Welcome
to the Vintage Japanese Drums Page. I have been collecting information
on vintage Japanese drums since the early 90's. The information
has grown to the point where a special section was required to keep
it all documented and in order.
If
you are here, then you are probably trying to determine if the drums
you own were made in Japan. A little background is in order. During
the early-mid 60's the increase of drum sales in the US was a lucrative
avenue for importing instruments in to the country at a price that
was less then what the big drum companies were charging.
Many
Japanese drums look very similar in design to American drums. Hmm..
I wonder why that was? Many times you look at a set of Japanese
drums and think they are Slingerland or Gretsch. Then after you
look at them closer you can easily determine they are not. The biggest
tell tale sign is the type of wood used in the shells and the direction
of the wood grain. If you look inside your drums you will quickly
notice the wood grain is running vertical. (Hoop to Hoop) this was
an easier and cheaper way to make drum shells and required a simpler
manufacturing process. The wood itself was called Luan /Lauan (Philippine
Mahogany) and is a cheap wood usually used on the inside of doors
and cabinets.
The
badges are plenty! I have many documented and displayed on the badge
section in the links at the top of this page. They were usually
put on with folding grommets and many times the interior wood is
splintered.
The
hardware is a much cheaper version and the chrome is not very good.
The hardware will rust easier then American hardware and depending
on how advanced the rust is will determine if they can be restored.
It was a common practice for people to use steel wool to clean drum
hardware, but that has fallen out of use because it can leave fine
scratches in the chrome and especially on Japanese drums. Follow
the links at the top for more information on the best ways to clean
and restore drums.
Here is a page of many different names
associated with Japanese Manufactured drums.
If you ever have a question please visit the Vintage
Drum Forum and ask it in the Non-USA drum section.
Thank
you for visiting
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