From a simple British drum kit to one of the defining sounds of the Beatles’ early years: Ringo Starr’s Premier Mahogany Duroplastic is more than a drum kit, it is a piece of history.
In the Beatles’ early days, before the famous Ludwig, Ringo Starr’s drum kit was a 1960 Premier Mahogany Duroplastic. He bought it from Hessy’s Music Centre in Liverpool in September that year, shortly before setting off for Hamburg with Rory Storm and The Hurricanes. It was an essential companion on the road and also accompanied him during the Beatles’ earliest official recordings, including their historic album Please Please Me and various BBC sessions.
The Premier was a solid, affordable British drum kit, perfect for groups still finding their own identity. The bongos, mounted directly on the bass drum, added a distinctive rhythmic colour that Ringo used with great musicality. The snare drum, a 14"x4" Premier Royal Ace, also made of mahogany with a Duroplastic covering, was another distinctive feature. It is this small but powerful snare that we hear on historic tracks such as Twist and Shout and I Saw Her Standing There.
The four-piece kit, a custom combination based on the Premier Model 54, 55 and 58 kits, consisted of:
Ringo’s Premier had a simple character but plenty of personality. Its warm, direct tone helped shape the Beatles’ sound before their great leap to worldwide fame.
The drum kit shown in our photographs is an original 1957 Premier Gold Sparkle Duroplastic. It has a Gold Sparkle finish, but is the same model and has the same dimensions as Ringo’s kit, complete with original bongos and hardware.
