Drumthumper
Junior Member
Ok so this is going to be an odd post, this is also my first post as I've never really needed to use the forum before because all the info I need is on here already.
Here goes:
I bought a MIJ Starclassic Maple from a guy for a pretty decent price, the hardware was rusty and corroded on the kick but I planned on replacing it anyways. When I got there the guy was a little nervous but I figured it was because in his eBay ad he didn't show the rust, only the corrosion, once again I didn't mind.
He also gave me this shell that one of his mate's had made for him, it was in almost the same colour as the maple shells he was giving me, his mate had even made the decal badges for custom made Tama's. The colour of the decal was really different to the rest of the shells, you could tell it wasn't the same. He said he didn't know what it was made from, he just got his friend to make it because he wanted and odd size, 9.5".
Here's where it gets interesting, when I was at his place checking out the shells it had everything in place. The decals, the serial #'s on the inside, everything. But when I got it home and took the heads off things got a little weird, the kick and the 12" tom are completely smooth on the inside and smell of something, not really sure what. But the floor tom is untreated, totally natural. I have a B/B that I compared it with and all the shells are natural and unsealed, I was under the impression that Tama leaves their wood porous on the inside of their shells, can anyone help me out as to why the kick and the 12" rack would be totally smooth and the floor would be natural.
Also what is interesting is the amount of corrosion and rust on the hardware of the kick yet the shells themselves show no signs of any humidity or moisture at all, I mean the kick is immaculate on the inside.
Also the bearing edges seem really sharp for a Tama, I thought that Tama uses a bit more of a round bearing edge on their shells but also knowing that the Maple shells are thinner than B/B and Bubinga shells maybe I'm missing something in terms of the way the bearing edges are constructed on the Maple shell, should the B/B and Maple shells have the same bearing edge or should they differ because the Maple has a thinner shell??
The grain differs from each drum too, the grain density in the floor is much higher than in the kick and rack.
Lastly the decals shouldn't be felt when I run my hand across them yeah?? When I run my hand across the kick drum decal I can feel in underneath my finger, also are the decals hand-painted?? because these look like they are stenciled, especially the kick drum.
I've got an issue because the guy left me with an uneasy feeling, also because of the shell he had mocked up. If he has the means to experiment with colour, paint and decals, he also said he worked in 'Paper Recycling' which could also be construed as he works with wood, I've got a sneaky suspicion he has made this kit himself. Here's the most messed up thing, he has receipts dating to when he purchased the kit so I think that at one stage he owned a Tama Starclassic Maple, I just don't think the one I bought is it. He said it had been left in a closet on top of a vent that let moisture in the house and the kick drum was on top of that vent for a while, but he showed me his prized Ludwig kit that was sitting on top of the same vent. Why would you do the same thing twice??
Here are some pictures for you, the colour is supposed to be Black Cherry:
Here's the link: http://imgur.com/a/qZ4qG
Images 1,4,7 are of the fake Tom
Images 2,10 are of the floor
Images 11,3,5,6 are the kick
Images 7,8,9,12 are the rack tom
Can anyone help me to discern whether or not I have fraudulent shells, bearing edges, shell contruction, texture, decals, anything I should know.
It may seem odd to think this but if the guy can manufacture shells, decals and paint who knows what he is doing.
Here goes:
I bought a MIJ Starclassic Maple from a guy for a pretty decent price, the hardware was rusty and corroded on the kick but I planned on replacing it anyways. When I got there the guy was a little nervous but I figured it was because in his eBay ad he didn't show the rust, only the corrosion, once again I didn't mind.
He also gave me this shell that one of his mate's had made for him, it was in almost the same colour as the maple shells he was giving me, his mate had even made the decal badges for custom made Tama's. The colour of the decal was really different to the rest of the shells, you could tell it wasn't the same. He said he didn't know what it was made from, he just got his friend to make it because he wanted and odd size, 9.5".
Here's where it gets interesting, when I was at his place checking out the shells it had everything in place. The decals, the serial #'s on the inside, everything. But when I got it home and took the heads off things got a little weird, the kick and the 12" tom are completely smooth on the inside and smell of something, not really sure what. But the floor tom is untreated, totally natural. I have a B/B that I compared it with and all the shells are natural and unsealed, I was under the impression that Tama leaves their wood porous on the inside of their shells, can anyone help me out as to why the kick and the 12" rack would be totally smooth and the floor would be natural.
Also what is interesting is the amount of corrosion and rust on the hardware of the kick yet the shells themselves show no signs of any humidity or moisture at all, I mean the kick is immaculate on the inside.
Also the bearing edges seem really sharp for a Tama, I thought that Tama uses a bit more of a round bearing edge on their shells but also knowing that the Maple shells are thinner than B/B and Bubinga shells maybe I'm missing something in terms of the way the bearing edges are constructed on the Maple shell, should the B/B and Maple shells have the same bearing edge or should they differ because the Maple has a thinner shell??
The grain differs from each drum too, the grain density in the floor is much higher than in the kick and rack.
Lastly the decals shouldn't be felt when I run my hand across them yeah?? When I run my hand across the kick drum decal I can feel in underneath my finger, also are the decals hand-painted?? because these look like they are stenciled, especially the kick drum.
I've got an issue because the guy left me with an uneasy feeling, also because of the shell he had mocked up. If he has the means to experiment with colour, paint and decals, he also said he worked in 'Paper Recycling' which could also be construed as he works with wood, I've got a sneaky suspicion he has made this kit himself. Here's the most messed up thing, he has receipts dating to when he purchased the kit so I think that at one stage he owned a Tama Starclassic Maple, I just don't think the one I bought is it. He said it had been left in a closet on top of a vent that let moisture in the house and the kick drum was on top of that vent for a while, but he showed me his prized Ludwig kit that was sitting on top of the same vent. Why would you do the same thing twice??
Here are some pictures for you, the colour is supposed to be Black Cherry:
Here's the link: http://imgur.com/a/qZ4qG
Images 1,4,7 are of the fake Tom
Images 2,10 are of the floor
Images 11,3,5,6 are the kick
Images 7,8,9,12 are the rack tom
Can anyone help me to discern whether or not I have fraudulent shells, bearing edges, shell contruction, texture, decals, anything I should know.
It may seem odd to think this but if the guy can manufacture shells, decals and paint who knows what he is doing.