Bass: 14" x 22"
Tom: 8" (depth) x13"
Floor Tom: 14.5" (depth) x 16"
Snare: 5"x14"
For your viewing pleasure is this rarely seen 1964/65 transitionary Sonor tear drop drum set in very attractive black with large gold sparkle clusters, catalogued as "Schwartz" by Sonor, which is German for "black". It has features from both 1964, and 65. For example, it has the two part square badge, with lower part that reads Made In Western Germany (later changed from "Western" Germany to "West" Germany), and it also has reinforcement rings in all the shells, both of which were features introduced in 1965, but the tom mount on the bass drum is off to the left, which they started to install all the mounts in the center in '65. Additionally, the "Schwartz" finish was no longer catalogued by 1965, and the snare that came with this set has staggered individual lugs, which were changed to shared double sided lugs in '65. What makes this set even cooler, is that most of these Chicago Star outfits came with 20" bass drums, making the grand majority of the ones that become available for sale a 20/13/16 configured outfit. This Chicago Star outfit was ordered with the catalogued option of a 22" bass, making it a more desirable 22/13/16 combo.
The bass drum and both toms are completely original with the exception of the resonant heads on the toms, and the batter side of the bass drum. The top heads of the toms, and the front bass drum logo head are nice original Sonor heads. As is commonly seen on vintage Sonor drums, the floor tom has some flatness in the center of the shell panels due to the the thinness of the shell, but the drum is perfectly in-round on top and bottom due to the re-enforcement rings, and heads float right on and spin freely. The same thinness that can cause these flat areas is also part of why they sound so resonant and musical. As was a popular thing to do in the past, the 5x14 snare drum was fitted with a Ludwig P-85 strainer and butt plate, which required additional holes, but the original strainer and butt have been re-installed and are fully functional. Aside from this, there are no extra holes or modifications of any kind on any of the other drums. The edges are true and original, the chrome is in good condition, and all of the slotted tension rods, T's and claws are nice and original. The spurs have retractable cleats that can hide inside of the rubber feet when not in use. The extremely attractive and rarely seen original wrap is in great condition with some normal handling wear and a small scratch or scuff here and there. There are no splits, no discolorations, and no bubbling.
On top of the stunningly debonair looks of this instrument, it tunes up wonderfully and has an amazing and unique Sonorous sound in and of itself. If you've been looking to add a classic 1960's Sonor set to your collection or studio arsenal, you'd be hard pressed to find one much cooler or more original than this. This would be right at home among the nicest of studios, collections, or stages. Enjoy!
*All orders may require a signature at time of delivery unless discussed prior to purchase.
