Restoring a Vintage Tama Imperialstar 

Yup, another Tama kit. This thing came out CLEAAAN 😬 The other Imperialstar is for sale on my Reverb page. reverb.com/shop/rdavidr

Can we take a minute to appreciate how much David's drumming has improved over the past few years?

man, i saw that big kick and i thought this was finally gonna be the first time we hear a 24 on this channel ;). I know the big drums aren't your speed, but im so curious as to what they would sound like in your studio, man.

WHY DIDN'T YOU KEEP THE 24 BRUUUHHHH

David! Where you been man? I miss you posting videos more than once a month!

geeze... no love for the 13/24? this makes me a bit sad...

I’m so inspired! I have a 1974 Imperialstar kit just like this that I basically destroyed when I was a kid. I want to restore them to look like yours.

Going straight Breaking Bad on this hardware man.

Man I love Tama, you did an amazing job with bringing that kit to life.

Bruuuuh why would you NOT keep the 24??

VINTAGE TAMA PLAYERS UNITED

Kit sound really good

For sticker removal, use zippo lighter fluid. Its strong enough to remove adhesive, but won't damage the finish.

The Imperialstar was the budget type of kit compared to the Superstar. If you compare them side by side, the Superstar is the winner.

Dave, beautiful job on that kit 👍

Such an awesome sounding kit !

As a tama fan this kit is beautiful it sounds great, looks great, David you did a great job

These drums were/ are great. However, those finish wraps were awful, but they actually did last long and were indestructible. The only finish I really liked was the one on your kit. Great job on restoration !

dude, are you a drummer, or the owner of Drum Heaven, the place where all drums dream of coming to in order to be resurrected?

Ha do you ever do more than just 3 pieces (rack, floor, bass) restorations??

Ive been lookin for bass drum hoops like those.

Just about to grab an imperialstar, same exact sizes but black. Hopefully sounds as good as yours.

Awesome white pearl Tama kit, Ironically!! Can I suggest a video ?! I was researching about DrumDial and Tama Watch, and I couldn't help noticing the extreme similarity of the two devices to hardness gauges(durometer). Both digital versions (DrumDial) and analogical versions(DrumDial and Tama Watch). Even on the scale used on all mentioned devices, it goes from 0 to 100. In the case of durometer, uses the Shore A scale of hardness, applicable for soft polymers and rubbers. You could make a video by testing this device, or if you know how they works, just explain the differences to us, and why don't have another similar generic devices who measure what the DrumDial and Tama Watch Tension measure. Thanks a lot!!

😂 I’ve used goof off on my drums too. I was trying to remove the sticky residue but ended up scuffing up the shine. But the drums are black so it’s not so bad.

Them older imperial stars are getting hard to come by like the kit your keeping. Liberty Devito played those with Billy Joel back in the day. Good find. I would put the 12 and 13 on a stand between both bases and have the super kit. But I'm 80s. Lol

2:40 I did the same mistake to my tom :(

I think rdavidr secretly owns amazon or something lol. Where else would he get all the money for all these kits

Complete the look with a white coated bass drum reso head

can you please make a video about all the kits you have?

WD-40 to remove decals, it won't burn plastic like a solvent will.

I am beyond envious of this kit. And my heart breaks every time I hear you didn’t keep the 24”

Those Tama's sound AMAZING.. You got Skills Distro

Yooo how do you tune your floor toms? Every video and every kit your floor tom sound is perfect 👌

WD40 bath in a small glass bottle to soak all tension rods/washers/nuts/bolts screws works great for removing rust, crud and grime. Also, one drop of TRIFLOW liquid Teflon on tip of tension rods will make sure tension rods slide into threaded lug inserts effortlessly. Nice vintage TAMA Imperialstar restoration David! Happy New Year 2020!!

Hey Rdavidr. Beautiful kit. I restored a blue sparkle Rogers kit and didn’t pay attention to then bearing edges until I put the edges under a light in the dark on a flat piece of granite and the edges lit up. Had to redo em. Did you check the tamas bearing edges? Just curious. Maybe, you did already. A nice edge makes a difference. Thanks for the videos man.

