Need Help Identifying Year & Model

[tlever]

Greetings all! I just picked up a vintage Pearl Kit that I need help identifying. Here's what I know (or think I know) so far:

- Wrap is called Gold Grain Pearl
- Badge is typically associated with early 60's, although I've seen some people say it could date into the 50's, and others say it is mid 60's. So need clarification.

I can't find any examples of any Pearl Kit (or even a single drum) on the internet with a Gold Grain Pearl wrap and this particular oval badge. I know the Gold Grain Pearl wrap was available in the 1969 catalog, but those would have had a different badge. Are there catalogs from the early 60's around anywhere? I couldn't find any - only mid 60's and forward - all with script badges or later.

Photos added as attachments.

[ADman2B]

I'm not a vintage expert at all, but the information you have already found is about all I could find as well. Sorry I couldn't add anything, but I didn't want you to get no responses and think we weren't friendly 'round here.

[3pearlkits]

G'day and welcome to the PDF

Where are you from?
Your kit is in amazing condition! Thanks for sharing.

It's extremely difficult to date kits from the 60's, because most of the catalogues from early to mid 60's that you can find online aren't accurately dated.
Then there's all the things that one might expect because you see it in a particular catalogue, but a particular set seems to have aspects from different years.
Different countries had different catalogues too. So what was available in Europe or Japan might be different from what one could get in the USA.

Having said all that, here's what I can tell you;

Regarding the badge and date, have a look here:
http://www.vintagedrumguide.com/pearl_badges.html

Your badges are 60's.

I have the 67, 68 and 69 catalogues, which have year dates on them, so I believe them.
The consolette rail is last obvious in 1968.
Gold grain Pearl appears in the 1969 catalogue, but not in the 67 or 68 (not in the catalogue attributed to the mid 60's either)
Your badge is still appearing on the Valencia series kits in 69.
Your lugs are more like the earlier Slingy style lugs from the mid 60's.
Toms mounts are in a catalogue where prices are listed in pounds.

While that might seem to be not helping, there's plenty there consistent with mid to late 60's, so stay with that. It might be as good as it gets...

The shells will be 9 ply luan….

[dale w miller]

Side note curiosity here. Would you say that was an entry level kit or leaning more towards high end? With a slight comparison in mind, when was it Pearl went from being the early Hyundai that came to America to what Hyundai is today?

[3pearlkits]

Side note curiosity here. Would you say that was an entry level kit or leaning more towards high end? With a slight comparison in mind, when was it Pearl went from being the early Hyundai that came to America to what Hyundai is today?

For it's time, it was probably mid to high.

Around that period of time shells were often the same regardless of level, so it was things like lug count and wrap that were different. Sparkles and glitters for lower end, marine or diamond pearls for higher end as examples. Or maybe, like the Valencia series, the lugs were double sided for toms and kick, much like snare lugs.
You have to remember though, the Japanese manufacture meant that pride in work and quality control were an integral part of the company ethos. There would have been intensive R&D too.

Then in 1969 the phenolic shelled presidents came out. And that series all of a sudden looked like many modern kits, but in keeping with it's time.
Then throughout the 70's, there were advancements in tom arms and mounts, bass drum spurs, and so on.
Around either side of 1980 saw the introduction of heat compression molded shells, and a shift from luan to, eg, maple and birch, or hybrids.

Of course, in modern times, we see a full circle. Those hybrids and shells that worked well in the past and became phased out, have been re introduced, like the Session series, the Crystal Beats, the Wood Fibreglass, and even the Exports. Then there's the ultra high end Reference and Masters Customs.

So, using your analogy, there wasn't a particular point in time that everything suddenly changed. It was a gradual progression over a number of decades. Much like Hyundai...

[dale w miller]

Thanks for the explanation.