It's actually fairly simple to do either method proposed. You can carefully remove the original wrap, remove the glue and such, do your filler, sand and prep the wood, and then stain-seal it. The only issue you might run into is whether or not the outer ply is visually appealing. That's just a "chance" you take.

Wrapping is fairly cheap. Depending one the finish chosen, it can be anywhere from 80 bucks to 500 bucks for a simple four piece kit. The main factor here is the particular wrap you choose. Is it going to be washed out red plastic or is it going to be a deep penetrating pearl finish? You get the point.

For pricing, check out JamminSams and Precision Drums to get an idea.

Good luck!

Rocker IIs are fairly easy to both re-wrap or finish natural wood/stain. The original wrap is only taped on at the seam. The tape is easy to remove so no issues with ruining the ply or sanding. However......they do usually have lots of overspray on the OUTSIDE of the shell from the granitone interiors, so this would need to be sanded off the outside before you finish them with stain or just leave them natural with a clear. Staining or clearing would be the cheapest way to refinish, but will require lots of work. Rewrapping is easier, but depending on the wrap chosen, can be costly.

Thanks ludwig-dude and mcjnic.

I am pretty much set on wanting to take off the wrap and just add a clear to the drums. They really have a nice natural look to them. The snare only has a chrome wrap on it as it is all wood, so I was going to go ahead and experiment on that.

The prep work, can you tell me what I need to do exactly step by step or point me to a link on prepping a drum for being clear coated? I have a friend who is good at painting cars and it good at clear coating, would someone with that talent with cars be able to handle the clear coating of my drums? Or would it be cost effective to have an actual drum doctor do the work, including the prep work?

I believe I would rub shins with a cabinet maker before a car painter where drums are concerned. Just a thought.

I was thinking of contacting someone like that as well.

I just pulled off the wrap from the snare drum and one of the toms I am NOT going to be using and you guys are right, the wrap was only glued at the point where both ends met. The shells are in great condition! No ugly blemishes or anything on these two drums. They do have a rather "rank" smell perhaps due to the fact that they were stored in a warehouse and they had nasty drum heads on them and nasty hardware choking them.

So, I reckon I will get in contact with a wood maker and take one of the drums in and ask him what to do so either stain or clear coat the drums.

By the way, how do I remove the breather holes without damaging the shell? Just knock it out with a hammer and screwdriver or is there another way?

I've always drilled out the grommet to get the badge off, since you'll be replacing that anyway. Its always better for the shell. Personally as far as a "clear" I'd try polyurathane. I've used an acrylic clear before with great results as well, and its easier cleanup. The main thing to determine is how much of a gloss you want on them. I've used both satin and high gloss, both with good results. Wetsanding with a super fine grit sandpaper between coats is the key for a very smooth finish.

Excellent! Thanks for the help and tips!