>>Reality is a harsh mistress...

That she is John. Great quote.

Original is great. It is only that way once. Valuable item leave it be. Rare does not equal valuable. Lots of things are rare because nobody wanted them in the first place and still don't.

Restored I think knowing who restored it would add/detract to the value. Depending who the restorer is. What passes for for restored on TV is no match to what members here do every day. Restored could be to factory original, period correct etc... Gets tricky

Refurbished is what I like to do with my stuff. Return everything to working condition. Remove the last however many years of crud. Replace incorrect parts. Write up a little description of what was done and who gets first dibs upon my demise.

Some of my Slingys when the three layers of paint were removed the gold sparkle had been sanded with 80 maybe less grit. Very ugly. Pulled it. Mending the wood shells. If someone want's to put gold back on later it will be an easy task.

Creighton

The real bottom-line is; you have to do it because you love it, not because you're looking to profit. I generate a small annual side income by selling off some of the kits I've refurbished/worked on. But 'selling for profit' is never a consideration. I do it because I love drums and because I really love working with them. Nine times out of ten, when I sell one of my refurbs, I'm losing money. So it's not about profit. I just wish the market showed a little more respect (monitarily) for well-executed rewraps of rare old kits.

My Oaklawn Camco orphan kit and my 50's 3-ply Gretsch RB kit will never pay for themselves. But the pleasure I get from owning and playing them can't be bought for love or money. I've been able to own and play kits I would otherwise have never be able to afford, so it's all good!

Gotta do it for the love of the instrument...

John

You can get those same issues on new factory kits as well, which is why they wrapped them instead of stain/lacquer.

Vintage kit restored vs Vintage kit improved.

I'll take one that's improved (recut edges, reglued re-rings, new spec parts) with all the flaws repaired.

>>Gotta do it for the love of the instrument...

Yes sir on that. Don't give a rats behind on the time/money going into getting my kit back to playable. Progress is sometimes delayed due to staring at whatever piece just got polished up. Very rewarding. Figure if I can bring everything back to where it started without harm the kit is good for enjoyment well past my years.

Creighton

Jrichard said,

I'll take one that's improved (recut edges, reglued re-rings, new spec parts) with all the flaws repaired

Isnt that what they do with cars? If you were wanting a vintage car but dont have the tools and talent to restore it then wouldnt you want one allready restored? Would you settle for one with semi shinny paint and a few rips in the upolstery??? Look at Pawn Stars and American restoration, a vehical or old vending machine or what ever is always worth more fully restored. I fyou find a drum kit with really nice tight shinny wrap then ya, your gonna take away the value but an old ratty beat up one will be worth more if it is restored. Enough babbling,, good night.

You could have saved yourself a lot of typing if you just posted up a photo of the koa kit! That kit, more than any other, makes the point perfectly.

One picture is worth a thousand words...

John

It was late at night and I nothing else to do, so why not babble away,lol! Thanks for the comment on the Koa again.