I have a mid 70's era Gretsch walnut kit (used to also have an early 70's kit with the junky mount VM2K mentioned). I've had all the lugs off and on without issue. I've had this kit since '78 and love it. I've only owned a Stewart kit prior to the Gretsch, so I don't have a good American kit of this era, to compare. I love the sounds I get with the thick or thin heads I've used over the years and have always gotten compliments on their sound.

I would suggest looking at completed ebay auctions to get an idea of cost for a wrapped kit from this period. If I had to ball park, I would guess $800 to $1,000. By the way, that's a very attractive wrap.

Good luck with your quest.

B

PS - I only posted the pics to show my love for Gretsch drums......

Thank you Bill -

Your kit looks like a lot of fun to play, as well as being quite beautiful. I did scour closed ebay listings & more or less nothing that was helpful. I'm super excited to see this kit. Midnight Blue was Gretsch's most popular wrap so that tempers interest a bit. Having said that, it does look to be in excellent condition, though photos do not tell the whole story & can in fact lie a little about true condition.

I will let you all know if I end up with it - Chris

Hey Chris,

I don't play these as one kit; I just set them up for a photo op. I sold the earlier 70's kit and play 1 up, 2 down (13, 16, 18) with the 24" kick.

Good luck and hope to see some pics, if you pull the trigger.

B

Those look like very nice drums, whatever era. I love Grestch drums and have RB,SSB orphans, and an early '80's kit purchased new. If they check out to be in good shape, I'd say keep em'! Just FYI. RB and SSB shells are the same constuction. But with the introduction of the SSB, also came the first Gretsch toms with vent holes. RB tom/floor tom shells, had tack badges with no vent hole. (RB snare drums and BD's did have vent holes.) That is a big difference in the desireability and defines the RB era to an extent. My 2 cents. Thanks

Thank you Tao -

It's often a learning experience when unfamiliar drum makers enter the picture for me. Very interesting indeed -

Chris

Very nice set! but as said will never reach Round badge prices.

In the uk i would expect this set to sell for around £1000, ive sold many Gretsch kits and can tell you the snare is worth £250-75 and the kit £750 mabey a little higher.

I have always been a massive fan of the wooden shells but dont dig the metal shell snares and they can be harder to sell.

So ... you see that hot, curvy broad dancing behind the screen you're peeing to see in the flesh, the one holding so much promise you're reduced to practicing pickup lines with the straw mistress titillating your ganglia? Only thin' is you're in store for a surprise, but 't'aint the right proper sort of surprise, the one with the payoff worthy of the praying.

And so it goes lads with the midnight blue babe that looks so sweet in the photo. You see, the seams are a bubbling and lifting the hind end of the BD, broken and chipped in others; and though she might [underline : might] partially be brought back to former glory with a little Ol' lif' & tuck you'll forever be wondering if and when she come undone down the road with the slightest bang & roll. Then you go up-top to the rack and the stories much the same, only the skin's hopelessly far more brittle, covered in yellowed tape in places in an attempt to affix what's lifting free some odd years prior glue woulda' been a deal better at doing. So I left with my money in my pocket because her pimp had grander ideas than I thought prudent to enlighten him about. Hellfire! Maybe, just maybe - actually, Yes, yes, yes! - if the lass were a sixties siren like say, Ursala Andress, then my soliloquy would be much different.

Soap Box A tawdry metaphor, true. But are ya effing kidding me NOT mentioning the condition issues, especially when I asked!?! The icing on the cake was when he mentioned he'd prolly piece it out on ebay, because, mind you, he has an account in good standing. WTF are you bothering with me, yo?!? Knock yourself out. & have fun boxing the BD. But I'm certain he'll mull my comments over & then post it on CL where another buyer will get it for not much more than I offered.

O well - Chris

That's a really nice looking kit. I have one from the same era in rosewood. Those kits sound amazing.

BTW.. are those metal hoops on the bass drum???

[code]BTW.. are those metal hoops on the bass drum???[/code]

Yes, they're metal -

The metal BD hoops are typical for that period. Also finding the SSB kits with other hardware like Rogers etc is common in this period as implied in an early post about crud hardware.

Not sure if it adds anything to the drum-side discussion but as a guitar guy, there are a fair few Gretsch guitar people who prefer the 70s to the 60s, extreme weight aside, these guitars generally play well and are often more faithful to the 50s classics. Above all they don't seem to suffer the binding rot which is a huge problem--lucky for you all--without peer in the Gretsch drum world.

If I were in the market for Gretsch I'd be all over early 70s SSB. Some wraps and hardware from the 60s (as the first picture shows) and cost much less. I think the deal of the century was turning my old drummer on to a white nitron set from this era going on ebay a couple years ago with a virgin 22, 13, 15, 16 and 18 FT(!), as well as an out of round supra from the same era all of which which he got for $375 since the seller had the worst photo in ebay history and only local pick up.

He says that while they need some cosmetic work they sound awesome.