Blondies Clem Burke played Premier drums for years and they looked and sounded fantastic. His red sparkle one up two down with the massive 14x10 flat angled rack tom from the late 70s was my dream kit as a teenager!
Last year you could buy a vintage premier kit for 50. Now channels like yours are showing that actually the build quality of premier was always way above. They survived the test of time. But also they sound legendary. Mitch Mitchel, Keith Moon, Phil Collins, Nick Mason Nicko McBrain and others recorded on and played these things live. Proper strong for hard hitters. Now the issue is that as the message goes out you can buy a Signia, Genista and ofcourse the Resonator series which sound as good as most new pro kits. With the right tuning they are also way WAY louder. But be quick as these things are no longer made. They just get more valuable.❤
I got one of those olympics from a rehearsal room for £50... it has 7 snare wires on it & sounds insane, in the best way!... amazing drum! Premier are fantastic!
the premiers a good drum its no issue making them sound killer, i have the snare to the blue bopper and own 7 different kits from the 50s to 2000s ,love em all , alot of drummers are ignorant to these kits
The Hi Fi models are better than super ace, especially if you can find a mahogany shell in natural finish. Super ace strainer nothing but trouble imo. The 1035 & 1036 also good, but the best value now are the 1025 & 1026: basically a steel shell supraphonic but with better strainer, hardware, chrome, & only 8 lugs so a more open tone. You can find mint examples in the UK for under £100, bargain.
Once you get your drums back from Derek, I'll have to come over and get them tuned up for ya. I'll bet they'll sound like a million bucks too! Thanks for the kind words, Chris. And have a great weekend!!
@@timbofromkeno I would be honored to have you come by the house. Contacting Derek next week so we can talk about the project further. Have a good weekend too.
I have the same Olympic. Got to keep it and my Acrolite from my high school after spending the summer cleaning them up, only for the director to pull together some major equipment upgrades. Because she figured I'd take good care of them after that, they're my two never-sell drums. I've modified them both with new tension rods, new strainers, new dampeners... But at their core, they're two heavily neglected school drums I brought back to life and will always love. They play great, record well, and bring joy.
The first kit I bought for myself (after learning for a while on a borrowed Pearl export poplar shell kit) was a Premier Artist birch, among the last of the Premier drums made in England. The whole kit is in piano black. 10x8, 12x9, 14x14 and 16x16, 22x18 kick, matching 14x5.5 snare; so brilliantly versatile sizes (except for the kick, that is what it is). It always sounded so much better than similarly priced kits. I still have it today, just not used as much as it deserves to be.
That's so funny because I used to have one of those kits too! Mine was in white marine pearl finish, and it was in HUGE sizes - 26x16, 13x9, 16x16, 18x16. And I picked it up for like 500 bucks or something. It was amazing for the money. Wish I'd kept that thing!
@@timbofromkeno sometimes there’s such regret over the drums we part with. I sold my Recording Custom (the rare turquoise colour from the 90’s, also seen on the Maple Custom s w/gold square lugs, not the absolute lugs), that was near the end of 22, so it’s been long enough for me to really miss is and kinda regret the sale. It went to a mate who’s always dreamed of owning the legend that is the Recording Custom, so it’s in good hands. Ultimately I just couldn’t live with the sizes, needed a 14” floor or an 18” floor to complete it (to suit how I like my kits setup, either 12-14-16, or 13-16-18) and in 15 years never once saw another turquoise Recording custom kit in that colour, let alone an orphan floor Tom. I regret selling it, but its new owner will play it a hell of a lot more than I would have. I’ve been favouring my Starclassic birch/bubinga kit for a long time now, they really sound amazing. Birch attack/punch with a much warmer overall tone, somewhat deeper than expected because of those bubinga plies. I regret not buying a bubinga shell Starclassic while I still could, but they were fairly pricey and I love the attack the birch plies add to the drum. The woods really compliment each other. Marine Pearl is such a classic finish, and in those sizes, would have looked amazing, right out of the 70’s. Must have been fun to play. At the price you paid you really couldn’t go wrong.
@@NJB183 Man, I can only imagine how cool that RC kit was. I have a hot red 22-12-13-16 in hot red, and I love that thing. Great sounding drums. But that newer Tama BB stuff sounds great too! And funny enough, I wish I'd bought a full bubinga kit too. Had the opportunity to get one with cordia finish, and I still kick myself for not buying that. LOL
SLOTTED FLAT HEAD TENSION RODS!! Dudes, this video ROCKS. I regret every day I sold my beginner band acrolite and bells set in the mid 90s, with cases!
Thanks for the kind words, Benjamin! I totally get it with the Acrolite. There are a hundred drums I wish I would've kept at this point. lol On the bright side, there are still affordable gems out there like these few Premiers!
I have a premier xpk fusion set from 99. Still love it, still sounds great. Premier as a company had issues with staying in business throughout it's history. That inconsistency is probably why, especially in America, we dont hear much about those drums.
I totally agree with you. I just gifted one of the old three-ply mahogany drums to a friend the other day, and it'll go up against any similar American three-ply drum any day (and the Premier is half the price or less).
@@timbofromkeno premier used a very high grade of mahogany, as a lot of the best timber came from British empire colonies, plus their craftsmen were excellent. Their cast hoops are unique too, give a tight sound without choking. They used to be cheap as chips here in the UK but collectors are getting wise to them so the prices are going up, sadly.
