Blu-Tack is wonderful product - probably best described as a sort of stretchy putty which is sold primarily for sticking posters on the wall without making a mess - a bit like plasticine, but much more versatile - just tear a piece off and it can be shaped as required. It's (for once) a British Invention which has been around since the 70s. I can't believe there isn't an equivalent in North America, as it's a really useful product. (Among other things, I use it to anchor things like phones to my desktop) Perhaps you know it as 'Fun Tak'

More here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-Tack

I'll post a picture of the 14" with the finish stripped back.

Robbie

OK, thanks, I know what your talking about now. What a great idea for plugging the holes. Good luck to you, looking forward to the progress pictures.

I've just posted 3 new pictures of the 14" after stripping the lacquer -

the first is exactly the same view as the one before (see badge hole); the second shows a small area which has had the stain removed (everything will be cleaned back to the natural colour to enable sanding out of the damage, then all re-stained so it'll be consistent); the third shows the interior with my plugs to protect the magic silver soup ...

https://picasaweb.google.com/116410754577390367293/RobbieSKitRestorationProject

Robbie

I'm excited to see the transformation. Man, that bass drum appears to have been a workhorse. Since it's a Stop Sign Badge, it's interesting that it didn't have the Gretsch center post mount. I wonder if it came with a Gretsch rail consolette (two mounting holes), which was changed to a Ludwig rail consolette (four mounting holes). You should be able to tell if two more holes were drilled to accommodate the Ludwig consolette.

Are there any Orange/White labels still inside any of the shells? If so, would you mind posting the S/N's? This would help with the Gretsch dating project.

-Tim

An interesting question - I've owned it since new, and nothing has been changed. I grew up in Scotland loving jazz from a very young age, and wanted nothing other than to be a drummer with a Gretsch kit, 'cos all my idols played Gretsch, and ideally it had to come from Manny's in New York, which I saw as the greatest drum store in the world!

Took a few years, but eventually I achieved both ambitions and bought this kit in 1971 when I was sailing out of Miami on the SS "New Bahama Star" in the pioneering days of cruising. I only bought the 3 drums, though, as I much preferred the Ludwig snare, which I bought at the same time.

(I also chose a Ludwig Speed King pedal, Slingerland Hi-hat, and Ludwig stands, all of which I still have)

The kit, then, is totally original, and whilst I can't quite state categorically how it came to have that particular Tom-Tom mount, (I enjoyed a drink in those days!) I believe it came already fitted, and is therefore Gretsch, as I'm quite sure that had I been given the choice, I would have chosen the Slingerland Set-o-Matic, which I always thought was the best designed, most flexible and beautifully engineered of all. I have a vague memory of being quite upset when the Bass drum turned up with the rail consolette already fitted. for that reason, it could only have been Gretsch, and although it has 4 x fixings, I read somewhere that for a very short period in the early 70s, Gretsch did indeed fit a four hole model, similar to the Ludwig.

I've posted a couple of photographs, and would point out that the hanger for the tom tom has a rounded end, whereas the Ludwig was conical. Also, the knurling is different, but above all the fitting on the Tom-Tom speaks for itself! Maybe I've something even rarer than I realised …

The Bass drum and 14" have lost their labels, but the 12" still has it clinging on - see photos …..

https://picasaweb.google.com/116410754577390367293/RobbieSKitRestorationProject

Robbie

Being the original owner really helps validate how the drums were configured. Thanks for posting the additional pictures and the 12" tom label. This will be helpful to KCDrumDad and his Gretsch Timeline project.

I've also seen some pictures of the Gretsch Diamond FT leg/cymbal arm bracket being used as a tom tom mount.

The cymbal arm mount near the Pratt Muffler knob looks like Ludwig, but I'm not sure about the mount near the rail. Instead of plugging the holes, you could try to use actual Gretsch diamond mounts.

Here is your kit in the 1971 Gretsch catalog as the Progressive Jazz (20/12/14). This one has the Round Badge on the bass drum, because marketing probably just recycled the 1969 catalog images. It also has the 2 hole mounted rail consolette and steel tom tom diamond mount with spade.

http://www.gretschdrums.com/ebooks/1971/index.html#/8/

Do you still have the original FT legs? If so, are they straight with a slight angle on the end or do they have the wide stance angle? Original floor tom legs can cost over $100 for the set.

If you have any wood prep questions, jccabinets is the resource. The prep work on your shells needs to 100% before staining and applying the clear. Also, be careful how far you sand. Your shells are 6-ply, but they are thin plys. Also try to keep the bulk of the sanding away from the bearing edges. After the bulk of the shell sanding is complete, it wouldn't hurt to use high grit sand paper to very lightly clean up the bearings. Also, you might want to figure out a way to protect the edges before you apply the clear.

Good luck and keep us posted.

-Tim

I certainly do have the legs, and they are as you describe - almost straight.

The ride cymbal arm is indeed Ludwig, and the other is unbranded - I added that later for a splash.

I'm being guided by the local furniture restorer who has already emphasised that prep is everything, so I have a lot of slow & tedious work to do, but there's no rush. I decided in 1986 when I gave up playing that this kit will never be sold, but will be given to any grandchild I have who shows an interest. So far I have 2 x grand-daughters, one aged 8 months and the other just over a year old. If they, or any future brothers or sisters don't want them, they'll go to a school or a deserving child who will appreciate it. My best friend here has a black round badge kit which he plans to pass on in the same way, and we have an agreement that whoever goes first to the big gig in the sky, the other will decide what to do with the drums.

Thanks for your advice and encouragement.

Robbie

Some of the better drum shops back then stocked vigin shells. They'd custom build your kit with the drums, sizes and hardware you wanted. Frank Ippolito's shop in NYC was one. So sometimes there's exceptions to the catalog kits as we know them.

I knew I saw your style of rail consolette and tom mount some where. Zoom in on the Gretsch Tom Tom Holders catalog page.

http://www.gretschdrums.com/ebooks/1971/index.html#/15/

-Tim

Yep, that's the one!

Robbie