Thanks guys.
John - there is no way on earth my drum is going to end up near as nice as that Burgundy Sparkle of yours. I've been following your thread....that is a spectacular finish...tip my hat to your wife regarding the choice if I remember...and you have done a fantastic job there. They are like je wels.
Okay...here's the deal with my drum. I've been looking for a 3ply 14" floor tom for ages. They just do not come available often and when they do you're looking at almost the price of a 4pc Gretsch Vintage kit for the one floor tom....at least that's how I'm reading it.
I would not even think about converting this Cocktail drum to a floor tom if it was in better shape. I don't feel badl about having it cut down because the finish is not salvageable and there is a lot of the hardware missing. It's the perfect candidate for a re-fit to a floor tom I think. I spoke to a few people in the collecting and drum building (separate) business and they agree that a refit to a 14" floor tom is a good idea.
I contacted Ray Ayotte and he's agreed to take on the task of cutting it down and shaping me some nice 50's Gretsch-like bearing edges (each drum of my late 50's Gretsch kit has different bearing edges). He will also try to cut me a nice 6.5" snare drum as well. We will talk about a snare bed.
He said he is looking forward to "Chomping into it."