@@timbofromkenohi! A vintage Premier drums UBER passionate here 😊 I was wondering: what batter/resonant heads are mounted on that 14x8 tom? It sounds truly amazing! Thanks a lot for this beautiful video
Remember when Gretsch came out with the 42 strand snare wires, which Tony Willisms endorsed? He had them tightened pretty loosely to get his signature sound. He and everybody else found out that using more than 12 to 14 strands choked the drum. Hence, that loose "wet" snare sound he became noted for. Joe Morello and Buddy Rich had the best snare tone(s). Tight and crisp without sounding choked or muffled. Wide open. You never saw any tape or external muffling on any of the Jazz greats.
My first drum was a Premier Olympic. My dad picked it up from a pawn shop back in the early 90s with the case and stand for $40. I still have it. I guess I need to dust it off!
You totally should. I think you'd dig it. And if you have questions about tuning or head selection or anything else, don't hesitate to shoot me an email!
I have an old Premier birch pre67 Ringo drumset and the toms are in cm not inches. Remo makes special drumheads for those odd sized drums. Are those Premier toms pre-Intrernational sizes?
Those pre-international metric toms are an interesting part of drum history, but they’re expensive to maintain heads-wise for sure. Thank goodness, the kit in this video takes standard heads!
Premier drums are excellent and generally overlooked. I picked up a 2010's latest iteration of the genista line kit back in december 2021...I believe my kit is circa 2014ish..."rock" maple kit 1up 2dn leg mount floor toms. It's a laquer orange sparkle kit...It sounds amazing and the fit and finish is excellent, and the hardware is great. It got me into the brand and in doing a bit of research I found in some applications like the genista line the shells are undersized for better head contact/fitment. Also, they made their own heads and had their own metric head sizing. The unique lugs your kit had is surely pre mid 70's...The brand literally made all of their own stuff and adapted to standard drum lugs & head sizing later on (I think mid 70's ish but not totally sure). Great content, good deals are still to be found, just have to use alternate brands as the "cool" stuff gets more and more expensive.
Thanks for the comment! I really dig just about anything Premier I come across, with the exception of the metric drums of the early 60s. They're an interesting part of history, but at least in the United States, finding heads is a pretty difficult task. Remo will produce them, but even five years ago, they were $50+ a piece. And yeah, on that first snare in the video, the slotted tension rods definitely seem to put this far back into the 60s, which is pretty neat! Those Genistas you have are phenomenal drums. They're built rock solid. And I've seen kits similar to your's. I love that orange sparkle lacquer finish they did. It's super slick!
Slotted tension rods were used up until the very late 70s. Quite apart from being the worst lugs ever (!) the beautiful turned versions are a work of art and can be turned using a coin in an emergency! I love them. Your Olympic snare has lugs that date from the mid 70s, so that’s where I would date that drum.
I have that same Premier snare. Came with Puresound snare wires. I like it for the most part but the snare throw-off sucks. May switch it out with a Ludwig P90 snare throw off. Overall, you gotta tweak these snares to make everything right, which is the norm.
I have a Premier series in red sparkle lacquer, its a maple kit, not vintage, it was made in 2003 and Steve White was involved with this colour, maybe even design (I'm not sure).
Thanks! And I agree on the pricing. It’s gonna climb once people figure out how good this stuff is…and once they figure out how easy it is to get rid of the slotted tension rods. 😂😂
Kimbo from Teno Man about town. Great video, appreciate the hot take on the working person approach to snareism. Love the sound of that Premiere but hate the sound of slotted tuning lugs(?) Do you think it’s because they drive on the wrong side of the road? Thanks for the fun vid!
Kimbo From Teno!! 🤣 Thanks for the kind words. And I have no idea why they went with slotted rods over the already popular square head design. I'm sure some engineer somewhere thought it was a good idea for a good reason, but I'm glad that element didn't carry on much past that time (minus what Sonor was doing in Germany). lol
In the Midwest (US), we think of Ludwigs and Slingerlands as the drums that so many kids grew up with. It’s been a pretty interesting surprise to hear just how many folks grew up with these Premier snares!!
The premier set sounded the best out of all of the kits i would never use a small snare ,but that snare probably sounded the best out of all the snares , unbelievable 💛🧡❤️💜💛🧡❤️🌞🌜🌟🌎🙏🌼🌸🌳🌴☺️
I had one of those Olympic snares. They are definitely a good quality drum! They literally don't make them like they use too. That green sparkle Ludwig though 😍 tell us more, tell us more! Lol I have a heavy rock 9 as well, strange but killer drum imo! Great video Tim!
Man, you have so many toys! hahaha I love that Heavy Rock 9. I almost bought one about 12, 13 years ago. Super fun drums. And that green kit is a fun little project from this year! I've wanted a 20-12-14 3-ply clear maple interior Ludwig kit for ages, so I finally found the singles to do it. There was a floor tom at the drum show this year. And I found a 12 on eBay. And then a guy I know in California had a legit 20" kick that wasn't drilled for a center post, so I had to get that too. Derek at MKE Drum Co. refinished the shells in Jammin' Sam Green Sparkle (because it's just such a good finish). And he also cleaned up the edges, while maintaining their original profile, and he cleaned up all the hardware too. They're also super, super fun drums to play. Keep an eye out for the full story on that soon!
Man Totally Killer!!!! Love it !!! Sounds so Good in my Studio esp. with some Reverb on the Bus !! Bonham All Day Long !!! Can you do some Zepplin would be Great !!!
Gotta love a little room or some verb on these things for sure. And I might have access to a 28” kick soon, so we’re for sure gonna get into some Bonham tones!
hahaha JD! Man, I was working on this literally until an hour before I normally publish today. Lots of work to do this stuff, but I'm glad folks like you enjoy it. More to come!
