Hahaha very funny... somebody go make some popcorn this might get ugly.

As you all know, I own a lot of vintage jazz drum sets to include several real Gretsch RB bop kits... so seeing this kit or any other clone kit within the vintage drum community doesn't bother me all that bad because simply, I don't need or want that kit in question and that clone kit will not affect my collection directly even though, I own all genuine kits.

I don't think a clone kit will bring any of my collectors values down... so, I'm not mad at you in fact your kit turned out very nicely but unfortunately no matter how many real Gretsch parts you installed it will never sound as good as any of my genuine RB kits or fetch the price.

IMO, anybody who builds a clone should try to permanently mark the kit as such for example lightly burn into each Keller shells "CLONE" or maybe the phrase "Caveat Emptor" which means in Latin "Let the buyer beware" because paper tags could easily be removed, etc.

Also, there is absolutely no way unless, I know that person, would I ever buy a high dollar vintage RB bop kit without first inspecting it myself period. To spend that amount of money means, I would expect the seller to provide a full discloser and if not then "Caveat Venditor" which means in Latin "Let the seller beware"... because now, I'm mad.

But nonetheless buying a clone kit would never happen to me because, I know the difference between right & wrong (Keller & Jasper shells) and all the other physical characteristics found with vintage Gretsch RB kits... It's like buying a fake Rolex watch or a fake 1970 4-speed Z28 Camaro... if it's too good to be true... it's probably a fake.

Just realized I forgot to include my point at the end of my list in the last comment. My point is simply that you can replicate just about everything about a vintage Gretsch kit. This isn't true with, for instance, 60's Ludwig drums. You'll never find a new shell that looks like that. Gretsch is kinda unique in that regard, Jasper shells were really way ahead of their time.

One thing to keep in mind, Gretsch DID use Keller shells on occasion when Jasper didn't have a certain size on hand, for quick special orders, or weird stuff like bongos or cocktail drums, concert basses etc. These were old-school factories, and factories run on a combination of speed & efficiency, and drinking over lunch.

So, like so many other things in vintage instruments, old Gretsch are all 6-ply Jasper, except the ones that aren't. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that somewhere in this world there IS a Keller-shelled RB 18" Gretsch bass drum that's 100% factory legit.

I don't know if I'd buy it without being able to see that sweet MGMGGM, but I don't play in the bop-kit-big-leagues anyway. I like drums cheap and with extra holes.

Amen, I'm a player first and foremost, not interesting in collecting or shelling out big bucks for a collector quality drum set. My rule is I keep two kits at a time for myself, everything else is for sale at all times.

My concern with including the inner-shell labels isn't that you would misrepresent the drums, but that someone else in the future would. If it were my work, I'd include some sort of small but impossible-to-remove mark that it was a reproduction by me.

I found someone on Reddit who's sending me some repro paper tags. The model number is left blank, so after this conversation my plan is to write a signature there and mark them as clone drums.

Stamp them like a cymbal into to wood, repro and date , hard to see, no effects acoustically.

osahead2 needs to buy some Phonics and he`ll quickly forget anything Gretsch.

OddBall, I agree with you... a reproduction drum set needs to be stamped into the shells to make sure no funny business 10 years down the road...

Now about them Phonics... are you talking about Sonor Phonics? If so... I'll pass, I'm a vintage Gretsch jazz kit player and besides they are way too heavy to fool with.

Jazz never sounded so good,...

Boy those drum are okay but I'm not sold if they are perfect for jazz and again they are built way too heavy for me...