I think ,1976 but it was continued for a while for non-kit percussion. There has been some discussion why Premier continued for a considerable time after the American companies quit using Mahogany. The answer is probably due to the cost. U.S. companies were using the much sought after American Mahoganies of the Swietania species'; Cuban ,Honduran and the like. These are the Mahoganies of lore and overuse had diminished the reserves considerably. African Mahogany of Khaya species' was a cheaper wood because until the American Mahogany reserves became depleted, it was not really considered to be a Mahogany-----it was African Mahogany; a distinct and less valuable wood----but alas, it too became overused and expensive and it fades from use. We now have those completely, botanically, unrelated Asian Mahoganies of the Shorea species masquerading as Mahogany because of a superficial resemblance and even they are becoming endangered.(save your vintage rec-room panelling!). Eventually there will be dyed tumbleweed dust presswood marketed as Engineered Mahogany by the ever greedy lumber barons.

Lol..

Thanks for your enlightened reply!

It is not only the insides, that were mahogany - it is all three layers of the veneer.

And of course they switched to Scandinavian Birch, not Beech.

The rings were Beech though, until they eventually became Birch veneer too, around 1990.

Regards

Jon

Yes,that's what I meant...Birch!

Keep getting them confused...

Might as well add to your question, when did they start using mahogany? They used birch in the 60s, don't know about earlier.

Seems like, at least in the US, mahogany ran something like 1970-1975.

Mine are '75 "Powerhouse", which were Beverley elsewhere. Yes, all 3 plies, and they sre the balls IMO.

[QUOTE=FloydZKing;192440]Might as well add to your question, when did they start using mahogany? They used birch in the 60s, don't know about earlier.

Seems like, at least in the US, mahogany ran something like 1970-1975.

Slingerland at least used Mahogany first as solid wood in the 20's but continued with Mahogany as a shell component into the 70's. Slingerland seems to have flirted with a lot of different shell designs and woods but often there was one ply of Mahogany.

I have a Beverley floor tom (16x15, blue badge) that I would swear has a ply of mahogany inside birch. I put a photo on my blog. My kick also seems to have a dark MIDDLE layer (not inner ply, but middle ply).

Did Premier ever make shells with birch-mahogany-birch plies?

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LLGVprvpwis/UNAilflyG6I/AAAAAAAAALw/ZxgQ-hVJMnQ/s1600/IMG_5886.JPG

http://maturedrummer.blogspot.hu/2012/11/blue-badge-beverley-1968-part-1.html

1970-75 is when they used Mahogany inners.....then,back to Finnish Birch....

Thanks, blairn. I knew about the full mahogany premier shells, but had not seen anything online about M layered with B.

My kit has an oval double tom holder, so 1970-1975 makes sense. My kit was sold to me as a 68, but i really think it must be early 70's. No biggie. I got it for a good price with a suberb cosmic 21. So I'm happy either way.

Thx again!