Stop spreading the word on these things, you’re going to raise the prices. I picked up and early 90’s Genista 6-piece kit a few years back for $400. Kind of rare with the shorter depths on the toms. I’d put it up against a Recording Custom any day and probably win. Absolutely stellar drums.
Man, I have no idea how you scored that Genista for so cheap. That is a SCREAMING deal. Good on ya. And I hope the prices don't go up, but I'm sure this brand has GOT to catch on one day. And until then, I'm gonna be buying these things up like crazy. hahaha
Where I’m from there’s a shitload of used premier drums for sale. In my opinion most of em sound like muddy thuddy crap. Probably has to do with the bearing edges on them. But I suppose it’d counteract the brightness of a steel drum somewhat.
I’m curious where you’re from and what drums you’re trying out. Some of the Premier stuff is great, but head selection is so important. The other thing is that power toms (which Premier made a lot of) will almost always be thuddy. 😂😂
The Resonator series from Premier (late 70s?) are the most rare and collectible. I heard Jazz legend Louis Hayes play a Premier Resonator kit at a drum clinic/concert in Memphis, circa 1980, and they just sang! Some of the best drums I've ever heard. Of course, being played by a master drummer didn't hurt. What was also really cool is that Mr. Hayes played a Zildjian "Rock 21" ride cymbal with 3 rivets. Best sounding ride I've ever heard in a live setting.
Hey Greg! Thanks for the kind words. More of this stuff to come. I hope you stick around. And I haven't actually had the sriracha Doritos, but I think I'm gonna have to run the store and find a bag now! There used to be a brand out of Ohio called Mikesells, and they have this incredible hot chip called Mikesell's Good N' Hot. I think they're out of production right now because the company changed hands, but when they're back, you should try a bag. They're amazing!
@@timbofromkeno Timbo, thank you for the wonderful conversation. Those Doritos are pretty spicy, and they have another on called Salsa Verde, but they are harder to find. Don’t worry about me sticking around. I am hooked on your offerings, and again I thank you.
My opinion is this dude knows how to hit a drum. If you rim shot with gorilla strength just about anything with great tuning it’s going to sound great. That Olympic snare is probably going to sound like ass on our kits 😂
lol I appreciate the kind words. But honestly, I think if you tune the way I tune, you could definitely get a good sound out of this thing regardless of how hard you hit. I crank up the bottom head, get the wires to a decent tension, and then tune the top head medium to medium-high. If you can get that kind of funky pop out of the tone, then it'll sing at just about any dynamic level!
We get loads of old prems for next to nothing. Wish we'd have the old Ludwigs. Check out Beverly drums. Check out the Cosmic 21 snare. Beverly was bought out by Premier. A little bird said that the first ally 400s were actually cosmic 21 shells sent over to the states. But now its all about the British Drum Company, we're making the best drums in the world again 👌🏻
Hey John! Man, I love the old Beverley lugs. I would love to have one of those kits some day. I'm hoping to get over to the UK Drum Show in 2024. Maybe someone will have a Cosmic 21 snare I can take home with me! And man, I just saw the CEO of British Drum Co. posting about the eighth anniversary of the company. Him and his crew make some fantastic drums. I'd love to get my hands on a set of those one day too. So so good!
Also if you get a vintage 400 where the chrome hasn't come off as much as it would have normally ... you just found an ally shell that was chromed by Beverly and rolls Royce in yourkshire 🙌🏻 when Premier bought Beverly, the shells that didn't "disappear" to the states they made there own aluminium snare, they called that the Premier 35. That's the one I've got.
@@Johnnodonoughue That is so interesting. I had no clue about that part of history. Can you imagine shipping drum shells back and forth across the sea just to get plating? No one would dare make that move with shipping prices the way they are today. 🤣
@@timbofromkeno if its in Liverpool and want somewhere to stay ill put you up, proppa English bed and breakfast style. If you fly in at Manchester I'll even pick you up and drop you off. I'm Manchester 2 mins away from the Airport 👍🏻 (I'm also only 10 minutes away from BDC's factory in Stockport) Liverpool is 30 mins. I've no problem being your Alfred for your trip. Hope you like tea 🤣. Offers always open 🤘🏻
Wine red!! 😂 My first kit was a wine red Gretsch Blackhawk from the 90’s. I played it for 10 years and always wondered why it wouldn’t tune…Until I discovered later that it’s basically plywood 😎
@@sleepwhenimdead9667 Funny enough, when I was filming the update with Sahan, I had just installed and tuned up a coated Super Kick II on his 20" 70s Ludwig kick. And it sounded fantastic!
I don't think I did a before sound on these. lol I just wanted to show that these little cheap drums rock. I do have a clip of that wine red drum with the stock head on it if you're curious, though! Feel free to DM me on IG if you wanna give it a listen.
Quality Premier drums are just as good as any Ludwig drums especially the 70Premier drums guys no disrespect you can't tell the difference between brass or steel drums is all down to tuning good drummers can make a wood snare sound like a metal snare vice verca .💛🧡❤️💜💛🧡❤️🌞🌜🌟🌎🙏🌼🌸🌳🌴☺️
@@timbofromkeno yea, it sure would be funny if you made a video about it because of your personality. But maybe if you and RDavidR made a video together that would be funny. And it would probably help with your subscriber count.
@@JackNiles That would be wild. Dave recently reached out to me and I made some content for a video he's working on . Fingers crossed he includes it in his video in the near future!
