Hi,

Provided that the information on this website is correct, teardrop kits were made as early as 1957. See

http://www.drummuseum.hu/gyujtemeny_a.php?a=c&f=2&mid=14&cid=66

I myself have an identical kit, except for the wrap (Kristall, in my case) and the snare drum (mine has a parallel action). I don't know if the Kenny Clarke kit is international size, but my kit is indeed so. It would thus seem that international size teardrop kits have been made since at least 1957.

Here are some pics of my kit:

[img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/Kit_behind.jpg[/img]

[img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/Kit_front.jpg[/img]

[img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/Kit_front_above.jpg[/img]

[img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/Kit_left.jpg[/img]

[img]http://web.comhem.se/inventions/downloads/Kit_side.jpg[/img]

Best,

Magnus

Thanks for that.-------I was using Sonor Museum catalogue scans as my info. source.The '57/'58 catalogue lists metric sizes. The New Beat catalogue(1959?) ,lists inch sizes. My kit is very similar to yours, same wrap as yours,same snaredrum, but clearly a little newer. It has the forward facing cymbal mount that is essentially a floor tom leg mount, to receive an L shaped cymbal arm , rather than a telescopic one , the badges are the double mallets and the bass drum has 8 lugs per head and 4 spurs.

It's all international , except the tenor tom. Does your tenor come out to 13" when you measure the shell? I didn't really know until, I actually measured the shell because it has a 13" head on it, then I noticed it looked a little oversized. I have 2 other Sonor teardrop 13" tenor toms, with the rectangular plate badges and they both measure 13''.

pretty nice looking Ks, you've got there, too. i'll bet that kit is a sheer joy to sit at.

Oh man, those sonors are freaking sweet!

Yes, all the drums in this kit are international size, regular heads are a perfect fit.

Thanks for your kind comments. Indeed, that kit is fun to play. It was structurally in very bad shape when I bought it (except the snare drum, which I was lucky enough to chance upon some time after I bought the kit!), so had to leave it to a well reputed drum builder here in Sweden (where I live) for extensive restoration work. (Ply separation, re-cutting of edges, re-gluing of rerings, repair of a shell/bearing edge crack.)

I use the kit in a big band, where it works extremely well, which I find slightly strange, given that the kit is so light. But that bass drum is probably the sweetest imaginable, and tuned low, the whole kit sounds fantastic.

However, only one of the cymbals you see is a K Custom (a 17" Dark Crash; I've since sold it). The ride in the pictures is an 18" app 1939-1940 A Zildjian, which is sweet. The hats are 14" Istanbul Mehmet Mediums, weighing in at about 1050 gr/1250 gr, very nice sounding.

/Magnus

Thanks. I was lucky to find them.

/Magnus

.... the mystery continues. I am dating my kit based on certain features that seem to have shown up on Sonor drums over time. Magnus' kit is clearly older, yet has inch sized shells. My kit has to be at least 1960 or newer, due to badge ,fittings( it also has the boat shaped tom brackets, whereas Magnus' kit has the little bug shaped ones).

This kit arrived sporting an original calfskin head with Sonor and Star printed on it. I've been around German drums long enough to know that when an older German drum has a calf head on it it usually means :eek:METRIC:eek:

Well, the bass drum isn't metric in the sense of older Trixons, which at 19 3/4"(500mm) seldom can be fitted with a 20" head but after averaging 8 measurements around the shell, on this Sonor, with not one being over 20", it is exactly 19 7/8" or 505 mm.The Sonor calf head, by the way will not go on a 20" drum. So, it appears that I have a metric Sonor kit made in the 60's

Time to check the snaredrum, which by the way is fitted with all plastic heads.

This snare is metric too. 13 13/16" or around 352 mm. The standard plastic heads work on this as well as the tenor tom because the Sonor counterhoops have an unusually wide skirt section----over 9/16" so the wider hoop of the head can fit inside the t-rods. It came with older, Tromsa made, Sonor branded heads, which are standard 14" sizes.

The shell on this drum is very unusual for a German drum of it's time. It is essentially, a 2 layer solid shell. Each layer is rolled along the grain and bevel lapped over about an inch and then sandwiched with the bevelled joints about 4 inches apart, along the circumference. There are no rerings. The shell is 6 mm thick( 7/32") with a very finely cut and polished, half round bearing edge.

The only other German shell I have seen(and own) resembling this, is a 1956 Trixon shell ,which is solid 6mm European Beech, bevel lapped over about a 4 inch section.

How about some pics. inside and out ?? You know the deal !!