One question - since I have no experience with this. The difference in cymbals (going from cheap new Paiste's to vintage Zildjian's) was unbelievable (though not literally). One day I just "noticed" how bad the cymbals sounded and how they didn't sustain at all, and needed to be hit hard but produced volume but no tone or subtlety - and basically were just bad instruments. The question is, will going to better shells be a similar leap?

Will send PM to discuss. Thanks for the offer!

Thank you for that specific advice. I am on the hunt.

Great - much appreciated! I had heard about this in my research.

Folks this is exactly the kind of advice I need. Thanks - all - again!

The difference in shell build quality from a sound standpoint will probably be nowhere near as significant. A cheap MIJ kit can be made to sound good with the right heads, tuning, and also some attention to the bearing edges. The flagship models will typically sound better still and each have their unique characteristics. Hardware between cheaply made kits and high end vintage kits is pretty night and day though it should be noted that much of the tom mounting hardware from the 50's and 60's was dodgy even with major manufacturers with Rogers being a very notable exception.

From a sound production standpoint, a drum has to have a shell that is more or less in round, has a more or less level bearing edge, and have a well cut bearing edge. The type of edge, shell layup, number of plies, whether or not the shell has reinforcement rings and their make-up are all points of personal preference. So long as the shell meets the aforementioned criteria, the biggest influence on the tonality of a drum is head selection, tuning ability and one's technical approach to playing the instrument....at least in my opinion.

I agree that Slingerland drums are a killer value. Likewise, Premier drums from the 60's and 70's are worth a look as they also do not demand a high price and their build quality was impeccable and their chrome work was second to no other manufacturer.

Despite my love for lauan, I have to weigh in on the side of avoiding MIJ stencil kits for your purpose.

While those flimsy old MIJ drums can be made to sound good, it takes above beginner skills at tuning. The ones I've had experience with had bearing edge problems as well, which for me is no biggie because I can just throw them on the router table.

An American or European vintage drum will be easier to tune and is more likely to have a good bearing edge.

If you want the "night and day" experience in drum sound, get an audio-based tuning aid such as iDrumTune for the iPhone, or a Tune-Bot, and learn how to use it.

The crusties will tell you that all you need is your ears, etc., but I spent a year with mediocre sounding drums trying to learn how to clear lugs by ear, and once I got iDrumTune, and learned how to use it to clear lugs, I could make any drum (depending on condition of bearing edge and of course heads) sound amazing.

I have a theory that some people (like me) are more sensitive to overtones to the point where we have a harder time picking out the fundamental.

(The crusties may be pleased to know that iDrumTune has improved my ear tuning skills as well, to the point that if I'm in a situation where I'm unable to use it, I can still do pretty well.)

"Love for Lauan"

There's a band name!

If nothing else, a good name for a website devoted to MIJ drum kits.

Or The Crusties !!!

Really depends on budget, need for dependability ie: gigging etc... I'd say if you go the MIJ Stencil kit route you can find a nice one from between 50 and 400 bucks. I'd look for a sixties kit with thinner shells and re-rings. The best ones I have owned and played have been either Bollero's or Coronet's.

But for let's say 500 to 800 you could be playing a pretty damn good Ludwig Rocker or Standard, Rogers Big R or Script Fullerton, Premier Royale or a Tama Imperialstar for that matter. I'd really have to know more about what sound you are trying to achieve. I've kinda devoted myself to constantly trying new vintage gear as much as possible in the last few years and keeping myself open and not just brand-driven. I've made a few nice surprises buying kits for resale and gigging them a few times. It's a buyers market in this economic slump we're in, but also a good time to pick up kits on the cheap. I just don't have room for more than 3 or 4 at a time....

I strongly recommend you explore Kent drums for a low cost high quality exploration of vintage drums

ahhh...my first kit was a set of Kent drums in champagne sparkle like you have in your pic

(pauses as nurse wipes tear from cheek)

I couldn't wait to get rid of them, frankly...but it's nice to see that they have retained some kind of allure as time goes by

I sort of wish I had them now...

Kent drums are great, if you can find them :)