I was responding to the comment "Gretsch drums have pretty much been a made to order item for years".

I think when you said "pretty much" that it implied that it was "the majority of the time", and my point was that I hadn't noticed that.

That's all, no biggie and in reality who knows for sure?

The truth is that very little was written down about any of this stuff while it was happening, and that's why this is good for a bunch of passionate people to share their observations and try to figure out what really happened.

Thanks Everyone for your comments. I've made the decision to restore the kit and upgrade the mounted hardware. I'll start reseaching what hardware to purchase and may even look into re-wrapping them. Having never done this before, any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I also noticed one of my tom shells is cracked. So I may also want to replace that shell. It would be great to replace it with the same vintage shell type.

OK - I've been doing some research and I'm running into some trouble finding the exact vintage wrapping for my Gretsch drums. Any suggestions?

Uh...those are not wrapped. They are stained wood, so it would take some furniture re-finishing skill to bring them back to their full-blown glory. If you are uncertain as to how the work should be done, you may want to have them looked at by a quality furniture re-finisher. Those are some very nice drums, and an antique dealer may be a good place to inquire as to a good hand in working them. It would likely run you the same amount as a quality wrap. I would not, personally, consider putting wrap on them.

I remember locating a set in I think that very color and era for my old drummer in the 80s. It's one of the only wood finishes I like, not to light like maple and not to heavy like walnut.

Question: I am not clear as to why the drums need refinishing. Yes there are some hardware issues, and dealing with these will leave holes, but the drums look like they are just dusty to me when it comes to the finish.

Why do they need refinishing?

If you think you do need refinishing, there is a guy on the Martin guitar forum who seems like a decent guy and does old furniture. I would look into him as I've seen comments from him on that forum that make sense...I can't endorse as I don't know nor have I seen work, but he's said some sensible things.

The Two Mounted Toms have been gashed by the cymbal stands when the kit was fairly new. Someone while dancing fell into the kit driving the cymbal stands into the toms. My plan is to re-wrap those only for now. I agree - the kit looks really impressive when shined up. The pictures I posted were prior to me cleaning them. Now the trick is to find the matching wrap! Which I'm still searching for.

Thanks:confused:

jonnistix: They are wrapped. I thought they were naturally finished as well but if you look closely at the middle picture I posted of the tom tom, you'll see the wrapping seam to the right of the metal mount extending the entire width of the drum. Believe me, I wish they were naturally finished

:(