Hello fellow Kent drummer!! Sounds like a cool kit. There is currently a blue sparkle Kent snare and tom on eBay. Just do a search for "kent drum" and you'll find it. Blue sparkle is pretty common, so you should be able to complete the kit pretty quickly.

Are you sure they are japanese shells? Which way is the grain running? up and down, or around?

Post some pics ASAP!!

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Sounds nice. I think the shell work is something you gotta do on old Kents....I bet it improved the sound tremendously.

Are you certain they are the imports, not the domestics ?

Also, you do probably wanna bide your time and find the matching blue rack tom. One thing I can tell you for sure about Kents (if they were American made ones): you don't wanna try to remove their wraps. Toughest wraps to remove I have ever worked on. I dunno what they used for glue, but...[/COLOR]

What badges are on 'em ?

Thanks folks for all the interest and info. These shells are two plys of solid maple but with different hardware, probably japanese? The grain is horizontal. The labels are dark blue and gold. I also have an older red sparkle, six lug 14 snare that is 3 plys of solid maple, each one with a scarph joint. How'd they build these, steam bent into a female mold? I also have a 13 tom shell thats out of round at the scarph joint and somewhat thinner at that joint too, so the quality seems to be inconsistent. I love these drums because seem so hand made compared to other vintage drums. I'll get my son to help me load some pictures when he gets home. Tough being old and retarded.

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Yes, indeed. They sound like domestic-made kents which someone maybe replaced the lugs on ? The shells and badge are definitely Kenmore-sounding to me....[/COLOR]

For better or worse, they are definitely hand made.

Here's some pics of the Kents

[IMG]http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/anxiousman/IMG_0318.jpg?t=1238638117[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/anxiousman/IMG_0319.jpg?t=1238638171[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/anxiousman/IMG_0320.jpg?t=1238638213[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/ww99/anxiousman/IMG_0322.jpg[/IMG]

Nice - Looks like someone definitely changed the lugs on the kit, which is interesting because the Kent lugs are probably one of the best features of any Kent kit - LOL!! The US made lugs are very heavy duty and seem to withstand the test of time quite well.

The kick looks like maple (clear head) but I can't really see the grain on the floor tom.

Also, the cymbal arm on the kick might be a replacement as well as I've not seen that type on a Kent before. Ditto on the floor tom leg brackets.

Bro, is that you??

It's me, Mike, the WFL 13 w/ re-rings guy! I know that kit well, that 20 inch kick sounds almost like a 24!!! It's probably a damn site better now that you've cleaned up the bearing edges!!

I think I know where you can get a mounted tom, not sure of the size though. I'll let you know.

I also might have a line on a matching snare, IF it's still there.