I get emails all of the time with a basic drum description and a serial number from visitors in hopes I can unlock the history of their drum. I think in general serial numbers do play an important role in the commercial market especially electronics and other high end items. In the 60's Insurance companies made it mandatory that serial numbers be put on items so they can be documented. Unfortunately drum companies never really prescribed to any code of documenting a drum based on that serial number.
In fact I once heard that they started using serial numbers not for their own use per say but so schools and institutions could keep track of instruments in inventory. I also get people asking what factory a drum might have shipped from or the exact month a drum was made or even the production numbers etc. The ever important serial number which some companies keep detailed records of unfortunately does not exist in the history of drums. We also have to state that much of the record keeping was archaic at best and in some cases history was destroyed in plant fires or just tossed in the garbage! With that said many drum companies never even used serial numbers early on. In most cases the best way to estimate the date of a drum is its physical characteristics.
Fortunately drum companies since the 40's were good at printing catalogs. Earlier catalog examples do exist, but are rare and expensive to acquire. In most cases they also included a host of other band instruments and items related to the music business. These catalogs although re-printed in some cases from year to year with limited changes do provide a timeline of when finishes were added and when hardware was used and or changed on drums. Unfortunately still there is no exact science or way to pinpoint an exact date of a drums manufacture. As collectors and historians we have to settle for a date range or a specific year at best. That being said some drums did get date stamped on the inside shell and that is the most accurate indication when a drum was made.
The problem was that the stamp was created with an ink that easily wiped off during routine cleanings! Even if a serial number badge does exist on a drum anomalies do occur and that is because the badges did not have an inventory control system. A more historical perspective and history of this practice was documented by Vintage Drum Center and can be read. It is also common knowledge that finishes that were discontinued were kept in inventory and people would order them, so production would use the finish.
That throws the date of the drum off! This happened with hardware and badges and these companies were competing in an ever aggressive market and had to do what needed to be done to remain profitable.
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This is especially the case when import drums started flooding the market with a lower priced alternative set of drums. Quick Company Guide: Ludwig Drum Company - Information Below Slingerland Drums - Rogers Drums - A few people are trying to create a guide, but the best way is the physical characteristics Leedy - Physical characteristics Gretsch - Physical characteristics Anyone left out - Physical characterisitics So if you finally made it to this point then you are almost there! Below you will find information for dating the serial numbers on Ludwig Drums. Here are some references you can use to date by serial number. The web site link is available so feel free to visit their web sites and learn more.
I only put them in one location to make it easier for people to get the information. 60's Ludwig dating guide: Also if you wish to purchase vintage drums or new drum gear this is the place to go!
If you have this badge you can't use the serial number guides below.
According to tama's website, you can figure out the manufacture year of your starclassic drum from the serial number. You take the 1st 2 digits of the number and subtract 10. I noticed all my drums (purchased last year) are 08, so i would assume the build date is 1998. Well if that's the case, then something is wrong. Because when i ordered the performers last year, they were advertised as all birch. I believe performers weren't all birch until 1999.
So does this mean my drums are actually birch/poplar and not all birch? I'm concerned about this, so i called midwest percussion and they didn't know what to tell me. They said die cast hoops and dark cherry fade (my drums color) didn't exist until about 2 years ago.
So what's the deal. My god Andy!!!!!!!!!I had exactly the same terrifying fear about my Peformer becuase I purchased them in right at the end of 2000 and my serial numbers start with 03. Now according to the Tama formula, my kit would have been manufactured in 1993.
This is simply not possible because the the whole Starclassic line didn't even exist in 1993. Like you I was really concerned that I had been given one of those kits that wasn't 100% Birch and that it was birch/basswood. Then I finally worked it out.
I found this site which permitted you to visit dated archived pages of almost any website. I went to the archived pages of the Tama site and looked up some info about the Performers round about the 1999 period. The Performers were upgraded to an all birch composition in early 1999 (February if I remember correctly) but then I found out the info that confirmed my performer was actually 100% birch. As well as offering the performer in 100% birch, accel sizes were intorduced at the same time as part of the all birch upgrade. My sizes were actually accel sizes: 10x8, 12x9, 14x11 and 20x18.
The 20x18 bass drum was not available when the drums were actually birch/basswood. The 18 depth only came into effect when the drums were actually upgraded as all birch. I think the Tama formula of subtracting 10 from the serial numbers only works for the Starclassic maple. I think i've seen photos of your kit and they do seem to be accel sizes. If they're not, it doesn't necessarily mean they're not all birch.
You may have to call Tama to find out specifically but if they are accel sizes, then you've got nothing to worry about becuase the acel sizes were introduced as part of the all birch upgrade. Hope this helps, let me know!!! My god Andy!!!!!!!!!I had exactly the same terrifying fear about my Peformer becuase I purchased them in right at the end of 2000 and my serial numbers start with 03. Now according to the Tama formula, my kit would have been manufactured in 1993. This is simply not possible because the the whole Starclassic line didn't even exist in 1993. Like you I was really concerned that I had been given one of those kits that wasn't 100% Birch and that it was birch/basswood. Then I finally worked it out.