Can drummers start making there bass drums sound like bass drums instead of horrible Simmons bass drums whats the point in having 24 or 26 bass drum and it sounding like a Simmons bass drum horrible,thin,and clicky whats the piont ❤️🧡💛💜❤️🧡💛🌞🌜🌟🌎🙏🌼🌸🌳🌴☺️
@@knowntalmbout That's very true. The only thing I don't like about those cymbals is their quality control is pretty rough. For every phenomenal cymbal you find, you're likely to find a counterpart that is equally terrible in the same model, size, and production run.
@@timbofromkeno this issue is more prevalent in older, cheaper Wuhan cymbals. I personally only play dream cymbals on my main kits and wuhans on my practice kit. They’ll pass on a gig if needed. But like you said it’s kinda a toss up.
@@knowntalmbout I think if I could hit 100 of them in a store, I could definitely find a half dozen that I like. I just don't have a Dream dealer around here, which is a shame. I've been playing a lot of this Turkish Cymbals stuff lately, and I've got to say, it sounds just as good as the pricey Istanbul Agop stuff people are buying - and this stuff is WAY more economical. I might have a make a video just talking about that!
In what Century could you get an acrolight for 50bucks second hand those guys are talking like they were drummers in the fifties or sixtys wow if you could get a good Ludwig snare for 50 bucks lucky Americans ❤️🧡💛💜❤️🧡💛🌞🌜🌟🌎🙏🌼🌸🌳🌴☺️
This is definitely an American experience. Many of the baby boomers had schools FULL of Acrolites and often with a pile of Supraphonics too. They were beyond plentiful and so so cheap for a long time!
Tons of acrolites on ebay for $60 around 2011. Ive always wanted a 6.5 blacrolite, but those were pricier at the time. So I slept on 'em. Wish I hadn't.
In Britain anything from Ludwig secondhand is like gold dust only ever had a Ludwig Gold sparkle 4piece tryde to keep it but had to give it back to the store as it was only on loan ,wish I had money to buy it back then 35 years ago Thanks God Bless all you drummers out there AMEN💛🧡❤️💜💛🧡❤️🌞🌜🌟🌎🙏🌼🌸🌳🌴☺️
lol It's all good. And honestly, it's a fair shot. I use the same few snare heads. I tune most drums the same way. I hit them the same way with the same sticks under the same mics and mix them all the same way too. And in many cases, I think the message of this channel is that "drums sound like drums." If you know what you're doing, you can make anything you have sound great!
That bit about fewer wires is a SPICY tip.
Like a fine habanero pepper! hahaha
I have the exact same Premier kit, with a matching blue sparkle Royal Ace snare. By far my fave brand!
They make some really cool stuff for sure!
Blondies Clem Burke played Premier drums for years and they looked and sounded fantastic. His red sparkle one up two down with the massive 14x10 flat angled rack tom from the late 70s was my dream kit as a teenager!
I didn't realize he was a Premier guy! That's pretty wild. I can only imagine how epic that big kit was back in the day!
Last year you could buy a vintage premier kit for 50. Now channels like yours are showing that actually the build quality of premier was always way above. They survived the test of time. But also they sound legendary. Mitch Mitchel, Keith Moon, Phil Collins, Nick Mason Nicko McBrain and others recorded on and played these things live. Proper strong for hard hitters.
Now the issue is that as the message goes out you can buy a Signia, Genista and ofcourse the Resonator series which sound as good as most new pro kits. With the right tuning they are also way WAY louder. But be quick as these things are no longer made. They just get more valuable.❤
I think you're right!
I got one of those olympics from a rehearsal room for £50... it has 7 snare wires on it & sounds insane, in the best way!... amazing drum! Premier are fantastic!
They have tremendous body to them, so I would assume that quality only multiplies with less wires. I'll bet it sounds huge. So cool!
the premiers a good drum its no issue making them sound killer, i have the snare to the blue bopper and own 7 different kits from the 50s to 2000s ,love em all , alot of drummers are ignorant to these kits
That’s a serious collection! And I totally agree that folks just don’t think about this brand. It’s worth giving ‘em a smack! 😂❤️👊
Don’t tell anyone, but I’m a huge fan of vintage Premier snares, particularly the Super Ace! Shhhhhhhh.
hahaha Yes! I love that 14x4 Ace snare they did for a while too. That company made some really cool stuff over the decades!!
@@timbofromkeno Indeed they did! Fun video mate!
@@meekoloco Thanks dude!!
The Hi Fi models are better than super ace, especially if you can find a mahogany shell in natural finish. Super ace strainer nothing but trouble imo. The 1035 & 1036 also good, but the best value now are the 1025 & 1026: basically a steel shell supraphonic but with better strainer, hardware, chrome, & only 8 lugs so a more open tone. You can find mint examples in the UK for under £100, bargain.
Really enjoying reviews and content like this. I always learn something. Crazy how you can take a $50 snare and make it awesome. Great work Tim !
Once you get your drums back from Derek, I'll have to come over and get them tuned up for ya. I'll bet they'll sound like a million bucks too! Thanks for the kind words, Chris. And have a great weekend!!
@@timbofromkeno I would be honored to have you come by the house. Contacting Derek next week so we can talk about the project further. Have a good weekend too.
I have the same Olympic. Got to keep it and my Acrolite from my high school after spending the summer cleaning them up, only for the director to pull together some major equipment upgrades. Because she figured I'd take good care of them after that, they're my two never-sell drums. I've modified them both with new tension rods, new strainers, new dampeners... But at their core, they're two heavily neglected school drums I brought back to life and will always love. They play great, record well, and bring joy.
Such a great story, Josh. That’s amazing. I think you’ve got a couple killer snares on your hands!
Doesn’t matter what snare you use, your sound KILLS!!!!!!!! Those room mics SING!!!!!!!
