Apologies, Crash - no ill will intended. I am just trying to learn from the community that knows so much more about these matters than me. I'll be in touch. -Tom

Although most Gretsch bass hoops are wood, metal hoops appear in the early 1970s for a few years. Crash, I forget, but did your Red Wine Pearl set have hoop or metal hoops?

The bass drum hoops are Gretsch not pearl.

That was somebody else with the red wine Pearl set. I'd like to have one! But it did have metal hoops. That's what Gretsch used over that period of time. The late Nashville pro, Tommy Wells recommended them as holding tuning particularly well. He had them on all of his studio sets. They're nothing fancy, just generic chrome hoops. They did fit them with inlays. Often thought about replacing them with some stain wood hoops, but it just wouldn't have been right

My SSB Tangerine set, which is from right after the change in badges as that wrap was discontinued shortly thereafter, had factory metal bass drum hoops as well.

I didn't recognize that as your set Crash. I remember when you first posted about finding them. I always thought they were a very nice set.

Yeah. Approaching a major move, and really cleaning house! Sold my Radio Kings last week. On to motorcycles next!