I have a set of star i bought in 1970. I played them for almost 20 years. Amongst other sets. I still play them from time to time. They have held up as well as the others. Still sound great.
My first 'real' drum set was a 5-piece 'Whitehall' brand set which I purchased when I was 18 in 1971. It was in a sort of white/black 'oyster' type wrap finish (more white than black as opposed to the familiar Ludwig black oyster). My recollection of that kit was the drums sounded really good and seemed to be of good quality construction. Hardware not so much but adequate. Research I've done seems that the Whitehall kit I had was probably actually manufactured by Pearl. (the particular kit I bought had been sitting in a shop for quite a while it was probably made before 1971) Later examples of Whitehall brand drums I've seen do not seem to have the quality of the kit I had. Sold that kit to help finance purchase of a car I've regretted it since. Now many years later I have a collection of drums including Rogers, Ludwig, Sonor, etc. but I still fondly remember that Whitehall kit.
Nice! I collect drums and I’ve acquired a few Whitehall singles over the years but never a full set. I have found some other Japanese drums with hardware that must have came from the same company but had different badges on them. I know that was common.
What a great podcast to discover! I just acquired a Majesty (from Star?) stencil kit and I'm excited to learn about this history (and of the instrument in general) as I work on restoring the kit. Keep it up!
My very first drum (years before I had a drum set) was an Apollo snare that I bought 40 years ago from my friend’s neighbor at a garage sale. It had a smooth polished steel finish. Based on the seller’s age, I’m sure the seller got it as a teen in the 60’s. The drum is long gone but I still have the case!
Yes they do have a special place in the hearts of some of us older drummers who started on these stencil kits. My Majestic kit was beautiful, if not all that great sounding. Well first off, the heads were cheapo. Good heads improved the sound. Second, those lauan shells dried out in 50some years and sound great now! I love the Majestics my wife found for me and I've since acquired a Kingston kit, a Royce kit and two Sakae wood snares. They look and sound just like a Slingerland Radio King to me.
My first drumset was a Zim-Gar. Blue sparkle, snare, tom and bass with NO floor tom. Zim-Gar was a Pearl stencil made in the 60s for Zimmerman Garfield music shop in Brooklyn New York. Typical of the times, the store ordered drums from Pearl but had their store name on the badge. This was to compete with the big USA drum companies due to the demand for drums after the Beatles make their landmark appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. I could not find any info about the Zimmerman Garfield music shop after the mid 70s. Hope this helps you guys wondering about this odd sounding drum name.
My first set of drums was a very light set very thin shells with a label called Del Ray and "Made in Japan". The quality was terrible but the sound was fantastic for my garage band in the 60's. The price was high for the time and I replaced the hardware and cymbals over the next few years until I finally sold the set for the same price I paid and bought a set of Ludwig's. I can't complain because they planted the seed for my playing until today. I still have pictures of them.
Hoshino-Gakki is the parent company that now makes and markets TAMA drums and Ibanez guitars . I have a 60s MIJ kit , badged DIA Deluxe . It has a rail and clip type rack tom holder like Ludwig era Leedy drums and cheaper Gretsch kits . Six lug rims on the 20 inch kick , and the 12 x 8 and 14 x 14 toms . They sound great , they do have the top to bottom grain , but are still perfectly round . The finish is a blue/black marble , some drum fans come up and ask if they are Premier based on the finish . An old pal was in the business back when and tells me New Zealand often had drums from the same company rebadged to get around post war import restrictions
I agree with all the comments posted here. Thank you so much for enlightening some of us older drummers who remember when these MIJ kits were new in stores. I remember seeing many Apollo drums in the big discount stores in the 1960s, like Woolco and Zayre. I have a very nice early 60s Pearl 4-pc kit in 13, 16, and 22 in marine white pearl that has faded into a beautiful yellow pearl. The bearing edges are all 45 degree angle and have very sharp edges on top. They tune up perfectly and all modern heads fit so perfectly snug without sounding "dead" or choked. I can tune these up to where they almost sound like Joe Morello's drums on "Take Five". I bought them at a pawn shop here in Nashville for around $400. They sound incredible. I later scored a matching snare drum in the same faded finish off Ebay for $100. It looks brand new for a 50 year old drum.
