06/25/2026
Finally finished! Early 1980s Vintage Pearl Maple Shell Kit in the Walnut Lacquer finish.
This set is a "refurb" that I had originally traded for as a possible rewrap project. The finish has some normal dings, scrapes, scuffs, and fading associated with used lacquer finished drums that are over 40 years old! However, the finish issues are NOT that noticeable from a short distance (in other words, if you’ve got these up on a platform playing in a dimly lit venue… nobody’s gonna notice!).
The bass drum hoops are used and NOT original to the drum (as you can see, these are natural maple hoops). The heads are not new but in good playable condition (with the exception of the front BD head -- it IS a brand new, no name head with an after-market Pearl decal!). All of the hardware has been cleaned and checked for functionality.
The shells are the Maple shells of the early 80s (most likely the first generation of maple shells from the 1980 catalog, or “ET Series” shells from the 1981 catalog). There are some minor scratches on the inside of the shells (evidently somebody at some point transported their hardware inside the toms at some point! Grrrrrr....).
The set includes the following (depth by diameter):
16" by 22" Bass Drum
16" by 16" Floor Tom
8" by 12" Tom (single headed concert tom)
Yes, this combination is a little odd and not listed within any of the Pearl catalogs of this era. So, it’s quite possibly made up of parts of a much larger double-bass, multiple tom kit of the head-banging era. Who really knows? I sure don’t…
Located in Wichita, Kansas.
This kit is available on Reverb for $399 here:
https://reverb.com/item/98725084-pearl-maple-shell-kit-early-1980s-walnut-lacquer
