Yamaha 100th anniversaty.. worth pursuing?

So.. a customer of mine has a full set of the 100th anniversary in birdseye maple that he bought brand new in 87, and it's been sitting ever since.. He plays a different instrument and bought these on a whim (which is insane... since they were at huber and breese, i won't even walk into the place.. it's crazy high priced stuff)

Anyway.. I may be able to snag them.. but am curious if anyone has actually played a set? They have my all time favorite lugs but i can't find much info bout them let alone reviews.. More of a museum/collector piece? Don't wanna buy something i won't play is all.. hoping someone will have experience with em.
It's pretty much this exact kit.. finish and all..

attachment.jpg
 
Well, they're very, very nice maple drums, with heavier hoops, so they're going to sound like that, regardless of the brand. If you want a nice maple kit, there are other options, of course. The birds-eye finish is rare, and lovely, but don't expect it to hold its value any more than any other kit. With older kits, condition is everything. So if you think you might want to sell it one day, then don't gig it. Or, at least, be very careful with it and have good cases.

Yamaha's tom mounts have always been great, but after a few decades the balls in the ball-and-socket mounts dry out and need to be replaced, so that they can hold up the toms. It's not a huge deal to replace them; just a heads up.

Those are some deep toms. Modern kits allow for better positioning, and so those tall sizes are usually a turn-off for anyone just looking to buy a functional kit. Probably, many would-be buyers will pass for that reason.
 
Well, they're very, very nice maple drums, with heavier hoops, so they're going to sound like that, regardless of the brand. If you want a nice maple kit, there are other options, of course. The birds-eye finish is rare, and lovely, but don't expect it to hold its value any more than any other kit. With older kits, condition is everything. So if you think you might want to sell it one day, then don't gig it. Or, at least, be very careful with it and have good cases.

Yamaha's tom mounts have always been great, but after a few decades the balls in the ball-and-socket mounts dry out and need to be replaced, so that they can hold up the toms. It's not a huge deal to replace them; just a heads up.

Those are some deep toms. Modern kits allow for better positioning, and so those tall sizes are usually a turn-off for anyone just looking to buy a functional kit. Probably, many would-be buyers will pass for that reason.

thanks.. and yeah.. the toms are my main issue.. they are a little deeper than mine right now and i honestly can't get mine low enough.. so i might end up passing. Unless the guy says something insane like give me 3k... in which case :)

I just didn't know if the 100th's were something super special.. the only info i could find pretty much is that the price for them was insane at the time.

P.S. ok.. i just had a moment after i wrote that... for some reason i won't shell out 3k for a new kit (i think the SQ1 is in that range) but i would for a 33 year old kit? I'm broken inside... i just found that funny and need to re-think things now:)
 
That, to me, is a fine looking drum set.

I can't help but notice though, that the sizes are the same as my Yamaha Power V Special, which also features High Tension lugs and Air Seal shells.
I guess my drums aren't so dated after all. They're timeless. :D
The toms are perfect for me with a 20" bass.

For the price difference, though, someone else can have the maple. I can wait.
 
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Here's some info from a post on drumforum-

 
Thanks, yeah i think i'm gonna pass unless it's stupidly cheap which it won't be :)
 
These are literally Recording Custom drums with a Birdseye outer veneer . They are not maple shells except the outer veneer .

Yeah, found some more info.. birch with outer maple.. I offered him 2500 and he might actually take it, comes with zljidians and stands also.. so.. could be a decent setup, i just need to raise my throne to ringo levels:)
 
I play with a 20" bass, so the fit for me is no problem... I have the 22" that came with the kit too, and it's okay, but the 20" makes it all work for me.
No Ringo throne needed. :)
Yeah, found some more info.. birch with outer maple.. I offered him 2500 and he might actually take it, comes with zljidians and stands also.. so.. could be a decent setup, i just need to raise my throne to ringo levels:)
 
I play with a 20" bass, so the fit for me is no problem... I have the 22" that came with the kit too, and it's okay, but the 20" makes it all work for me.
No Ringo throne needed. :)

Yeah.. i might need a new throne or something, with my 22" when i put the throne up enough to not catch rims and such my right hip hurts after awhile and i lose speed/control in my kick.. When i set it a couple of inches down no issues cept hitting rims unless i want to end up on a facebook crazy tom angles group :)

P.S. just looked.. late 80's recording customs range from 2-4k dependng on setup.. so if i can get it for 2500 with stands/cymbals i won't cry.
 
Those are the rarest of the rarest out there in Yamaha world.

So rare that I have only seen them twice before this one on sale in my 28 years Yamaha.

Yamaha themself might even buy them for one of their global offices, as they showed interest when I told them about two other kits being available from the same seller a few years ago.

They didn’t go through because he probably asked too much, which is why they now are still on Reverb:
https://reverb.com/item/27733190-2-...are&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=27733190


I had the rare drum key (made out of blackwood with an inlay of mother of pearl) one time too.

The most rare of the Centennial line is the Carbon Fiber kit and snare though, really the holy grail.

If this is a 10 or even 9 out of 10 conditio. This could fetch good money, if it weren’t for covid.

I have these scans of the catalog on my computer:
BF91C841-896C-4A4E-ABD7-DB04678706F0.jpeg

Pricewise especially now is hard to tell. These aren’t your everage RC’s so you can’t compare those prices (RC’s can generally bought for anywhere between 500 and 2000) but the deeper sizes are not for everyone too.

If you want to buy them to flip, now is probably the best time ?.
 
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thanks for posting the catalog.. Hoping to hear back from the guy soon. they have been sitting for 25 years pretty much untouched so he's not in a hurry.. I did ask him bout the tuning key.. "Shit, it's been 30 years i have no idea if i have it or where it would be" :(
 
thanks for posting the catalog.. Hoping to hear back from the guy soon. they have been sitting for 25 years pretty much untouched so he's not in a hurry.. I did ask him bout the tuning key.. "Shit, it's been 30 years i have no idea if i have it or where it would be" :(
I think the tuning key was a separate gift/item for purchase back in the day as I have seen even less of those.

Would be cool to have it with the kit though.
 
Bah, just saw that kit on facebook marketplace for 4500... ah well :) Gonna look at new ones then..
 
Were these kits made OEM by Sakae?
 
I am lucky enough to own a YAMAHA Carbon Custom with the some what limited case and found a Centennial drum key last year, I have never seen a key for sale and had to jump on it when it came up and was looking close to 20 years for one.

What kind of sound do those have? I’ve never heard a carbon fiber kit in-person.
 
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