Sonor Delite 4pc Drum Kit Shell Pack 22" 10" 12" 14" Mid-2000s - Brilliant Champagne

SONOR Delite – First Generation Square Badge – Brilliant Champagne – 4 piece shell pack - Made in Germany

Collection from London (SE) or Canterbury area (CT5).

A rare opportunity to acquire a superb first-generation SONOR Delite in the beautiful and discontinued Brilliant Champagne finish.

This is the highly regarded original square-badge Delite, manufactured in Germany and featuring SONOR's exceptionally thin Vintage Maple shells with reinforcement rings. These early Delites are increasingly sought after by SONOR enthusiasts, both as outstanding professional instruments and as collectible examples of one of SONOR's finest German-made ranges.

This kit was purchased in 2008 from a London West End theatre pit player who used it only in his home studio. It has never been gigged and has been carefully stored in hard cases, unused, for the past 15 years in a smoke and pet-free home.

SIZES - Sonor Delite Shell Set D 6422 S Delite Fusion 1

• 22" × 17" bass drum (D 2217 BD)

• 10" × 9" rack tom (D 1009 T)

• 12" × 10" rack tom (D 1210 T)

• 14" × 12" hanging tom (D 1412 T)

This is a classic and highly usable original Delite configuration. The 22" bass has enormous depth and presence, while the 10", 12" and 14" tom combination gives a beautifully balanced spread of pitches.

The 14×12 remains in its original highly resonant hanging configuration and, unlike many examples of this kit, has not been drilled or converted into a floor tom.

RARE BRILLIANT CHAMPAGNE FINISH

The photographs really don't quite capture how good this finish looks in person! Brilliant Champagne is a subtle metallic champagne/gold sparkle which changes dramatically according to the light, from a warm silver/champagne to a stronger sparkling gold.

It is one of the most distinctive finishes associated with the early Delite and has long since been discontinued. Complete matching square-badge kits in Brilliant Champagne are now difficult to find.

The combination of the Champagne finish with the original black-and-gold square Delite badges looks fantastic.

RARE MATCHING DELITE SNARE ALSO AVAILABLE

I am also selling separately the matching first-generation SONOR Delite 14×5 snare drum ( in the same rare Brilliant Champagne finish.

The snare has the same desirable early specification, including the black-and-gold square Delite badge, German manufacture, Vintage Maple shell construction with reinforcement rings, original SONOR hardware and Brilliant Champagne finish.

This represents an unusual opportunity for a SONOR enthusiast or collector to acquire both the shell pack and its matching Brilliant Champagne square-badge Delite snare.

The snare is listed separately – please see my other items.

I would also consider selling the complete matching five-drum set together to a buyer interested in both.

THE DELITE SOUND

Delite has an exceptional reputation amongst experienced and professional drummers, and these drums demonstrate why.

SONOR used thin Vintage Maple shells with reinforcement rings, allowing the shells to resonate freely while retaining excellent focus.

The result is a wonderfully musical combination of warmth, deep fundamental, clarity, sensitivity, projection and long sustain.

The toms are really impressive. They have a huge, open note with exceptional warmth underneath a clear attack, and an unusually wide usable tuning range. They sound superb tuned low and fat but retain definition rather than becoming muddy.

The 22" bass drum is just as good: deep and powerful with considerable low-end weight, but much more articulate and responsive than many heavy modern bass drums.

These are exceptional recording drums as well as superb live instruments.

The Delite's highly successful thin Vintage Maple/reinforcement-ring concept subsequently continued through SONOR's premium German-made ranges, including ProLite.

FIRST-GENERATION DELITE

For many SONOR enthusiasts, these original square-badge drums are the most characterful Delites.

Features include:

• German manufacture

• Original black-and-gold square Delite badges

• Thin Vintage Maple shells with reinforcement rings

• SONOR suspension mounting system

• Original first-generation slotted tension rods

• Superb heavy-duty German SONOR fittings

• High-quality chrome hoops and hardware

• Discontinued Brilliant Champagne finish

The engineering and build quality are exceptional. Anyone familiar with high-end German SONOR drums will recognise the quality of the castings, chrome plating, shell construction and hardware.

ORIGINAL SONOR MOUNTING HARDWARE INCLUDED

The kit comes with the genuine SONOR mounting hardware shown in the photographs, including the bass-drum-mounted double tom holder and suspension/mounting hardware for the toms.

This original SONOR hardware is beautifully engineered, increasingly expensive to source separately and means the kit can be set up in its intended configuration.

Please refer to the photographs for the exact hardware included: 1 bass drum tom mount, 3 x tom arms with memory locks, 1 x Sonor slotted drum key, 1 x Pearl multi clamp for the hanging tom.

SONOR PEDIGREE

SONOR has been associated with some of the world's most respected and influential drummers, including Bernard Purdie, Danny Carey, Steve Smith, Jack DeJohnette, Gavin Harrison, Benny Greb, Jojo Mayer, Phil Rudd and Mikkey Dee, amongst many others.

The Delite belongs to a particularly highly regarded period of SONOR's German production and was conceived as a genuinely high-end professional instrument.

CONDITION

The kit is in excellent overall condition for its age and presents extremely well, as the photographs show. The Brilliant Champagne shells remain attractive with no fading and the chrome hardware retains an excellent shine.

The bass drum hoop has 2 tiny dings on the outside edge and a small amount of bass drum rash. The 10×9 tom has a visible vertical finish join with a slightly raised edge. Similar joins have been documented on other early Brilliant Champagne Delites. This is cosmetic only and has no effect on the operation or sound of the drum. Please see the photographs.

Please study all photographs carefully as they form part of the description.

The 14×12 remains an original hanging tom and has not been drilled for floor-tom legs.

AN INCREASINGLY COLLECTIBLE GERMAN SONOR

First-generation square-badge Delites don't appear particularly often, and complete examples in discontinued Brilliant Champagne are harder to find still.

This kit combines virtually everything that makes the original Delite desirable:

Square badges

Made in Germany

Vintage Maple shells

Brilliant Champagne

22/10/12/14 configuration

Original hanging 14" tom

Original SONOR mounting hardware

Matching 14×5 Brilliant Champagne Delite snare also available (see my other auctions)

It is collectible enough to appeal to a serious SONOR enthusiast but, much more importantly, it remains an exceptionally good professional drum kit that deserves to be played.

The sound is absolutely outstanding.

SALE INCLUDES

The four SONOR Delite drums:

• 22×17 bass drum

• 10×9 rack tom

• 12×10 rack tom

• 14×12 hanging tom

Plus the genuine SONOR mounting hardware specifically shown/described.

The matching 14×5 Brilliant Champagne Delite snare is NOT included in this listing but is available separately – please see my other items.

Cymbals, cymbal stands, pedals, snare drum and any other equipment appearing in the photographs are not included unless specifically stated otherwise above. The Pearl cymbal stand used in the photos to hold the hanging floor tom is NOT included in the auction.