Anyone else think that the background music at 7:51 sounds like Zombie by the cranberries? or is that just me?

I still have my 22/13/16 Imperialstar kit from 1983, and still use it, original hardware and all. Good drums that are overlooked by most who shop used drums.

Thanks for not cutting down the "Xtras" tom. I know imperialstars aren't super rare, but irreversible modification is not really restoration. Just because it's not in fashion now doesn't mean it's not historically viable.

BROTHER David great Grove Very nice Playing mate. One Hand One Foot {no assists ever} mark_D_white

So I have a 7 pc Tama imperialstar I am reworking. Question: After the CLR bath, how do you get the screws black.

Please try Turtle Wax Chrome polish on your chrome parts. You'll thank me. Protects them as well.

Just beautiful! Vitage tama

Anyone know how to blacken screw like that?? That was awesome

Love the videos, I want more please :)

Do a video where you set up every cymbal and drum you can

What are your thoughts on Nesting drums? Like the Remo Legeros?

I went on reverb to buy this kit. It was gone. Do another Tama restore. I'm a huge fan of your videos and Tama drums.

distrokid is back, welcome them to dave's house y'all

SWEET MOTHER OF JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR!!! WHAT A RESULT, MAN!!!

Bruh this is my favorite channel on RU-vid but you never upload

Looks like the mic setup changed, what kind of mics are you using?

Hey David. How did you "blacken" the screws?

I have an 83 swingstar and the spur mount dug into the shell about an 1/8 inch. Is this shell repairable?

Is it possible to make a video about hydrodipping a tom?

I love this channel sooo much!

killer. Tama is cool!

Damn that drum set sounds good , love the boomy bass drum sound and crisp toms

Glad to see u uploading more again

I use Noxon chrome bumper polish....works like a champ

Hey dave! could you tell the size of the washers?

Next time you go to clean up any hoops or hardware check out 0000 Brillo pad. I worked at Memphis Drum Shop for 3 1/2 years and we used that all the time to clean up lugs.

This was a nice video. Vintage drums are amazing. And I've been watching for a while and I've been curious as to why you dont play double kick?

Greetings from germany. I'm speechless, this was pure beauty. Really interesting und informative project und and work, plus you nailed it with the music. I love the vintage imperialstars, the "wood" looks crappy and many think they sound dead but I love it. Easily your best video this year.

I'm kinda curious... Do you even have practice time..😅

Please set up a double bass imperial star

I know it was goof off when did that too the drum

again EMC VS. RDAVIDR who will win also what heads did you use

Hi key, I'm so proud of Dave for how much he's improved over the years. Like being on freaking Drumeo dude. Big Congrats man!!! Much love from North Carolina!!

Great content as always! Have you ever used barkeepers friend to clean chrome? I've used the liquid stuff on my last few project and stuff is incredible.

Fantastic job and beautiful kit. I had one of those in Champagne finish, brings back memories!

what kind of material are the shells? Looks like concrete. Had a pearl kit years ago like that and they sounded awful.

Has it sold yet?.???? Give me a good price and I’ll take it off your hands 🙌

Me: Dr David, how about my drum? David: She will survive. I can fix her

2.5k likes to 28 dislikes shows how great his content is love you're vids bro

CLR is okay, but I recommend evapo-rust. The black-ness is from carbon extracting to the surface. Evapo-rust is safer, less chemically and the blackening happens slower. Just don't let it sit for a week and you shouldn't have that effect, but the rust will be gone after 24hrs

This is now a vintage Tama drum channel. Me and my Imperialstars are ok with this.

Hi David!! What did you used to blcken the screws? And which ia the process to? Thanks!

Someone is selling an 80's imperial star for $90 here in town

Yessir I've got the vintage imperialstars... 2-24"x14 and a 26"x14!!!!!!! The 26" is a monster I got on Craigslist for 200$!!!!!!! One issue during wrapping of these...a couple of screw's I. Toms stripped...any ideas?? The screws that hold the lugs on shell..I cant get three lugs off due to stripping of screw's...

