I have never heard of them...but....

What I think I see from looking at the picture is this:

The shells are likely Keller brand

The lugs are imported from Taiwan (and they appear to be the same design that JR Frondelli uses on his drums)

They likely have 45 degree bevels on the bearing edges

They will probably have a long sustain and a deep sound

They wouldn't have much "history" attached to them because they are just a sideline for the mega-conglomerate of Kaman...They aren't really a vintage design as evidenced by all the import hardware...but they likely will sound fine

As far as the "original" way the toms were supposed to be mounted....It could be that is the correct way. I have heard that some people prefer to mount the isolation bracket arms to the lower lugs (as in your picture) as opposed to the upper lugs because they contend that it creates even more resonance. I wouldn't change them around. Maybe that was part of their design....?:confused:

backbeatmusic!

Actually, O-Lugs did pretty well for having "never heard of Legend Drums". Having said that, here's a brief overview of Legend:

These were designed/built by MASTER drum designer/builder Joe Montineri. ( he was under contract with KAMANN at the time ) The shells are indeed Keller... just about everything is! Joe and his brother Paul handled ALL the snare drum building/finishing for the first couple years/runs... I do believe they did more than a few kits as well. There aren't all that many Legend kits out there... so ... these are a tad unique in that regard.

The hardware is as O-Lugs surmised, imported Asian/Taiwan, and there's certainly nothing wrong with that either. The term "vintage" would not apply here as these are late 80's I believe... but they could be a bit earlier. Here's what I will do for you:

Joe Montineri is a very good friend of mine... ( I also have TWO of his Custom kits! Beautiful drums!! ) ... I will get in touch and get the back-story on these right from Joe. I'm sure he will fill in the blanks!

Tommyp

Thanks!!!! That would be great!! I know these are not "Vintage" but rather more towards the rare side of things. This is the first set I've ever seen and they sound very deep and full!! (just as O-lugs had suspected) I'm loving it but I'm looking forward to hearing more about some history of Legend drums. These were made in the '90's and I have heard from a local music store that the production was stopped due to Gretsch coming back?? ........... what a mess while cleaning at 3am!! :)

backbeatmusic!

90's eh? Wow... those are "newer" than I thought... which would mean that Joe Montineri DID NOT have a hand in these, well, regarding the building of them anyway. ( Joe does a LOT of the R&D/design for Keller shells ) However, he will still know what's what with these... and I will ask him! Additionally,

KAMANN Corp. got very involved with Gretsch, and of course their BIG hardware line, Gibralter, so I can see why they let the Legend line of drums slip away. They weren't taking the world by storm with their sales numbers on the Legend line either, but that doesn't mean they're not nicely built drums! And again, there aren't that many Legend kits out there, so in one way, you have kind of a collectible.

I'll see if I can grab Joe's ear tomorrow, or he may be up in NH this week. Either way, I'll get back with the "skinny" for you. Until then... enjoy 'em!!

Tommyp

backbeatmusic!

Well okay! I chatted with Joe yesterday... he was able to fill in some "blanks" for you on the Legend line of drums. Without further ado, here ya go!

I was correct in stating that your kit was built after Joe had left KAMANN/Legend... but ... these were built in-house by hand, one drum at a time, and they are all top quality. Keller 8 ply shells were the order of the day and they are finished in a POLYESTER LACQUER... real tough stuff! Joe said the lacquer finish on the Legend drums was state of the art as the polyester lacquer is exrememly durable and very resistant to scratching.

The hardware is imported Asian, as we thought, but the design/specs were specific to Legend. This was THEIR lug. They are made out of heavy material and should not be confused with some of the "lower grade" stuff that can come from that part of the world. In other words: These are nice!

As it turns out, the reason that Legend disappeared hasn't got anything to do with Gretsch at all! These drums were made long before KAMANN got involved with Gretsch... interesting! It was one of your typical "corporate desicions" based solely on return. KAMANN decided to put more of it's dollars/energies towards the "Ovation" line of guitars, and it's up and coming Gibralter hardware line. They figured the drum market, as it were, was saturated, and that they wouldn't be able to compete, aka: BUCKS. JING. SQUID. You get the idea! Interestingly,

Harvey Mason was the top Legend endorser at the time! How 'bout that!

As I mentioned, there weren't a lot of kits built before the plug was pulled... so ... you do indeed have a collectible as there just aren't all that many out there. And, as Joe mentioned, these are top of the line drums... not crap. So,

There you have it! Enjoy those Legend drums... and now you can chat about them as you have a bit more background info!

Tommyp

RE: The lugs....

That's interesting. I remember JR as saying something to the effect that he had found a lug design that nobody else was using...

http://www.frondelli.com/images/lugs.jpg

...

O-Lugs!

JR Frondelli is correct! The lugs ARE NOT the same! They "look" similar, but you would need to see a close-up of the Legend lug to see the difference:

The Legend lug while kind of "shaped" like the Frondelli lug, actually has "lines" that are raised and run sideways across the actual lug... kind of like the radiator on an old Ford pick-up... but sideways. It's hard to see that in the pictures that backbeatmusic has put up.

Tommyp

Tommy P ................. I can't thank you enough!! They are indeed an 8 ply shell. You have no idea how much that info helped me out!!!! O-Lugs ........ thank you as well!! You had pretty much nailed the materials used in making them. I love the drums and knowing what I know now ......... they are getting played on the 30th and retired there after!! :)

"Retired"???...As in not in use,wrapped and tucked away,zip locked under the stairs??....Or for saleYes Sir