Super Gonz:I went thru the exact same thing when I bought a set of 1957 Sonors. All drums were Pre-international sizes.Getting the PI heads is a VERY expensive proposition. There IS a workaround tho...Lets take the bass drum. 1) Get a pair of 22 inch hoops and a standard 22 inch head2) Put rubber washers under all the Bass Drum lugs.This should give you enough "Splay" to use the 22 inch head on the drum.The washers extend the lugs out so that the 22 inch hoops line up right.You may have to use 2 or 3 washers to get the size right but it can be done.You can do the same thing with the other drums, if the snare/tom is 12.5 inches, get a pair of 13 inch hoops cheaply on EBAY, insert the washers, and use a standard 13 inch head.believe it or not, this is what hundereds of drummers did in the 1970s, when all those Pre-International sets were available used for very low prices. Its an old trick, but it works most of the time. I cant say for sure it will work on your Premiers, but heck its worth a try before you spend $1000 on Pre-Int heads!!
Certainly wouldn't be that much.
The situation is slightly different with the Premiers because Remo keeps stock on the 9 7/8", 11 7/8", 16 1/2" and 19 5/8" sizes in Ambassador(clear,smooth and coated),Emperor(clear,smooth and coated),Controlled Sound,Fibreskyn FA and Clear Pinstripe. Not all types have all the sizes-----but the list prices are only $3 to $8 more than the list on the equivalent standard sizes-----the 11 7/8" Ambassador and Emperor heads for instance are in the 26.00 range but you will pay list price.There will not likely be any dealer cutrate prices on those special orders. Its only the 21 5/16" where it will likely have to be a custom order. That's why I thought using the code established for my Trixon heads would pare away some of the initial cost and get the price in line a bit. My heads are around 100.00 to 130.00 for that size because I had to pay for the custom prep but equivalent 22" heads are upwards of 70.00(list), anyway.The next run will be somewhat less expensive(I hope).