I say this-you can get some beautiful tone out of these era drums,providing you know how to tweak them.Especially the 9-ply gray painted roundover edge drums.But part of the fun-mystiqe is not paying "all the money".Why pay all the money for those,when you could easily buy a Luddy Rocker for the same money?For the cool pearl coverings?Whatever.....the red diamond pearl won't keep the bass from rolling over when the crappy spur lets go,the bass mounted cymbal arm tips,or the snares keep disengaging automaticly as you play.
teverson-sr, you've hit all the main selling points of the Japanese kits for me. I got the small sizes I was looking for--20-12-14--in a groovy wrap for skinny money. My kit's the six- and nine-ply gray interiors you mention and it sounds great. In fact, it sounds much better than the Pearl Maxwin kit I started on in the mid '80s and tons better than the Pulse kit I helped my brother-in-law set up for his kid a couple of Christmases ago. But if you told me I had to spend >$400 for it? Nah, for that kind of money there are lots of better choices--from Sonors and Premiers to vintage U.S. drums with some honest wear on 'em.
