I'm out of my element there, but I can tell you that if you do put an American part on there, as soon as you are no longer in possession of that drum, someone will strip that part off in 2 seconds flat and the drum will be no better off than it is now.

My two cents: really try to do the best you can with the original. It will probably be the best for the value, collectability and maybe even playability of the drum.

Maybe post a pic of the strainer (front and back) and we might be able to help you with it.

Any way you look at it, with the wood already damaged and the fact you have one already caved in, I highly suggest you do put the backer plate in anyway. I have this problem on other shells and since I have a few that are all caved in anyway, this is one of the best ways to do it. The strainer that came on the drum is a POS, and since you are going to replace it, I can send you a piece of wrap and instructions to cover the old holes.

Yes, you should reverse the strainer and butt, in my humble, but arrogant, opinion. (just kidding). It will, ultimately, be a stronger rebuild. I am all for preservation, but when you have damage, screw all that. We need to get the drum back in playable condition, capische? You can actually get a better sound once this is done. You want me to do it? Send it on, I'll do free, all you have to pay is to get it here and back, or we can do it on the phone.

Hi Jon. thank you for your interest in helping. youre a good man!

Actually, I think you may have mis-read some of my posts, there is no damage to the shell at all, in fact its in pretty excellent condition, inside and out. I was just saying that if I start drilling extra holes in it, there will probably be damage since the thing is so darn thin. Jon, have you any idea if a Slingerland "Zoomatic" strainer would fit without drilling any holes? it sure looks like Pearl made their cheap strainer to look like a Zoomatic. if it did, boy that would solve the problem right there.

heres the strainer I've got:

heres a zoomatic...look how much it resembles the Pearl in the pics above,,,,

Check this out...the inside of the zoomatic vs the inside of the Pearl POS.....

Looks "almost" the same but not quite. On the Zoomie, the screws look to be closer together than on the Pearl. That would mean drilling at least one new hole in the middle of the original 2 holes...no good.

Sorry, I guess I did mis-read this post. I thought, or assumed, you had said the shell was already compromised. Anyway, the backer is a good idea. Many of my thinnies already have it and I think it is a great idea to do this to all of them, since I have one that is already broken, I use it for repairs.

Years ago[1989] when Mr.Cooper sold out Cooper's drum now called west coast drums.Mr.Cooper sold me all the 60s-70s M.I.J. parts/shell's becasue the new owner did not want the parts/shells....Mikey

Well, I cleaned up the old strainer. But boy....jon is right, what a POS it is. No tension, no action, nothing...just an up and down lever.

This reminds me of my very first snare drum back in '73 , a Blue Sparkle Zim Gar (which yes, I still have and will restore in 2013, my 40th anniversary). On that drum, the snare throwoff lever used to swing back and forth with the vibration of my playing!!!! I had to put a rubber band around it and loop it under the T-rod!! Boy, those were the days.....:)

I'm thinking now that I want to find a decent quality strainer that matches the original 2 little holes, and just go with that, whatever it looks like. None of the new strainers use the large hole for the tension knurl knob anymore so that I'll have to fill, no big deal. The Zoomatic doesnt match, I found out.

Back to the web!!

I agree with Jonni on this- I would opt for a simple, reliable and effective new one. If you are worried about extra holes and tension then you can insert some decent looking screws with wide,large diameter washers on the inside giving the drum shell increased stability. These drums won`t be museum pieces but it will remain highly effective for a player this way.

I replaced a Kent original strainer that just did not work at all with a modern one and the drum came back to life.Walking

Hi guys.

Let me thank you all for your input and advice. After a long search, I have found the strainer that I think is the best match for my Valencia snare. Its a cheapo from Gibraltar, but the mounting holes match EXACTLY

, no hole will need to be drilled in my shell, and it will cover the large hole for the knurled knob.

Also...what I now know is that this particular strainer, the SC-PTO is a very close replica of the strainer that Pearl used in the 50s and very early 60s.

This may not be the greatest strainer, but I am sure it will beat the original hands down. If it just gives me a firm "on" and "off" motion, I'll be happy.

So now its onto the next issue with my Valencia restoration!!

Thanks to all!