Man, thank you. I really appreciate it! It's only taken me 20 years to figure out what I'm doin'. 🤣
The first kit I bought for myself (after learning for a while on a borrowed Pearl export poplar shell kit) was a Premier Artist birch, among the last of the Premier drums made in England. The whole kit is in piano black. 10x8, 12x9, 14x14 and 16x16, 22x18 kick, matching 14x5.5 snare; so brilliantly versatile sizes (except for the kick, that is what it is).
It always sounded so much better than similarly priced kits. I still have it today, just not used as much as it deserves to be.
That's so funny because I used to have one of those kits too! Mine was in white marine pearl finish, and it was in HUGE sizes - 26x16, 13x9, 16x16, 18x16. And I picked it up for like 500 bucks or something. It was amazing for the money. Wish I'd kept that thing!
@@timbofromkeno sometimes there’s such regret over the drums we part with. I sold my Recording Custom (the rare turquoise colour from the 90’s, also seen on the Maple Custom s w/gold square lugs, not the absolute lugs), that was near the end of 22, so it’s been long enough for me to really miss is and kinda regret the sale.
It went to a mate who’s always dreamed of owning the legend that is the Recording Custom, so it’s in good hands. Ultimately I just couldn’t live with the sizes, needed a 14” floor or an 18” floor to complete it (to suit how I like my kits setup, either 12-14-16, or 13-16-18) and in 15 years never once saw another turquoise Recording custom kit in that colour, let alone an orphan floor Tom.
I regret selling it, but its new owner will play it a hell of a lot more than I would have.
I’ve been favouring my Starclassic birch/bubinga kit for a long time now, they really sound amazing. Birch attack/punch with a much warmer overall tone, somewhat deeper than expected because of those bubinga plies. I regret not buying a bubinga shell Starclassic while I still could, but they were fairly pricey and I love the attack the birch plies add to the drum. The woods really compliment each other.
Marine Pearl is such a classic finish, and in those sizes, would have looked amazing, right out of the 70’s. Must have been fun to play. At the price you paid you really couldn’t go wrong.
@@NJB183 Man, I can only imagine how cool that RC kit was. I have a hot red 22-12-13-16 in hot red, and I love that thing. Great sounding drums. But that newer Tama BB stuff sounds great too! And funny enough, I wish I'd bought a full bubinga kit too. Had the opportunity to get one with cordia finish, and I still kick myself for not buying that. LOL
SLOTTED FLAT HEAD TENSION RODS!! Dudes, this video ROCKS. I regret every day I sold my beginner band acrolite and bells set in the mid 90s, with cases!
Thanks for the kind words, Benjamin! I totally get it with the Acrolite. There are a hundred drums I wish I would've kept at this point. lol On the bright side, there are still affordable gems out there like these few Premiers!
Agreed you def can’t get rid of the fizzy fizz of a 42 strand. They be making my toms buzz tooooooo much.
100%. If a snare drum isn't giving you all the buzz you need with 20 strand wires, it's either a tuning issue or the drum is just garbage. 🤣
I have a premier xpk fusion set from 99. Still love it, still sounds great. Premier as a company had issues with staying in business throughout it's history. That inconsistency is probably why, especially in America, we dont hear much about those drums.
Possibly! Though, I’m glad brands like British Drum Co. are rising in popularity. I hear nothing but good things about that stuff!
Loved the Aquamarine Sparkle at the end!
Isn’t that finish something else??
@@timbofromkeno absolutely it is!
Premier mahogany shells are awesome for jazz/acoustic. Most slept on drums around, you'd have to pay thousands for similar quality custom shells.
I totally agree with you. I just gifted one of the old three-ply mahogany drums to a friend the other day, and it'll go up against any similar American three-ply drum any day (and the Premier is half the price or less).
@@timbofromkeno premier used a very high grade of mahogany, as a lot of the best timber came from British empire colonies, plus their craftsmen were excellent. Their cast hoops are unique too, give a tight sound without choking. They used to be cheap as chips here in the UK but collectors are getting wise to them so the prices are going up, sadly.
@@timbofromkenohi! A vintage Premier drums UBER passionate here 😊
I was wondering: what batter/resonant heads are mounted on that 14x8 tom?
It sounds truly amazing! Thanks a lot for this beautiful video
@@shagherwell Thanks dude! In think the bottom might’ve been the stock head, and the top was a Remo Ambassador, likely from the late 70s!
Remember when Gretsch came out with the 42 strand snare wires, which Tony Willisms endorsed? He had them tightened pretty loosely to get his signature sound. He and everybody else found out that using more than 12 to 14 strands choked the drum. Hence, that loose "wet" snare sound he became noted for. Joe Morello and Buddy Rich had the best snare tone(s). Tight and crisp without sounding choked or muffled. Wide open. You never saw any tape or external muffling on any of the Jazz greats.
I love the tones from so many of those old jazz dudes - so good!
My first drum was a Premier Olympic. My dad picked it up from a pawn shop back in the early 90s with the case and stand for $40. I still have it. I guess I need to dust it off!
You totally should. I think you'd dig it. And if you have questions about tuning or head selection or anything else, don't hesitate to shoot me an email!
I have an old Premier birch pre67 Ringo drumset and the toms are in cm not inches. Remo makes special drumheads for those odd sized drums. Are those Premier toms pre-Intrernational sizes?
Those pre-international metric toms are an interesting part of drum history, but they’re expensive to maintain heads-wise for sure.
Thank goodness, the kit in this video takes standard heads!
True dat. I got some heads some years ago from the UK.
