I've heard the same thing -kent used Jasper shells. That's why they call them "the poor man's Gretsch", I think.

It's rumored that they either used the same shells as Gretsch, or that they had a deal where they got Gretsch's "rejects" for cheap. I've heard both stories from reliable sources, but I haven't found any proof one way or the other.

But, yes, Kent used Jasper shells...

No and no. Only Gretsch used Gretsch formula shells. "Jasper" shells does not mean "Gretsch" shells. Gretsch used a particular layup that no one else used. Jasper made different layups to coincide with particular requests. If (and I say "if" because I don't honestly know) Kent used Jasper shells, they were not the Gretsch layup. Gretsch would not have allowed it. They very well could have picked up shells from Jasper. That's not hard to believe. The maple/gumwood shells would have been off-limits, though.

I've only seen American Kents with Maple shells-no other woods in the mix.So-what IS a Jasper shell,anyway?Is it a brand,like Keller?Is it a type of shell?And who else used them?

Yes it is a brand, a company that made wood products, and drum shells were one of those products. Gretsch was the number one customer back in the day, but they are no longer in business. It is unknown for sure, but any one of the big 4 could have used them. As Michael stated, the layup is per customer. If you have the money, you can have Keller custom build shells for you in any configuration you want. If you want solid pine, they can do it. But, the maple shells Kent used had to be made somewhere, and Jasper would have been more than happy to supply them.

Like Jonnistix said......Jasper was not actually the name of the company, but the area that the company that made them was located....Jasper, IN.....and it was a wood products company like Keller is.....they'd make up shells to your specs, but they'd never sell your specs to someone else. Keller was making the Gretsch shells recently, but they make that formula for no one but Gretsch. (possible exception is the new DW Jazz series of drums)

^^^Cool! Good to know. Like I say, I heard the "rumor" that Kent drums were "poor man's Gretsch" because of the use of shells made by the same company that made shells for Gretsch....which, apparently, didn't make shells for that many other drum companies, I presume. Maybe that's why the rumor got started.

Maybe the operative word here is "Gretsch formula"..They likely did have dibs on that layup.I suppose its like a well kept recipe,at least back in the days when us drummers were not privy to trade secrets...............OH,and then along came Fibes?

Alright! Now I've heard 3 different stories about the shells that Kent used. Sheesh! I don't know what to believe. What is your source, mcjnic?