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1960s Del Rey Blue Sparkle 1960's 4 Piece Kit
DRUMS
Snare 5.5 x 14"
Tom 9 x 13"
Floor Tom 15 x 16"
Bass Drum 14 x 22"
As mentioned on this post, my first 'proper' drum kit was a Dely Rey purchased for £50.00 on 25th October 1976 from a drummer at my school.
The kit with it's blue sparkle finish, saw me perform my first ever concerts less than two months later in a school band.
I have but 2-3 photographs of this kit and until 2009, its make eluded my memory, but it was positively identified for me as a Del Rey Drum kit.
A little research told me that a company called Teisco marketed drum sets in limited sizes and configurations during the 1960s and sold under the brand name Del Ray.
Teisco was a Japanese manufacturer of affordable musical instruments from 1948 until 1969.
They were produced by sub-contractors to fill out the company's catalogue as a supplier of combo instruments, but discontinued after their acquisition by Kawai.
Having never heard of Del Rey since I sold the kit in October 1977, you would think I was perhaps quite alone in owning one of these kits, but it seems not?!
Preceding me in ownership by 3 years was none other than Def Leppard drummer, Rick Allen!
Aged 10 in 1973, he successfully persuaded his parents to get him a drum kit by agreeing to take lessons and paying half the cost of the kit.
He had a red (although it has also been reported as a blue) sparkle Del Rey drum kit and after six months of lessons, he began playing with his first band, Smokey Blue.
Meanwhile, crossing over that Atlantic, in Schenectady, New York in 1980 a 10 year old Jason Bittner (now of Shadows Fall fame) was listening to the Kiss 'Destroyer' album and it was enough to convince Bittner that his destiny was to play in a rock band.
By junior high, Bittner had his first kit. It began as a 3-piece hybrid composed of Tama, Rodgers, and once again, Japanese Del Rey pieces in red sparkle, with seven toms.
This second Del Rey set ourchased in 2009 was in mint condition, but I decided to sell it as head over heart told me it was an entry level kit that I would never play and it would be sold to a new owner in Germany.
Nice memories though!
Photos to follow.
