Hello! I've been reading your site for the last few days and enjoying it very much. Never knew about vintage kits and have learned a lot going through old posts.
I am close to buying a Slingerland kit from the early 70's. Serial numbers < 100,000, re-rings, assuming 3-ply, silver and black Niles badges. Standard 12/13/16/22 kit with no snare. Good price.
The drums overall seem to be structurally sound, but there are a couple issues I was hoping to get a little feedback on.
First, there are dozens of tiny bubbles under the wrap on each drum. They are hard bubbles that don't move if you press on them. Is that wood/moisture damage or just a bad wrap? Something to be wary about?
Second, a couple of the drums have rough bearing edges with a little bit of separation in the edges or re-rings. Two drums have a visible crack on the inside ply, not deep, but a few inches across. Are those common and repairable or something to shy away from?
As I said the price is good on these and it'd be a players kit for me to see how I like the vintage drums compared to modern. I just wonder if I should jump in to these and clean them up a bit or if these are red flags to stay away.
Thanks!