Unless I'm missing something, that seems extremely high.

Tempro = Import (japan). Mint or not, I think $1000.00 is WAY too much. Fair price for that kit in the states would be around $250 - $350 IMHO. An unreasonable price here would be $600.00 which is still no where near the $1,000.00 (or $924.00 US) they are asking for that kit.

I'd pass, but that's just me.

Way too high, and I'm saying this as a fan of the stencil kits. I'm with Big Daddy, $250-350 US is about right. Personally, I'd go higher if it had a matching snare, but that's just me.

I really appreciate all the responses. My problem is two fold: 1. I love the idea of a pink kit, my dream kit being the hot pink sparkle that Yamaha offers, but which is too $$, and 2. The guy who owns the shop is a good friend.

and, no a good friend is not trying to rip me off. He probably waaay overpaid for that kit by US standards, but he did indicate that he has a couple hundred dollars of "wiggle room" in that price.

seriously , though - it isn't just the exchange rate that makes things more expensive in Canada. I am an American who has been here 4 years, and some things are just stupid expensive up here, for no discernible reason. Chicken, for example, is FIVE TIMES what I was paying in the US. Other things, like Pepsi, are just 10% more, which would account for the exchange rate.

Makes it hard to buy drums, that's for sure!!

There's a guy selling a nice pinkish red kit on this forum. You should check that one out. It would save you serious bucks.

My first kit was a Tempro Pro -blue sparkle. It was a terrible kit in retrospect....but I loved it because it was MY first kit ever! That being said, $1000.00 is about $800.00 too much! (not kidding!). The reason why the drums are that bad is that the materials they are built from are the cheapest of the cheap. Even with meticulous care, these drums will not make a roadworthy set -because something will rattle loose and fall off or just flat-out crack and break for no reason. The shells usually have no bearing edges (just a straight cut-off end) and are made from wood that splinters very easily (luan) and the dry out and crack parallel to the grain -which runs lengthwise on these shells. So, the first bump they get, they will crack like a graham cracker! You sound like you're just going for a look. For that, I can't blame you, but I can't advise you or place a value in that way. It's up to you. But, based on the quality of the drums, alone, they are not worth anywhere near $1000.00