Nice drums Ploughman! I am a Ludwig guy, and plan to delve into Rogers for my collection (probably a 60s kit.) I have always had a thing for the 79 big R Rogers...just never owned a kit. I remember seeing an Tobacco Sunburst "Ultra Power 8" set up in my local music store when I was 8 or so in 1980 and still to this day want one (even though I do not play that large of a kit!) I love those maple 8x14 Dynasonics too!! That is on my list!

Errm.. what was the question again..?

The original poster must have ran away in terror after reading all this.

Crap is crap and you shouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

I've played a maple Big R set since the year ?76 and I love every piece of it, the set someone's trying to rip off the poor guy with has nothing to do with them, except the kind-of-similar badge. Don't they sell brand new "Leedy" sets as well for a buck and a half...?

Someone on this thread said he's "played vintage gear before they were considered vintage"... I say the only gear I could AFFORD back in '74 were vintage, and I couldn't wait to dump the old tubs and get me some shiny new ones instead.

If I'd only known what this leads into :)

Simo

I couldnt even afford gear in 74.

I learned on a borrowed kit, albeit a very nice borrowed kit. So I had two years use of a 67 Rogers 4 piecer in blue glass glitter that belonged to my drum teacher. Then one day they were gone. It was another two years before I could afford to buy my own kit.

They were Rogers. Playing junk sucks.

I'm new to vintage drums and can only dream to read about the experiences most here have lived...being born in '68 and only playing since my early 30's I have a great deal to learn. That being said and being I just purchased my first true set of "Vintage" American drums - the '79 Slingerlands - I have to agree with the above quote...I also am using RIMS w/Pearl hardware as much as I can get it to apply. For collector value and integrity I can see keeping the original stuff but for everyday use and Rock music at that I find that having the wonderful sound and integrity of the vintage drums with the solid/flexible more modern hardware is what works for me....my rack tom w/ RIMS and Pearl mounting hardware can take a beating and not flinch...the 15" suspended tom with the original Slingerland hardware quite often waves like a leaf in the wind. I certainly would not change the mounts or ruin the integrity of the vintage drums in any way and be able to live with it though...

Just my opinion...

Drumgus:If you have $1800.00 to drop on a vintage Rogers kit,take some time and watch ebay or look regionally.The kit you show is not what you want.I agree with the others,they are not worth $ 250.00 IMO there are some great kits out there,like I said just take your time and you will be rewarded by a sound and quality beyond most drums from the last 45 years.Just thought I`d chime in.

Gary,in Omaha

Theres been a few really nice kits on ebay lately. And ....... Search ROGERS on the SF Bay Area Craigslist under musical instruments. Theres a BDP Rogers in 20-12-14 with a COB Powertone thats really, really, HOT!!, that is, if you like those sizes. (its not mine.)

Look,,,,,,, I found my friend Plough.

Just came as a hunt for info. It may have been mentioned in this thread but at 2 am I am not reading all 75 pages.

I am curious about the swivo hardware differences through the eras from Cleveland to Dayton to Fullerton since I recently got some various era Rogers drums from each. The first ones I got were a Tophat setup minus bass and the toms are from the Cleve era with 2-12's and a 16 floor. The 12's have the Script logos in the orientation where if toms are set up right and left they are correctly facing front. The 16 has an extra mount I presume for cymbal arm. It appears without cleaning up the Hardware that it might be made with different metal (nickel vs chrome maybe?) and (machined vs cast) As Plough knows, I also got a B and B lug kickdrum Cleveland era, and we know the shortcomings of those lugs.

BIGGEST question as stated above is On the Holiday and Powertone 12 and 13 tom I have from the Fullerton era, the metal seems way shinier than the Cleveland and Dayton era Holidays I have. Why is that? The Collets and plates and even hoops all are quite shinier on the Fullertons than the older ones for sure.

My next question would be If I get another kickdrum with Beavertail lugs and a Proper collet mount for the tom holder. What is the correct setup to make the kit as it would have come Originally? I saw a Top Hat setup on Bobby Chiasson's drumfarm site and it seemed different than other double swivo holders I have seen on ebay and stuff.

Last question is on value which is hit or miss based on originality, condition etc. Are the Fullerton era kits much different in value than Dayton or Cleveland? I already know lots of value is found in wood dyna snares but still feeling out prices on the diff era kits.

Guess that is it for now. Thanks

Here, here. Great post. Agree whole heartedly with comments re: racks and suspensions systems. These items cannot be considered vintage and take away dramatically from the stance and presence of a vintage kit.

It's like dropping an LT3 into a '69 Camaro and adding 22" spinner rims. You got "something" but nobody would claim it's vintage and nobody really wants to look at it for too long. Give me the original with numbers-matching big block and watch me drool.

More swiv-o-matic vs. the world white noise:

If you have an old Rogers kit you might as well use the swivo hardware. It looks super cool and it makes the tom tom sound great! I used a rims mount for a while but I am back to using the swivo stuff again. The sound seemed to have less of a crack or something.

If you abuse it, it breaks! If you put some care into it, it probably will last forever. I can only imagine how many people have owned my swivo set before me but it has made it through 30+ years. I can't say that about some of my new hardware.

Isaac

evolution my friends,

I wouldnt take 40 year old hardware on a 5 shows a week tour, because a: its 40 years old, the chances of it finally giving in are much higher, and b: if it did break how would one get a replacement in a day?

the point is, bills point was missed. the vintage hardware was great, the best highest quality stuff available at the time, but compared to what is out there today? unfortunately they are just different things.

to use the car analogy, comparing a 60's corvette and honda civic? apples and oranges, lets compare a 60's corvette and a 09 corvette, hmmm, well now, thats a different story isnt it?

each to their own, but I must say I agree with bill, "good" is a relative thing, speedkings and swiv o matics are great but compared to 9000's and Pro V1's? I know what i would rely on if it was my performance on the line.