Low serial numbers would indicate that your drums come after the serial number reset, which is thought to occur around 1972.

I once measured about 20 Gretsch bass drums, both RB and SSB, and found a huge variation in thickness in both eras. I've seen RB bass drums as thin as a floor tom shell. SSB bass drums seem to come in 3 types, all throughout the 70's:

1.) Thin with a roundover edge.

2.) Thin with a RB type inverted edge.

3.) Thick with a RB type inverted edge.

I've wondered if the third type might be leftover RB shells, but I've seen them on late 70's kits, so it's hard to believe it would take that long to use up all of the 60's era shells.

Toms are a bit more consistent...thick tom shells from the RB era seem to be gone by 1971, when they become thin with RB edges for a short time, and then transition to thin with roundover edges.

Thanks,

Bill

Thanks MLV. Good information. I've really been meaning to purchase a Gretsch book and also waiting to hear about the Gretsch paper by KCDrumdad. I'd like to get more comfortable with Gretsch history, etc.

I bought this kit a while back, but I've been cleaning it up at a snail's-pace. So, the BD has been it's case for a few months. Talk about a duh moment, discovering the variation in shell thickness. My other 70's Gretch BD is of the thin-shell, rounded BE type. I'm anxious to hear the difference between the two, as they are both Walnut, but vary in shell thickness and diameter (thick - 22", thin - 24").

Thanks again.

B