Hi Dan,
My blue glass/sparkle is a Headliner layout (20-12-16), an orphan group of Dayton and Cleveland drums. I use a matching Luxor or a steel Super Ten depending on the mood and venue. Would love to have a 14" to put in the mix. Yours sure is pretty!
My Sparkling Blue Pearl is a 1966 Cleveland Dayton kit with 20-12-16. My 1414 floor was added a couple years later, in the serial range of the two Dayton drums. Together the 20-12-14 are only a few hundred numbers apart. It is no longer an orphan.
Nice to hear from blue sparkle Rogers lovers Mister Rogers and Ploughman regarding their blue sparkle sets.
I have a Headliner 20,12,16 that was red sparkle. The wrap was toast with cracks, crazing, splotching and you name it. Shells were really nice, so I stripped it and have been planning on red onyx in its second life, and that in part because I purchased a PowerTone that had been done in a BDP that was not the Rogers pattern, so I refinished that in red onyx.
The Headliner is currently naked, as I was taking time to see if anyone wanted it so they could apply their own color. Glue under the wrap was excessive and I think that is why the wrap failed. Took a few months of slow progress to get the old wrap off and the balls of glue too.
double 20's did someone say? 2 of my fav all time kits I had the pleasure to own your blue kit is stunning one of my all time finishes Blue glass glitter
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/Magwa/DSC02998Medium.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/Magwa/30yearslater-1.jpg[/IMG]
above kit was built around this Hihat kit from 1965
[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v147/Magwa/RogersHolidaySet.jpg[/IMG]
Nice kits! WMP is stunning. Is that the original wrap, or did you build that kit with new wrap?
And.........is that you on the blue sparkle top hat???? Such a flash back even if not. My brother in law (who was not that in those days) was in a band in which the drummer had a Gretsch Rock 'n Roll in blue sparkle. I really liked that kit but couldn't afford it. So I got the blue sparkle LaBoz at Lechmere Sales in Cambridge, MA. 22,12,13,16 with a matching snare. I dumped the 12 and played the four pieces in high school dances and so forth. Got rid of it when I was in my early 20's. But I like red sparkle better these days.
I had a red sparkle set just like this blue sparkle back in the early 90's. I always felt ready to play on the set and maybe hotter than almost all I've owned. Must have been psycholigical.
WMP is all original except heads and yes that is me behind both blue kits.. they just don't make em like that anymore.... :)
I'm honored to be included in this thread with some of the great Rogers experts! I haven't yet introduced myself to the greater forum, but had to say something on this topic. I've been reading and observing (lurking) around here for awhile, and am a bit more active on DFO (handle is Drums), but never seem to have enough time to write as much as I'd like to.
Now a question for you guys, if you will. Since I already have the Sparkling Blue Pearl thing going, I won't take this kit off Dan's hands. But I am interested in a single lug kit (my first kit was a Slingy Jam Session back in 1969) and have of course been looking at Club Dates. So here is this Rogers kit that looks pretty cool. Is this owned by someone here on the forum? Do you guys like these drums? (Of course you do.) Is that a pretty good price on this kit?
Mister Rogers:
If what you want is single lug, you like black diamond pearl and the set is in the condition indicated, then I think the threshold I would take both stand and pedal and clean up as needed.
I believe I had a least one complete Tower set and Luxor snare along the way, though it was long enough ago that it challenges my clearest memories to discern if that is true or not. But I also can't seem to discount the memory either. The bothersome part is I can't recall the color, but that may be because it was black diamond pearl too. I do recall for sure having the bass and tom in Tower and steel grey ripple.
These drums with single lug will tune up as well as mine that are double lugged.
I see two fulnerablities: The first is that the long tension rods can get bent more easily because there is a lot of exposure there. You can see at least one in that condition and the seller noted it. Usually they are easily straightened. However, nowadays, most guys are much more careful with these sets than when they were new and considered entry level due to the reduced cost of providing single lugs. The second is simply perception with respect to long term value. I give that almost no weight personnally, because I buy what I like. If I like it for a few years and nobody wants to give me what I paid for it, then I just have decide if to keep it or reduce my requirement.
The upside is at least reduce weight if you are an active drummer. These are lighter than Holiday drums and all you oldies but bad'ies will sympathize with that. So a set like this with a complimentary set of the swan stands and so forth makes for a light package compared to what is available on the market today, and it is also likely to hold value for the forseeable future, whereas new ones will suffer immediate and serious depreciation in the main.
Other than single lugs however, the construction is identical to the Holiday models and I have every expectation they will also sound as good and possibly a little different because there is less metal on the shells. You also have to get used to a tom that is very definitely in a hard left position or substitute with a snare stand.
Beyond that I say buy them and play them if you like them and can afford them.
Sorry, missed something while editing:
first sentance:
"...then I think the threshold price is fair. I would........"
Thanks for the response, Dan. I agree that the worst thing about these (and Club Dates, and Stage Bands) as you say, is the vulnerable tension rods. We've all heard the argument that the shells can vibrate more freely with less lug mass on them, and there are those who will argue either way. Lighter for gigging is a definite plus, since my own Rogers drums seem to be heavier than my Ludwig and Slingerland anyway! Gotta admit that the lower position of that Swivo tom mount is my main issue here, because I don't want to use a snare stand for the tom. Why would I, when the Swivo mount is already there, and the arm weighs less than a stand? (See above argument about shell vibration.)
Sorry to slightly hijack the thread.
Thanks again, and best of luck on the sale!
Drake
