the hardware is much different the early machined hardware is more desirable the collet noses cracked a lot on the cast versions like yours as for the shells I am not sure which era you are comparing too early 60's Rogers were 3 ply then 5 ply... and the version of knobbies you have does not work as well as the machined versions... early Rogers were Cleveland yours are fullerton Cal.

Period!!!!

Primary differences are the collet tensioners are cast, not machined. Machined versions will work, and make this a set to keep. Shells are three ply for this period, not five ply.. one could argue a lot about thee or five. Cast Knobby mounts on the floor tom.... are bullet proof. Other than that, theres not so much of a difference to matter, except to those who want a big yellow tag that says Cleveland. Given a choice between the two, pristine 9.72 or pristine Cleveland, for the same money......Cleveland would win any day.

I love another Rogers thread, as long as Yamaha doesnt pop in.

John that's a beautiful kit. Hope you decide to keep them. And the dyna too.

Thanks, Glenn, Ploughman, all,

I was looking at them today and I was thinking about how great they sound and the wrap and hardware are like new on the kit. I just don't know much about them other than what I stated above. I really appreciate the feedback.

I 'almost' sold them once, and I 'almost' traded them once. I think I'll keep them around. As far as I'm concerned, they sound terrific and they are a good example of Swivo era Rogers as they sit. I also like being able to switch between the 20" and the 22", gives the kit a bit more versatility.

Thanks for the input... much appreciated. And... I didn't use the 'Y' word once! lol

John

All sounds right...If I remember correctly...

I think the Cleveland's and Dayton had felts inside the lugs to dampen the ringing...and also the lugs were thicker on my Cleveland's then on my since gone 9/72 kit..

Yes Sir Agree with almost everything here. Machined collets vastly superior to the crack-prone cast version, but the cast knobby caps seem every bit as durable as the machined ones (probably because they are never really under a lot of stress). Lugs were heavier on the Clevelands and Daytons, but so what? Never had a Fullerton beavertail crack on me, and who really needs those little felt "spring dampeners" anyway. If you think you need them that badly for mic'd studio work, put 'em in yourself. And white-felt tone controls vs. black-felt version? No discernable difference.

Only difference of opinion is the pristine 3-ply Cleveland shell vs. the pristine 3-ply 9/72 series shell (and I know some of you are going to react to this as if I said Buddy Rich really wasn't a good drummer). But I have both Cleveland and Fullerton basses, and although the Clevelands have that wonderful warm tone, I'm not crazy about the rough constuction of the early Clevelands: almost flat bearing edges cut into broad, crudely finished rerings, with mounting screws for collet plates sometimes cut and countersank right through the edge of the rering! Not the fine finishing you'd find inside their snares of the same period, and certainly not the smooth finishing found in the speckled-interior Fullertons. (okay, let the tirades and rants begin).

And who said there's too many Rogers threads going on right now??? That's like saying there's too much beer at a picnic!

Mike

Just to clarify, I believe the cast knobby mounts are bullet proof. I have owned many floor toms with these mounts, and in 35 years, there was only one failure, and that mount was stripped when I got it. I repaired that floor tom with heli coils, and it is still functioning fantastic. It was with a set I gifted to a kid about six years ago. I know that set has been up and down a few dozen times, and there has been no issue with the repair. I have seen far more machined versions of the floor tom knobby that have been abused to the point the peening was worn out and the leg knobby would rotate on the base. That most likely was the practical reason (other than cost) for the change.

They are indeed different, but all good. Every company makes changes as they go along - that's progress.

The cast collet noses are the only thing I would change on a 9/72 kit. The tom arms, collet plates, leg mounts are all good. (Of these, only the leg mounts changed to cast.)

The ply layup did switch from 5 to 3 and back to 5, not sure when. I think the shell thickness was maintained by using thicker plies on the 3-ply.

One thing to always look for on any Fullerton drum (not including the XP8 line) is the bearing edges. The quality did vary on these, especially in the early 70's. Most of the time they are fine, but occasionally an example that is sloppily cut will show up. Too wide at the apex of the edge, or a major wobble at the wrap seam, or an uneven inside cut. Still tunable in a lot of cases, but the repair is easy in any event.

The lugs got a lot lighter at the years went along, lost the felts, then lost the springs. The early ones have a nice heft to them, but the later units work just the same and the drums are easier to carry.

But let's face it, the CBS bean counters were behind the changes. The heavy collet noses and leg mounts were multi-part machined steel: much more expensive to make than 1-piece castings. And those early beavertail lugs were much more expensive to make. Eliminating the internal tone controls on the Memriloc-era drums was also to save a few bucks on each drum: the X-Mufflers were a lot cheaper to make. However, I do believe the consensus among the players was that they were outdated anyway.

The later drums are different, yes, and perhaps a little less sweet. Certainly less valuable than a similar Cleveland set, but still nice drums.