One of the factors that brought some extra focus on Camco was it's connection to the newly rising star of DW, who bought Camco equipment & continued w/ their lug & pedal design. (this vague pedigree gave Camco some extra cache). Company histories take on colloquial twists w/ a mixture of myth & reality. In S Cal I've heard it repeated many times that Camco gave birth to DW.

Regardless of DW and Kustom, Camco's true pedigree is from George Way and his experience with Leedy and other manufacturers in the first half of the 20th Century.

Since Camco never held more than a fraction of the market that it's competitors enjoyed, I'm sure the rarity affects desirability with some collectors. But, what if more Camco drums had been produced and sold, seen used by more drumming icons, and owned by more of us when we were youngsters? Would that have increased the demand and value as with Rogers, Gretsch and some of Ludwig's products?

George Way, DW, scarcity, the round lugs, under-sized shells, great finishes, the cloud badge and above all,... a unique sound !

Reasons enough to collect and love them !

That's right, the pedigree is George Way, Camco, DW. But it'd a cache that flows backward from DW, which focused light on Camco & George way, (original George Way drums are almost completely unknown, & rarer to find)

I believe Dolfan is single handedly responsible for 'Camco Mania'...

Jumping2

Check out my photobucket. I have a few of them (snares and kits). They got hot a few years ago. They've cooled a little these days. I always tell people that if you want to get a set and cost is an issue, get a set of the tuxedo single lug drums. They don't look as cool but they sound identical. I have a rewrapped Oaklawn tuxedo kit I am going to turn out shortly. I love it but will never play it because I have several go to round lug aristocrat kits ahead of it. It was an experiment for me to start out with a beat up kit missing numerous parts and getting it to look good and be playable That project completed, it now takes up space. Also it has the wierd second 12" tom (12/12/14/20 with snare). Anyhow, you'll see it on eBay sometime soon.

I think another reason they are collectable is that I've heard recording engineers consider them to be top ranked for recording. I can tell you they are consistant and except for a tone control falling off inside the floor tom from a loose screw, I've never had to go hunting for the source of a rattle or buzz. They are very consistant and easy to tune (due to the oversized shell, quality edges and good shell material). The only issues I've had was one tom mount, a diamond plate, choked the sound when hung on the rod and tongue (just one tom out of several kits, never figured out why that one drum) so I hung it from a stand and problem solved. Also on one of two double tom mounts I have, the ball in socket tilter started failing under pressure so I got a replacement from Dolfan and problem solved.

I got the frenzy from going on DFO and reading the love stories. I got into some crazy bidding wars on eBay and I also helped a couple of dealers clear inventory.

If pricing is below Gretsch these days, all the more reason to accumulate now. I think rarity and quality will add to values over time. They sound better than most Gretsch kits from the 60s. The economy is not always going to be slow and when the marginal collectors get liquid again they will forget the bad economy and look to start collecting again.

The Tuxedo lug was built much better than the turret lug, which cracked under stress over time.

1. mid/late 60s rogers. 2. gretsch. 3. camco (never played one, only a dw)- but dennis wilson & doug clifford endorsed them and they were the greats in my book..,

Anyone that places Rogers at number one would more than likely prefer LA Camco to the other eras. Gretsch at number one usually prefers Oaklawn. It comes down to the differences in Jasper and Keller made shells in my experience.

LA LA Land...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CAMCO-VINTAGE-LA-LOS-ANGLES-MAPLE-DRUM-SET-HARDWARE-FREE-SHIPPING-BUY-IT-NOW-/261114583894?pt=Vintgae_Drums_Percussion&hash=item3ccba45b56

flowers2