Exactly like the originals gets my vote too. But even then, it seems like most people on here (including myself) feel that if it was between a 50-year old kit and one made today with all the exact same wood, hardware, finish, etc, both for the same price, they would take the older one any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
I guess if I were gigging all the time and didn't want to be too careful with them I could understand the appeal of a nice re-issue, but not at those price points.
Excellent question. I too would take the authentic rebuild IF those were my only two options. Fortunately, my real answer is neither because the vintage used option is working for me. Besides, I prefer Ludwig mahogany/poplar/maple and that’s not available in the reissue market. I’m thrilled that light weight Inde drill free mounts now exist to replace any vintage consolette system. The concept is not perfect however flying a tom or using a snare stand are not options I like. By history I’ve sold some of my most original and collectible sets in lieu of discounted vintage sets with a modern consolette/mount someone else installed. In summary, I’m not going to buy a new Rogers Convington set.
Yes, we would all likely choose a pristine real vintage kit if that was a viable option all of the time. I agree, though, that part of the fun of getting a pristine matched vintage kit is finding it.
Something I always wonder is how the "line" is drawn when it comes to pricing stuff. When it comes to some vintage American guitars, it's just unbelievable what the prices can be....Who draws the line that says guitarists can buy and sell guitars for hundreds of thousands of dollars, but when it comes to drums and drum sets, it's outrageous to price a rare kit the same as a rare guitar? I would love it if things were different in that regard! Violins, too....Pianos, too....saxophones....flutes....old basses/cellos....most orchestral brass instruments...ALL of them can be incredibly expensive....and yet, the money seems to always be there for these musicians to own them...right? It seems that drums and drum sets are some of the most undervalued musical instruments of all. What gives?
I was thinking about all this again yesterday. I once bought a set of Rogers drums from a guy living in Staten Island, NY. That was probably 7 or 8 years ago. It was a pretty good drive from north of Boston. He was the original owner and it was a complete set including all the hardware, cymbals and cases. The cases were toast, the pedal and hat were tired and the rest was very nice. The snare was a COB Dyna. He had the original 1967 bill of sale from Sam Ash Music Stores in NYC. The discounted price for everything was under $500, which was shocking to me because the drums alone where I lived in 1967 would have been quite a bit more with no discounts ever on anything (a small NE city music shop).
So:
What is $500 in 1967 worth in today's money? Adjusted for inflation, $500.00 in 1967 is equal to $3,905.38 in 2020. Source: The Web.
Maybe the problem is simply getting our heads around the inflation factor. Have you priced a vehicle lately? I was shocked a few years ago when a guy I bumped into at the transfer station said he'd paid $60k for his Jeep Grand Cherokee. The most I've paid for a car is $15,900. Why? Because I always buy used vehicles. That one had about 60k miles on it and was in nice shape. I've had it 5 years and it has a 140k now and still serviceable. So there is my problem. I just can't get past paying a lot of money when paying a lot less still works.
I'd be plenty happy with a new Covington that included Maxwell's additional hardware add-ons. I just can't get happy about paying for it when my little BDP set for $1k is working quite nicely and is pretty much the same thing except I no longer have a warranty.
Yeah, I guess for some it's worth paying a premium for what they consider peace of mind, but I could never buy a car brand new. Especially when there are so many great deals on used ones out there. I suppose the same applies to vintage drums vs. pricey re-issues, if you're patient and know where to look.
It's a very interesting question though, how and way instruments are priced the way they are. The fact that some guitars go for those insane prices is not as surprising to me. It seems like everyone plays guitar, (at least everyone thinks they can), so maybe there's just a larger pool of people, and therefore a larger pool of rich people, who want fancy guitars to show off. I've definitely met more than a couple of very wealthy people who own outrageously expensive guitars but can barely play more than some cowboy chords and a few blues licks - which is fine, of course. No harm is being done. Maybe there just aren't as many drummers out there? Or it's true that we're just broke all the time!
I feel lucky that the two instruments I really play - drums and piano - are relatively easy to find great deals on. Pianos in particular. I've never paid for more than the moving costs of one. The one I currently have came with the original bill of sale from 1923, and it was $485. Talk about getting your head around the inflation factor!
I feel lucky that the two instruments I really play - drums and piano - are relatively easy to find great deals on. Pianos in particular. I've never paid for more than the moving costs of one. The one I currently have came with the original bill of sale from 1923, and it was $485. Talk about getting your head around the inflation factor!
Sure, in many case, you almost can't give away some pianos because people who want to get rid of one don't want to pay to have it moved...
..BUT...Fazioli, Boesendorfer, Bluthner, C Bechstein, Stuart and Sons, Steinway...that's a different story. A piano is an extremely complex instrument in comparison to many other instruments and I can understand why some would be very valuable...
A good flute is crazy money, too! And what is it? -a tube with some holes in it!
My experience in the guitar business taught me that there is a special breed of vintage guitar and custom-made guitar buyer. That is the guy (usually men) who love to show off a prized instrument to everyone--especially civilians (non-musicians). "Look how beautiful this custom-made guitar is". or "This guitar was hand made sixty years ago, and every hickey on it is a hard-earned battle scar". Then, the next line is almost always: "Do you know how much I had to pay for this beauty"? Most of the rest of the people with those same instruments will have the same first statements. But, the follow up to that statement will focus on how they acquired the instrument for a bargain price.
I'm saying that if guitarists can do it (good players or posers), then drummers should be able to as well. But, instead, we just expect every other drummer to be our ol' chum or "brother"....which is all well and good, but, I'm honestly not of the mind that, when I sell something, I need to give anyone a bargain.
I can see why there would be SOME disparity between guitars (and some other instruments) and drums, but not the Grand Canyon of disparity that currently exists. What other vintage musical instruments are so low on the valuation scale? Harmonicas, maybe? Sheesh! I'll bet there are even some harmonicas that are crazy expensive!
Then, the next line is almost always: "Do you know how much I had to pay for this beauty"? Most of the rest of the people with those same instruments will have the same first statements. But, the follow up to that statement will focus on how they acquired the instrument for a bargain price.
This reminds me of something my grandpa used to say: "There are two types of people: Those who brag about how much they spent, and those who brag about how little."
