Yes it is, if someone wants a shiney new kit, their are plenty at Guitar Center.

LOL - no, not quite. I'm curious about how other drummers value certain rewrapped kits. If at all.

And yes, 'refurbished' is a more accurate description. And, I'll take a well-executed rewrap of some rare drums, that are in excellent condition, over an all original one that's been beat to hell. I'm not a 'purist' I'm a player. I wouldn't gig a rare all original kit, I'd be afraid to. But a rewrap... no problema. It gets played out and others get to enjoy them -the way they were meant to be enjoyed-. Some guys have these great vintage kits that just sit in cases in their basements for decades. I'd rather have a killer refurb kit that'll get played, than one I'm worried about harming and never gets played, much less gigged. What are they for if not to be played, enjoyed and admired by others. That's part of the reason why I value good rewrapped vintage kits, over even middle-of-the-road original kits. Museum pieces are rare... that's the only stuff that's really worth "collecting" with an eye toward preservation and appreciation. Rewraps get played out and heard.

They're drums... beat em!

John

The market is set by the people buying the stuff. "Fair" has never played into it. It's good to vent sometimes, though. But in the end, the buyers have the last word.

Amen brother. Just bugs me is all. Some rewraps are ten times better players and get played the way they're meant to, which makes them more useful and even valuable in some cases, than pristine kits with matching hardware that never see the light of day. But as you wisely point out... the buyers have the last word. Regardless of how I value them, both as a guy who refurbishes/re-purposes lots of old kits and as a drummer, my 'opinion' means squat against what somebody else is willing to pay.

It's just not fair I tells ya! electricit lol

Caddy - You wrote: "d-bag flipper" maneuver (you know the kind...)"

LOL - Hey, I resemble that remark!

Although, I do not consider myself to be one the ones you have labelled, 'd-bag' flippers. There are d-bags in all walks of life... you know who they are when you meet them because they give off a Spring-time fresh, floral scent. Unless they are the 'unscented' kind of course. Then it's tough to identify them! Kleening

John

I have learned the hard way now about 5 separate time that your drum/s are worth what someone pays for them, and not a dime more. If they want to pay $500 for your burgandy round badges, then thats what they're worth. The only "value" or "worth" any of us should worry about is whether or not the kit is "worth" keeping if you don't like the price. In the end, I needed the $$ rather than the drums. The best luck I had was on my 50's WFL. I tried to sell it on here for 1K for about a month and not even one bite. Took it to my local drum shop and it sold before I could walk out the door. It's like the food analogy another VDF member used, except more like Austin, TX food trucks. There are too many to count, some amazing, some terrible, but they all bring around the same price these days. It's all about how close you are to one that makes you eat there.

-Beau

If I buy an outfit for a grand, and decide to sell it a year or two later and I get a grand for it, I'm way ahead....

I enjoyed the set for a year or two rent free.

If I get a little less, I paid a little rent.

I love the mojo left by previous owners in most cases.

Shoot, if BR stuck a wad of gum next to the throw off and documented it, I'd leave it there till the wrap fell off.

If VTM2000 stuck it there, I'd say "What the hell, man???"

Purdie sold me a Ludwig outfit some time ago that he re-wrapped in a beautiful and no longer available Abalone Pearl. Gorgeous...!!

Can I get what I paid for it ?? I dunno, and don't want to sell it.

Can I put a price on the gift he made to me a little later of an additional concert tom he wrapped to go with the set? Can I set a price on the effort I put into staggering the additional lugs to that gifted concert tom?

Nope..!

So, for this outfit, the perceived market price by others pales in comparison to the money paid, generosity of a gift, "rarity" of finish, sweat equity, and quirkiness involved in the outfit's existence.

This is an example of what to some degree is involved with a lot of re-wrapped sets out there.....can't put a price on love and the "Human Element".

Kevins,

Very well put!

It just depends on the individual who is making a purchase.

The drums I refinish are nice to me but my favorite wrap hands down is my Ludwig blue oyster's from the sixties.

and here in lies the difference between a re furbished player's kit and an original museum piece.

The player's kit is probably gonna sound better and look better but....it's not gonna be EXACTLY the way it left the factory.

Factory original isn't always better. I mean, if 60's drummers had modern stands and mounts to work with, they would NEVER have used 60's stuff.

Factory original...yes, but flimsy, under built and just plain inadequate.

I understand the market and it's effect on prices is undeniable, but myself, I'll take the re wrapped kit with the nice refurbed edges that sounds great(like a vintage kit should) over the original set with the cracked, scratched wrap and horribly uneven(but factory original) edges (that sounds like a pale shadow of what they should sound like).......

....but I'm a player and this is just my 2 cents.

This is a very interesting debate. For me, it falls into two camps. I have a 1972 Ludwig Jazzette in the original Thermogloss mahogany finish. It’s got scuffs and some cracking and would look amazingly clean if I chose to rewrap it in a beautiful sky blue pearl. But I won’t because it’s a very rare bird on all fronts - including value - and I like the mojo. On the other hand, I rewrapped a 60’s Gretsch RB I found for $100 that had been painted over an original satin finish. It’s now a classic WMP with all the original hardware. And for the $400 I have into it, there’s no new kit on the market that comes close. To me, that’s where the REAL value is. And as others have said, it’s a great gigger because if it ever gets dinged up, I can wrap it again.

Hey,

There are "flippers" and there are "d-bag flippers". When I was talking about the "maneuver" in question, I was thinking along the lines of lowballing through deception:

"I would normally say that $700 is a fair price for this Super Classic kit, but look...there's a slight seam-lift on this rack tom. The whole thing is worth maybe $75 tops, but I'll tell ya what...since I've been looking for one of these, I'll bump it up to $100. Whaddaya say?"