Premier drums are excellent and generally overlooked. I picked up a 2010's latest iteration of the genista line kit back in december 2021...I believe my kit is circa 2014ish..."rock" maple kit 1up 2dn leg mount floor toms. It's a laquer orange sparkle kit...It sounds amazing and the fit and finish is excellent, and the hardware is great. It got me into the brand and in doing a bit of research I found in some applications like the genista line the shells are undersized for better head contact/fitment. Also, they made their own heads and had their own metric head sizing. The unique lugs your kit had is surely pre mid 70's...The brand literally made all of their own stuff and adapted to standard drum lugs & head sizing later on (I think mid 70's ish but not totally sure). Great content, good deals are still to be found, just have to use alternate brands as the "cool" stuff gets more and more expensive.
Thanks for the comment! I really dig just about anything Premier I come across, with the exception of the metric drums of the early 60s. They're an interesting part of history, but at least in the United States, finding heads is a pretty difficult task. Remo will produce them, but even five years ago, they were $50+ a piece.
And yeah, on that first snare in the video, the slotted tension rods definitely seem to put this far back into the 60s, which is pretty neat!
Those Genistas you have are phenomenal drums. They're built rock solid. And I've seen kits similar to your's. I love that orange sparkle lacquer finish they did. It's super slick!
Slotted tension rods were used up until the very late 70s. Quite apart from being the worst lugs ever (!) the beautiful turned versions are a work of art and can be turned using a coin in an emergency! I love them. Your Olympic snare has lugs that date from the mid 70s, so that’s where I would date that drum.
@@cachebangwallop3482 Super helpful information. Thanks so much!!
You guys are so informative and entertaining. Keep going !
Thanks y'all. I really appreciate it!
I have that same Premier snare. Came with Puresound snare wires. I like it for the most part but the snare throw-off sucks. May switch it out with a Ludwig P90 snare throw off. Overall, you gotta tweak these snares to make everything right, which is the norm.
Yeah, old drums are gonna be old drums. lol If I could recommend a throw off, check out the Inde Drum Co. stuff. It’s fantastic!
I have a Premier series in red sparkle lacquer, its a maple kit, not vintage, it was made in 2003 and Steve White was involved with this colour, maybe even design (I'm not sure).
I wouldn't doubt it. I think Steve worked on quite a bit of things with them. And I think I know the color you're talking about. It's stunning!
Nice one! Those Steel Premier snares are great. Big open sounds for not very many pounds! But for how long?
Thanks! And I agree on the pricing. It’s gonna climb once people figure out how good this stuff is…and once they figure out how easy it is to get rid of the slotted tension rods. 😂😂
Interesting....I have this same snare and have never set it up. Just might now.
You should definitely try it out!!
Kimbo from Teno Man about town. Great video, appreciate the hot take on the working person approach to snareism. Love the sound of that Premiere but hate the sound of slotted tuning lugs(?) Do you think it’s because they drive on the wrong side of the road? Thanks for the fun vid!
Kimbo From Teno!! 🤣
Thanks for the kind words. And I have no idea why they went with slotted rods over the already popular square head design. I'm sure some engineer somewhere thought it was a good idea for a good reason, but I'm glad that element didn't carry on much past that time (minus what Sonor was doing in Germany). lol
A Premier snare was my first snare way back when. I probably played hundreds of songs on it.
In the Midwest (US), we think of Ludwigs and Slingerlands as the drums that so many kids grew up with. It’s been a pretty interesting surprise to hear just how many folks grew up with these Premier snares!!
Killer wrap on that kit, now I got imaginations going, thanks Timbo 😩
LOL You've got enough drums!!
@@timbofromkeno If I have enough then what is the amount you own? More than enought??
@@rborawski Exactly!! 😂😂😂
The premier set sounded the best out of all of the kits i would never use a small snare ,but that snare probably sounded the best out of all the snares , unbelievable 💛🧡❤️💜💛🧡❤️🌞🌜🌟🌎🙏🌼🌸🌳🌴☺️
Glad you dig the video. 🙏🙏🙏
I love Bonzoleum! Love to see you guys in a video with him!
I would LOVE that. I need to call that dude and catch up with him!
I had one of those Olympic snares. They are definitely a good quality drum! They literally don't make them like they use too. That green sparkle Ludwig though 😍 tell us more, tell us more! Lol
I have a heavy rock 9 as well, strange but killer drum imo! Great video Tim!
Man, you have so many toys! hahaha I love that Heavy Rock 9. I almost bought one about 12, 13 years ago. Super fun drums.
And that green kit is a fun little project from this year! I've wanted a 20-12-14 3-ply clear maple interior Ludwig kit for ages, so I finally found the singles to do it. There was a floor tom at the drum show this year. And I found a 12 on eBay. And then a guy I know in California had a legit 20" kick that wasn't drilled for a center post, so I had to get that too.
Derek at MKE Drum Co. refinished the shells in Jammin' Sam Green Sparkle (because it's just such a good finish). And he also cleaned up the edges, while maintaining their original profile, and he cleaned up all the hardware too. They're also super, super fun drums to play. Keep an eye out for the full story on that soon!
Man Totally Killer!!!! Love it !!! Sounds so Good in my Studio esp. with some Reverb on the Bus !! Bonham All Day Long !!! Can you do some Zepplin would be Great !!!
Gotta love a little room or some verb on these things for sure. And I might have access to a 28” kick soon, so we’re for sure gonna get into some Bonham tones!
Steel snares are underrated. I have the Olympic version. $40. Sounds great.
Total sleepers!!
My drum teachers dad used to be endorsed by Premier he had a custom snare made for him thats really cool :D
I’ll bet that was SUPER cool!
