Where did the phrase "The Stradivarius of drums" in relation to Camco come from? the company? What time period was this?

Bought the below pictured set via eBAY, played them for a year or more. I would rate the snare as the best I've played of it's size, wood type and construction style. The rest of the set I would rank behind SSB Gretsch and 3 ply mahogany/poplar/mahogany Slingerlands of the late 50's early 60's period. Better than Ludwig and Rogers of the same era.

Your taste may vary...FYI

Then again that kit is absolutely stunning!

That is a pretty kit, but again being a working drummer, the sound is what's it's all about. I really don't know why it's not doing it for me, maybe it's just me, someone else may love the sound. I suppose it's not that big of a deal, I'll probably just keep them as an investment. I'm sure one day, I'll make my money back on them. I actually know several local drummers who want to buy the kit, but it's out of their price range.

I recall the phrase first appeared with the Beckman LA Camco catalog. It would have been around '74.

By the way, I bought my first Oaklawn Camco kit used in 1973. I saw it in the window of a music store in the town where I was in college back in the early 70's. I didn't hear the kit until after I bought them. It took a while to dial them in, but I had heard Jim Gordon's kit live and that was good enough for me. I still have them. I wish I had all the others I've owned.

I would strongly recommend experimenting with heads and tuning. I have some ideas for you if you want to not give up on this kit. Camco shells are second to none in build quality and typically have a wide tuning range. I also would recommend setting the shells on a solid granite countertop to see if the edges are true. No brand had 100% track record with perfect production bearing edges.

I would tend toward orangemi at bit on Camcos. I've had one Aristocrat snare and one 3-piece set of Camcos that I can recall, but certainly no more that two. The snare drum was outstanding and I thought the throw-off was the best ever. Totally smooth. I couldn't hear anything different between the 3-piece set and what I was able to derive from my Rogers sets, so I sold the Camcos. I probably should have kept the snare.

Everyone has their own tastes as far drums go.

The only Camco I ever played was an early LA,and it sounded a lot like my Cleve/Dayton Rogers kit.

Both these brands were known for their QA being top notch,that being said my Rogers edges are far from perfect.The 14 Dayton floor tom sounds great,the 20 BD has a dip in the reso side but tunes pretty well and sounds good but the 12 tom has a major crescent shaped dip with the length spanning almost from one lug to the next,and probably a 1/4 "

deep at it's lowest point.The 12 can sound a little sour unless I run a clear pin stripe on it,I guess the single ply part conforms to the edge and the double ply part tames the sour overtones.

My point is that like Mario said even the best vintage brands can have a bad edge or a shell that just isn't up to snuff.

So you DO post pictures of your petty drum kits!LoLoLoLo

You'll never live that one down with me you know.Sumo Dude

Anyway, I happen to know a "player" locally who quite frankly, is far from "tech" status(he admits it too! Nothing offensive here.). When he has problems getting a good sound from a snare, or even a kit, he calls me, I go pick them up, and mess with them for a while. Usually snares need replacing along with heads, or just heads, or something along those lines.

Perhaps you are of the same mold; you play so much, you don't care or have time to get into the minutia of getting to the sound of the kit.

My suggestion before you sell them, unless you stand to make a huge profit, is to call your local "tech", and have him mess around with them for a couple weeks. Chances are you know someone, or already have a go to guy. Perhaps you do those things yourself, then you should try some head/tuning combinations on the kit.

The kit is quite stunning, and perhaps you have a duckling that doesn't sing. My bet is that with some TLC, they could put out just the sound you are after. D' Drummer

I do love my drums too.Group Hug

I think I need to clarify, the kit sounds good, but it just doesn't seem to work for me. I'm sort of a Gretsch nerd, although I do have a Rogers and an MIJ kit. The Rogers I use for my pop gigs and the MIJ I use on occasion for special shows that need that certain vibe. I played with a surf band and that kit was perfect. My RB Gretsch is my go to jazz kit. I didn't really need the Camcos, but at the time, I had some extra cash and got a pretty good deal, so I bought them. I used it at a couple of my jazz gigs and it looked great on stage, but didn't sound as good as my Gretsch. My band mates even noticed the difference. But, it's all good, it's still a great kit.