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Tama Serial Numbers

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I bought a Tama Snare on impulse on Friday for £45 but have no idea what model it is.
Its a Maple (I think) 14 x 5.5'. The heads were shot but everything else is good. I fitted an Evans G1 batter I already had and a Meazzi Reso (shop old stock for £5 - very thin), possibly not the best heads but I'll think of them when my tuning ability improves. It sounds great to me - much better than the one with my Pearl Forum starter kit.
There is a serial number on the Tama badge - 151646 and has 10 tuning lugs per side with plain chromed hardware, plain varnished wood finish and Starclassic 20 strand snare. Don't think its a Starclassic though as the strainer mechanism doesn't appear 'high end' and there is no Starclassic badge on the drum - just a Tama badge with vent hole in centre. The badge is a kind of very patina'd bronze colour (almost brown) and American Football/Rugby Ball shape. The strainer is better than basic and works smoothly but doesn't seem top quality. It doesn't appear in any current catalogue I can find but I don't think its particularly old - it seems in good condition with very faint pitting to the chromed hardware which has cleaned up easily.
Sorry about the lack of photo but my camera has developed a sense of humor and I haven't yet figured out how to post photographs.
So far I'm £50 into it which I am happy with but I would appreciate it if you could help me identify it. Thanks

I get emails all of the time with a basic drum description and a serial number from visitors in hopes I can unlock the history of their drum. I think in general serial numbers do play an important role in the commercial market especially electronics and other high end items. In the 60's Insurance companies made it mandatory that serial numbers be put on items so they can be documented.

Unfortunately drum companies never really prescribed to any code of documenting a drum based on that serial number. In fact I once heard that they started using serial numbers not for their own use per say but so schools and institutions could keep track of instruments in inventory.

I also get people asking what factory a drum might have shipped from or the exact month a drum was made or even the production numbers etc. The ever important serial number which some companies keep detailed records of unfortunately does not exist in the history of drums. We also have to state that much of the record keeping was archaic at best and in some cases history was destroyed in plant fires or just tossed in the garbage!.

With that said many drum companies never even used serial numbers early on. In most cases the best way to estimate the date of a drum is its physical characteristics. Fortunately drum companies since the 40's were good at printing catalogs. Earlier catalog examples do exist, but are rare and expensive to acquire. In most cases they also included a host of other band instruments and items related to the music business. These catalogs although re-printed in some cases from year to year with limited changes do provide a timeline of when finishes were added and when hardware was used and or changed on drums.

Unfortunately still there is no exact science or way to pinpoint an exact date of a drums manufacture. As collectors and historians we have to settle for a date range or a specific year at best. That being said some drums did get date stamped on the inside shell and that is the most accurate indication when a drum was made. The problem was that the stamp was created with an ink that easily wiped off during routine cleanings!

Even if a serial number badge does exist on a drum anomalies do occur and that is because the badges did not have an inventory control system. Tutorial solidworks 2012 bahasa indonesia pdf ke. A more historical perspective and history of this practice was documented by Vintage Drum Center and can be read here. It is also common knowledge that finishes that were discontinued were kept in inventory and people would order them, so production would use the finish. That throws the date of the drum off! This happened with hardware and badges and these companies were competing in an ever aggressive market and had to do what needed to be done to remain profitable. This is especially the case when import drums started flooding the market with a lower priced alternative set of drums.

Quick Company Guide:
Ludwig Drum Company - Information Below
Slingerland Drums - Click Here
Rogers Drums - A few people are trying to create a guide, but the best way is the physical characteristics
Leedy - Physical characteristics
Gretsch - Physical characteristics
Anyone left out - Physical characterisitics

About the Tutorial SAP Plant Maintenance (SAP PM) is a software product that manages all maintenance activities in an organization. Plant Maintenance module consists of key activities to include inspection, notifications, corrective and preventive maintenance, repairs, and other measures to maintain an ideal technical system. SAP PM Tutorials – Plant Maintenance Module Training materials SAP PM (Plant Maintenance) is a functional module which handles the maintaining of equipments and Enables efficient planning of production and generation schedules and provides interfaces to process control and SCADA systems. SAP PM Tutorial – SAP Plant Maintenance Training Tutorials. Maintain field selection for data screens 5. Assign fields to field selection groups 6. Define material groups 7. Maintain company codes for material management 8. Define attributes of system messages 9. Define purchase value keys 10. Define Shipping instructions.

So if you finally made it to this point then you are almost there! Balderdash game word generator. Below you will find information for dating the serial numbers on Ludwig Drums.

Here are some references you can use to date by serial number. The web site link is available so feel free to visit their web sites and learn more. I only put them in one location to make it easier for people to get the information.

Vintage Drum Center 60's Ludwig dating guide: Also if you wish to purchase vintage drums or new drum gear this is the place to go!

