WEll, hello, I´m a Newbi to this post.
I need some help on identifying my kit correctly. I was reading some on the net and forums and can´t find nothing specific about the time of production for a supposed Tama Starclassic Performer all birch (which I think this one is, and so I was told).
It has 6 toms, 4 floating and 2 floor toms, the floating toms has une kind of metal badges, and the floor toms has some other kind...always in metal.
THere is really NO way to determine the year of production not even due to the finish???[img]null[/img][img=http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2941347980240&l=be5fde9617]Starclassic Kit[/img]...Mine i think is Transparent Green....the person who sold it to me told me it was aprossimate tweñve years old...is that possible?..Any hel would be greatly appreciated. Best Regards.Kit

[img=http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2927008941773&l=2bb5ba4eeb]Float tom badge[/img]

[img=http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2927010981824&l=c47531d182]Floor tom badge[/img]

Thanks a lot in advance, Checking already...I´m also trying to know if you can actually see the pictures i tried to link out to ?... I have already seen Two of the threads you linked me to.... but the other Two ones are far more complete... I think is an all birch shell performer in transparent green, has 10"x9" 12"x10" 13"x12" 14"x13" floating toms and 16"x15" & 18"x16" Floor toms The bass drum is 24" and comes with wood hops (almost yellow in comparison to the green). The hooks has NO rubber on them and it has ten each side.

[img=http://www.flickr.com/photos/lord_magnussen/6771661743/]Badge 1[/img]
[img=http://www.flickr.com/photos/lord_magnussen/6771660277/]Badge 2[/img]

Badge 2
Badge 1

You have to look at the tom holder, does it have a plastic insert in the tube that the smaller tom holder (the one that goes up and down) sits in? If it doesn't it's older than 2002. I see the bass drum hoops don't match, that could give it away too. Find the old catalogues on the Tama site, you should be able to find what your looking for.

Ok so I can see the photos now...

The kit is a bitza...it contains drums from different eras. The 'Made In Japan' badge (as opposed to 'Handcrafted In Japan' with the black background) was used from 2002, making it a birch shell, and of course the same for all with that badge.

The 'Handcrafted In Japan' badge was used from 1994-2001, during which there were 3 different shells.

Transparent Green was from 1996 onwards. Until 1996 inclusive the bass drums had Accutune hoops, which makes me think that maybe yours had them in the past, being as they have been swapped from original (the Accutune 24" hoop had 10 lugs). Maybe they were green and the prevoius owner preferred natural? A set of precision calipers will tell you how thick the bass drum shell is...8mm and it's 1996 with a Philipine Mahogany shell with a birch inner ply. 7mm and it's 1997-2001.

Check the tom shells with the 'Handcrafted In Japan' badges for thickness. If they are 8mm then they are from 1996, Phillipine Mahogany with birch inner. If they are 6mm then it's 1997-2001.

From 1997 to 2001 there are no definitive identifiers even though the shell changed composition in 2000 to all birch. Unfortunately, the 1997-1999 shell, which was Japanese basswood with a birch inner and outer is the same thickness and number of plies as the 2000-2001 version of the all birch shell. As far is I can tell (and I've looked real hard) I can find nothing tell them apart. Some finishes and sizes didn't start till 2000, like Natural Birch, Transparent Black, EFX finishes, Accel shell depths and 18" deep bass drums, so they are all birch, but of course none of these apply to your kit...

I'm all ears if someone knows something I am missing...

See this thread for more details... http://forum.tama.com/ya...entification-Thread.aspx