@@timbofromkeno yeah dude i think it was birch and quite a thicc ply
@@TheGingerDrummer06 Sounds like a Premier project one, a killer snare.. Timbo you should try get one to test.
Is the next video ready? I can’t get enough!!!!
hahaha JD! Man, I was working on this literally until an hour before I normally publish today. Lots of work to do this stuff, but I'm glad folks like you enjoy it. More to come!
Oh yeah, don’t sleep on cheap steel drums. I’ve got a supralite that cost me $100 used that KILLS!
DUDE - Those are super underrated. I keep looking for the 14x4 model. Hard to find, and I understand why. They're THAT good!
Stop spreading the word on these things, you’re going to raise the prices.
I picked up and early 90’s Genista 6-piece kit a few years back for $400. Kind of rare with the shorter depths on the toms. I’d put it up against a Recording Custom any day and probably win. Absolutely stellar drums.
Man, I have no idea how you scored that Genista for so cheap. That is a SCREAMING deal. Good on ya.
And I hope the prices don't go up, but I'm sure this brand has GOT to catch on one day. And until then, I'm gonna be buying these things up like crazy. hahaha
That heavy rock 14x9 is fucking gorgeous
Isn't that thing a stunner??
I had that snare in 1990.
That's awesome. : )
Where I’m from there’s a shitload of used premier drums for sale. In my opinion most of em sound like muddy thuddy crap. Probably has to do with the bearing edges on them. But I suppose it’d counteract the brightness of a steel drum somewhat.
I’m curious where you’re from and what drums you’re trying out. Some of the Premier stuff is great, but head selection is so important. The other thing is that power toms (which Premier made a lot of) will almost always be thuddy. 😂😂
The Resonator series from Premier (late 70s?) are the most rare and collectible. I heard Jazz legend Louis Hayes play a Premier Resonator kit at a drum clinic/concert in Memphis, circa 1980, and they just sang! Some of the best drums I've ever heard. Of course, being played by a master drummer didn't hurt. What was also really cool is that Mr. Hayes played a Zildjian "Rock 21" ride cymbal with 3 rivets. Best sounding ride I've ever heard in a live setting.
I loved your video and found it very interesting and fun. Favorite chip Doritos Sriracha.
Hey Greg! Thanks for the kind words. More of this stuff to come. I hope you stick around. And I haven't actually had the sriracha Doritos, but I think I'm gonna have to run the store and find a bag now!
There used to be a brand out of Ohio called Mikesells, and they have this incredible hot chip called Mikesell's Good N' Hot. I think they're out of production right now because the company changed hands, but when they're back, you should try a bag. They're amazing!
@@timbofromkeno Timbo, thank you for the wonderful conversation. Those Doritos are pretty spicy, and they have another on called Salsa Verde, but they are harder to find.
Don’t worry about me sticking around. I am hooked on your offerings, and again I thank you.
@@gregwonhoff7161 I'll find those some time too. Always down for a good chat. Have a great weekend, dude!
My opinion is this dude knows how to hit a drum. If you rim shot with gorilla strength just about anything with great tuning it’s going to sound great. That Olympic snare is probably going to sound like ass on our kits 😂
lol I appreciate the kind words. But honestly, I think if you tune the way I tune, you could definitely get a good sound out of this thing regardless of how hard you hit. I crank up the bottom head, get the wires to a decent tension, and then tune the top head medium to medium-high. If you can get that kind of funky pop out of the tone, then it'll sing at just about any dynamic level!
We get loads of old prems for next to nothing. Wish we'd have the old Ludwigs. Check out Beverly drums. Check out the Cosmic 21 snare. Beverly was bought out by Premier. A little bird said that the first ally 400s were actually cosmic 21 shells sent over to the states. But now its all about the British Drum Company, we're making the best drums in the world again 👌🏻
Hey John! Man, I love the old Beverley lugs. I would love to have one of those kits some day. I'm hoping to get over to the UK Drum Show in 2024. Maybe someone will have a Cosmic 21 snare I can take home with me!
And man, I just saw the CEO of British Drum Co. posting about the eighth anniversary of the company. Him and his crew make some fantastic drums. I'd love to get my hands on a set of those one day too. So so good!
Also if you get a vintage 400 where the chrome hasn't come off as much as it would have normally ... you just found an ally shell that was chromed by Beverly and rolls Royce in yourkshire 🙌🏻 when Premier bought Beverly, the shells that didn't "disappear" to the states they made there own aluminium snare, they called that the Premier 35. That's the one I've got.
@@Johnnodonoughue That is so interesting. I had no clue about that part of history. Can you imagine shipping drum shells back and forth across the sea just to get plating? No one would dare make that move with shipping prices the way they are today. 🤣
@@timbofromkeno if its in Liverpool and want somewhere to stay ill put you up, proppa English bed and breakfast style. If you fly in at Manchester I'll even pick you up and drop you off. I'm Manchester 2 mins away from the Airport 👍🏻 (I'm also only 10 minutes away from BDC's factory in Stockport) Liverpool is 30 mins. I've no problem being your Alfred for your trip. Hope you like tea 🤣. Offers always open 🤘🏻
@@timbofromkeno th-cam.com/video/k1QgiDYMye4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=22bJuhqSfK8tVqFC 👌🏻
Tim grew a beard in a matter of seconds. Whoa!
It's those magic eastern European genes! LOL
Wine red!! 😂 My first kit was a wine red Gretsch Blackhawk from the 90’s. I played it for 10 years and always wondered why it wouldn’t tune…Until I discovered later that it’s basically plywood 😎
I blame it on that terrible hue of red! 😂
@@timbofromkeno That and the Superkick 2! Nothing wrong with muffled heads but my world changed when I took that off
@@sleepwhenimdead9667 Funny enough, when I was filming the update with Sahan, I had just installed and tuned up a coated Super Kick II on his 20" 70s Ludwig kick. And it sounded fantastic!
