Need help to ID old Premier Drum set

ocgvictoria

ocgvictoria

Well-known member
I’m new to the forum but have been lurking for a while. A very nice forum.

I picked up a used Premier drum set at a great price and am just starting to restore it. Can someone help identify the model, year and the color?

The hardware seems solid but shows its age. The shells have taken a knock or two but they are perfectly round and new heads rotate smoothly. The shell on the Tom is a dark wood outer and what appears to be two birch rings? The color seems like a turquoise but can switch from green to blue depending on the light. Any help is appreciated. A6110C3C-C205-44FA-B871-3E3EDAF20DD5.jpegD4F5AA82-3694-4E25-982C-04730679FA45.jpeg2453A86B-1C6B-4F1E-8464-F874A40101B7.jpeg
 
ocgvictoria

ocgvictoria

Well-known member
Tamaefx said:
These are late 90’s XPK. Birch Eucalyptus Birch.
very good drums.
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Thank you for the information! I saw this set on the my local Facebook marketplace about 90 miles from me and went down to check them out and although were neglected, they sounded very “rich” even with some old heads that were way beyond their life span. It was a three piece set with 22” bass drum, 16” floor Tom and 12” mounted Tom.

The hardware is in good condition and I gather from the wear I see they were used regularly, but maintained well.The rims have been perfect so far, I just started the 16” floor tom a few minutes ago. I see two holes that I assume were for a missing bracket to actually mount the 16 Tom? I’m thinking they were added later, but could be wrong, but I’m thinking I will plug the two holes. The legs were in good condition too except for missing one leg pad. Hopefully I can find a replacement.

pad.73E7F69E-8684-4AD6-A39C-D63DAF953384.jpegD7F93AF0-EC25-43EA-B214-B7EA18845510.jpeg
 
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ocgvictoria

ocgvictoria

Well-known member
Does anyone know if the color for this Premier set is Terraverdi Green or Turquoise Lacquer? Seems like it is listed as several colors by sellers but I cannot find anything official.
 
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Morrisman

Morrisman

Platinum Member
Turquoise lacquer, XPK between 1997 - 1999. Before ‘97 they had long lugs, and in ‘99 they introduced Rims mounts. Look for the ‘Rebound 4’ catalogue in the vintage drum guide. The wood is birch - eucalyptus - birch.

The small lugs are prone to bending and stripping threads. I got some spares posted from a shop in England.
 
ocgvictoria

ocgvictoria

Well-known member
Morrisman said:
Turquoise lacquer, XPK between 1997 - 1999. Before ‘97 they had long lugs, and in ‘99 they introduced Rims mounts. Look for the ‘Rebound 4’ catalogue in the vintage drum guide. The wood is birch - eucalyptus - birch.

The small lugs are prone to bending and stripping threads. I got some spares posted from a shop in England.
Click to expand...

Thank you Morrisman. I haven’t seen any bent tension rods yet although one rod did have a “catch” in one thread. I deburred it with a dremmel and it threads fine. Are the tension rods a special length that cannot be readily replaced?
 
someguy01

someguy01

Well-known member
I have the same kit, same era, in the natural finish, and one tom in rosewood red lacquer.
I am about to wrap the whole kit so everything matches. I have nothing but good things to say about Premier.
 
ocgvictoria

ocgvictoria

Well-known member
Can’t wait for my clean up to finish as I am looking forward to playing it a lot! New heads are on the mounted Tom already (Not tuned yet) and i should me done with the floor Tom tonight or tomorrow. Still have the bass drum to go of course.

The mounting hardware for the floor tom legs are in good shape and I’ve rejuvenated the rubber with some Protectant 303.80E05194-A591-42A6-8188-4C2B3FFABC6C.jpeg
 
Morrisman

Morrisman

Platinum Member
ocgvictoria said:
Thank you Morrisman. I haven’t seen any bent tension rods yet although one rod did have a “catch” in one thread. I deburred it with a dremmel and it threads fine. Are the tension rods a special length that cannot be readily replaced?
Click to expand...
The tension rods are normal, its the lugs themselves that have failed. On my snare, where there’s more tension, three lugs pulled away from the screws holding them in, with the threads stripping in the process. I’ve had no trouble with toms or bass drum lugs.
 
ocgvictoria

ocgvictoria

Well-known member
Ahhhh, the lugs themselves; interesting. Well this set did not come with the snare but thanks for the heads up. I‘d like to acquire the matching snare one day, if I do I’ll keep that in mind.

Edited to add: I am assuming the snare shell is constructed like the rest of the kit; two birch with eucalyptus in the middle?
 
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ocgvictoria

ocgvictoria

Well-known member
IBitePrettyHard said:
Your resto appears to be coming along quite nicely! Restoring my Ludwig Vistalite kit was a lot of work but it was incredibly rewarding.

I want to do it all again!
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It is a lot of fun. I detail my own sports car and restoring a drum is a lot like taking care of a good car.

The floor Tom is about done except for plugging two holes. I’m going to do that at a later date after I do the bass drum.

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Old Dog new Cans

Old Dog new Cans

Senior Member
Al Strange said:
Best in the world mate! My mum worked at the plating factory in Wigston back in the day...B&B plating! ? ?
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When I restored my buddy's Premier '54 (made in the mid to late 60s), I was MOST impressed with how WELL the hardware polished up. I used NEVR DULL. Thanks Mum!

Before

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After

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