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Yamaha late '60s D-20 lugs

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I started this post in another thread, so sorry about repetition to those who have read the other thread.

I bought a late '60s Yamaha D-20 kit recently and am trying to go about restoring it. It's in pretty bad condition; been a bit beaten up over its life, but it's worth I shot to restore I reckon.

The main problem I'm having, is that I took the shell hardware off the 12" rack tom to clean it, only to find that the machine screws holding the lugs on are a very non-standard 0.75 pitch thread (standard M4 screws come in 0.7 and 0.5 pitch). No one that I've talked to here in NZ can supply such screws, and a brief look on the internet hasn't given me much hope of finding any. The only option I seem to have is to re-tap the lugs to a standard M4 thread, though that might get messy.

The annoying thing is that some of the machine screws broke off when I removed the lugs from the shell. Perhaps I was too hasty taking them off; should've thought before I did it, etc. For this reason, I haven't started doing the same on the 14" floor tom, which is in worse condition.

I'd be keen on some replacement lugs if I could find some. Otherwise, any suggestions on how to solve this little problem would be much appreciated!!

Here's some basic info (sorry if it's overkill!):

- Shell sizes: 20x14" bass, 12x8" rack tom, 14x14" floor tom. No original snare. Khaki-green pearl lacquered finish.

- Bass drum:

[INDENT]- Original lugs on batter side, ugly Tama ones on the reso (again, probably from having reso heads removed in the 70s). Would be keen to replace these with original ones if possible.

- Original hoop on batter side, generic steel one on reso side

- I think all the tensioner rods and claws are replacements, but they're all the same (mostly) so I'm not really worried about that[/INDENT]

- The shell hardware on the toms is original, but heavily corroded on the inside (pictured).

- The kit came with a rare 1950s(??) era President/Dallas snare in very good condition (can put up a photo for those who may be interested).

- A vintage drum guru here in Auckland, NZ has re-done the bearing edges on the toms. They had been damaged from having their reso heads removed (probably during the '70s when that was all the rage).

Cheers again.

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Posted on 11 years ago
#1
Posts: 1725 Threads: 135
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Looks like a good project. I have the other sort of Yamaha BD lugs from that period which is a shame. They would look better than what's there if you can't find original ones.

I'm not sure what to do on the lug threads except trying to drill out the broken screws and re-tap the lugs but it may not be that easy. I'm sure someone here will have some ideas. I have a bunch of C series lugs that should have the same thread. I'll talk to my engineering buddy and see if he has any ideas. He's helped me out with some British threads in the past.

Apologies if I'm telling you how to suck eggs but I've done heaps of these old kits, so:

With the 14" you may need to get some WD-40 in there before you try to remove them. Then soak the screws in a rust killer or white vinegar. Soak the lugs in a high concentrate soapy water and then hit them with a toothbrush, especially the insides. Then polish them with Autosol and they'll look good. With the wrap, get some Novus plastic polish No.2 off Trademe then just polish the wrap and finish with an auto wax. It'll transform it.

I have a similar kit in the same wrap (black willow) but 20/12/12/16 and it too was rough. I put a new pair of wood hoops on my BD with a set of generic Ts and claws. Mine will have a different tom mounting set up but I imagine your's would've had a consolette rail on the BD and a diamond mount on the tom. Getting something close shouldn't be too hard. I may have something that'll work if needed.

Take your time and good luck. Here's mine before and after.

Andrew

Golden Curtain
www.myspace.com/garagelandnz
Posted on 11 years ago
#2
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i would buy yourself a screw extractor set and a tap & die set, and go for it

you should be able to shave drill a slightly larger hole in the lugs and fit current screws into them to get the drums functional, then keep an eye out for an orphan drum or lug set for authentic replacement later

just remember to put a drop of sewing machine oil or something into the lug receiver threads to help for easy removal later

seems to be a common older Yamaha problem, as i've not had that happen with any others

Posted on 11 years ago
#3
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Fayray that's a stunning kit, and an amazing transformation. Thanks for all the advice - the lugs and screws are soaking in their respective concoctions as I write. I am definitely a novice at this kind of thing haha.

My current aim is to get the kit to a clean and shiny, playable standard, then when I have a bit more cash and time I can start the actual 'restoration' work to get it back to what it once was.

