1970s vintage tom mounts stripped

[GoRebels38]

I have a blue sparkle vintage Pearl 5-pc set circa 1970. The two mounted toms sit on a u-shaped mount and the mounting screws tighten with a standard drum key. The screw in one of the mounts recently stripped out and the other one can't be long behind it.

I'm not seeing any replacement mounts for this vintage set in the Pearl replacement parts catalog. Any suggestions for replacing them? Until I get them replaced, the toms just sit loose on the mounts...

I guess I've done pretty well if it took 40 years to strip them out...

[gene okamoto]

Do you see your tom holder in the attached?

[GoRebels38]

No, unfortunately, it's not there.

I'll try to post a pic this weekend. Thanks for asking.

[drums2211]

There's two tom mounts and a bass drum mount from the 70's on ebay right now. Hope this helps:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pearl-Bass-Drum-...#ht_500wt_1182

[GoRebels38]

Here is the mount I am trying to replace.

Picture attached. This type mount is also used to mount the legs on the floor tom.

[gene okamoto]

I'm afraid those floor tom leg brackets are long gone. What's the spacing between the bolts? Maybe a current one will fit.

[barjack]

Those tom brackets should have universal spacing. After all, the Pearl factory dictated most of the current sizings of generic replacement parts. Even the Guitar Center in my area has a tom/floor tom bracket that will fit the spacing of those old Pearl brackets. Even if it's a few mm off, you can always carefully drill the holes in your tom slightly bigger to make a snug fit.

Your bracket holes should be around 2" to 2 & 2/16" center to center. If they measure in that vicinity, you can pick up a highly superior and very cheap replacement here: http://www.drumfactorydirect.com/ind...oducts_id=2456

[AXEMAN]

That mount does not look stripped...it looks like there's stress fractures all the way around the threaded hole for the screw. Overtightening is the reasion for that.

You may find a replacement at a used drum shop. Or maybe something more current will fit. If you find something more current...I'd replace all the mounts that look like that.

AXEMAN

[drums2211]

Gibraltar has some that are almost identical to the 70's era Pearl with a t-bolt instead of the tension rod. Jamminsam.com has them for $10.99 for 3.

[lovetheblues]

It looks like that comes from a beautiful old 60's kit, not a 70's kit. And don't you dare replace those tom mounts with generic no-name brand mounts! At least not until you have tried to repair it and it has completely failed.

Yes it might have stress fractures. Perhaps from a bit of overtightening, but from 50 years of service!

I suggest tap a new thread a bit bigger, and then use a bolt with a thread to match the newly tapped thread. Use a grindstone to shape a square head onto the bolt, to fit a drum key to a tight fit, and then super-glue a drum key on, to change it into a wing-bolt for convenience.

Below is a picture of a similar one I did.

Actually, come to think of it, yours look a bit different; they don't have the Pearl logo in the mould of the mount.

[barjack]

It looks like that comes from a beautiful old 60's kit, not a 70's kit. And don't you dare replace those tom mounts with generic no-name brand mounts! At least not until you have tried to repair it and it has completely failed...

...Actually, come to think of it, yours look a bit different; they don't have the Pearl logo in the mould of the mount.

That is one sweet looking President kit. And yeah, his tom mounts are the far cheaper, far thinner "student" style mounts that were found on lower-end Pearl kits, floor toms, and Pearl factory drumsets like Revelle and Maxwin. Finding a nice vintage Pearl-marked mount would be a total upgrade, but possibly not cost effective.

[GoRebels38]

That's the hardware!

That great looking President's kit is exactly the same hardware as my blue sparkle set. The original owner bought my set probably at JCPenney, therefore no Pearl logos on the mounts or the body. But Pearl IDs on all the hardware. The set was about 6-8 years old when I bought it in '76. That $350 was a lot of money back then for a teenager. I think I cut every yard in the neighborhood that summer.

Which takes me back to my original question...anybody know where I can find vintage mounts like those? Someone suggested Fork's in Nashville; I'll probably try there.

[lovetheblues]

That is one sweet looking President kit. And yeah, his tom mounts are the far cheaper, far thinner "student" style mounts that were found on lower-end Pearl kits, floor toms, and Pearl factory drumsets like Revelle and Maxwin. Finding a nice vintage Pearl-marked mount would be a total upgrade, but possibly not cost effective.

That great looking President's kit is exactly the same hardware as my blue sparkle set. The original owner bought my set probably at JCPenney, therefore no Pearl logos on the mounts or the body. But Pearl IDs on all the hardware. The set was about 6-8 years old when I bought it in '76. That $350 was a lot of money back then for a teenager. I think I cut every yard in the neighborhood that summer.

Which takes me back to my original question...anybody know where I can find vintage mounts like those? Someone suggested Fork's in Nashville; I'll probably try there.

Sorry I can't help with your question of where to get mounts like this, but just a quick response to say thanks for the nice comments. I think it is a "No. 68 Super Deluxe" rather than a President. i.e. wood shells and rounded lugs, not diamond shaped lugs.

[drums2211]

Check ebay. They pop up every so often. It may even be worth it to you to just by an old Pearl drum off of ebay just for the hardware. I had a St. George snare that I was restoring for a friend and I ended up buying another one cheap for parts.
Also P.M. me. I may have at least one I can get you.

[barjack]

+1 for eBay. So many people are buying old drums on Craigslist, stripping them, and selling the components online these days. I see more vintage Pearl lugs and tom mounts than I do actual vintage Pearl drums on eBay. If you do a quick search every day, I bet you'll find one. BTW, in 1970, Pearl's top of hte line drums moved to the hex arm-through-the-shell mount, though the floor toms retained your vintage style bracket. 2 years later, Pearl upgraded this style of mount on all their floor toms to the much more reliable wingnut pull-style... I wish I could describe it better. Anyway, your style pushes directly on the L arm with the head of the wing screw. The newer style pulls passively using a wingnut tugging a screw with an o-ring at the end that the L arm slides into. Both are the exact same size and both say Pearl Japan. If you can find the newer style, it will still match your kit and it will be a functional upgrade.