I found this site which permitted you to visit dated archived pages of almost any website. I went to the archived pages of the Tama site and looked up some info about the Performers round about the 1999 period. The Performers were upgraded to an all birch composition in early 1999 (February if I remember correctly) but then I found out the info that confirmed my performer was actually 100% birch.
As well as offering the performer in 100% birch, accel sizes were intorduced at the same time as part of the all birch upgrade. My sizes were actually accel sizes: 10x8, 12x9, 14x11 and 20x18. The 20x18 bass drum was not available when the drums were actually birch/basswood. The 18 depth only came into effect when the drums were actually upgraded as all birch. I think the Tama formula of subtracting 10 from the serial numbers only works for the Starclassic maple. I think i've seen photos of your kit and they do seem to be accel sizes.
If they're not, it doesn't necessarily mean they're not all birch. You may have to call Tama to find out specifically but if they are accel sizes, then you've got nothing to worry about becuase the acel sizes were introduced as part of the all birch upgrade. Hope this helps, let me know!!! Glad to see i'm not crazy!!! Thanx for the info. Andy, I've had exactly the same issue.
I have a large SCP drumset (bought new 2 years ago) and most of the drums numbers start with 03. I contacted Tama by mail a few months back about this but never got a reply. (I love Tama to death but their customer service.).
My drums also have the accel size so I'm sure they are 100% birch. My hypothesis was this one: Tama started to build the starclassic line well before they started to be available in 1994. The Starclassic birch line appeared in 1996 (before the Performers) and I thought that maybe some of the shells I have were originally built for the SC birch series way back then. But, since Tama is completely mute on this, we might never know. Originally posted by AstroTama Andy, I've had exactly the same issue. I have a large SCP drumset (bought new 2 years ago) and most of the drums numbers start with 03.
I contacted Tama by mail a few months back about this but never got a reply. (I love Tama to death but their customer service.). My drums also have the accel size so I'm sure they are 100% birch. My hypothesis was this one: Tama started to build the starclassic line well before they started to be available in 1994.
The Starclassic birch line appeared in 1996 (before the Performers) and I thought that maybe some of the shells I have were originally built for the SC birch series way back then. But, since Tama is completely mute on this, we might never know. Astro, If your kit is made up of accel sizes then it is definetely 100% birch. Accel sizes were offered together with the all birch upgrade.
When performers were a mix of basswood and birch (pre 1999), the accel sizes did not exist. Read my post above.
I purchased my kit in December 2000. My serial numbers also start with 03 that means that my kit was made in 1993 according to the Tama formula. My kit came all boxed up. It just isn't possible that it was lying in the warehouse for 7 years and then was shipped to me.
Like I said in the previous post, the Tama formula for determining the production date only works with Starclasic maple and not the performer. Performers wer upgraded to all birch in February 1999. Originally posted by Drum Pimp Astro, If your kit is made up of accel sizes then it is definetely 100% birch.
Accel sizes were offered together with the all birch upgrade. When performers were a mix of basswood and birch (pre 1999), the accel sizes did not exist. Read my post above. I purchased my kit in December 2000. My serial numbers also start with 03 that means that my kit was made in 1993 according to the Tama formula. My kit came all boxed up. It just isn't possible that it was lying in the warehouse for 7 years and then was shipped to me.
Like I said in the previous post, the Tama formula for determining the production date only works with Starclasic maple and not the performer. Performers wer upgraded to all birch in February 1999. Sounds like it, but we'll never know for sure.
I called and emailed tama, but i doubt i'll get a response. Good drums,. service - bah!!
Chill man, We were just kidding, Tama is not like most drum companies. There is no information released on their site to account for their in house number system. That is why we were having a bit of fun with your thread. Tama is a small part of a large diversified corporation that doesn't do a good job of communicating with the owners of their products.
As a matter of fact, They are down right cold when it comes to customer relations. They are a typical old fashioned Japanese conglomerate. They simply will not share anything with us and we can't easily share with them. Just go to their site and try to ask them something. Musical instruments are just a small portion of the conglomerates products.
They don't even say what else they make besides Ibanez guitars. Drums are among the smallest amount of their products! All communications with them are done by snail mail and you will receive a form letter for an answer. The reply letter will contain nothing that will feel personal to you. They are cold and corporate all the way.
They do make some great drums though. Link to the mother company. Hoshino Gakki. Pretty all the major drum companies only use serial numbers so the end user can keep track of their drums for insurance purposes, and no major drum company keeps such serial numbers on file. Also Tama Rockstar is was the lower line for Tama for nearly 20 years, and through the course of it's history, the snare drum only had minor, if any, changes from any one year compared to any other year. So getting an exact date for any one Rockstar snare drum would be near impossible and rather pointless, because it's age wouldn't affect it's value. Overall, it's pretty generic metal snare drum.
The Tama website does have a history section with every catalog scanned and on file. You can dig through there if you want to try and narrow it down.
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