THE Pearl World Series Thread to End All Threads

[Stranjluv101]

If anyone has any information, please share. I'll add more photos / info when I get the chance. (thanks)

Sources at the bottom.

Introduction

The Worlds were made from 1985 until ca. 1992. This was an intermediate / beginner line, just above the Export series, and just below the DLX/DX. There were two "Worlds" - a lacquer series (WLX), and a covered one, WX.

Pearl utilized a couple of names for these drums. From the very beginning until ca. 1990 the WLX drums were known as Prestige World 6500. The WX drums were called simply World 6500. Circa 1990 Prestige World became Prestige Session, and the covered finish Worlds became known as Performance Session.

In 1992, and that year alone, there was the last World Series - the "WSX". It was basically jazz sized WX drums, offered in Black Abalone and White Abalone wraps.

How can you tell a lacquer from a wrap?

If the drum's finish has a seam, it's a wrap. If the drum has a glossy shine, and no seam, it's lacquered. Another way to tell on bass drums, is the metal hoops on the WX have inlays that match the wrap color. The WLX bass hoops are wooden and lacquered to match.
- WX metal hoops
- WLX Wood hoops (Coral Red)
- WX Wrapped tom (notice the seam)

What Woods Were They Made Of?

They featured 7 ply shells: birch (outside), mahogany (middle), and lamin (inside). (per Gene Okamoto) (This was also the same construction as the DLX/DX) The lamin had a shiny, clear coat. The 1990 literature does not mention the lamin plies, but does say it is a 7 ply shell.

I see them a lot incorrectly stated as maple drums or all-birch. This was never the case.

What Sizes Were Available?
According to the 1986 Modern Drummer Equipment Annual (Henceforth known as E.A.), the mounted toms in the WLX/WX were not available separately. They were offered only packaged as sets. All other toms at that time were offered individually. This is repeated in the 1987-1988 E.A, , but by the 1989-1990 E.A. all drums in these series were sold separately, as well as in sets.

All drums were offered for the duration of the WLX / WX lines, unless otherwise noted.

Listed as they were in the catalogs of the time, depth x diameter:

Standard Toms - WLX only
8x10 (This was originally a "power" depth as well, until the 10" depth was offered starting ca. 1988); Also available in WSX.
8x12 Also available in WSX.
9x13 Also available in WSX.
10x14 (this is listed once - in the 1989 - 1990 E.A.)

Power Toms "Deep Force"
8x10
10x10 (Added after 1987, but by 1989)
10x12
11x13
12x14

Floor Toms
14x14 WLX Only. (Added after 1987, but by 1989); Also available in WSX
16x16
16x18

Bass Drums
14x18 WLX Only. (Added after 1987, but by 1989); Also available in WSX.
14x20 WLX Only. (Added after 1987, but by 1989); Also available in WSX.
14x22 (Listed in the 1986 E.A., but I think it's a misprint)
16x22
16x24 (Listed in the 1987 -1988 E.A. for both WLX and WX, but nowhere else. Misprint?)

Snares
5 1/2x14 (Wood) (Listed in the 1990-1991 E.A. for ALL WLX finishes); Also available in WSX.
6 1/2x 14 (Steel)

What Finishes?

The WLX had the following lacquer finishes:

Antique Ivory (#106), Coral Red (#107), and Piano Black #103). (1985 - 1992)
Matte Natural Lacquer (#212), Arctic White (#109) (Ca. 1989-1992)

The WX had the following choice of wraps:

Smokey Chrome (#21), Jet Black (#31 ), Pure White ( #33 ) (1985 - 1992)
Wine Red ( #66 ) (1985 & 1986 only)
Stainless Steel (#38), Deep Ocean (#65), Ferrari Red (#71), Celtic Green (#73) (1987 - 1992)

The WLX Jazz Kit was available in Matte Natural Lacquer Only.

Sources:
1985 World Series Brochure
1986, 1987-1988, 1989-1990, and 1990-1991 Modern Drummer Equipment Annuals
1986, 1987, 1990 Catalogs
PDF member gyorpb

Unfortunately I don't have anything written post 1990 on the World drums.

