I'll keep a lookout in the Fresno area. I'll also forward your message to Dana Bentley, in case someone brings them in to sell. I snagged the pix as well...

Leedy1963:

If you're not a collector, or have not owned a few different brands of drums, you may not be familiar with all the differences in the hardware of various makes/models and what makes your Leedy drums distinctive. Before calling the police to investigate every silver, gold, or champagne sparkle set you see on C.L., these are the type of lugs on your Leedy set:

[Attachment: 62462]

It may be difficult to discern lug types in the usually crappy photos on C.L., but that's one of the first features you should try to note (after the wrap color of course).

Also, remember that you have a 20" bass. It will have only 8 lugs and tension rods per side. If you see a bass with 10 lugs per head, it's probably a 22" or 24". If you see a set advertised which you believe may be your '63 Leedy set, post a picture here. We'll all help in determining if it could be your set.

Mike C.

I'm in Toronto/Canada

I'll remember these..

With a date of nov63..

Another possibility for a return is to take out an ad in the L.A. Times with a picture and a reward of aprox. what the drums are worth. A drum set is not easy to hide as big as they are..Someone, somewhere might have seen them getting unloaded or loaded into a vehicle or will turn the thief in for the reward. It's worth a shot, for the price of an AD you just never know. If someone stole my Camcos I think I would shoot the MF, and they don't even have the family connection that yours has, which cannot be replaced.

I'll keep an eye here in southeast PA in case the loser bolted to the east coast for a quick buck. I'll search CL and watch local ads and I'll mosey through some local drum shops. Keep the faith. d.

As a fellow Leedy lover, I feel your pain. I check Craigslist almost everyday for Leedy items, so I will keep an eye out for you. As everyone has mentioned...it would be difficult to unload a set like that without any of us noticing. There are definitely very few silver sparkle 1963 Leedy kits out there. I will also post up on Craigslist so that my musician friends are aware. Wishing you all the best, man.

Hey guys. I just got back from San Diego with my Leedy's in the back of my car!! It all goes back to that first pic I found on craigslist, which turned out to be a Ludwig that had similar shells. Well, before I had realized it was the wrong kit, I had emailed the guy, asking what kind of drums they were. He told me he had a similar kit to the one in the pic, but this one has a matching snare. I asked him to email me the brand and any other info. He writes back and says it's a '63 Leedy with all original pieces. I got him to send me pics and sure enough, it was mine. I acted like an interested buyer and asked the cops what to do. Well, since it's a holiday weekend, they were basically useless. I ended up driving down to San Diego and met with the guy. He was extremely nice and when I explained that they were stolen, he told me he believed it. Some guy with neck tattoos had just sold them to him for $400. Even though he didn't ask for any money, I gave him $100 for being so casual about it. He also gave us some good information on the guy he bought them from, so hopefully we will get the detectives on it. My wife and I are soooooooo happy right now.

Thanks to everyone for their kind words and spreading the word. Good things happen. Now, I need a drink.

Cheers,

-Brad

The guy probably has a prior record. People don't become thieves overnight. The neck tattoo should narrow the field and make the elimination process simple for the police. See if you can make an appointment with a detective to have the guy that bought the drums go to the station with you and go through some mug shots. If, by giving a good physical description, you can help the police to zero in on this guy, they might be able to get him off the streets before somebody else becomes one his victims.

You need to understand that they will only be able to charge him with selling stolen property. There is no way to prove that he was the one that stole them originally. That crime, he already got away with.

I'm so glad to hear this story had a happy ending. Maybe you should just count your lucky stars and move on.

John

Great Outcome... really happy for you.. Yeah.. have that drink, celebrate some,,

Cheers

Soooooo happy to hear about this! Great news!