Wow... the tom shells look great... even if not wrapped! As to the bass drum, since you're going to wrap it, you can always not even bother with plugging all the unused holes. Who knows, you may decided on something different and will be glad those holes are there! Just my two cents.

Mark

Cool project. What wrap did you choose? Since it's a gigging kit, I say leave all of the hardware. The holes are already there and it gives you a lot of configuration options. It does look busy, but when you're on stage playing only you will know.

Please keep us updated with pictures.

-Tim

I agree...wrap it over the unplug holes..

Next year or later / you might feel the need to add..

If so..you know what to do..

The L arm mount that is behide yr 1st Tom does well for a splash..?

Also if you find a Long tom arm...

you could install a base & collett on a snare and have it free floating..(no snare std)..?

The original layout is "Celebrity" that is now modified with the front mount to use as a "Londoner". I would wrap and install all the current mounts. As someone else noted, you leave a lot of possible setups that way. I have a 20"Headliner" with the single tom mount, knobby cymbal mount and a "Londoner" mount on the front. Leaves it available for 3 or 4 piece setups.

These are great replies, thanks folks! I stripped off all the hardware from the kick last night; but after looking at the edges, I decided to give it to my local drumsmith David, who is already doing the three toms. It wasn't so much the condition of the edges, but I really didn't like all this thick black varnish painted all the way up to them. Anyway, long yarn with Dave, who said that the toms really needed the work - they were "all over the place". He said they are like Fullerton factory edges now. He knows vintage drums and I am very confident they will sound great. So I gave him the bass drum.

So far I think it's got to be

a) wrap and leave all the fittings as is

b) wrap but don't plug anything

Part of this is aesthetics - all that chrome is very busy, but I agree that it's possible someone could use it. There wouldn't be as much doubt about it but for the fact that to just buy the cymbal arms for the brackets here in Australia is a $300 outlay with postage. And the 'Celebrity' tom mount position might have been good for Cozy, but it's awful for me. I come from the thermogloss Ringo era and the 2 up one down is my comfort zone!

If you don't mind I'll keep this updated as the drums progress. Not too much stuff but I have a real surprise coming for the 'piece de resistance' with this little makeover . . . :-)

I think I would suggest re-wrapping and only plug the holes that you are certain that you won't ever use. There is nothing wrong with wrapping over a hole. You can always drill out the wrap later if you want to install a piece of hardware. Otherwise, only someone looking inside the drum will know. I have rewrapped a few snares but left off the mufflers to avoid rattles. I left the holes so I can always go back and add them for whatever reason.

That's a good point because the 12" tom muffler rattles like mad. I tried putting tape around the rubber mount part but tape will probably go gooey after a while. Might leave them off . . .