This is a fantastic set David. I miss my Tama. I generally thought the bass drum I had (14 X 22) was not deep enough but I LOVED the drums. Here is a video where I used a Tama ImperialStar set made in 1975 or so. Platina finish. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4oGdHF_qpq0.html

Really wish we heard the other kit with the 24! Damn! But really cool kit 👌👌👌

Those steel snare drums have a certain sound to them. I can't even put it into words. Loud?

Man, ya gotta go old school when it comes to removing sticky stuff, especially old tape residue; PEANUT BUTTER! Just cover the residue with a thinnish layer of the stuff, and get ready to put some elbow grease in. Rub with your fingertips to start loosening the stuff, and, eventually, use your nails to scrape it off. Depending on how much, and how thick, it shouldn't take too long, but the result is impeccable. Just have a little jar of smooth, generic brand PB in the shop for anything sticky needing to be removed.

Hay Dave; this David with the big blue double bass Tama rebuild. If you need an extra set of Tama imperialstar floor tom legs, I have some. They are perfect and clean. Just pay the freight and the are yours (if ya need em)...

I have an Imperialstar with 2 24 inch bass drums wasting away in the garage,10,12,13,14,16,18 toms puter blue finish,the same colour as that spare kick you have. Used it in a band ,Hobb’s Angel Of Death.

3:36 Euros like me probably won't recognise the CLR brandname, so here's what that stuff apparently is: clrbrands.com/en-US/Products/CLR-Household/CLR-Calcium-Lime-Rust-Remover . What do you normally use for cleaning chromed parts? Luthiers seem to normally use Autosol or Peek paste on electric-guitar chromed parts.

Hey do you have a video about that groovy defusion panel you built ? If not can you make one ?

>Has a Buff Cam >Its not just a picture of him topless >My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined

By the way, why would you even consider cutting down that huge, 1990's Dave Grohl-esque rack tom?? Blasphemy. You're doing cool things but never get "too cute" in your restorations. 👍

What is the name of the song before you start playing the kit?

Man I had a'79 Imperialstar. 2x26 bass drums 2x12x15 rack toms 18" floor. I literally gave them away about 17 years ago! Dumb move!

You should review and mess with the Griffin 10" Popcorn Snare. It's the same price and brand as the cheapest Amazon snare you made into cheese😂😂 Like if you agree

CLR? Naaaaa. I use vinegar. It’s not nearly as invasive. Plus, put the parts in a large pickle jar, shake every few hours, come back after soaking overnight and you will find a pleasant surprise: clean chrome parts!

I restored a big 1984 imperialstar with the same finish. I had some troll declare that they couldn't sound good. In fact he went on to say "Depends on what you consider good" in an attempt to be dismissive. As this video proves, the imperialstar are punchy, warm and great in the studio. I'd slap some vintage emperor clears and a ps/3 on them and have a blast. In my experience, if someone can't make them sound good, they are not good drummers. The imperialstars will rock.

Yeah, I would have gone 13", 16", 24". But hey, I guess that's preference.

kick sounds massive but it kinda leaves me wishing we got to hear the 24 lmao

There are two types of Goof-Off ..the basic type and then the type with Xylene. Never use the Xylene type on any plastic as you will melt the plastic. Acetone is the same way. Never use it on any plastics. Lastly, after cleaning, use SC Johnsons paste wax! I use it on my shop tools and it prevents rust and pitting like you wouldn't believe!

This is tough. I’ve been waiting for u to do a vintage tama kit

Omg this takes me back when i was younger I had an old imperialstar kit like this Ina. Maroon color. I remember the toms having those adjustable damper pad. Can you tell me what these were mad out of? I have a new imperialstar kit and I know it's made from poplar but I remember this old ones having thicker shells 😎

I take it your not a terry bozzio guy are you ...you like 4 piece sets and not 6 or more pieces