Hello, I've been looking for a good sounding vintage kit for awhile but haven't found the right one yet. I'm also a college student so my budget is pretty low however I feel that if you just keep looking, the right kit will always pop up. I'm not necessarily looking for a collector's kit, just a drum set that will give me that warm vintage tone that only 60's and 70's drums can give you. I mostly need it to record and practice with. Anyways, I came across a 60's Kent kit, but don't know anything about the company. Does anybody have any information about Kent drums that could tell me if they're worth buying for a lower price? Also does anybody have any other 60's and 70's drum brand names that you could find drums at a cheaper price? The Ludwig, Slingerland, Rogers, and Gretsch kits are just too expensive. Thanks and just let me know.
Kent Drum
There's a fair amount of chit-chat here about Kent drums. Have a search of the forums and you should find it easily.
I started collecting Kent drums about 2 years ago. Not to have them sit in a closet, but to actively use them for recording and gigging. I don't have a complete kit yet (I'm still looking as well), but I now have 4 snares. What I've learned from actually owning/playing these drums and with the help of this wonderful forum is that the quality of the drums is not as consistent as the bigger manufacturers. You'll want to look over the kit very closely and make sure that the bearing edges are in good shape, seams are tight and hopefully the lugs are centered. If you're getting a snare with the kit, be prepared to replace the throwoff with a better one. They break easily and in some cases, disengage under heavy playing.
Finally, you'll want to be sure that you're getting a maple shell kit, not one of the later import kits (unless you prefer the sound of these). The shells should be thin and have no reinforcement rings (like Ludwigs). It's not unusual to see glue smeared messily on the inside of the shell. So long as the seam is good, don't worry about the glue.
Happy hunting!!
From what I have gathered, the kent drums made in kenmore ,NY, are 2 ply maple shells with no re-rings. The company was started by 2 guys who left Gretsch. If the set you are looking at has an 8 lug snare with the 2 ply shells, I'd go for it. The snare I own sounds great and, it's only a 6 lugger!
[QUOTE] The shells should be thin and have no reinforcement rings (like Ludwigs). [QUOTE]
I'm confused with this statement... Ludwigs had reinforcement rings from early on until the late 70s when they went to a more modern multi-ply all maple shell like most of today's manufacturers.
[QUOTE] The shells should be thin and have no reinforcement rings (like Ludwigs). [QUOTE] I'm confused with this statement... Ludwigs had reinforcement rings from early on until the late 70s when they went to a more modern multi-ply all maple shell like most of today's manufacturers.
Oops... Yeah, I guess that can be confusing. What it should say is, "The shells should be thin and have no reinforcement rings."
To further clarify...
The old Ludwigs had reinforcement rings (top and bottom inside the shell). The old MAPLE Kent drums did not. The latter IMPORT/LUAN shell Kents *may* have reinforcement rings.
Easy way to tell if it's maple or not is the color of the wood and the grain pattern. Maple is light colored and tight grained, luan or "mahogany" is darker and coarse grained.
Hope this helps.
Bobby Cee - That's the rumor I've heard as well. I do know from experience though, that the QC at Kent was nowhere near as good as Gretsch, so you have to be careful when purchasing a Kent sight unseen. They can be pretty rough.
I just picked up another 6 lug red sparkle Kent (Blue Flower badge). The wrap looks great, but the inside of the shell is a different story. Without going into the gory details, I will say this... there's a good chance that this drum will end up being the first Kent piccolo snare the world has ever seen :)
Major surgery to follow.
You getwhat you pay for,be smart about this.If you pick up a "cheap" set,you will some day want to sell this set.Some drums dont sell well or at least for what they are worth.Premier comes to mind.Very good drums at a decent price.Check them out.
Kent Drums were 1960's American made drums.
The good:
Nice 2 ply maple shells
Good solid lugs
Great tone!
Snare has a very piccolo effect, very tight and pretty bright.
The bad:
For some the Kent tom arm lacks under heavy hitting
Kent Strainer was poorly designed
Floor toms are VERY hard to come by. (Only seen 5 so far)
Bearing Edges were pretty bad, but with good heads and good
tuning that isn't a problem (for me at least)
Other than that they are very good drums. Best bang for your buck,
'specially if you're on a budget.
Now contrary to popular belief, most Kent shells weren't japanese.
The Kent drums that had Japanese shells have either a sticker
and in red it says Kent or a blue RECTANGULAR badge (I have seen Kent drums with this badge which were actually american shells.)
Early kents have double ended lugs with rail mounts. Than came
the kent tom arm. Than the Single ended lugs came. The Kent single
ended lugs ARE actually sturdy. Never had one break.
[QUOTE] I just picked up another 6 lug red sparkle Kent (Blue Flower badge). The wrap looks great, but the inside of the shell is a different story. Without going into the gory details, I will say this... there's a good chance that this drum will end up being the first Kent piccolo snare the world has ever seen :)Major surgery to follow.
Actually it won't be the first piccolo. Sorry! But I have seen 4x14 Kent
snares, 3 1/2 x 14 kents and a popcorn 5x13 snare kent. All were
original. Sounds like a good restoration project!
Actually it won't be the first piccolo. Sorry! But I have seen 4x14 Kentsnares, 3 1/2 x 14 kents and a popcorn 5x13 snare kent. All wereoriginal. Sounds like a good restoration project!
Ah dang!! I thought I'd have something unique. I'm thinking it will end up as a 4 X 14, possibly with a laquered or painted interior and rounded bearing edges. That should make it one of a kind!
Worst case, I'll learn something about drum building :)
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