"...but were does restoration and preservation come in?..." One quote that I always remember is: "Rust does not sleep"...

"... my take is if its all period correct parts it should be a acceptable alternate with out such a hit on value..." I agree 100%.

Mike Curotto

I am more of the "leave it the way it is". It shows the history of the drum. But I can see legitimate arguments for both restore or leave as-is. If you're using the kit to play shows maybe a resto is in order, but how do you explain Willie Nelson using his trashed guitar with the cavernous hole? To each his/her own. Though I've grown to dislike the overly yellow pee-stained-looking wmp wraps. But no doubt it's fun to contemplate your choices. That's why we're here :)

I`m also a 'leave it as is" guy unless it really bothers you.I think marks,dents rash,wrap cracks,etc all lend originallity to the kit-they are part of the history of the drum.I had a tough choice to make with this Rogers 13" tom and decided to "leave it be" and in hindsight i`m glad i did.

[IMG]http://i1293.photobucket.com/albums/b591/waynebrown3/f717bf29-4ad9-4c80-9177-eab5bf6724d6_zps4e473908.jpg[/IMG]

I love it both ways. I love the old well used but clean and polished drum but also am impressed with a fully restored original one. I place the value at what it is worth to me to own it and don't care about the market value.

I like my drum original, but I do clean them, Corrosion on metal parts is not a good thing. also want the parts to be factory original meaning if a part is missing it needs to be what came from the factory..

Most of my drums I like to keep original. There are some areas that need to be fixed though. For example with my Ludwig kit it really needed some edge work, re-gluing of loose plies and so forth. My Rogers kit though it has wrap issues I am never going to re-wrap that! From what I have seen the finish I have is WAY to rare and worthwhile to touch.

Other drums though like my old Sonor Phonics I had no issue with reworking into what I liked. That and with my Gretsch kit you guys know my thoughts.

That being said things like rust, broken or missing parts and so forth should all be addressed. I like to keep all the original parts there or replace them with original parts when possible. Even with my new drums they come with things I never use but I leave them as is.

I play in two bands plus side stuff. I like to keep a kit at each band's practice space, have a kit in the car ready to go and one at the house to practice on. For me it makes sense to have a few kits. I only trust my main band to keep my nice stuff there though! Plus I insure ALL my equipment.

So original when possible, match or fix as needed and just play em.

I'm with VM2000 on this. I like to preserve and restore, where necessary, with period correct parts. That applies to houses, cars, furniture and drums. I also believe that rust is not patina...it's neglect. So, I will keep a drum "original", preserve the wood and remove the rust, if present.

exactly!

mike

i saying that same thing all original factory parts nos or great used makes it right....