@@timbofromkeno That’s awesome! I’m sure it did!
Sleepydeadguy - Most wood drums (other than a few types, namely solid and stave) are absolutely constructed of plywood! 😂. Cheers! 🇬🇧✌🏼
Did I miss the Before Sound? 😢😂
I don't think I did a before sound on these. lol I just wanted to show that these little cheap drums rock. I do have a clip of that wine red drum with the stock head on it if you're curious, though! Feel free to DM me on IG if you wanna give it a listen.
I got my acrolite for FREE.99
Paid $75 for my premier olympic snare too lol
You’re a lucky dude!!
@@timbofromkeno Perks of living a mile away from a drum shop!
@@Ted_Swayinghill YES! 😂😂
Quality Premier drums are just as good as any Ludwig drums especially the 70Premier drums guys no disrespect you can't tell the difference between brass or steel drums is all down to tuning good drummers can make a wood snare sound like a metal snare vice verca .💛🧡❤️💜💛🧡❤️🌞🌜🌟🌎🙏🌼🌸🌳🌴☺️
I respect your opinion! And I definitely agree that those old Premier Drums are phenomenal. 😁👊
Shootout with a Supraphonic...
Definitely different, but your standard music listener would just say they both sound like a drum! 😂😂
Old Dutch Onion and Garlic
Onion and garlic chips are CRIMINALLY underrated. So so so so so so good.
Yo sahan!
He's THE MAN!!
Sour cream & onion chip
That’s the kind of chip my girlfriend buys because she knows I won’t eat them. 😂😂😂
A snare is a snare is a snare ey?
If the foundation is good, then it’s probably a keeper!
Omg sahan is so 😍
The best of the best!
A double 42 strand snare wire equals 84 strands
That would be insane. LOL
@@timbofromkeno yea, it sure would be funny if you made a video about it because of your personality. But maybe if you and RDavidR made a video together that would be funny. And it would probably help with your subscriber count.
@@JackNiles That would be wild. Dave recently reached out to me and I made some content for a video he's working on . Fingers crossed he includes it in his video in the near future!
@@timbofromkeno How many snare drums does it take for my girlfriend to breakup?
@@JackNiles LOL
Can drummers start making there bass drums sound like bass drums instead of horrible Simmons bass drums whats the point in having 24 or 26 bass drum and it sounding like a Simmons bass drum horrible,thin,and clicky whats the piont ❤️🧡💛💜❤️🧡💛🌞🌜🌟🌎🙏🌼🌸🌳🌴☺️
lol Fair! 😂😂
Next- budget cymbals.
That's a really tough one, but I've got some ideas!
Wuhan. And dream.
@@knowntalmbout That's very true. The only thing I don't like about those cymbals is their quality control is pretty rough. For every phenomenal cymbal you find, you're likely to find a counterpart that is equally terrible in the same model, size, and production run.
@@timbofromkeno this issue is more prevalent in older, cheaper Wuhan cymbals. I personally only play dream cymbals on my main kits and wuhans on my practice kit. They’ll pass on a gig if needed. But like you said it’s kinda a toss up.
@@knowntalmbout I think if I could hit 100 of them in a store, I could definitely find a half dozen that I like. I just don't have a Dream dealer around here, which is a shame.
I've been playing a lot of this Turkish Cymbals stuff lately, and I've got to say, it sounds just as good as the pricey Istanbul Agop stuff people are buying - and this stuff is WAY more economical. I might have a make a video just talking about that!
Beach🏖 is better than Birch
Add a margarita and you’re good to go! 😂👊
mmm pizza
YES! hahaha
Clip the mics to your shirt collars. That's what they're made for.
Lol I tried that and they sounded like garbage. We’re running on a shoestring budget over here, so I’m making due with what I got. 😂😂
In what Century could you get an acrolight for 50bucks second hand those guys are talking like they were drummers in the fifties or sixtys wow if you could get a good Ludwig snare for 50 bucks lucky Americans ❤️🧡💛💜❤️🧡💛🌞🌜🌟🌎🙏🌼🌸🌳🌴☺️
This is definitely an American experience. Many of the baby boomers had schools FULL of Acrolites and often with a pile of Supraphonics too. They were beyond plentiful and so so cheap for a long time!
Tons of acrolites on ebay for $60 around 2011. Ive always wanted a 6.5 blacrolite, but those were pricier at the time. So I slept on 'em. Wish I hadn't.
In Britain anything from Ludwig secondhand is like gold dust only ever had a Ludwig Gold sparkle 4piece tryde to keep it but had to give it back to the store as it was only on loan ,wish I had money to buy it back then 35 years ago Thanks God Bless all you drummers out there AMEN💛🧡❤️💜💛🧡❤️🌞🌜🌟🌎🙏🌼🌸🌳🌴☺️
timestamps....great video otherwise
Yeah, I’m still figuring out this whole TH-cam thing. Gimme a few years and I’ll have my stuff together. 😂😂😂
My ears are broken. Cause I think all the videos you make… the snares sound very very similar. Both on my iPhone, tv and Beats. 🤦🏾♂️ don’t crucify me
lol It's all good. And honestly, it's a fair shot. I use the same few snare heads. I tune most drums the same way. I hit them the same way with the same sticks under the same mics and mix them all the same way too.
And in many cases, I think the message of this channel is that "drums sound like drums." If you know what you're doing, you can make anything you have sound great!