If you have this badge you can't use the serial number guides below. Click Here

DATE
1960 to late 1963
February 24, 1964
April, 1964
April, 1965
July 6, 1965
October, 1965
March 19, 1966
August 30, 1966
November, 1966
March, 1967
June, 1967
November 15, 1967
February 6, 1968
June 21, 1968
November, 1968
January, 1969
February 26, 1969
September 4, 1969
Ludwig 1960's Serial Number Time Chart #2
SERIAL NUMBER
no serial numbers used
0 – 133,000
133,000 – 266,000
266,000 – 399,000
399,000 – 532,000
532,000 – 665,000
665,000 – 798,000*
* Note: At approximately the 750,000 mark in the serial number sequence, Ludwig discontinued the brass Keystone badge and replaced it with the blue and olive parallelogram-shaped badge.

The Ludwig Drummer.com dating guide from their web site. Only presented because the web site has been going down so I wanted it documented here


Date Stamp by Year1964

Serial NumberDate Stamp

113622/10/64

154291/1/64

168603/12/64

198783/27/64

240244/20/64

712651/1/64

714881/1/64

726141/1/64

1696471/1/64

2670001/1/64

Date Stamp by Year1965

Serial NumberDate Stamp

1085323/4/65

1139693/1/65

1143523/20/65

1192671/1/65

1228863/29/65

1256351/1/65

1559955/12/65

1627006/8/65

1845501/1/65

1917776/8/65

1951368/17/65

2044949/13/65

22655311/8/65


22749110/1/65

22880710/1/65

2350919/23/65

25247112/23/65

2857001/1/65

2912524/2/65

Date Stamp by Year1966

Serial NumberDate Stamp

2680697/11/66

2975822/10/66

3119702/5/66

3407981/1/66

3510007/11/66

3550008/2/66

38930412/1/66

4102659/1/66

41938011/19/66

41990011/14/66

4490009/1/66

Date Stamp by Year1967

Serial NumberDate Stamp

3976021/1/67

3982881/1/67

4369131/1/67

4430001/30/67

4660003/2/67

4754122/28/67

4933061/1/67

4980001/30/67

51791011/24/67

5309038/16/67

55218411/3/67

56513512/29/67

Date Stamp by Year1968

Serial NumberDate Stamp

50637111/2/68

5627461/9/68

5723352/6/68

5888933/11/68

5900713/14/68

5907261/1/68

5913101/1/68

6072841/1/68

6072881/1/68

6078353/15/68

6159155/20/68

6566611/1/68

Date Stamp by Year1969

Serial NumberDate Stamp

6734081/31/69

7026611/1/69

7091989/12/69

Date Stamp by Year1970

Serial NumberDate Stamp

8029669/8/70

Date Stamp by Year1971

Serial NumberDate Stamp

8167004/8/71

9100001/1/71

Rebeats.com historian Rob Cook also a personal friend has an excellent book about ludwig drums you can find by visiting his web site.

Here is the dating guide for 60's and 70's Ludwig Drums. The Ludwig Book is invaluable to me as a collector and I strongly suggest you consider buying all of Rob's Books! His books are a complete guide and offers more insight then these tables.

Keystone Badges
1961-1962:No Numbers
1963No Numbers - 7900
19649xxx - 33449
1965108532 - 259xxx
1966260xxx - 449xxx
1967450xxx - 548xxx
1968549xxx - 665372
1969670xxx - 741215
Blue & Olive Badges
1969765xxx - 834xxx
1970out of sequence,unnunmered
1971835xxx - 895xxx
1972896xxx - 916xxx
1976917xxx - 1290xxx
1978xxxxxxx
1979xxxxxxx - 2013537
Tama serial numbers chart


The 84-. prefix on the serial number does indeed indicate it was built in 1984. Tama only used this prefixing between 1982-84 though many of us wish it would have been continued to simplify dating of their subsequent drums. The shell is 6-ply birch and the finish appears to be their Cherry Wine offering. The serial numbers on Tama drums of that era were for insurance purposes only and do not relate to a date of manufacture. Mid to late 1980's. How do I find the date of manufacture by the serial number on the badge of my tama rockstar drums? Gearslutz.com LTD - UK Company Number 7597610 (England & Wales). Registered Office - Suite 19, Maple Court, Grove Park, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 3LW. By using this site, you agree to our use of cookies.

Tama Serial Numbers
SAP PM Tutorial – SAP Plant Maintenance Training Tutorials. Maintain field selection for data screens 5. Assign fields to field selection groups 6. Define material groups 7. Maintain company codes for material management 8. Define attributes of system messages 9. Define purchase value keys 10. Define Shipping instructions.

So if you finally made it to this point then you are almost there! Balderdash game word generator. Below you will find information for dating the serial numbers on Ludwig Drums.

Here are some references you can use to date by serial number. The web site link is available so feel free to visit their web sites and learn more. I only put them in one location to make it easier for people to get the information.

Vintage Drum Center 60's Ludwig dating guide: Also if you wish to purchase vintage drums or new drum gear this is the place to go!

