On drums...

Hope all is well.

So this listing caught my eye and got me thinking. I know that the first maple kits from Sonor was the HiLite series. Then after that came the Force Maples before the Designer series and S-Class series had maple in the 90s. It is my understanding that most of the veneer from Sonor today man made Italian ALPI veneers across all the lines with exceptions that stand out like the One of A Kind snares.

My question is this: Was the Force Maple series the first time that Sonor used ALPI veneers for example on the TG Tulip Green, TB Tulip Blue,
TRD Tulip Red and TA Tulip Ash?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-RAREST-of-the-RARE-1996-Sonor-Force-Maple-Drum-Set-22-12-13-16-BIRDS-EYE-/132205823507?hash=item1ec814c613:g:lhQAAOSw3ZRZAP62

As soon as you start talking about Force, I am out it. But to the HiLite series, that maple was a softer European wood, which we would call sycamore. If I am right about Force Maples, the were North American rock maple.

ALPI seems to have been introduced on the Force series at the same time it was introduced on Designers. The 1992 catalogue offers Force in some colors and Scandi. The 1994 catalogue offers them in "stain woods," which are ALPI, and the Designers, of course, appear at that time, too. That's all I know about it.

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Gregory

As Greg said, all the Force Maple "Tulip" finishes are Alpi veneers. So were the majority of Designer finishes, including all the "Stain" and "Dune" finishes, and most of the "Birdseye" finishes other than some very early sets.

I think that many Sonor geeks are unaware of this, and just hack on SQ2 and current production on Alpi veneers.
Designer actually had less genuine veneers than SQ2.

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Jeff
Gots ta luv da Beech
Australia

I believe there were no genuine veneers on offer on the first Designers. I'll bet loyal customers pitched a fit.

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Gregory

I was under the impression that the first run of Birdseye was genuine?
But, I am from Australia.

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Jeff
Gots ta luv da Beech
Australia

And so is my wife from Straya. But she is right every now and then, even though she spent her formative years on the left side of the world.

Jeff, what I meant was that the brochures did not offer anything but "stain finishes." I hate that term, "finish." Because a veneer was never ever ever ever a dayum finish and finishes were never anything but something meant to improve the looks and/or durability of the wood or veneer or whatever the dayum thing is made of. Suddenly, everything is a finish. "What finish is that?" "I'm not sure, either lacquer or acrylic." "Wow it has such great stripes!" You know what it is? By calling it a finish, Sonor got around the problem of saying "our veneers are now manmade."

Ahem. I know you knew that. Even if you are from Oz.

I have seen real birdseye on some Designers, but I have no idea where they are in the chronology. In my small imagination, they were introduced at the same time real bubinga and Scandi showed up.

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Gregory

I have seen this auction several times. What a crock of crap, that surely, some Sonor dreamer will buy into.

No reason to be jaded about it. It's only "MY MOST PRIZED" kit that "sound AMAZING!" that "comes from one of LA's top studios" and "are some of the best recording drums ever created."

It's easy to see why a guy might feel that maybe he should give someone else a chance at them.

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Gregory

Yep, but he conveniently left out the "I ALREADY OWN 10 KITS & MY WIFE WILL KILL ME IF THESE AREN'T SOLD SOON" selling point.

- D.

Hey David, how is funkasaurus doing??!