Anyway, working on the Vistalites has gotten me a bit nostalgic for all the drums I've played over the years, so I thought I'd start at the beginning with the first kit I owned.
Technically, before I got these drums, I had a hand-me-down snare from my Uncle's brief playing days in the 60s. The drum was nothing special. It didn't have a badge and, if I recall correctly, was a 5"x14" covered in White Marine Pearl. I'm guessing it was a Kent or something like that, but I really don't know.
Anyway, here's a picture of my first kit as it appeared in the 1986 Sears Wishbook from which it was ordered. Surprisingly enough, I don't have any pictures of me with these drums.
blackhawk
Originally uploaded by CaptainWrong
Dates owned: 1987-1989(?)
Price: $399
Fate: Traded in on next kit
So, yeah, I tipped my hand. My first kit came straight out of the Sears catalog. Not that there's anything wrong with that really. I certainly was glad to have them. Ironically, the other kids with their CB700 kits, used to clown me for these drums even though I'll bet they all came from the same factory in Taiwan.
Now these aren't exactly the same as the kit I had. Mine were black. At one point I covered them with stickers, which didn't exactly thrill my parents. Also, my drums didn't have the Gretsch name on them, not that Gretsch really had anything to do with these drums other than importing them.
The only thing I really remember about these drums is the hardware was horrible. The optional high-hat was without a doubt the worst I've ever seen. The boom stand was completely unstable. And the cymbals they came with dented under normal playing and were bendable with kid's hands.
The snare was also pretty rotten.
Other than that, they were pretty much your typical beginner's drums imported from China. I had these for a couple of years before I got my next kit and then the Blackhawks were gone.
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