No,it's not...

I know..as he got 3 stray Gretsch drums from me..had the finishes taken off,then stained..

Goto www.Kingsmusicusa.com to read more...

These drums are used on the "B" stage..when they do their unplugged set..but he has another just like it on the "A" stage.

I did see a few years ago on Repercussion Drum shop web site were they had a Round Badge natural maple 18/12/14 bop kit for sale... it looked to be all original (I saw no crazing/cracking) but was this a stripped kit too? I heard it sold for $10K which I find hard to believe... who would pay that much?

attached are photos I kept of that RB 18/12/14 that sold for $10K a few years ago. According to the web site the RB drums were all original to include the natural maple finish.

Sets in this condition certainly exist, but are the exception rather than the rule. Many factors contribute to how well the lacquer finish ages.

I remember this kit. It was a little suspect because the interiors had no paint, with no paper tags. It would be easy to just strip an entire kit of all paint, and then there would be no wear evident at the badge tack seams. Also, the floor tom on that set had what looked like a seam from a veneer. http://www.repercussions.org/wowbop.html

[img]http://www.repercussions.org/grenbop12.jpg[/img]

The problem is there are SO many unwrapped RB kits finished in natural maple. Wraps split over time, and often made it hard to fit heads, so countless RB owners just removed the wrap altogether. It's nice because the drums often sound a little better (and fit heads).

If I came across a RB kit that was perfect natural maple, with no fading or crazing, I'd assume it was stripped and refinished. It would take a lot to prove to me that it was original...it would have to be perfect with no weird issues or excuses. It would have to have original hoops, and they should have black inlay strips.

Natural maple drums were much more popular during the '70s, so there's a higher chance that you'll find some in great shape. I've had a couple of near mint '70s maple sets myself. Based on the finish of '70s natural wood drums, I believe they used a different lacquer method starting sometime in the early '70s, as it's thicker and less prone to crazing. They also stopped using the black inlay strip around '72-'73.

By the way, I've never seen an original Gretsch RB set in natural maple. Not one single set. I'm sure there's one out there somewhere, I've just never seen or heard of it. I'm talking all original, no weirdness, no tampering, silver interiors with paper tags, and photographic proof of unaltered badge tacks. There are single maple RB drums floating around that the owners claim to be original, but no sets.

I have seen a few original RB walnut sets, including a couple that were mixed RB/SSB. And the finish has always been pretty trashed. I have a feeling that Gretsch started selling walnut drums before maple.

If anyone has a photo of an original natural maple RB set with no issues, please post it here!

Do 8x12 and 12x18 orphans count?

Whole sets only! And no extra holes! Storm Trooper

Philly Joe in the 60's?

Love that shot! That set is frustrating because there's never a badge visible, which makes me wonder. It's also in that youtube video with the tap dancer. Do you have any pics of that kit showing a badge?

Have not seen any other than this. It says it's from a 60's session and if that is correct it would be an RB kit.

That video with the "fabulous" Caterina Valente was shot in 1964.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsgD5yMShV8[/ame]