Nice Throne... :)

Hey Tom, I beleive Pearl actually opened plants in Taiwan because by the 80s the labor market in Japan was beginning to become much more tech heavy, relying less on cheap labor because Japan was beginning to see they could become the next big economy based mosty on technology and the expected boom of computers and other consumer technology. Tiawan was not in the same position as far as educatrion, and the Japanese exploited the fact they had become more technologically advanced. I do not think the parts were actually ripped, but Pearl said cut costs, and the hardware was redesigned to be a bit lighter. They still kept the higher end stuff at home I think, so they could keep tighter quality controls.

So the MIT's are all from the same factory?Because the early Blackhawks,like my dumpster set,are a thinner Taiwan shell with Zolacote paint,while the CB's,Powersonics,Continentals (another name I recalled)were either raw or gray painted 9 ply shells.All but Blackhawk have the Pearl-type tom mount.My point is these MIT's are related,but not identical.The early Blackhawks had the chubby Island Music Rogers lugs,Tama bootleg tom mounts and spurs and an Island Music supersensitive snare with a Blackhawk badge.Sort of random......but not if you have a factory building "whatever".

The big question for me is how a 1983 drumset, wether MIT or MIJ could get produced with that version of the Pearl 1969 tom holder?????

That tom holder is one of my favorite features of Pearl drums entire history- it was sold only from 1969-71. I was lucky to pick up a single and a double version of it. It floors me that the design would float around until the 1980s and appear on an MIT. The MITs I have seen from around the early 80s had gone to the standard Pearl style post mounts - and some of them were post mounts but a little thinner diameter tubes, but not like this favorite. Good job in scoring that.Yes Sir

This set isn't 1983-I saw the PEDAL in 1983.I'm thinking this set is maybe 1977,because it had bootleg silver dot heads on it,and thats around when those were popular.The bootleg silver dots were some kind of paper,because when played on the silver came off everywhere.But the CB's DID have that tom mount much later.The really cheesy versions had no plate inside the bass drum for extra stiffness,so the hex rods would strip and go crooked.And the CB bass drum pedals-OMG-would self-destruct while playing.My set has the interior plate,and is quite good,allowing the tom to resonate,and is long in horizontal and vertical adjustment.