[Stranjluv101]

Additional Information

Lacquer Colors


- Coral Red

- Piano Black

- Matte Natural Lacquer (WLX Jazz Kit)

- Antique Ivory (It's a little off-white)

[Stranjluv101]

Wrap Colors


- Jet Black

- Ferrari Red tom (nevermind the wrong mount, lol)

- Pure White (Notice the seams)

- Smokey Chrome (I've seen this mistakenly called Silver)
Notice the lack of gaskets, but with TH-90 tom arms and the 2nd style bass claws, making this from 86. (or, at the latest, sometime in early 1987)

[Stranjluv101]

More Wraps

- Stainless Steel (showing the reflection, and the wrap edge)

[Stranjluv101]

Hardware

Bass Drum

1985 and(?) 1986 drums feature hardware unlike that of the 1987 and after drums. C-054 bass drum lugs, metal washers, and a different style claw.

They originally looked like this:



In 1987 we saw new lugs (RL-02), gaskets, and claws. And the metal washer was changed to white plastic ones:

[Stranjluv101]

Bass Drums, part 2

'The legs from 1987-1992, the RL-02:





Originally black logo heads (with hole), and silver dots heads came stock on the 1985/86 bass drums.

Marked "EB" (Ebony), the resonant heads looked like this:



The batter "WX" head: (although the silver dot has been removed)

[Stranjluv101]

Bass Drums, part 3

This was the original 1985/86 bass mount, the BB-1:




Notice that there are no gaskets (bass/toms) because those weren't added until later. I know they were added by sometime in 1986, or maybe early 1987.

[Stranjluv101]

Bass Drums, part 4

In 1987, the bass mount changed to the BB-2:



Also, by this time the batter head was now a Pearl branded Pinstripe.

[Stranjluv101]

Info coming soon.

[Stranjluv101]

Toms, part 1

Here are a couple of photos to show the early shell, with the lamin (and the clear coat), mahogany, and the birch (although usually the paint covers most, if not all of it)

[Stranjluv101]

Toms, part 2

You can tell it was painted after the holes were drilled:





In the first year or two, Silver Dot Pearl-branded heads came stock on these drums, on the batter side. Starting in or by 1987, these changed to Pearl-branded Pinstripes:

Photo needed

The resonant side head was a Pearl Ambassador style head called "WS":

[Stranjluv101]

Toms, part 3

The original mount was a BT-1, without a gasket, for 1985/86. In 1987, the mount changed to the BT-2. A gasket was added in/by 1987 and looked like such:

(Those are the wrong lugs for the time, I was swapping out when I took this)

Grey/silver lug screws came stock, like on this floor tom:



In the inside of the shell was a metal gasket that shielded the wood from the nuts and washers that held the mount to the drum.

Photo needed

Also, press-in grommets are used on the air holes.

In/by 1989, an inner plastic gasket replaced this metal one. It looked like so:



Also note that black screws replaced the grey/silver ones at about this time, as well as threaded grommets on the air holes.

[Stranjluv101]

Toms, part 4

Here's a photo that shows how much bigger the hole was to allow for the plastic gasket in the 1987(?) - 1992 years, versus the previous one with the metal gasket.

You can see that the grommet hasn't changed to the threaded style yet.

The left drum was from 1986, and the right was from at least 1987 or later. Notice how the badge position shifted.


Here are the two kinds of lugs:

C-052 "Coffin" lugs: (1985/86; very early ones had no gaskets)


RL-01 Lug, 1987 - 1992

[Stranjluv101]

Toms, part 5

Two different tension rods appeared on the World toms. The one on the left was used until 1989, and it had a longer collar, with metal washer. The left one was the later one, very short collar, and white plastic washer:



And, as they appeared in their natural environments:

Photo coming soon

[Stranjluv101]

Floor Toms, part 1

Originally the floor brackets (LB-20) were like this:



NOTE: the 782 legs are knurled for better grip.

And, the feet were like this: