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Sooo, What exactly IS the current status of Premier?
- Thread starter Fat Drummer
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Those would be the chinese people who don't cater to the bourgeois sentimentality of Premier players. As hokey as the Brits can get, there are those amongst us who remember when the name Premier drums actually stood for top notch, top shelf first class instruments .
The land of long ago and far away ...
The land of long ago and far away ...
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There are a few large companies who make the cheaper/intermediate drums for some the players in the industry and also some of the 'house' brands too. I'm betting there aren't any specific Premier dies.studrum said:
What's clear from the website is that the Elite and Genista shells are common (with the exception of the Gen X as it's an Elite only option) apart from finish, Premier claim 0.1mm difference between the thicknesses of the two ranges, so they are the same shells with different hardware.
The APK/XPK shells are also the same, ironically as they were in the late 80s/early90s. I suspect they're the dies that the factory has and not specific to Premier at all.
Basically the far eastern factory is simply a contractor.
Murat
DFO Veteran
They have been purchased by Gear4Music of UK ( probably the biggest supplier of musical instruments in the UK) and will be re launched this Saturday , sort of celebrating their 100 year anniversary as well. What lines will be offered, where they will be made, no idea . I guess we will all know more Saturday.
They have been very active on social media for many months... all Asian produced lines thus far ( don't know if it's Taiwan or China) but they look very nice and we all know that some high quality drums come from this part of the world. I would love for them to offer an English made product if there is someone available to third party it for them (I assume BDC would not be interested) at least for the 100th anniversary. For me personally, I'm no more interested in a Premier that is not make in England than I am a .... well, lets just stop there. I wish them nothing but the best but this is not the Premier that we know and love from days gone by, but they may prove to be a great NEW set!
mgdrummer
DFO Veteran
This is exactly my position as well. I have a basement full of 70's-90's Premier gear and still gig with Genistas and Signias. With their spotty history of availability and a product line that changes at whim, it's going to take an awful lot of convincing to spend another dollar on "new" Premier gear.
On their FB page the other day they were fielding questions/comments on what people wanted to see for the future of the company. My response? "For me, the highlights of Premier’s offerings have been the Signia & Genista followed by the old mahogany shelled kits of the 70’s. The low profile streamlined die cast hoops and art deco lugs are iconic to the brand. With todays modern production I’d love to see those three shell types reintroduced to the world with modern upgrades in mounting hardware and spurs. You were onto something with the 6mm undersized shells too, I’d love to see that as a standard feature on the revitalized lines as well."
Trilock_Gurtu
DFO Veteran
This pretty much sums up my position as well.
Did they happen to respond to those suggestions? Your comments were well thought out and delivered, I hope they were listening.
mgdrummer
DFO Veteran
Nope, not a peep. Which is why I've been slowly moving to Sonor since they offer "better" Premier drums. The S-Classix (medium birch) out-Genista the Genistas and my vintage maple SQ2's out-Signia my Signias.
Long time Premier fan here with kits from the 50s, 70s, and 90s. I consider Premier to be defunct.
Just seeing this now. Delightful, Bennyk! (I have three Premier kits).
This is interesting to me, never read this before. For me it would be diminishing returns, as a 4-5 piece set of SQ2s looks to be 4x or more the cost of a used set of Signias.
I have to agree with mgdrummer and the others. The current Premier might have the same name but it's not the same company. However, I'd argue that British Drum Company is carrying on the high standards that were set by Premier.
This is a new finish that BDC put out recently. It reminds me an awful lot of the shimmer wraps Premier was using in the 70s, albeit a little more 'modern'. Now if they'd only start offering a 3-ply mahogany shell with replicas of the beautiful Premier cast hoops...
This is a new finish that BDC put out recently. It reminds me an awful lot of the shimmer wraps Premier was using in the 70s, albeit a little more 'modern'. Now if they'd only start offering a 3-ply mahogany shell with replicas of the beautiful Premier cast hoops...
Skinsmannn
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This. Too bad Premier. BDC is rocking.
I’m not in the market for a new kit but if I found myself in that situation I’d look very closely at BDC.
What's the deal with those cymbal stands?
I have an 8x14 maple elite snare made in Taiwan before Premier folded. The ”new” elites are virtually identical. I got a quote on a 14x20, 8x12,14x14, 16x16 set of the new ones about two years ago and it came in around $2,400 without shipping or taxes. Not sure if that was shipping from Taiwan or wherever in the mid-west the agent was located. What’s the point of buying a Premier from Taiwan?
I like the BDC drums, but without wrap finishes, I won’t be buying.
I like the BDC drums, but without wrap finishes, I won’t be buying.
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mgdrummer
DFO Veteran
Fact of the matter is that all my Signias & Genistas are 20-30 years old now. They’re getting worn. Replacement parts are getting harder and harder to find. Being that I play 60-80 dates a year I’ve been getting to the point of needing something current that can be easily serviced if needed. The Sonors give me the familiar feeling of the Premiers (pretty sure it’s something to do with the 6mm undersized shells), and sonically they just have “more” of everything I love about the Signias.
TheDrummerFromAmsterdam
DFO Master
Always loved me some Premier.
A friend bought the old European distributors office (and all its parts and stuff) I helped him by sorting through, and putting all the new old stock parts online.
I recently went to the old office and it was like time stood still in the 90’s.
Even when they had already a part of the production moved to Asia before their bankrupcy, they still had some great drums coming out.
So for me there is nothing wrong with buying Premier from Asia as long as the quality is just as good (and a lot of the parts and hardware already came from Asia) and so far the reviews/experiences are good.
Replacement parts can still be had (old and new) and you could also get spare shells with the hardware on it for basically nothing.
But I have to admit, wearing out Premier parts and hardware is hard (they are prooperly build) so should maybe only happens once or twice in a drummers life.
BDC is nice but to be fair totally different and thats good. They have their own thing which makes them stand-out in this competitive market.
The UK builds where an era, the crossover period was an era, and now we have the Asian era.
Im curious what gear4Music (which are UK founded and based too) will do.
So far it looks really good as they already released the new generation Genista’s and I read good things about those new models online.
They also honour the 100th year anniversary:
fb.watch
www.premier-percussion.com
www.premier-percussion.com
www.premier-percussion.com
A friend bought the old European distributors office (and all its parts and stuff) I helped him by sorting through, and putting all the new old stock parts online.
I recently went to the old office and it was like time stood still in the 90’s.
Even when they had already a part of the production moved to Asia before their bankrupcy, they still had some great drums coming out.
So for me there is nothing wrong with buying Premier from Asia as long as the quality is just as good (and a lot of the parts and hardware already came from Asia) and so far the reviews/experiences are good.
Replacement parts can still be had (old and new) and you could also get spare shells with the hardware on it for basically nothing.
But I have to admit, wearing out Premier parts and hardware is hard (they are prooperly build) so should maybe only happens once or twice in a drummers life.
BDC is nice but to be fair totally different and thats good. They have their own thing which makes them stand-out in this competitive market.
The UK builds where an era, the crossover period was an era, and now we have the Asian era.
Im curious what gear4Music (which are UK founded and based too) will do.
So far it looks really good as they already released the new generation Genista’s and I read good things about those new models online.
They also honour the 100th year anniversary:
22.10.22 #premierdrums100 | By Premier Drums | Facebook
4.5K views, 150 likes, 30 loves, 26 comments, 35 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Premier Drums: 22.10.22 #premierdrums100
fb.watch
Della-Porta 100 Limited Edition - Premier Drums
Reviving traditional shell building techniques, the Della-Porta 100 limited edition takes inspiration from the Premier walnut shell snares of yesteryear. Strictly limited to a run of 100 pieces, and exclusively handmade in the UK, the Della-Porta 100 commemorates Premier’s centenary year and is...
www.premier-percussion.com
Genista 100SE - Premier Drums
To mark the occasion of Premier’s 100th anniversary, the Genista 100SE is a unique take on the original, unsupported birch shell kit launched in the 90's. The special edition 6-piece shell pack reimagines Premier's unmistakable tri-band finish alongside the distinctive characteristics of Genista...
www.premier-percussion.com
Artist Club 100 - Premier Drums
Launched to celebrate Premier’s 100th anniversary, the Artist Club 100 is a special edition of the original and popular compact kit in British Racing Green.
www.premier-percussion.com
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That's a really cool story, thanks for sharing.
Looks like Premier launched their new website and I'm surprised at how nice some of the stuff looks. That limited edition walnut snare is absolutely beautiful and it's cool that it was made in the UK. I was really tempted to buy it but quickly changed my mind when I saw $1500 price. I get that it's the 100th anniversary but that price is insane.