If you have this badge you can't use the serial number guides below. Click Here

DATE
1960 to late 1963
February 24, 1964
April, 1964
April, 1965
July 6, 1965
October, 1965
March 19, 1966
August 30, 1966
November, 1966
March, 1967
June, 1967
November 15, 1967
February 6, 1968
June 21, 1968
November, 1968
January, 1969
February 26, 1969
September 4, 1969
Ludwig 1960's Serial Number Time Chart #2
SERIAL NUMBER
no serial numbers used
0 – 133,000
133,000 – 266,000
266,000 – 399,000
399,000 – 532,000
532,000 – 665,000
665,000 – 798,000*
* Note: At approximately the 750,000 mark in the serial number sequence, Ludwig discontinued the brass Keystone badge and replaced it with the blue and olive parallelogram-shaped badge.

The Ludwig Drummer.com dating guide from their web site. Only presented because the web site has been going down so I wanted it documented here


Date Stamp by Year1964

Serial NumberDate Stamp

113622/10/64

154291/1/64

168603/12/64

198783/27/64

240244/20/64

712651/1/64

714881/1/64

726141/1/64

1696471/1/64

2670001/1/64

Date Stamp by Year1965

Serial NumberDate Stamp

1085323/4/65

1139693/1/65

1143523/20/65

1192671/1/65

1228863/29/65

1256351/1/65

1559955/12/65

1627006/8/65

1845501/1/65

1917776/8/65

1951368/17/65

2044949/13/65

22655311/8/65


22749110/1/65

22880710/1/65

2350919/23/65

25247112/23/65

2857001/1/65

2912524/2/65

Date Stamp by Year1966

Serial NumberDate Stamp

2680697/11/66

2975822/10/66

3119702/5/66

3407981/1/66

3510007/11/66

3550008/2/66

38930412/1/66

4102659/1/66

41938011/19/66

41990011/14/66

4490009/1/66

Date Stamp by Year1967

Serial NumberDate Stamp

3976021/1/67

3982881/1/67

4369131/1/67

4430001/30/67

4660003/2/67

4754122/28/67

4933061/1/67

4980001/30/67

51791011/24/67

5309038/16/67

55218411/3/67

56513512/29/67

Date Stamp by Year1968

Serial NumberDate Stamp

50637111/2/68

5627461/9/68

5723352/6/68

5888933/11/68

5900713/14/68

5907261/1/68

5913101/1/68

6072841/1/68

6072881/1/68

6078353/15/68

6159155/20/68

6566611/1/68

Date Stamp by Year1969

Serial NumberDate Stamp

6734081/31/69

7026611/1/69

7091989/12/69

Date Stamp by Year1970

Serial NumberDate Stamp

8029669/8/70

Date Stamp by Year1971

Serial NumberDate Stamp

8167004/8/71

9100001/1/71

Rebeats.com historian Rob Cook also a personal friend has an excellent book about ludwig drums you can find by visiting his web site.

Here is the dating guide for 60's and 70's Ludwig Drums. The Ludwig Book is invaluable to me as a collector and I strongly suggest you consider buying all of Rob's Books! His books are a complete guide and offers more insight then these tables.

Keystone Badges
1961-1962:No Numbers
1963No Numbers - 7900
19649xxx - 33449
1965108532 - 259xxx
1966260xxx - 449xxx
1967450xxx - 548xxx
1968549xxx - 665372
1969670xxx - 741215
Blue & Olive Badges
1969765xxx - 834xxx
1970out of sequence,unnunmered
1971835xxx - 895xxx
1972896xxx - 916xxx
1976917xxx - 1290xxx
1978xxxxxxx
1979xxxxxxx - 2013537


The 84-. prefix on the serial number does indeed indicate it was built in 1984. Tama only used this prefixing between 1982-84 though many of us wish it would have been continued to simplify dating of their subsequent drums. The shell is 6-ply birch and the finish appears to be their Cherry Wine offering. The serial numbers on Tama drums of that era were for insurance purposes only and do not relate to a date of manufacture. Mid to late 1980's. How do I find the date of manufacture by the serial number on the badge of my tama rockstar drums? Gearslutz.com LTD - UK Company Number 7597610 (England & Wales). Registered Office - Suite 19, Maple Court, Grove Park, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 3LW. By using this site, you agree to our use of cookies.

Tama Superstar Serial Numbers

Nice find on the Rockstar RM. Kinda rare for sure, especially in 'Gravure Cherry Black' as Tama called it. I guess 'Black Cherry' got lost in translation somewhere! That serial number is intriguingbut you never know what Tama was thinking with their serial number schemes in early 90's. Jan 09, 2010 In late 1986, the Tama Crestar line (soon to be changed to Granstar) replaced the Superstars. However, the Superstars were still available for a couple of years after that. The serial numbers on Tama drums of that era were for insurance purposes only and do not relate to a date of manufacture. View Profile.





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