Simon Dring called on Mike Ellis from Baskey Vintage to restore his vintage kit.
“I’ve been a Premier user and fan since I was about 11 years old. Therefore I couldn’t believe my luck when just over a year ago I happened upon an old Premier Genista in a secondhand shop. White Marine Pearl 13” x 9” rack tom, two 16” x 16” floor toms, and a 24” x 16” bass drum for a lot less than the cost of a Taiwanese beginners kit. However, the kit was in a pretty shabby state – the (poorly re-wrapped) wrap had started to lift severely on 3 of the drums, the chrome was marked, the bass drum hoops were damaged, and all the heads needed replacing (including the bass drum display head).
That’s where Mike @ Baskey Vintage stepped in. I delivered the kit to Baskey Headquarters and after surveying the damage, I left it with Mike to sort. Fast forward to a few weeks later and on my return to Baskey HQ I hardly recognised the kit. It genuinely looked as though it had just been unpacked from new. Mike had spent a long time painstakingly repairing the wrap on the bass and floor toms and I found it hard to believe he hadn’t entirely rewrapped it! All the chrome was shining, tension bolts lubricated, hoops repainted and he’d even stuck new heads on the drums. The crowning glory was the new custom bass drum display head; Mike had found an original-era Premier script logo and created a new display head, complete with the logos of the other manufacturers I endorse.
I have been gigging this kit hard the last year with Oli Brown. It has done scores of gigs across the UK and Europe and I constantly get compliments from non-drummers and drummers alike on how it looks and sounds. Mike’s expertise, knowledge and attention to detail mean that whenever I need anything done to my collection of vintage drums, Baskey Vintage will get my call.”
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