i would guess mid to late 60's 66-68 maybe.. although i may be off

I have had 4 round badge kits.. serial # started in the early 60's and the kits labeled as 1969 I have seen are mostly over 100k

One of mine was in the 60K serial range and it was great... I also had 2 sets from the early 60's with serials in the 2k-3k range. Of of those was a 1963 apparently.

Thanks for that. I'm looking at buying them so I'd ideally like to know exactly what they are. Seller thinks they are 1962 .... I'm guessing it was what he was told when he bought them.

I looked here:

http://rocknrollvintage.com/information-on-gretsch-serial-numbers.htm

that led me to think they may be 1963/4 ...... although, the explanation of the post 1965 serial numbers didn't make sense in that it mentioned the first two digits showing the month of production but then used a "1" as an example.

yours may be more like 65-67?? i believe the serial # began in 1962 .... anybody? anybody?

it is a round badge... just make sure the drums sound good... :)

Thank so again ..... anither pic, inside of tom.

[IMG]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b157/hipshaker05/432AE5A8-1118-4F85-867E-13C9B29953BF.jpg[/IMG]

So anyway, it's a kit I'm hoping to buy. Be good to be more definite on the year if I can. Is there anything else I could find out or show to date it more accurately?

Lots of info here: www.GretschDrumDatingGuide.com

What strainer is on the snare ( if included ) and what bass spurs does it have? The screws inside the drums make me think mid 60's. The end of the run late 60s RB drumd had no washers and hex head screws normally.

That is a site for dating of Gretsch guitars. They used a completely different numbering system for guitars, so disregard it.

Are you sure about the 4246 model number? The typical model numbers used for separate lug, separate tension bass drums in that era are 4424 - 18", 4249 - 20" and 4247 - 22"

Although I really enjoy the exercise of estimating a drum's age using indicators like serial numbers, it is not an exact science. I suggest that the 1962 estimate is too early for these drums and would move the estimate a few years later. If the drums are 1962 vs. 1966, will this greatly impact your decision to purchase these drums? For the most part, Gretsch drums made during the 1960s were essentially the same, using the same shell design, the same hardware and the same wraps.