I would say $500 is too much for that kit! You can almost get a better unmolested kit for that price, that dang Slingerland curse! Forgive me if i am sounding like an a$$hole but I would have a hard time paying $350 for that kit.

Too bad.Another altered kit.When are people going to learn,that vintage drums,sound like ...well.....vintage drums,and not your friends Crush Keller maple shell kit.If you don't like the sound...sell the drums and buy what sounds good to you,which is what the seller should have done to begin with.Mind Blowi

Steve B

You're very welcome!

I think the consensus would be : go check them out, bargain if you really want them & they sound decent enough. Check out those edges & see how they lay on a flat surface, ask who did them, professionally or some basement hack.

Best of luck!

H

+1 on that.Bring a small flashlight.Lay the exposed bearing edge on the table(this works best with a hard flat surface),and shine the light inside the shell.If any light shines out,under the bearing edge,then the're uneven,and the drum may not tune properly.

Just for future reference.There is no such thing as "upgrading" vintage drums.If you have an all original vintage drum kit,it has to stay that way,to bring the highest resale value.If you have a vintage kit,and don't like the way it sounds,or you don't like the hardware......sell it.Don't alter a piece of history.Keep it as original as the day it left the factory....or its a player.Good luck.

Steve B

They had no bearing edges on them? I doubt it.

Check them out, if the edges look good and you like the kit, buy them.

Since it's going to be a (your) players kit, recut edges won't matter.

I don't see why recut edges would effect value since every drummer since time began have been making their own modifications to their kits. Buddy modified his, Louie and Gene did as well. Max, Art and I'm sure hundreds of others have as well. Hell even Bonham tooled around with his kits.

Yup...cut down the 14" tom from 12" deep to 10" deep on his thermogloss maple kit.....

No offense JR, but unless Buddy, Louie, Gene or Max did the mods than its a very bad thing indeed for collectors looking for vintage gear. I'd imagine most professional drummers who had/have sponsorship from w/ever drum manufacturers mess around w/ all sorts of aspects involving construction. That's how their names usually end up on snares, cymbals, etc.

I agree that whomever re-cut the edges & said there were none doesn't know an edge from a pickle.

H

Looks like a nice kit. If the edges were done right and they sound good, who cares. Are you gonna' collect 'em, or play 'em? Do you love the wrap, year and configuration? If yes to all, go! If not, fly. Gotta be right, for you, to move on it.

B

I confess, I have had bearing edges re-cut on a Vintage kit. It is an MIJ Gracy (round badge copy). 3 ply with re-rings. I had all the bearing edges and snare beds re-cut professionally by Precision Drum Company in New York, who are some of the best (if not THE best) in the industry at bearing edges.

They sound TONS better than they did before! I don't give two craps about re-sale value. It's my kit and it's fun to play! How much could I get for a third hand MIJ anyway, modification or not?

No offense meant to anyone, but if the modification actually IMPROVES the sound or functionality of the drum, why not? I don't really get the whole "leave it alone because it's vintage" thing. Maybe if it's rare or really collectible (like original Vistalites, original Radio Kings etc.), then I can see that argument (remember mine is a $250 "players" MIJ, not an original Rogers Mardi Gras). But ultimatley, why would you NOT want the drums to sound better? I understand going crazy with drilling extra holes and all that, but bearing edges? C'mon.

To not re-cut the bearing edges (if you can't get a good sound or decent tuning) just because it's vintage to me is sort of like saying: "No, I don't want that new furnace. I know the new furnace uses 70% less energy, burns much cleaner and is better for the environment, and heats the house 80% better, but I want to keep the old one because it's original. It came with the house".

If you want to keep everything original no matter what, then fine. Put it in a glass case and never play them, just look at them like a painting or a museum piece. I subscribe to the theory that drums are meant to be PLAYED, and if re-cutting the bearing edges gives you a better sound while you are PLAYING them, then go for it. PLAY them and have fun with them while some of the other folks sit around and watch their precious, meticulously kept 100% originals collect dust because they are too afraid to play them!

99% of the time, I am filled with joy, peace, harmony and love when interacting with other friendly, knowledgeable and really great people here on VDF. The other 1% of the time is when I get a little frustrated about people telling other people what they can/can't or should/shouldn't do to THEIR own drums. When it comes to YOUR own drums, YOU should be able to do/buy/modify/play whatever YOU want. Just because you would never re-wrap drums, doesn't mean someone else can't re-wrap theirs if they want. Etc. Etc. Etc.

Again, no offense meant to anyone, we all have our own opinons. I'm not right or wrong. It's an opinion I have.

My three cents (inflation adjusted on the weaking dollar).

V

Hobbs,

There was a discussion here about a year ago about a Buddy Rich snare, the guy who owned it wanted to restore it. He was complaining about the inside of the shell and how it had a thick dark brown layer of shellac, he asked how best to get it off ...

To make a long story short, I mentioned that Buddy usually did that to all his snares, "an unheard of amount of shellac" inside all or most of his snares. A few guys balked at that but JRFrondelli mentioned it to someone, I think it was Rob Cook, but I can't be sure, anyway it was verified about the shellac. Louie Bellson did it as well but not the the extreme that Buddy did. The shellac gave Buddy that trademark CRACK he got out of his snares.

I don't remember if the guy striped the snare or not. If it was a REAL BR snare, his efforts to restore it to factory specs, devalued it.

Someone I met at the CT Drum show last year, we had a talk about Joe Morello (he was supposed to do a clinic last year but he broke his hip, RIP Joe) Joe supposedly recut the snare beds on a few of his snares over the years.

Some of this info is documented over the years, some of it's not. Guys modify their gear often to get the sound they're looking for. No two kits sound the same, so things get tweeked once in a while.