Part of the set looks to be a late 70's Olympic set.Tom on right looks newer..A better photo would be better to post...Mikey

more photos

Funny blend - each drum seemingly comes from another kit than the others! A real mix of a kit.

The Bass is a Projector Mk. I - or 8000, if you are from the USA. Beverley lugs gives it away. Really nice drum, and a way of having the nice thin Premier shell with a relatively modern depth. Not too many about.

The 16" (?) Floor tom is an Elite with its diecast hoops and "Pointy" lugs. Very nice drum too!

The smallest tom (12x8?) is an Olympic (by Premier) or a Premier Club with 5 double ended socalled Speedboat lug5. Nice too, shell like the Elite.

The next - (13x12"?) - is likely the newest of the lot. If it has a thin shell with reinforcement rings, like the three I already has described, it is a Projector Mk. II with its doubleended "Pointy" lugs, pressed hoops and newer tom mount than all the others. If it has no rings and a thicker shell, it is an APK/XPK - and less desirable and less sonically integrated with the other drums.

The last one - (14x12"?) - is also either an Olympic or a Club if thin shelled with rings, a Premier Royale or Crown if not. Speedboat lugs.

Maybe I have misguessed all the sizes? Then they are 10, 12, 13 and possibly 14 instead of the 12, 13, 14 and 16 I guessed?

But the series should be right. Whether they are Vintage or not is a case for discussion - I would say they are. If all the shells are thin with rings, it can be a really nice players kit.

I would like to know how the drums were brought together!

Regards

Jon

Hi Jon, Yes i must admit its quite a mixed bag, i dont actually know the background of how it came to be but i bought it as a job lot for £50.

Ive only started playing in the last year and loving every minute.

Ive just spent the last 5 hours trying to dig up everything about each individual drum, i started with taking measurements of each drum, then moved onto the different styles of badges, the lug designs etc.

These are my results albeit probably wrong.

Small tom 12"X 8" from Premier olympic kit 1978, kit no B1033, part no 1442.

Hi-Tom 12" x 11" (power tom) from a Premier APK/XPK part no3612.

Mid-Tom 13"x11" (power tom) from the Premier Black shadow series, part no 2133.

Floor-Tom 16" x 16" also from the black shadow series part no 2136.

Bass Drum 20" from the 1978 premier soundwave model B4001, part no 4130.

Its been an education trying to figure it all out, never really gave vintage drums a thought before, its facinating. There is so much to learn.

I must say this is the first Acoustic set of drums i have bought, ive been trying to learn on a little yamaha dtxplorer trigger kit for the past year, so my knowledge of drums has until now been purely electric.

Huge thanks for your help and expertise!

ps i couldnt find any info on resonating fittings with regards to my deduction on the mid and floor tom belonging to the black shaddow series, so im not really sure what to look for inside the shells, although these drums do seem to be heaver if that makes sense. Ive probably got it all wrong.

Kind Regards

david

I will have to go with Jon on this one.He pretty much nile it down....Mikey

Congratulations. Davie. Both on taking up a great hobby with so many sides to it - physically, mentally and socially - and on buying a nice kit kit for a modest outlay.

I have some comments to your own discoveries on the drums:

"Mid-Tom 13"x11" (power tom) from the Premier Black shadow series, part no 2133." If this is a Black Shadow, the hoops has been changed, as it would´ve had the same type of diecast hoops as the floortom. The Black Shadow was the top of the range Resonators with a special very dark, almost black, see-throgh lacquer on the birch veneer. Being Resonators, they should have an inner liner hiding all attachment screws and making a smooth innerside from reinforcement ring to reinforcement ring. These innershells were sometimes removed when things workerd loose, and a lot of owners then couldn´t refit them. Then the drum is the same as an Elite. Resonators and Black Shadows have a small Resonator badge fitted right under the red "P".

If it was once fitted with an innershell, there will be a small block of wood glued on the inside - originally supporting the seam of the innershell.

Floor-Tom 16" x 16" also from the black shadow series part no 2136. Same here - Black Shadows are lacquered, not coated, have innershell or at least small suport block and Resonator badge.

Unless Premier sold the drums under other names in the US, the bassdrum is not a Soundwave (They had Speedboat lugs) but a Projector.

You can find all the relevant catalogues at drumarchive.com/premier - funny, nerdy reading.

Regards

Jon

Huge Thanks Jon for sharing your wisdom and expertise, Im actually taking the Kit down to the recording studio tonight to have a blast with it. I shall let you know how it goes. Thanks Again Jon, brilliant stuff.

King Regards

David