Wow! Thanks for posting this, Ralf! So, who was making these shells??? This makes me wonder, again, about the similarities of the wood shells. I've said once or twice that the actual luan shells are basically indisinguishable from each other without the hardware and wraps to differentiate Star from Pearl. Was there only one factory making the shells? This seems plausible.

I cannot answer to tis mystery, but I can tell you, the Pearl version became available in the late 60s, around 68, actually. It was sold with many a "battleship" lugged Pearl and stencil kit. And it is an excellent drum, one of the finest COS snares ever made, in my humble, but educated opinion. The King Beat we all know is a top shelf drum, still drawing $300 and more today, while the Pearl gets 25-50, which I feel is a flat out bargain. I can't impress upon you how great the Pearl is, and you know first hand what a smoking good drum the Star is, so now we must try to solve the mystery.

I have noticed this similarity lately but for fear of being publicly flogged left it to the others to bring forth this idea. As for Blakes' assertion that the woodies look so similar as to be possibly from a central plant, I have to disagree. To my eyes and hands, the shells are different. The Star 3 ply seems to have superior re-rings, made of what appears to be a maple of some variety, while the Pearl shells seem to use the cheapest, softest wood they could, likely from planks of the same soft Asian wood they make the rest of the shell from. I handle as many of these as anyone else and it just seems to me the Pearl shell screams "super cheap". And since both plants had all the molds for all their own shells, it makes no sense to me to outsource the snare shell.

Thanks for your comments so far. I'm not an expert on wooden snare shells so I won't give any statement on those.

But the similarities on the two xxx-Beat shells are so striking, that - to me - it sounds impossible, that both Star and Pearl were producing these killer snare drums each one in their own facilities.

I personally don't think that we can solve this miracle any more. It should be considered, that most probably no responsible person of that time is any longer at work at Star/ Tama or Pearl, and even if it would be so: he/ she will not remember or will not like to be remembered to such a possible cooperation back in those days - as they are huge competitors now.

Ralf

I find it hard to believe that no-one alive and active on the internet would not have any knowledge of this - whether from experience as a Pearl or Star employee or as someone who worked in the industry in some type of capacity. This would date such a person to be as young as their 60s now. Surely we have members here that old. Remember that this includes not only Pearl and Star employees, but also retailers and market watchers from many different music career perspectives. Musicians from those days ought to know such things if they were gear-heads like we are today on this forum.

We (and those at DFO) arguably have (are) the most knowledgeable MIJ experts in the world and we do not know this?

My Majestic badged snare is Pearl through and through, and to our knowledge Majestic was always Star???? Shall we now begin to question that assertion or must we admit that there were cross breeding, I mean, outsourcing - at least at the retail level if it is so hard to imagine it happening at the wholeslae/manufacturing level. This very well may be explained by a hypothetical rep representing both Pearl or Star or even a US retailer deciding to use both Pearl and Star to 'create' their house brand stencil kit.

John

John, I believe that Tama or Pearl never ever will confirm that they (maybe) had a co-operation in the 60's / 70's ... And so their staff won't do that (but if, it would have hardest personal consequences for a whistle-blower ...).

Now, I imagine, that even this thread could be a thorn in Tama's and/or Pearl's flesh ... ;)

The Pearl/ Majestic and the Star/ Majestic had different badges. And the badge is the apparent and easiest first sign to lead to the exact manufacturer of a set (... well, if not applied afterwards).

By the way: both companies had further parallel stencils - of course with different badges: I noticed the names Mercury, Raven and Stewart.

Ralf

My main snare is the earlier version of the Pearl ,with Diamond (President)lugs and a tip-style throw.The strainer is the weak link,but the drum sounds excellent. Same exact shell.

Hey Ralf, I can to give a small splinter in this thread - about a half an year ago I've seen on our domestic auc the identical snare badged as "New Sound" (MIT stensil, I guess)... :D

George.

I remember that New Sound made lots of Tama copies back in the days. Maybe they also bought the elderly machinery to reproduce almost identical hardware parts (lugs/ strainers etc.) at some point?

And never I was able to fix their intention (own producer status? Producer for other drum Companies? Or just throwing copies of others onto the markets?), as all I've seen from them over the years, were copies always: first of Tama, lateron of Pearl, too.

Much to my astonishment, they are still existing and have their own website.

A pic of this New Sound snare drum would be great here ...

Ralf

No pics - when I've seen it I hadn't a camera and I not guessed to take pictures on phone... :(

George