It came from the 80s!

[Bo Eder]

$50 pawn shop find. I wish I took pictures of it the way I found it. It was really dirty, bad heads, bass drum had no front hoop, which I solved by replacing with Accutune hoops. Dismantled the kit and applied copious amounts of elbow grease to polish all the metal bits. Used soap and water to clean the shells, put on some better heads I already had and voila! Some of the wrap is damaged and the seams are lifting but since it’s black you can’t really see that. This will be a nice players kit.

 

[JimmyM]

I need to find a lower class of pawn shop. Every store I go to has drums priced what they’re worth.

 

[I-P]

Nice tubs.

 

[Bozozoid]

Some people rescue animals from the shelter...Bo rescues drums from pawn shops and turns pitiful piles of matter into beautiful instruments. I love that. On those hoops..i don't know why but they do wonderful things with tone. Every midpriced Tama bass drum I've heard with those hoops sounded low and beefy. Wonderful job Dr. Bo. 😃.

 

[C. Dave Run]

I need to find a lower class of pawn shop.

You and me both. Even the crappy ones have drums priced correctly usually.

I did manage to find a Jackson Rhoads V in blue sparkle with black hardware, Floyd Rose, and hardshell fitted case for $175. That was my pawnshop find. Sold it like 6 months later, to another pawnshop, for $250.

 

[Push pull stroke]

I’ve always wondered what power toms would sound like with suspension mounts.

 

[Stroman]

Nice find for $50!

Like these other folks, pawn shops in places I've lived have always had absurdly priced musical instruments. (One exception in a town about an hour away - they have good selection and prices )

I usually see things like a beat up Ibanez sound gear bass for $300, when you could buy a brand new one for 200. I feel like asking, do you guys know how to work the Internet?? Lol
Anyway, great find, Bo.

 

[Bo Eder]

Nice find for $50!

Like these other folks, pawn shops in places I've lived have always had absurdly priced musical instruments. (One exception in a town about an hour away - they have good selection and prices )

I usually see things like a beat up Ibanez sound gear bass for $300, when you could buy a brand new one for 200. I feel like asking, do you guys know how to work the Internet?? Lol
Anyway, great find, Bo.

Now I wish I did “before” pics. These drums were really neglected and probably undervalued by the shop. They just wanted to move them out. It is amazing what a cleaning will do.

I initially asked my drum luthier if he could cut down the toms to make them playable for me, but then I found a guy on eBay selling a black Swingstar 8x12 shell from the same era for $20! Couldn’t pass that up. So I’ll probably swap hardware to that shell and leave the 13” in the closet.

The cool thing I like about these Accutune hoops is that when you put the drum into the car, there’s nothing to snag on the upholstery!

Does anybody make a plate to cover the tom mount holes on the bass drum?

 

[Push pull stroke]

Now I wish I did “before” pics. These drums were really neglected and probably undervalued by the shop. They just wanted to move them out. It is amazing what a cleaning will do.

I initially asked my drum luthier if he could cut down the toms to make them playable for me, but then I found a guy on eBay selling a black Swingstar 8x12 shell from the same era for $20! Couldn’t pass that up. So I’ll probably swap hardware to that shell and leave the 13” in the closet.

The cool thing I like about these Accutune hoops is that when you put the drum into the car, there’s nothing to snag on the upholstery!

Does anybody make a plate to cover the tom mount holes on the bass drum?

Oh come on, put some suspension mounts on these and go nuts with some Tom-heavy fills at some random gigs

 

[harryconway]

I initially asked my drum luthier if he could cut down the toms to make them playable for me, but then I found a guy on eBay selling a black Swingstar 8x12 shell from the same era for $20! Couldn’t pass that up. So I’ll probably swap hardware to that shell and leave the 13” in the closet.

Uncle Charlie sizes

 

[Sonar Dave]

Nice Find. I like the bass head.

 

[Rock Salad]

I've always wanted to try those hoops too. You can't buy them for $50 usually especially not with a drum and rest of a kit attached!

 

[wildbill]

Nice Find. I like the bass head.

The bass drum reso head makes the kit. Draws the eyes right to it first.
Then I noticed the toms.
I'd probably cut those down even though the bass looks like it might be an 18".

If the set was really neglected, filthy, and looked like crap, $50 was probably the right price.
Labor costs something - your own costs time, and having someone else do it costs money.
Heads are getting costly nowadays too.

 

[cbphoto]

$50 pawn shop find.

In Los Angeles??? Or did you travel to Victorville?

 

[RobertM]

The era of drums with floor tom-sized tom toms. Too funny.

 

[lefty2]

That's a heck of a deal good find. I have a easy hack for bass drum feet. Drill a hole through the rubber feet and put a sheet metal screw with a small washer through the whole. This will give the the drum spikes. I did that to some 83 Royal stars it worked great.

 

[Bo Eder]

Received the 8x12 tom shell today and swapped hardware and here’s my new Charlie Watts kit - 8x12/16x16/16x22!

 

[I-P]

I love those deep tom toms.
Gimme a 12,13,16 kit any day.

 

[wildbill]

Received the 8x12 tom shell today and swapped hardware and here’s my new Charlie Watts kit - 8x12/16x16/16x22!

22" bass drum?
From the first and last pics in the first post, I would have sworn it was 18".
Those must be some real big toms in the first post, or the camera angle makes them look big.

 

[Bo Eder]

22" bass drum?
From the first and last pics in the first post, I would have sworn it was 18".
Those must be some real big toms in the first post, or the camera angle makes them look big.

It’s the phone. This is what was in all those Tama ads in the 80s, and they did great shots where the bass drums looked like a good match.