made good superior hardware.
Welcome! Could you post some more pix of the snare? I would like to see if it is an Imperial Star or a King Beat. I agree with JWR, take the larger tom off and use the lugs to complete the smaller one. The bottom hoops for the floor toms and mounted tom can be found all over the net, but this is one of the best, least expensive and top notch websites on the interwebs...
http://www.drumfactorydirect.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6_7_8
You likely will need at least one of each of the following sizes: 12 or 13, 16 and 18, if you choose to keep all the drums up to play, you will need the 14 as well. . They also sell top quality drum heads, so when you call to place your order, check into getting them as well, that way you are not paying for more than one shipping fee. Matt is a customer service #1 dealer....he wants all of his customers to be 100% satisfied.
You can also post in the "Wanted" section for lugs for the rest of the kit. Mikey777 is likely going to be the one to get the lugs from.
"I enjoy restoring 60s Japanese "stencil" drums...I can actually afford them..."I rescue the worst of the old valueless drums for disadvantaged Children and gladly accept donations of parts, pieces and orphans, No cockroaches, please...
http://www.youtube.com/user/karstenboy
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coffee...16613138379603
What's up with the holes drilled in the cymbals. Paiste 5o5's are nice cymbals, too bad they've got those holes. Find out if the holes are stopping cracks or if somebody got bored.
That snare you have is awesome. As good if not better than a Supra in my book.
Is that a 24" bass?If so,it's probably 13,14,16,18,24.Now,if those were MINE (if I were king of the foreaaaaaaast)I'd be cutting down those mounted toms to standard 9X13/10X14 dimensions with a nice new bottom bearing edge and saving up for the missing lugs and rims etc.I really had no idea how good late 70's/early 80's Tama's were till I got my Superstars.Rumbly-bumbly.
By the way the crash above the 18" is a 505...
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