Just did a bit more reading. I found another ost from the researcher, KCDRUMDAD, who has really done his home work.

I'm thinking now that there is only a ballpark way to gauge the year... whether it has a tag, if the tag is Orange and White, with (or w/o) guaranteed for life printed, etc...

Not critical info...but you know how it is when this vintage drum curiousity bug gets started!!

If you seach Ebay under "drum catalog's"..A seller list a Gretsch dating book ....Mikey

I am the gent who put together a dating guide for Gretsch. Based upon the information that I have gathered from over 5,300 drums, I am pretty confident that the serial number provides a good estimate of manufacture date. I acknowledge that not everyone agrees, but point out that not everyone has looked at it in as much detail as I have. I describe how I gathered and analyzed the data and present a chronology of changes in many different components of Gretsch drums from the early 1960s through the early 1980s. More information about my paper is available at www.gretschdrumdatingguide.com and on posts on this and one other drum-related forum.

I have turned my attention to improving the Ludwig serial number based dating guides which have been frustrating you, me and so many others. I have gathered information from almost 1000 drums which possessed both serial numbers and date stamps to augment the guides that are out there, three of which are available at www.vintagedrumguide.com. Those guides were not based upon nearly as many different data points. I have also created a dating guide for Ludwig Standards of the late 1960s-early 1970s time frame. Preliminary information about these projects is posted on my website under the Ludwig Serial Number Dating Projects tab. I am also working on identifying and dating the multiple variations of Gretsch round badges used from the 1930s through the late 1960s.

Note that no dating guide is going to be 100% accurate, as there are many variations introduced by the production and inventory procedures employed by the manufacturers. However, the guides do provide useful estimates. If you are looking for down-to-the-day precision, especialy on vintage Gretsch drums, I fear you will continue to be frustrated.

Be careful about the vintage drum curiosity bug. I caught it six years ago and have spent countless hours gathering information to create the guides that I mention above, my basement is full of drums and drum carcasses, and right now I have two dismantled snare drums on my kitchen counter awaiting reassembly after a thorough cleaning. It is addicting.

Regarding your drum, I see two different serial numbers in your post. It appears that one is missing a digit, but I can not be sure. Be mindful that the serial number is only a part of what one should consider when dating a drum. The other characteristics should also be consistent with drums in that serial number range. Also, one must understand how Gretsch reused serial numbers to be able to use them to date drums.

Rick

I for one am thankful for your tireless work. And for the advice of many here on VDF. It is fascinating and educational. And yes, addicting (or addictive? which is grammatically correct?)

57548 is the correct serial number. It sure would have been helpful if I'd given that in the first place.

I'll follow up on the resources provided. If anyone would like offer an opinion on the snare with serial # 57548, withe the orange and white guaranteed for life tag, I'm interested.

And I'm hoping only for a span of a about year, if that's possible. Pinpointing a day is way too much to expect.

The last time I was seriously bitten by the vintage model correctness bug led me from restoring reasonable affordable VW's to stupid costly Porsche 356s from the 1950s?

As the saying goes, "want to make a smalle fortune restoring cars? First, start with a large fortune.."

here is a reasonably reliable dating-system for RB drums by serial number: four or less digits = early-'60s; five digits = mid-'60s, and six digits = late-'60s. (Late-'60s drums usually have internal hex-head shaped screws rather than the earlier round-head style.)

Bill,

Based upon the information that you provided, it is likely from the 1965-66 time frame.

Whenever I estimate a drum's age, it comes with several caveats that are all contained in my paper. One must understand the methodology and approach I used when gathering and analyzing the data. One must also understand that the date is just a well educated guess based upon review of many other drums.

There are some in the vintage drum commnity who do not agree that Gretsch serial numbers are meaningful. I think that people just did not understand how Gretsch used and re-used serial numbers and no one had taken the time to decipher the system. It is a complex puzzle. Opinions and guesses became firmly entrenched as fact, becoming what I call the legend and lore of Gretsch drums. I have attempted to share my approach and analysis in great detail, free of unsupported legend and lore, and let people make their own decisions.

I always welcome more reports of Gretsch drums which will enhance the study, so please keep the reports coming.

Rick

Hi Rick,

I just picked up a mid 70's Gretsch. I'll get some pix and info about it to you pretty soon.

Okay, back to painting!

Craig

I truly appreciate all the help!

At one point I restored vintage Porsches. Collectors are EXTREMELY obsessive about details, e.g., did the license plate light have the Hella stamp...or not. Porsche, like Slingerland and any other rational manufacturers, would use parts in the bin left over from the previous model. Many parts from a 1956 356 would work just as well on a 356A, so why not.

Oh my God. Internet WARS would rage over these things!!

So, pinpoint dating always has its problems. But I believe the information from Rick is very well researched and therefore reliable...to the extent possible!

BTW, the throw off and butt plate have 'push on' fasteners instead on proper nuts to secure them. Rick tells me this is pretty common. And let's face it, The Dixieland was not a flagship model. And in fairness, they work fine. But since I replaced the wrap, the collector's value is zilch and I'm now making it a nice, beautiful player's drum...which it will mos' def' be. So I may replace the push ons with nuts... the push ons rub the 'mechanic side of me' the wrong way!

Thanks again to all...!