Beautiful Stewart kit. I love the MIJ facebook group and MIJ drums in general. I currently have a gold sparkle Apollo kit in my front hall. Thank you for listening to the show!
My brother has a Gold sparkle Majestic 20in Kick and a Lyra 13,rack tom in red sparkle. I got my son a 5 piece Pearl Challenger MIJ kit for $100 and two toms in a trade, that kit sounds so good and beefy . I also recently got a Bruno Conqueror steel snare with the original case for $40
Uka Gameiro Thats an interesting question. I think they would be actual Slingerland drums made in America, unless someone switched out the badges. But that seems unlikely. Hope that helps :)
@@DrumHistoryPodcast Thanks for responding. Yes, that's strange. This guy is selling this drum as a MIJ but it has an actual Slingerland badge on it. BTW, love your podcast! Great stuff!
Many of the more recognizeable MIJ kits do have badges on them that are oval shaped, very very close to the real Slingerland badges. Apollo drums and Stewart drums have badges that are very close to the Slingerland badges. My Zim-Gar 14" marine white pearl floor tom has a round badge that looks just like the early round Gretsch badges.
@@colaiukaI had a couple mounted toms that were Slingerland but they were made after Slingerland went out of business and sold their name. Their name popped up a couple times over the years where the Slingerland brand name was used. One time it was high dollar artist signature series drums. The other time that I know of was lower quality drums made in possibly China or another Asian country but don’t know for sure. Just wonder if maybe you have Slingerlands from that era possibly.
@6:00 My experience is different: Tighten up a MIJ tom lug, and it will break. I replaced the fake Slingerland lugs with real lugs, as they break. They are a little lighter, so I had to re-drill the holes bigger. THE FINISH!! Yeah, orange tiger pearl is great on a "WhiteHall". IMHO (or is WhiteHall made in Japan? I think of it as "Pearl" but what ever...)
1433. So does gretch. They all do now. Since they're all being bought up by corporate. Its getting so a drum is a drum. Only difference is the look of the hardware.
I noticed Ludwig for example has put out all kinds of lower line drums in the last several years. William F Ludwig III left the company and started a new one because he was unhappy with the quality. Ludwig’s lower line drums used to be good entry level drums. Now their cheapest ones look like the cheap brands you see where the floor Tom only has five lugs and the shells are mass produced.
@@gerry1620 this is probably late news to you, but i recently found out roland now owns d w. Gretsch, And the rest from what i can tell. I think pearl is a hold out. I hope so.
@@morgunstyles7253 I just realized DW sold out because I went to a drum clinic and the drummer had switched from DW to Yamaha and mentioned the sellout. I didn’t know about Gretsch and others.
Unfortunately. Marc's MIJ stencil drum book was regarded as a disappointment among some drum collectors, mainly because it was perceived as hastily done, and too light on content. A lot of collectors who had high hopes for it and were disappointed, I am sorry to say. I remember the blowback against it when it was released. A really detailed book on 60's MIJ drums needs to be written, before all the Japanese people who designed and built them are gone. They would be the best source of information.
I have a set of star i bought in 1970. I played them for almost 20 years. Amongst other sets. I still play them from time to time. They have held up as well as the others. Still sound great.
Super helpful episode., interesting history of our instrument. Can't wait to read Marc's book!
Lets not forget the DRUM MATE label. I had a set of those as a kid and SURE wish I still had them.
My first 'real' drum set was a 5-piece 'Whitehall' brand set which I purchased when I was 18 in 1971. It was in a sort of white/black 'oyster' type wrap finish (more white than black as opposed to the familiar Ludwig black oyster). My recollection of that kit was the drums sounded really good and seemed to be of good quality construction. Hardware not so much but adequate. Research I've done seems that the Whitehall kit I had was probably actually manufactured by Pearl. (the particular kit I bought had been sitting in a shop for quite a while it was probably made before 1971) Later examples of Whitehall brand drums I've seen do not seem to have the quality of the kit I had. Sold that kit to help finance purchase of a car I've regretted it since. Now many years later I have a collection of drums including Rogers, Ludwig, Sonor, etc. but I still fondly remember that Whitehall kit.
Nice! I collect drums and I’ve acquired a few Whitehall singles over the years but never a full set. I have found some other Japanese drums with hardware that must have came from the same company but had different badges on them. I know that was common.
