The vintage hardware is far from bulky. Can a vintage set hold up to a modern drummer.....heck yes! Two very solid brands would be Slingerland and Ludwig. If you are looking for something a little more sturdy you can go with 70's. It really depends on what style you will be playing.

What kind of ludwig kit would you recommend?

Or slingerland..?

For a grand" I would suggest you look at some cortex wraps. At least you can get good quality and a bargain price. Most folk rather despise cortex, and if you look in the right places, you can find some 3 ply cortex kits for amazingly cheap. Post in the wanted section. That is where you will find what you seek. Try LA, and NY craigslist, seems like there is always a kit or 12 on there for cheap. I can look around here for you on my C/L as there is not a huge vintage market, and they seem to sit forever.

You really shouldn't have too much trouble finding something nice for that price on ebay, prices are down so it's certainly a buyer's market. drumbum is right, the hardware generally is very lightweight.

I would try and get the same sizes you have now (diameters) since you're used to those. What type of music do you play? Do you play out? The main problem I've had gigging out with vintage drums has been bass drum creep and tom mounts, but an anchor can fix that, and if you're playing only at home, not really an issue. If you can find a mid-late 70s Ludwig set, they have sharper edges but still the 3 ply shells, and therefore are a good middle ground between the vintage and modern sounds. But they all sound great, with the right head combo and tuning. Just start a searching and you'll find one!

do you like pink sparkle?

Lucky you are really trying to get rid of those, I wish I had the money for them they are beautiful!

Now to the question at hand...

I think sizes really depend on what style of music you are playing.

But I do agree with later 70s Ludwig and Slingerlands, OR Rogers from the 60s if you can find them in your price range.

Yeah, sorry about hijacking the thread! The sizes you are use to playing will not be found in a vintage kit. The sizes could be determined by the style of music you play, but if you are miced I don't think it matters. I played my pink kit in a punk band back in the day and they held up well. It is the hardware that needs to be solid. As far as bass drum creep, a newer pedal or any pedal that has velcro on the bottom and a rug under your kit will solve that problem.

Wow guys thanks for all the posts I really appreciate it!

Apparently I didn't emphasis the fact that I wanted to change the direction of drumming I was going in. I HAVE small sizes now but I WANT the more vintage sizes now.

Here are some size combination's I could see myself with:

20x14

12x8

14x14

or

24x14

13x9

16x6

Ect, ect...

I am not actually very found of the sizes I currently have. The bass drum I have makes NO SENSE at all with the small toms that I have, it's HUGE!

And to answer all of your questions, I play mostly hard rock, jazz, and indie rock/ or experimental music. So I'm thinking that either of those size combination would be fine for my purposes. I have played on/owned both of those kit sizes before and I am not partial to either as long as the toms are proportionally big/small to the bass drum.

I've been looking around and I had an idea... What if I bought a cheap set of drums that has only cosmetic flaws and had them restored? I know a guy that I can ship the drums off to who can re-wrap them and re do the hardware for me for a fair price. Could I get a set of drums like that with a matching snare for very cheap?

Also, Lucky, can you PM me pics of your kit? I think I have seen it before, but I am curious now.

And Jonnstix thanks for the offer, and I would love to take you up on it you have been a big help to me on this forum, thanks man!