Tama Rockstar DX

persuader

New Member
In the first part of the ninety's I bought my second drumkit: a second handed Tama Rockstar DX.
It was a drumkit that had been used for drumlessons and i loved it immediately. Still do, I still play every gig with that drumkit.

For some time now I am wondering how old it realy is. I've been looking around with google and been going true online vintage catalogues of Tama, but I realy cant find the answer.
Can someone here help me finding the answer?
All toms and the snare have a 6 digits number at the Tama logo: 069641 - 095276 - 094934 - 094622 - 094980. Can anything be found by these numbers?
88364 88365
 
Given the depth of the toms, my guess is the early to mid 80s.

You could try searching Reverb for similar kits. Often times they'll say what year it was from, plus there's a decade filter to weed out the newer kits.
 
Thx for that link.
Sure looks a lot like that RD2522X and that is from 1990.
Then again it also looks like the drum offered second hand as early eighties on Reverb.
An that's the problem with these catalogues I'm afraid :-(
Then again, I do not think there was already a Rockstar DX in 1980
Continuing our search :cool:
 
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After perusing Tama catalogs for the past hour (on Tama's website), Rockstar showed up in 1988. They went into the 2000s. There was Rockstar, Rockstar Deluxe, Rockstar DX, Rockstar Pro, and Rockstar Custom. The Rockstar DX is only mentioned in 1991. They don't have a 1992 general catalogue on the site. It is not listed in the 1993 catalogue. So by process of elimination, it's either a 91 or 92 (if they existed).
 
Hey thx for the research! I really get lost in these catalogues...
Strange then how they sell "from 1980's" on Reverb.
So they only were sold for 2 years, that's strange.
 
Well crap. That catalogue wasn't on the site. If you remember what year you bought them, you can eliminate any years after that.
 
I know, but it's been a while :)

I think I bought my first drumkit in 1988, a very cheap Mapex.
In 1991 I'm pretty sure I still played on that one.
So my guess would be i bought the Tama in 1993. But not sure...
I've been looking at old pictures and thinking a lot, but I my memory fails me.

It's not that a lot depends on me knowing the exact age of the kit, but it realy keeps me bussy, I'dd like to know
 
Found a 1993-1994 catalogue with DX in it
And the link I gave you was a 1990 catalog. That might be about as far as you can narrow it down '90-'94.

From what I've gathered ...

The Pro's were lacquer/painted finishes
The RM's were split lug, traditional sizes.lacquer/paint
The DX's were wrapped, for stage rash protection
Standard Rockstars, power sized, split lug

No mention of wood type .... but '88 catalog mentions Pro as 6 ply Japanese select wood (probably philippine mahogany) .... basswood 2 ply inner/outer.
 
The 91 DX catalogue says basswood on the first page, bottom right, the pic of the shell interior. Basswood, whatever that is. Is it bass like base, or bass like the fish?

 
I think I bought it in 1993 and it was already second-handed then, so not many possibility left
'85/'86 was the big shift at Tama. Prior to that .... Superstar was top dog, Imperialstar under that, Royalstar under that.

'84/'85 Artstar shows up. Cordia/Birch shells. Superstar's all birch.

'86 Crestar replaces Superstar. Artstar II shows up .... and it's a MAPLE shell.

'87 (I think) Crestar name goes away .... now called Granstar.

'88 Here's Rockstar with Steven Adler. Drums have split lugs. Rockstar basses shown, 8 luggers. Rockstar Pro basses shown, 10 luggers. http://www.drumarchive.com/Tama/Tama1988.pdf

No '89 catalog listed on this web site.

'90 .... Shows the DX line in it.
 
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If the DX line was made in Japan and Taiwan, they were almost certainly made in Japan first...before later being outsourced to Taiwan. Your drums are a little older, if I had to guess.
 
My first drum set was the Rockstar RS which I think replaced the DX. I bought my drums brand new in 1994. Mine are 9-ply poplar.
 
In the first part of the ninety's I bought my second drumkit: a second handed Tama Rockstar DX.
It was a drumkit that had been used for drumlessons and i loved it immediately. Still do, I still play every gig with that drumkit.

For some time now I am wondering how old it realy is. I've been looking around with google and been going true online vintage catalogues of Tama, but I realy cant find the answer.
Can someone here help me finding the answer?
All toms and the snare have a 6 digits number at the Tama logo: 069641 - 095276 - 094934 - 094622 - 094980. Can anything be found by these numbers?
View attachment 88364 View attachment 88365

Rockstar DX was my first kit, same finish as yours, I think (Royal Blue), purchased new in 1991.
 
Hello yall, I know im late, but I used to play on my an old Tama Rockstar DX I had bought used , and still regret selling them. They were from what I remember a 91 model from Japan. If it allows me, I'm posting a picture i still have of the drums, not sure how good the quality is. Also im pretty sure they were birch shells.drums1.JPG
 
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