Very Very helpful podcast...I will look into Marc's book for sure! I have been restoring several kits and will continue my garage sale hunting!!!
Great info/interview! I have several vintage mij kits and love them :)
Thanks man!
What a great podcast to discover! I just acquired a Majesty (from Star?) stencil kit and I'm excited to learn about this history (and of the instrument in general) as I work on restoring the kit. Keep it up!
Teresa Esguerra that’s awesome!! I love MIJ drums, they are so cool. Find me on Instagram or Facebook and share a pic of your kit!
My very first drum (years before I had a drum set) was an Apollo snare that I bought 40 years ago from my friend’s neighbor at a garage sale. It had a smooth polished steel finish. Based on the seller’s age, I’m sure the seller got it as a teen in the 60’s. The drum is long gone but I still have the case!
Very cool, they really are great affordable drums that hold up very well to this day.
Yes they do have a special place in the hearts of some of us older drummers who started on these stencil kits. My Majestic kit was beautiful, if not all that great sounding. Well first off, the heads were cheapo. Good heads improved the sound. Second, those lauan shells dried out in 50some years and sound great now! I love the Majestics my wife found for me and I've since acquired a Kingston kit, a Royce kit and two Sakae wood snares. They look and sound just like a Slingerland Radio King to me.
Wow...another great podcast...my first kit I bought in 1981 was a star....happy days !......thanks again.
In 1964 I borrowed a Zim-Gar 16X16 floor tom, the BEST floor tom I ever played, period.
Go figure.
That is interesting. It goes to show that you don't have to pay a lot for good quality
@@DrumHistoryPodcast Yes, so true ! 😀
I have a Zim-Gar mounted tom in black diamond pearl (or similar) covering. 8 by 12 or 9 by 13. Love the vintage look of the old Japanese drums.
My first drumset was a Zim-Gar. Blue sparkle, snare, tom and bass with NO floor tom. Zim-Gar was a Pearl stencil made in the 60s for Zimmerman Garfield music shop in Brooklyn New York. Typical of the times, the store ordered drums from Pearl but had their store name on the badge. This was to compete with the big USA drum companies due to the demand for drums after the Beatles make their landmark appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. I could not find any info about the Zimmerman Garfield music shop after the mid 70s. Hope this helps you guys wondering about this odd sounding drum name.
My first set of drums was a very light set very thin shells with a label called Del Ray and "Made in Japan". The quality was terrible but the sound was fantastic for my garage band in the 60's. The price was high for the time and I replaced the hardware and cymbals over the next few years until I finally sold the set for the same price I paid and bought a set of Ludwig's. I can't complain because they planted the seed for my playing until today. I still have pictures of them.
Hoshino-Gakki is the parent company that now makes and markets TAMA drums and Ibanez guitars . I have a 60s MIJ kit , badged DIA Deluxe . It has a rail and clip type rack tom holder like Ludwig era Leedy drums and cheaper Gretsch kits . Six lug rims on the 20 inch kick , and the 12 x 8 and 14 x 14 toms . They sound great , they do have the top to bottom grain , but are still perfectly round . The finish is a blue/black marble , some drum fans come up and ask if they are Premier based on the finish . An old pal was in the business back when and tells me New Zealand often had drums from the same company rebadged to get around post war import restrictions
Very interesting - you don't hear much about New Zealand related war restrictions! Thanks for watching
I agree with all the comments posted here. Thank you so much for enlightening some of us older drummers who remember when these MIJ kits were new in stores. I remember seeing many Apollo drums in the big discount stores in the 1960s, like Woolco and Zayre. I have a very nice early 60s Pearl 4-pc kit in 13, 16, and 22 in marine white pearl that has faded into a beautiful yellow pearl. The bearing edges are all 45 degree angle and have very sharp edges on top. They tune up perfectly and all modern heads fit so perfectly snug without sounding "dead" or choked. I can tune these up to where they almost sound like Joe Morello's drums on "Take Five". I bought them at a pawn shop here in Nashville for around $400. They sound incredible. I later scored a matching snare drum in the same faded finish off Ebay for $100. It looks brand new for a 50 year old drum.
