I was just comparing the 'vintage' ambassadors and the normal ones and I could not discern enough of a difference to justify the cost difference. Maybe some others on here feel differently. Striking them side by side (off a drum) I could not detect even a change in pitch of the heads... Maybe hype?

I was told the coating is the same, but the mylar is different. Color of the mylar is slightly different, but thickness is the same. I say, particularly if you are pinching pennies, stick with normal ambassadors, because we all know those heads on your drums sound great.

+1 with what Jim said. If they're on sale, I get the Vintage Amb's (cool retro logo), otherwise it's the regular ones. For that matter, I'll also grab Evans if they're on sale. My point... If you're penny pinching, just grab whatever is cheaper. Oh, and a little tip, wait for a sale at GC (am I allowed to reference a store? - to confirm, I am not affiliated in any way) and you can save quite a bit.

I use regular coated Ambassadors on both sides of all my vintage toms. You can get a good deal at Cascio Interstate Music right now with free shipping through the 4th of this month. I ordered a 13" Ambassador last night.

The last couple of years I have found nothing that beats a Aquarion super kick one on my 22" bass drum batter head. I will use a felt strip on the resonant side. On a couple of my vintage bass drums that I don't have a super kick I use a felt strip on both alternateing sides. it works. You can get felt cheap at WalMart. I would not put those velcro strips in your bass drum. I bought a set that had that inside and it will cause damage if you want to remove it. You can set that pad in there without the velcro, but I advise the felt strips.

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Moonweasel,

Congrats on that kit! I was the second person to contact the seller, so I'm glad they at least went to someone who is putting effort into restoring them. And by the way, you got an incredible deal on them!!

Let me know if you need any tips on restoring offhand, I'm right up the road. Got lots of parts, etc. if you find you need anything else! guitar2

I believe the vintage Ambassadors are thicker than the modern; at least the vintage Emperors are thicker than the standard issue.

Matt

Elkton, VA

Never does... same pedals are used on BD's of all sizes. Attach your pedal, extend the beater shaft to where it feels right for your playing style. Where it hits... it hits.. If you are fitting a pad to the head just use the beater contact point as a guide..

Cheers

UPDATE:

I have decided instead of restoring all of the hardware at once to instead just do one drum at a time. Have a nice folding table set up with a view of the TV, and it is really almost therapeutic polishing all of the chrome... and it's addictive. This isn't really something you can do with a vintage guitar. :)

Also, I believe I have figured out (feel free to correct me) that a DownBeat set with cymbals was around $795 in 70-71? That is higher than a Les Paul at the time. Adjusted for inflation it is in the $4000+ range. Amazing. I didn't really see where the money went until...

The plating on the hardware is crazy good. I have never seen nasty, spotted chrome turn around so completely. I know the tiny spots of rust will come back every now and then, but holy cow. I am using Turtle Wax brand chrome cleaner and polish (one product) that I have left over from my old Ford Mustang's bumpers.

First pic has some before and after pieces. The second one is all after....

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/mweasel/beforeandafter.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v66/mweasel/beforeandafter02alreadypolished.jpg[/IMG]

I ordered a set of coated ambassadors (regular, non-vintage... btw, at least according to MF, the vintage ambassador series is "two ply") for the 12" tom. The ones on the 14" floor tom are serviceable for now, but will be going eventually when budget permits. I installed the lower ring on the floor tom and the really old looking Ludwig resonant head. I had picked up some tension screws from the spare parts drawer at the local music store.

I don't think this set has ever truly been cleaned before. The maple insides were pretty grime covered. The bass and the floor tom have had resonant heads on them, but I don't think this tom has for a while. Someone just took a knife and cut out the lower head leaving the ring and tensioners installed.

The bass and 12" have great seams on them, the floor tom could probably use about 1/8" of an inch to be reglued. But I will worry about that later. I want to do a lot of reading before I try that.

Matt,

Just want you to know that I have been that second person before, so I feel for ya. Yes, they have gone to a good home... well, I AM a guitarist, but still a pretty good home. :) I have no intention of ever selling them, but I will try to drop you a line first.

Elkton is a beautiful area, used to have some clients in that area. The beer factory with the mountains in the background seemed like guy heaven. :)

I really might take you up on that parts offer. I need a single, complete lug setup for the bass drum. I didn't actually look at the bottom of the BD when I first did this post, but it is missing literally an entire unit. A perfectly functional, but slightly ugly (to keep price down) 70s Speed-King is on my wishlist too, FYI. I think I want to find one I can go hands on with vs. all the ones I have seen online. The research I have done seems to indicate that they vary in functional condition a lot.

They turned out to be about an hour south of Harrisonburg which is near where I live.

Thanks for posting.

---

Longjohn,

Thanks for the pointer on the bass drum. I tried lowering it to center the hitting point, but I lost a ton of leverage and power. I ended up going back up two thirds towards the starting point (which seemed too high) and found a sweet spot.

Hey MW, that chrome is cleaning up really nice. Here is the paint and primer that I use on the wood hoops. Two LITE coats of each. Here is the polish that I use on the wrap. Good luck!

THANK YOU, very much.

Just one more thing...

You seem far too smart to be a guitarist... maybe you should rethink your career choice..

Great job on the chrome..

Cheers..