PK Drums!...

Actually, you were right on both counts. The part is referred to as a "Collet Nose", and that is per Rogers! For the sake of ease, everybody just calls them Collets. Anyway, regarding the MACHINED vs. CAST:

The solid/rounded looking ones are the CAST variant, and these came in later towards the end of the Swivo-Matic period. They show up in the Rogers catalog in 1973, so these are Fullerton, CA era parts. These are also the "cheaper" of the two and crack pretty easily. Rogers, or I should say CBS, went the CAST route at this point as they were much cheaper to manufacture... and of course durability of the part suffered commensurately.

The MACHINED version was the original and started in 1958!, remaining in place until the cast variant came in. That would include Cleveland and Dayton. These are the better of the two, hands down. Much more durable and not anywhere near as prone to cracks/failure, although if leaned on too heavily over time, they certainly can also crack.

The MACHINED Collets always sell for more... unless ... the buyer is asleep and pays too much for the CAST version, or doesn't realize he's buying/bidding on the cast version. I want to add that the CAST Collets aren't bad by any means... they function fine! One must practice a little care is all when tightening them. Course, you want the proper Collet for the year of your kit in most cases, thus the CAST Collets may end up being the correct ones! Got Rogers?!

Tommyp

Are the Rogers machined and cast collets interchangeable? (I see the aesthetic difference.) My Rogers have been played for almost 35 years and some of the collets are rough. I'd like to start replacing the cast collets with the more durable machined versions if they'll work. Is there a source besides eBay?

Hello Mr. Unzio!

BOTH the machined Collet Nose and the cast Collet Nose ARE interchangeable! Both will work with all the Knobby mounts, which is why we do see a blend of the two different styles on kits here and there as guys would just use what they could find or buy... probably not even realizing that there WERE two different styles. Have a look/read at the 2nd post in this thread where I went into a little detail as to how the different styles came to be. Having done that:

Yes... there is another source besides eBay for the MACHINED Collet's, and in this case, it isn't Jim Petty, although he manufactures just gorgeous Rogers replacement parts. You will want to contact Al Drew Music in Woonsocket, RI. Dave Drew bought all the remaining Rogers parts when they sold out years ago, but in this case, he is having these made to EXACT Rogers specs/prints, and they are the MACHINED version. Dave also sells these on eBay with regularity... and as luck would have it, here's a current one right now: http://cgi.ebay.com/ROGERS-COLLET-NOSE-MACHINED-VERSION-NEW-STOCK_W0QQitemZ290210782588QQihZ019QQcategoryZ47089QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem They are a tad pricey, but what isn't today... especially for a quality part! You can contact Dave through the eBay auction and get his DIRECT SALE info as he does sell these through his store in Woonsocket, RI.

Dave Drew is the only source to my knowledge of NEW Rogers machined Collet Noses. Have a look! Hope this was of help to you Mr. Unzio!

Tommyp

Tommy, thanks. Just what I needed.

Apologies for bumping such an old thread, but I thought any additional information on this could be useful for future users.

I never noticed this before, but I have two different machined collet noses. One is stamped "Pat. Pend. Made in U.S.A." and the other is plain. I did buy a complete tom collet on eBay a couple years ago and can't remember if that is where this collet nose came from as I've swapped some parts around.

I'm curious if anyone knows what's going on with these different machined collet noses? Is the plain one a Drew Music reproduction?

Thanks.

Dan: the unmarked collets nose is definitely NOT cast, and looks identical to the "patent pending" version. My guess is you wound up with one of Jim Petty or Dave Drew's repro's. Nice!

Hugh

Thanks Hugh. It is an amazing reproduction whoever made it. Pretty much identical to the original. Impressive.

Dan, scrolling thru Rob Cook's The Rogers Book, Second Edition, I came across a picture of a machined collet nose on page 208 from the 1971 catalog, Fullerton era. It appears to be an unstamped version, like yours. It is clearly different than the cast version from the 1973 catalog on page 216.

Good eye Hugh. I've got the 2nd Edition at home. I'll check it out tonight. So many of the black and white photos in that book lack clear detail.