I'll throw a guess into the pool, saying that private label may be a small custom/boutique company and stencil is an import/copy of an established brand.

Christophonic - Thanks for you input! The reason I asked the question was that I hadn’t heard of a “Private Label” and my understanding of what a stencil was, is: when drum company1 makes the drums for company2 (maybe even just putting company2’s name on the exact same set that company1 is already selling under it’s own name). Many years ago (currently too, and often from Asia and other countries.) stores and others could have their names/logo put on many items they didn’t produce. Years ago, often there was a kind of “hand shake” promotional “we love having you as a client” type of “perc” kind of musical instrument business relationship between stores and distributors too, and companies would produce special items with the stores name on it. This seems to be the “stencil” most of us have come to know.

The “boutique” company seems to be different in that it produces it’s own product under it’s own name. They are a very small and limited production company.

“Private Label” doesn’t seem to be used very much and the word “private” seems to indicate a more personalized approach.

With how few explanations this question has garnered it appears there is no difference.

I would think "Private Label" would be a stencil with one off hardware, like different lugs. The old stencils did this in order to differentiatae themselves, using the same identical shells, but different hardware configurations. Ala Apollo and Majestic. Same general geographic distribution, but different hardware.

I believe that Private Label generally refers to a brand name manufacturer modifying a badge or label to include a drum store or distributor's name or to indicate a special model not normally produced.

Here's a link to a couple of Slingerland Private Labels in the Drum Guide.

Link..................

Nice thing, that Drum Guide......:)

So I reached outside of our drum enthusiast networks and discovered that “Private Label”, is actually the manufacturing industry’s established official term for what we call “stencils”. Wikipedia has the details on this term and they describe it like we use the term “stencil” here on the forum, go see for yourself. There is actually a Private Label Manufacturer's Association (PLMA). This is big business.

jonnistix & kevins - Thanks you guys! I thought this was dead in the water! I hadn’t seen those badges, thanks for that!

But for the drum world, I believe that stencil and private label refer to two different things.

Just my thinking on this, and my thinking has taken me to some odd places...DOH

kevins - Thanks, your always cool about trying to get to the bottom of things! Back to my original question then! Please make the distinction.

There seems to be a concern about a stigma the word “stencil” carries here. So let me offer this, originally Jass (Jazz) carried a stigma and now it has a prestige!

Mind Blowi

Stencils weren't really marketed through different companies, is my understanding. Lots of different badges, but sixty different companies weren't set up to market the sixty or so stencil "brands".

In several cases, hardware was copied, or "stenciled" from hardware on established American made drums. There's the stigma factor, I believe.

The actual company that made the drums doesn't appear on the badge.

Most just say made in Japan, along with the "stencil brand" name.

With a Private Label, like the two Slingerland ones in the Drum Guide, the manufacturer, Slingerland , is on the badge, and a model or store name appears on the label as well.

Those drums were available for original purchase at that drum store only.

Like the Lipskin Special Model, made for that drum store, or the Dorn @ Kirschner drum store name appearing on their Private Label.

Now I think the PLMA Associations' definitions of what is a private label product would apply to stencil drums if the stencil era was currently going on, or perhaps even if the PLMA had been around when it was going on, but they didn't arrive until 1982 or so....

But the drum community has already established what a stencil drum is to us.

A blanket term referring to the wave of imported drums in the later sixties and seventies made from lower quality materials (not total crap, but definitely lower quality) than their sometimes copied (stenciled) American made counterparts.