Premier drum restoration…

Yes the 1005 is a very underrated snare! I love my Olympic by Premier 1005, have I said it’s my favorite sounding snare of all my collection?

I have fond memories of Premier as the store owners were really trying to push them.
The Music store in Amarillo, TX where I worked were Premier dealers.

I had the joy of selling and setting up them up. I still have a very fine Premier drum key from that era 2001-2004. More oft it was the Cabrias that we sold most frequently.
Premiers were the first kits where I saw the tom tree with a cymbal mounting hole.

For showcasing, we had a green lacquer Genista, and maroon/burgundy lacquered cherrywood Marquis that thing was heavy duty. (We also had a $7k DW exotic Birdseye maple in the cherry to black fade, so this caliber of a kit was normal.)

When my boss went to NAMM, I can say this now as the statute of limitations have termed, Premier was really trying to get Chad Smith.
Chad our Premier rep, fittingly British, was just about as cool as they came.
He said that when they had Chad finally visit the booth, he was slaying a Sig Marquis kit and when finished loudly exclaimed, This is the cats f$&@ing meow!”

Being a Pearl guy at the time, I was like oh no, but if he goes he goes.
I was expecting the sign to happen, but never came about.

I still fondly gaze at the baseball font logo they were sporting during that time.
 
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Now that’s a stunning set of tubs mate…bet they sounded incredible! :D (y)
They were. Bought 'em in 2011/2012. Had 'em for a few years. Found out I wasn't THAT big of a concert tom fan ..... but I'm really glad I got to experience them. The 24x14 and the 18x16 really sounded killer.
 
Yes the 1005 is a very underrated snare! I love my Olympic by Premier 1005, have I said it’s my favorite sounding snare of all my collection?
How’s the chrome holding up? I’ve got a 1970’s Prem 2000 COA and 1980’s Prem APK 1006 COS 14x6.5…ohhh, do I have to upload them again?! 😂
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PS Prem purists should look away at the DC hoop I’ve put on the 1006…but hey, it sounds incredible!!😂(y)
 
I love my Premiers. Hands down the best sounding kit I've ever owned, but to be fair, I've owned some really cheap crap (CB, Pearl Forum, etc.)
 
They were. Bought 'em in 2011/2012. Had 'em for a few years. Found out I wasn't THAT big of a concert tom fan ..... but I'm really glad I got to experience them. The 24x14 and the 18x16 really sounded killer.
Assume you didn’t lose out on the deal reselling those bad boys? :unsure:
 
Premier was really trying to get Chad Smith.

Being a Pearl guy at the time, I was like oh no, but if he goes he goes.
I was expecting the sign to happen, but never came about.
I was sad to see Chad leave Pearl. I really respect his drumming, and, well, my praise for Pearl needs no elaboration in this forum. His migration to Premier would have been interesting though. Endorsement decisions have many facets, and we never really know that shapes them.
 
Just came across this on YouTube which is a fantastic watch for Premier drum and restoration enthusiasts alike! (y) :)

mikes one of the premier drum gurus here in the UK, hes a main contributor to the premier drums & percussion FB group :)
 
How’s the chrome holding up? I’ve got a 1970’s Prem 2000 COA and 1980’s Prem APK 1006 COS 14x6.5…ohhh, do I have to upload them again?! 😂
View attachment 106291View attachment 106292
PS Prem purists should look away at the DC hoop I’ve put on the 1006…but hey, it sounds incredible!!😂(y)
It’s still holding fast, not a single blemish or even as much as a scratch. Though I took the muffler out when I detailed and can’t put it back in for some reason I’m ashamed to admit.

I’d love to give the 2000 model a go, does it crack?

For my Premier bucket list, I would love to have the Ace model whether it’s Super or Royal.

I was sad to see Chad leave Pearl. I really respect his drumming, and, well, my praise for Pearl needs no elaboration in this forum. His migration to Premier would have been interesting though. Endorsement decisions have many facets, and we never really know that shapes them.
Yea me too, the timing of this would’ve been paramount.
RHCP had just come off of Californication, a year or two before.
They also were releasing Stadium Arcadium singles in Amarillo’s airwaves such as Dani Cali, Tell me, Snow Hey Oh, this definitely would have validated Premier further.


Could’ve been a game changer for Premier landing Chad in those days… :unsure:
You said it Pal!
For the reasons I was hung up for at the time, and even looking back.
It would have been a great pairing, the only Premier contemporary artist I knew at the time was Ginger Fish of Manson.
 
Grew up playing Premier in my school's marching band as a kid, a lot of nice steel snares, and a white APK kit with power toms, as was the normality in late 80 to early 90's... Sounded really huge, as far as I remember. My teacher had a turquise Genista, at the time the most beautiful kit I had seen. So yeah, they were really in top shape at that time, too bad it went south quickly after 😓
 
I've always been intrigued by the mystique of Premier, mostly because, here in the United States, I've encountered them only in preowned markets. They seem quintessentially English to me, relics of British Invasion weaponry. Each Premier shell should include a Union Jack and a pound of fine tea.
I had a set of Premier Signia in cherry finish and they were incredible drums. The only reason I sold them was due to space constraints at that time. If I had them today, I’d play them with a fine breakfast tea.
 
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