[COLOR="DarkRed"]Gotta be careful with these....there are some Japanese stencils which used the Gretsch lug design....some even have thin Japanese maple shells. The muffler knob and throwoff can tell you....but th pic is unclear on those.

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If it is the real deal, what would it be worth, considering it looks to be in good condition? It will be for sale if it's the real deal, so let me know what you think a fair price is, not a collectors' price. And don't tell me 50 bucks either....:p

Dang it! it's MIJ. She called and we were headed right for the Gretsch section when she read the stamp on the strainer.....Well, it's still in really good codition so I might snag it anyway. Afterall, you can never have too many snares....x-mas3

The lugs and rims look right. The strainer is tough to see, a larger picture would be more helpful. An inside shot of the drum would pretty much tell you yes or no. It looks like it is probably an 8 lug snare, price would probably be around $300ish in good condition.

That sucks, you should definitely check it out though, it does look like it has diecast rims, though it is really tough to tell from the picture. It is always possible that the strainer was changed at some point.

Yeah, she decribed the interior to me, it is a mahogany thin with rings. She wants 60 bucks, but I don't know, it is too much for me. I love the look of it, but I just don't like paying that much for an MIJ snare. 40 is my top dollar for these. She is in her 50s or 60s and plays all around OKC with different bands.

[COLOR="DarkRed"]Not a bad asking price - l mean the lugs and hoops are worth that. Although l do doubt the hoops are cast if they are Japanese knockoffs - probably just very hefty.[/COLOR]

Her description to me on the phone was one of adoration. According to the owner, it is in excellent condition, and if I buy it, it will stay in that condition. She says it has a great sound, nice and warm, woody and "toothy". So there we have it. Anybody want to buy a really nice snare for not a lot of bucks? You guys that haven't played one of these in awhile should look around and maybe think about adding one to your collection. You can't get this tone for that kind of money in American drums. And if you don't like it, at least you can get your money back, or even turn 20 or so profit.