The modern version of the Imperialstar is made of poplar while the vintage one had luan shells. Also, the modern version mostly has beginners and intermediate drummers playing it. As drum technology has advanced over time, poplar drum kits aren’t used much by pro drummers. The vintage Imperialstar, on the other hand, had dozens of popular pro drummers playing it back in the day. You can hear it being played on countless albums and live video recordings.