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Minor restore on Blue Sparkle RB kit

60s gretsch round badge sparkle wrap
Posts: 263 Threads: 59

Crossposted from my thread in Vintage Drums - just picked up a nice RB Gretsch kit. (Pics and details over there).

Now that I've had a couple of days to let the initial excitement wear off, I'm looking at the kit more practically, and decided to do some minor restoration just to help the kit look it's best.

1. The wrap has the usual scuffs, dull spots, a tiny bit of snare rash... I know that people on this forum recommend Novus for restoring wraps, but this is very old sparkle, and it has that sort of orange peel 'roughness' that old sparkle wraps get - no longer shiny or glassy - still sparkles obviously, but I'd like to shine it up and hopefully make the scuffs and scratches less noticeable - is Novus the way to go, even on aged wrap such as this? Or a coat of some kind of wax?

2. Bass Drum Hoops. Lots of small chips and bites, screw indents from pedals, cowbell holders, etc. - should I just touch them up with black enamel, or sand and refinish completely? I already need to replace the inlays with new wrap, so they're not "original" as is... any serious harm to value if I completely strip and repaint them?

3. Got my missing washer on the way (thanks Larry!) - These spurs are pretty lightweight though. Thinking about adding some hoop-mounted spurs just to stabilize the drum and keep it in one place. Anyone else done this? Might look funny, but it would make the drum more playable without doing something silly like drilling holes for new spurs.

Thanks for all the advice thus far, and for any further advice you can give on these matters!

Ken

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"I've met cats and dogs smarter than Cory and Trevor."
Posted on 10 years ago
#1
Posts: 1170 Threads: 108

1. Novus is still the way to go. It helps take out some of the minor surface scratches and leaves the wrap smooth and shiny. You would then want to put a coat of wax on it to help keep it that way. I know what you mean about the old sparkle wrap "orange peel", but I'm not sure there is anything you can do for that. Maybe someone else can chime in.

2. I'm not sure if completely restoring the hoops would bring down the value or not, but it would sure look nice! Some people like their hoops with aged "mojo" and others like their kits to look pristine. I say you do whatever will make you happy with the kit.

3. Maybe you can try using a bass drum anchor on the front hoop in addition to the original spurs. It adds a cool look and function.

- EMD
Posted on 10 years ago
#2
Posts: 9005 Threads: 266

From ElMoonlightDrummer

1. Novus is still the way to go. It helps take out some of the minor surface scratches and leaves the wrap smooth and shiny. You would then want to put a coat of wax on it to help keep it that way. I know what you mean about the old sparkle wrap "orange peel", but I'm not sure there is anything you can do for that. Maybe someone else can chime in.2. I'm not sure if completely restoring the hoops would bring down the value or not, but it would sure look nice! Some people like their hoops with aged "mojo" and others like their kits to look pristine. I say you do whatever will make you happy with the kit.3. Maybe you can try using a bass drum anchor on the front hoop in addition to the original spurs. It adds a cool look and function.

Free advice doesn't get much better than that!

John

Too many great drums to list here!

http://www.walbergandauge.com/VintageVenue.htm
Posted on 10 years ago
#3
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