That said, I could seriously be interested in the C-series BD lugs that you have. I'll give you a PM sometime and we can discuss.

davezedlee I've found a workaround with the lugs, using a combination of the old screws and new stainless ones. Retapping a larger hole would've been to risky, there's almost no tolerance for anything bigger than an M4 and the metal quality is not great. It's a bit annoying, but it'll do for now.

It may sound banal, but last night I spent hours combing the internet for information about 0.75 pitch machine screws, and it was actually kinda fascinating!! An M4 size screw with a 0.75 thread seems to come from a long superseded JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) design. JIS regulations are largely superseded by ISO ones now, though JIS is still used for some motorbike engineering applications. Basically, it seems that Yamaha might have used their motorbike manufacturing know-how when they started making drums in 1967 (they possibly even shared some machinery, since drums were made in the same factory as motorbikes in the early days).

I'll start work on the 14" once I've finished the 12". May be a silly question, but will WD-40 penetrate deep enough to get into the thread of the screw? Seems like a long way for it to go. And won't damage the wood shell?

Thanks for the help!

Posted on 11 years ago
#4
Posts: 1725 Threads: 135
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I've attached a photo of the c-series lugs that I had on file although I think these are tom lugs but the BD lugs are the same just bigger. You can get new Ts and claws that'll work too.

To be honest i'm not sure if the wd-40 will get in. Maybe a penetrating oil? Shouldn't adversely affect the wood if you clean it up properly. I've never had this problem accept with a Premier kit where the screws were just super tight. I used an impact driver to get them out.

Happy to help where I can. And chuck up a photo of the snare. Sounds interesting. The original snare will probably have been a chrome over steel drum. They are actually really good.

Really interesting about the threads. I did not know that.

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Andrew

Golden Curtain
www.myspace.com/garagelandnz
Posted on 11 years ago
#5
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Ok so stage one is done; I've finished the 12" tom. It took a while—I'm pretty new at this stuff, and it was a big learning curve. But the result was worthwhile.

The wrap didn't come out quite as well as I hoped. It's rather scratched. I suppose sanding it back would be ideal, but that's kinda beyond my skill level and resources at the moment.

The next step is the 14" and I've decided to put off removing the lugs at this point. The screws are just too rusted, and I don't really have the time to re-tap them if they break. I'll buy some good quality penetrating oil when I'm a bit better off :) For now, I'm going to wash the shell with soapy water and polish it up as best I can.

I've attached a picture of the tom. It sounds a hell of a lot better than it did, it's now got a really jazzy sound, kinda dark and high pitched—very cool.

Also I've attached a picture of the snare that came with the kit. I don't know a lot about it, but I think it's '50s or early '60s, English-made. If anyone knows anything that'd be appreciated.

Posted on 11 years ago
#6
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hey fayray.... hope all is well. Remember to check the measurements of the C-series (dagger style) bass drum lug. Yamaha had 2 sizes (A) 3 inches overall length with a 2 5/16 hole spacing (B) 2 5/8 inches overall with 1 3/4 hole spacing. (Tail light lug 12" toms also came in two sizes depending on year) I've had to tap a number of the floor tom leg mounts but never tried a lug. I used to come across the lugs and t rods quite often... but haven't seen any in a while. The lugs and t rods tend to go quick when offered for sale. good luck!


NASHDRUM:

~ Vintage Ludwig Drums ~
~ 1920's Percussion Sound Effects ~
~ Vintage Mallet Instruments ~


Posted on 11 years ago
#7
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A very interesting thread.Especially since this week I have thrown myself into similar challenges as monsieuroliver. I bought a Brown willow D20...I hope! however it has a few frankenstien parts, and so was sold as "A players Kit".....I wish people would stop calling it that because since buying it my time has been doing everything but that! ha ha ha.

i have done everything Fayray sugestted even before reading the post, fortunately (to an extent) I have not needed the plastic polish.

Will post pictures soon.

has anyone got any original floor tom Lugs? I have some odd ones on mine.

Also ot has metal (steel) bassdrum hoops with the wrap inlay....looks nice but the sound is tinney. Where metal hoops standard?

And finally what wood are the D2o made from? I read 6 plys of Birch and Laun wood?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Hows progress on yours monsieurOliver?

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Posted on 10 years ago
#8
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some more pic's.

The inside of 5x14 wood snare with chrome wrap. Die cast hoops.

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Posted on 10 years ago
#9
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heres some more....

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Posted on 10 years ago
#10
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