To me there is one very important thing:
The era itself, when drums were manufactured.
It's the 60's, where most of significant records in music history, were released.
Recording technique required the best sounding gear. Instrument had to have good quality, and good sound.
And that particular sound you hear, when you hit your vintage Ludwig, Gretsch, Rogers...isn't it beautiful? :)
I am a proud American. Vintage American-made drums represent the golden age of American craftsmanship to me, and they should be celebrated for standing the test of time. If one actually ponders the marvel of a vintage drum they would realize that they are a round, wooden instrument that was subjected to massive vibrations, and they still work like new after fifty+ years. Some guys used to frequently post pictures of the factories and workers with the belts running to the ceiling and all that and I thought those pictures were simply fantastic. Cue the Lee Greenwood...................LoLoLoLo
NOTHING beats vintage, in anything and you said it, the best craftsmanship. I love my late 60s rogers.
+1 with this comment! For myself, personally, they bring me back to a past that can never be copied with today's society. Life was different in the 60's. Definitely more simple! There were also less choices for drums. I ingested all the 60's catalogs...Gretsch, Ludwig, Rogers and Slingerland... and was fortunate to have a handful of local music stores that carried them. But, in the end, mainly due to budget limitations, I was awarded my first kit... a 4pc gold sparkle Lyra! I loved that kit... until I traded it in 1972 for my Rogers Silver Sparkle BR Celebrity!Yes, I've had my share of not-so-good-sounding vintage kits, but most have been excellent. Keep vintage drums alive!Mark
Everything was BETTER in every possible respect. Everything nowadays is so synthetic and FAKE. DW makes great drums but its just copycat of Camco and Rogers. That kind of quality will never be the same. Same goes for music, the music of the late 50s and early 60s was REAL music. And this is coming from a 28-year old nostalgist.
I have owned a great set of modern drums. They were fantastic.
I still prefer my Rogers. They make my heart sing.
I recall someone once saying that vintage snare had a "bap" sound, whereas today's snares like DW are "boink". Good analysis.
But yeah, the best rock/pop music ever was conceived during the 1950-70s period and to get that sound you know what you gotta do.
Give me an aged jazzfest or radio king any day.
1. What's not to like?2. I'm a 'vintage' drummer, (read: auld phart,) and I like to play vintage drums.3. What's not to like?
I think John got it right. I would only add:
4. I enjoy the "restoration" or customizing part,
5. I haven't got the space or funds to collect vintage cars, so snare drums will have to do.
I guess my early drum sets would be vintage today. I always wanted to have the newest drum technology and so I would trade up, until one day when I walked into a little local music store and saw an orange sparkle Kent kit almost identical to my second kit. I just had to have it. It needed a little TLC and I began working on it. Next thing I know I was hooked.
I've since bought and fixed up several vintage kits.
I like my newer kits but really like playing vintage, I always wonder who bought the kit new and who played it at what gigs. It's just cool.
I like a little bit of all of em! I love the real early stuff, pre-1925. That old wood just has a sound and look all its own. I love the 40's drums because of the Big Band era and the WWII drums. I also like some of the newer collectible stuff too. I play a 90th Anniversary Ludwig, Top Hat and Cane set and I just scored a Gretsch 125th Anniversary set, in Cadillac Green, new in the boxes. Drummers and musicians are all throughout my family history. My Dad still plays drums at 84 years old! I guess you could say, I was born into it.
I love them for the mojo! I love asking the questions that Tsquint asks about their history.I love the detail to design, like 60's Corvettes. I love that when I play with my eyes closed I can imagine being with the Funk Brothers or at Stax or in a jazz club during the heyday. My first drums were "vintage" and I didn't own a modern kit until 1998, 21 years after I got my first kit. It felt strange not to have to tinker with it, kind of like moving from a desktop computer that you have always played around in to an iPad that you just boot up, but never get to see the guts.
I actually dig everything about vintage drums, especially from the 70's as I do cars and music from that same era. I especially love my Ludwig drums. Specifically, everything!.....their look, the warm, big sound, the way the are made and built to last.Bowingo
