Good question - so many of these MIJ metal snares out there - got a pic?

If it is the very common 5 line one - it is intriguing. Ya see, remember the 10 lug chrome CB-700 snare with the wristwatch lugs? Thread on DFO about one of these - testimonial about how great that snare sounds. If that is the case, it opens a whole bunch of Asian (I'll use that word instead of MIJ) snares with this shell. I have been tempted to snag a random snare with this shell just to see myself. I actually flipped a later 80s (or even 90s) CB snare with the same shell, though different lugs. I cleaned it up to look great and it sounded decent, but I do not recall THAT accurately how good it sounded. I did not upgrade it at all with any new heads, so it is hard to really tell.

Like I said - my guess is that there was more than one metal shell used to make the Maxwin snare.

THEN AGAIN - if you are talking about the whole Maxwin kit.......yeah, flipped one of those as well. I believe these would be the typical Pearl made thick 9ply Luan shell. Yeah, they sound good - but it has to do more with shell true-ness, good edges, new heads, and a good tuning (tuning to the shell). What I have described it more/less true for any drumkit out there actually.

I was working for Pearl when Maxwin popped into the catalog... Lightweight everything un roadworthy IMO, & very disappointing at the time... but they were cheap & easy to sell... Schools down here bought them in bucket loads..

However, Mike D Drums sums it up very accurately at this link...

http://mikedolbear.com/story.asp?StoryID=2659

Cheers

John

I don't know about Maxwin snares. Do know the now 9 yr. old nephew plays this kit every day and has not broken a thing. It is no Radio King but not a bad starter set. Have him stocked with replacement bits if required.

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=51710

Creighton

Thx for all the info on these. Im getting a kit that comes with some cymbals I bought, and I think they are the bigger rock kit..either way the finish is blue, but it is a foil finish like the old Prems or Trixons. Anyone seen any of those around?

I remember the Maxwin line! Here's a link to 3 catalogs in ZIP format. Download them and check them out. Many of the drums and hardware looked pretty good! Others, a bit questionable! http://www.drumarchive.com/Maxwin/

Basically, most of the line looked like early 70's Pearl, but offered in the very late 70's and early 80's to save the customer some money.

-Mark

Hey Mark,

Thanks for those. Wayne, bet the wrap on the kit you are looking at is the same as the nephews kit. No. 57 Blue Flash.

Creighton

Just to add... The Later kits with the heavier hardware were a big improvement on the first produced 70's kits...

Cheers

John

I used to have a black Rogers 360 kit and I bought a pair of Maxwin concert toms that matched (same lugs and wrap) to go with it. Cheap as chips but they were great! Flowed right in with the rest of the kit. Those 360's were great too despite the hammering they got. Purist look down on those drums but they served me well in my young up and coming days.

I use my old Maxwins quite often, well the toms anyway - I've mentioned this before on the forum that I had a kit in blue naugahyde and it sounded pretty ordinary, but once I took that off and did a stain & varnish on the shells, wow, what a difference! Shells are good, edges are good, and like Drummerjohn333 says, with good heads and good tuning they can be fairly comparable to any other drums, IMO.

However that 70s hardware is rubbish. The single-bolt tom mount arms were pretty useless compared to the Pearl Export types that came later. Obviously trying to copy Rogers with the hex rods thing, they never lasted with that single bolt and the toms would drop sooner or later, usually mid-song...