60s Whitehall Drums

ineedaclutch

Platinum Member
I picked up this kit last Friday from a pawn shop on the cheap. It is a 20x14, 12x8, 14x14, and has a matching 14", 10-lug snare (not pictured). The snare pictured is my workhorse Yamaha Maple Custom 14x6. The kit appears to be an all-original, late 60s Whitehall stencil kit made by Pearl. I am planning on leaving these in a lockup where I do not want to leave any of my good kits or gear.

I stripped the hardware off, cleaned up the bearing edges, swapped out the swivel nuts, threw some Pearl ft feet on a set of Ludwig legs, and gave her a quick clean. The heads are what I had laying around the office, but I am sure with some G1 or Ambs it will sound better, though with the heads I slapped on it sounds surprisingly good. Unfortunately the bass drum mounted ride stand and mount are missing.

It also came with an 18" Meinl Ambico crash/ride with a really great bell, and 13" CB700 hihats. The hats are made in Italy and actually sound pretty good. I read that Tosco or possibly Ufip had something to do with that era. I compared them to my 13.25 K Hybrids, and while they are not on that level they can hold their own.

The kit and cymbals certainly won't replace any of my good gear, but it will be perfect for the lockup all while being in it for under three digits.
 

Attachments

  • 20190917_101037-1024x498.jpg
    20190917_101037-1024x498.jpg
    151.7 KB · Views: 27
  • 20190917_101049-1024x498.jpg
    20190917_101049-1024x498.jpg
    139 KB · Views: 28
  • 20190917_101132-1024x498.jpg
    20190917_101132-1024x498.jpg
    158.2 KB · Views: 24
Last edited:
Have fun with them. Peace and goodwill.
 
Nice score. The old MIJ kits can be a lot of fun, and sound pretty killer. Tons of warm, vintage tone.
 
Right now they sound punchy tuned low, and a good kind of tubby tuned up. Middle of the road tuning is not great. This is mostly due to the Ec2 over Remo CS black dots that the kit came with from the 70s, but I happened to have those at my office when I was reassembling it after swapping out the swivel nuts. I will change out to coated G1 over clear this weekend if I find the time.

I will also post up some better pictures. When I resized them they turned to crap.
 
Back
Top