Hello everyone! I am new here, and after viewing some of your great vintage drums I decided to post my own kit. The shells are 6-ply beech in 12x8 14x14 and 18x16 sizes. The 18x16 is a converted 9-lug floor tom with vintage Leedy clip-on hoop spurs. The three drums are not in original condition. The previous owner had them professionally recovered in silver glass glitter wrap (all extra holes filled), replaced the original die-cast rims, replaced the slotted tension rods with square ones, scrapped the badges, and worst of all drilled the bass drum for a tom mount (which I removed since I figured a 6-ply floor tom shell would warp over time having a heavy tom with die-cast rims mounted on it). I would very much like to restore this kit with era-correct or similar die-cast rims, tension rods, bass drum hoops, bass drum claws and t-rods, however, I have been unable to find these parts so the drumset will most likely stay the way it is. Even though I assume the kit does not have much collectors value, it sounds very warm and full, and despite the gaping hole he chose to inflict upon the bass drum (any suggestions on how to cover it inconspicuously?), the previous owner had these drums refinished very well. Enjoy the photos! Feedback is very much appreciated.
New Here, 1967 Teardrop Sonor Kit
Let me be the first to say... Uber-Sweet Kit!!!!
I know nothing about vintage Sonor stuff, but even with the mods/changes, that's a keeper.
I can't think of a way to hide that HUGE hole in the kick other than (A) Put the tom mount back on and don't use it or (B) Have a custom engraved plaque made to fit over it with your name or something cool on it.
I think your better off leaving it as is then try and find all of those parts. In then end you should be able to pick up a complete kit under $800 - $1200. They are starting to pick up value in he US.
The parts will not only be hard to find, they will be expensive. Or, start looking for single drums on Ebay and piece together another set...
I like the wrap and the kit still has a vintage feel to it..
David
Kit looks awesome....gotta love the teardrops!
what did the previous owner do with the original hoops and t-rods? He probably still has them somewhere...
why did he move the lugs on the tom-tom? They're supposed to be offset not lined up... that's major butchery... what a mess!DOH
I think you should try your questions at:
http://www.sonormuseum.com/forum/
there you'll find the sonor experts! Good Luck
that's what a teardrop tom is supposed to look like...
[IMG]http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f249/jcymbal/kits/sonorbop05.jpg[/IMG]
see the offset lugs?
I'm guessing the tom is a later Swinger model converted to teardrop lugs. This was common as the Swingers had plastic lug casings which often broke.
...and I'm beginning to think that the original owner got some new beech shells and put the old lugs on them... at least for the two toms... no original rods or hoops... those 14" and 12" toms were pretty rare birds...
Jcymbal, I believe the tom in the photo you posted is a 13x8 tom, with more widely offset lugs than a 12x8 tom of the same era (which, from what I have learnt, was special order only). The original drill holes for the 12" tom on my set are indeed properly offset for a 12" teardrop era tom, but when the previous owner had them restored it seems he decided to have new holes drilled in order for the lugs to line up (major butchery and a mess indeed!) so that the lug spacing on the 12" tom would match the lug spacing on the other two drums. At least he had all the extra holes properly filled... This is NOT a Swinger shell with aftermarket teardrop lugs, nor are these drums new beech shells with vintage sonor hardware. The shell construction is the same as other teardrop era drums, and the holes that have been filled all correspond with the holes that once would have existed for the original badges, vents, and mounts of a 1960's era Sonor.
All that said, this is no doubt not a collectors kit, but rather a great sounding restored players kit in rare sizes. Pointless to compare my kit to the picture of the kit jcymbal posted as that kit looks factory original and wins hands down.
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