Interesting debate, for sure. I had the same dilemma. I have a CB-700 from the Mid-70's that looks like Red Glitter, but it's hard to tell. I ordered wood hoops for it with red sparkle inlay a year or so ago, and it matches it close, but not quite. Certainly way too close for anyone (including fellow drum geeks) to notice.

I added a 16" floor tom to match this kit recently (with a different wrap), and I ordered red sparkle wrap just last week. The reason I went with sparkle over glitter is because A. It's cheaper and B. Glitter wraps are very brittle and more difficult to work with. Since I am wrapping this myself as a first time wrapper, I thought the sparkle would be easier.

I think either one would look good, it may come down to cost and ease of use (like it did with me). Good luck!

I would go with the sparkle I have wrapped both, and the glass looks a little deeper, and is definetly thicker to work with. You won't be able to exacly match that red on your import drums. It is much duller and has almost a bumpy texture to it. Both new reds are smooth and very glossy. I would just use the sparkle for the ease of use, and expence. The sparkles match old Ludwigs well, I just did a blue sparkle floor tom and it matched an old Ludwig kit well.

Jammin' Sam himself cleared this up for me. I'm sure many people know this - but I didn't.

Sparkle wrap contains small pieces of metal which are all identical in shape and size. Glitter wrap contains small pieces of glass, which are obviously all random in shape and size since it's just crushed glass.

I have a Rogers kit in Blue Pearl Sparkle, which is actually glitter; and to further complicate matters, it has a rough texture which cannot be duplicated. I have a Powertone snare which I wrapped in sparkle (before I knew the difference) and the colour is almost identical. So when I see the snare on the kit, you would never spot the difference; and it's much easier to use. But I will definitely go for glitter next time.

Your nice MIJ kit is glitter. Personally, I'd get that. Although the colour will be much brighter - check out this snare I wrapped - note the smooth surface but the shiny bits are totally random. This is red glitter wrap. It does look very nice in the flesh though.

[IMG]http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g179/troutstudio/Others/IMG_0695.jpg[/IMG]

I always had a feeling it was crushed glass but that's so weird that it actually is... can you imagine running your hand along that and running into a nick or dent and cutting yourself? I'm probably the only one thinking that... LoLoLoLo

Ok, so we've confirmed that it's a glitter wrap. Thank you for the help in clearing that up. The finish is definitely not smooth; it also has dulled quite a bit compared to under the hardware, so i'm sure whatever wrap I choose will be brighter.

So now the big question - where is the best place to get a glitter wrap?

www.precisiondrum.com

Glass glitter wraps are way thick, as stated, and yes, will cut you up like confetti if you aren't careful.... and even if you are.

Looks GREAT but a real pain to work with.

Kev