I,ve noticed these drums are going through the roof price wise these days.I have never seen a drum era command so much positive attention.Anyone care to comment on why this is happening?
Gretsch RB..KING OF THE HILL! Last viewed: 6 hours ago
They sound awesome and they aren't that common because they were expensive back when they were made...so not as many around. Super high quality....all that combined with Gretsch collectors are just a little crazy and obviously rich.
-Ad
I got my RB's in 1972 and even then at 15 I thought that they were the best drums ever. That never changed. Ludwig, Slingerland, Rogers are all inferior to the old Gretsch drums. Just my opinion, go ahead and hate me, but that was my gut at 15 and still is at 53. The drum prices tell you I'm not alone. There's just too many things are are superior, pretty much everything.
It was actually a neat thing for me when eBay happened and I could see that others felt that way too.
Ditto for old K. Zildjians. I was telling people that they were in another league in the 70's and never found anybody that had a clue what I was talking about. The first time I heard an old K in '72 I knew that they were what eBay prices reflect today.
Think Barrett Jackson Auto Auctions. This type auction has placed a lot of muscle cars & Vintage autos beyond the reach of collectors that appreciate the reason for these autos. The everyday collector is screwed because of bidders that have more money than they know what to do with. I can see it happening with drum collecting somewhat, although there are some on this forum that try to hold drum prices in check but they are losing out to loose money being thrown around with the attitude of" I,VE GOT TO HAVE THAT" no matter what the price. Information, Quality & sound should be the reason to ask about prices ,not what is restored the prettiest. This goes for MIJ & other drums that have their own unique sounds. After all this formun is for information isn,t it?
As for Barrett Jackson Auctions I am beginning to see the same autos from year to year being auctioned until the price flattens out then they will remain in the collections of the rich only, until the price goes up again to make the rich even richer. Sorry for the rant, but this is my opinion. TOM
I agree somewhat that the 'rich' collectors have driven Gretsch RB prices up. One other reason is that they are nice sounding drums and there's not a lot - relatively speaking - out there. It's partially to do with supply and demand. For instance: A lot of the jaz players like the small Gretsch RB drum sizes 18/12/14 so they snap them up. Any that are left are more valuable because of the rarity.....sought after.......sizes. It gets a little nuts I will agree. But drums are no where near Vintage guitar prices in most cases.
I have a RB 4pc 20/12/14 w/matching snare in Gold Sparkle. I've learnt quite a lot about Vintage Drums in the last 6 months or so.
I was told recently that my drums may be worth as much as $6500 - I would not sell them - for any amount (long story there), but I would also not pay that for them. If my BD was 18 they could be worth (to someone I guess) as much as $12K........rediculous. I bought them last year, including cymbals (one K ride & 14 A hats, stands & sk pedal and fiber cases) for $900. I really did not know the value at that time.
I put about $1500 into restoring them - that was a lot of fun. So there are still deals to be had once in a while. But I live in 'pump-handle' BC way up here in Canada and the seller was down the street - pure dumb luck for me. These drums would not have sold for $900 in New York / Chicago or L.A. I'm sure.
I had the chance to buy a blue sparkle RB kit back in 1999 for $600 at Guitar Center. No one would touch them at that time because they were a 22/13/16 setup. The only Gretsch people I know are jazzers and they go CRAZY for 18" bass drum 'bebop' kits, but not much else.
"Nietzsche is dead." -God
I had the chance to buy a blue sparkle RB kit back in 1999 for $600 at Guitar Center. No one would touch them at that time because they were a 22/13/16 setup. The only Gretsch people I know are jazzers and they go CRAZY for 18" bass drum 'bebop' kits, but not much else.
Exactly.
I was looking at some comments on a popular Vintage Drum Retail/collector's websit recently. I was reading that you may see the 20" bd become more 'sought after' in the near future - if not already. One reason is that you can tune a 20 reasonalbly high (like an 18bd) but you have flexibility of the bottom end if you want. So the 20/12/14 drums are a good choice next to the 18/12/14 setup. Another reason is that a 20" bd is a little easier to find than an 18 but probably not for long.
You can see "sought after drums" reflected in the price of a 20/12/14 compared the 22/13/16 too. The small drums, like mine, are going for twice what the larger ones go for. Maybe down the road everyone will want the larger drums.......I wouldn't count that out.
... Maybe down the road everyone will want the larger drums.......I wouldn't count that out.
I have a 20" and a 22", both RB kicks and I like the 22" better. 22" bass drums are not popular for reasons unclear to me. In the 60's and 70's it seemed like that was your standard size kick. More people I knew had them than 20"s, but in 2010 22's are a size most people will walk past, especially a 14" deep one. I personally don't get it.
See page 39 of "Gretsch Drums" by Chet Falzerano. Apparently, until the late forties everyone was using 28" (or some 24") bass drums. Gretsch pioneered the smaller bass drum when no one else thought it would fly - they custom made one at the request of Davey Tough, as he was moving from a Big Band to a smaller band. Gretsch apparently happens to have landed on a 20" bass drum versus a 22" as their feature bass drum. This was an integral step in ushering the music scene from the big band era into the be-bop era. The Gretsch 1950 catalog featured the 20" bass drum (22" or 24" bass drums were optional). But the 20" was spot lighted with with Shelly Manne and Max Roach and significant music history was made. The "Bop" outfit in future catalogs also featured the 20" as standard and the 22" as optional. See Gretsch.com, their 1958 catalog on line - here is the claim they pioneered the 20" bass drum with Dave Tough. Their "Name Band" outfit, however, featured the 22" with the 20" being optional.
60's Gretsch Jasper RB Progressive Jazz Silver Sparkle
Rogers Dayton Top Hat Silver Glass Glitter w/Powertone
'65 Ludwig Super Classic 12/13/16/16/22 Blue Sparkle with Supraphonic 400 Rescue Kit
Slingerland Pre-Badge/Pre-Vent Hole 12/14/18 Blue Agate Pearl w/Matching Snare
No-name MIJ 12/16/20 Red Sparkle Rescue Kit
Tama Starclassic Birch 6-piece Red Aztec Fade w/Matching Snare
Here is a car analogy:
Ludwig=Chevy
Slingys=Ford
Gretsch=BMW
- Share
- Report