Thank you for listening! MIJ kits are such a great way to have fun with old drums and not spend your life savings
Beautiful Stewart kit. I love the MIJ facebook group and MIJ drums in general. I currently have a gold sparkle Apollo kit in my front hall. Thank you for listening to the show!
I kick myself like you wouldn’t believe for letting go of my first kit, which was mij. Silvery wrap, no name as far as I can recall.
I have a Hoshino kit! And its fantastic! There are a few down here in new zealand
My first drum kit was a Starlight 4 piece set in red sparkle. I miss those drums!
We all miss our first kit!
My first snare is the yellow pages
1603. Arent most shells made by keller anyway?
Thanks!
My brother has a Gold sparkle Majestic 20in Kick and a Lyra 13,rack tom in red sparkle. I got my son a 5 piece Pearl Challenger MIJ kit for $100 and two toms in a trade, that kit sounds so good and beefy . I also recently got a Bruno Conqueror steel snare with the original case for $40
Do these MIJ drums can have Slingerland badges on it? Thanks!
Uka Gameiro Thats an interesting question. I think they would be actual Slingerland drums made in America, unless someone switched out the badges. But that seems unlikely. Hope that helps :)
@@DrumHistoryPodcast Thanks for responding. Yes, that's strange. This guy is selling this drum as a MIJ but it has an actual Slingerland badge on it. BTW, love your podcast! Great stuff!
@@colaiuka thank you! I’d buy those drums :)
Many of the more recognizeable MIJ kits do have badges on them that are oval shaped, very very close to the real Slingerland badges. Apollo drums and Stewart drums have badges that are very close to the Slingerland badges. My Zim-Gar 14" marine white pearl floor tom has a round badge that looks just like the early round Gretsch badges.
@@colaiukaI had a couple mounted toms that were Slingerland but they were made after Slingerland went out of business and sold their name. Their name popped up a couple times over the years where the Slingerland brand name was used. One time it was high dollar artist signature series drums. The other time that I know of was lower quality drums made in possibly China or another Asian country but don’t know for sure. Just wonder if maybe you have Slingerlands from that era possibly.
@6:00 My experience is different: Tighten up a MIJ tom lug, and it will break. I replaced the fake Slingerland lugs with real lugs, as they break. They are a little lighter, so I had to re-drill the holes bigger.
THE FINISH!! Yeah, orange tiger pearl is great on a "WhiteHall". IMHO
(or is WhiteHall made in Japan? I think of it as "Pearl" but what ever...)
I just bought a mij 12" tom with a Leban badge on it. Anyone heard of that brand before?
Yes, you see that badge name come up from time to time. One of the many (dozens, if not near 100) different brand names that Pearl was churning out.
Sure, I have a 1977 Ludwig Super Classic 7 piece chrome over maple, but I prefer my much lighter stencil kits for gigging.
This rules. Love stencil kits. Their price level is perfect for 60 year old bitchin drums
I have Wexter drum. Any one herd of that brand?
No I have not.
The made in China drums don’t have that awesome vintage appeal with sparkle and pearl type coverings like the old Japanese drums do.
1433. So does gretch. They all do now. Since they're all being bought up by corporate. Its getting so a drum is a drum. Only difference is the look of the hardware.
I noticed Ludwig for example has put out all kinds of lower line drums in the last several years. William F Ludwig III left the company and started a new one because he was unhappy with the quality. Ludwig’s lower line drums used to be good entry level drums. Now their cheapest ones look like the cheap brands you see where the floor Tom only has five lugs and the shells are mass produced.
@@gerry1620 this is probably late news to you, but i recently found out roland now owns d w. Gretsch, And the rest from what i can tell. I think pearl is a hold out. I hope so.
@@morgunstyles7253 I just realized DW sold out because I went to a drum clinic and the drummer had switched from DW to Yamaha and mentioned the sellout. I didn’t know about Gretsch and others.
924 lug
Unfortunately. Marc's MIJ stencil drum book was regarded as a disappointment among some drum collectors, mainly because it was perceived as hastily done, and too light on content. A lot of collectors who had high hopes for it and were disappointed, I am sorry to say. I remember the blowback against it when it was released. A really detailed book on 60's MIJ drums needs to be written, before all the Japanese people who designed and built them are gone. They would be the best source of information.