Hi,

Here are a few more that I never did an article on. I am not a Gretsch collector and rarely dabble into the 1960s-70s but I love gold plated snare drums.

1969-70 GRETSCH 5 x 14 RB GOLD PLATED SNARE DRUM

1969-70 GRETSCH 5 x 14 SSB GOLD PLATED SNARE DRUM

The RB drum shows more wear than the SSB drum but overall the Gretsch gold plating on these drums leaves a lot to be desired; nothing even close to 1920s-30s Ludwig & Ludwig, Slingerland or Leedy gold plated drums.

A thank you to my good friend Steve Maxwell for the brief history on these drums: “The gold Gretsch snare was circa 69-70 and done right on the cusp of the transition from Round Badge to SSB.

Generally speaking, the RB is rarer, although as we know, not many show up of either badge. I sold one of each several years back, both in superb condition (which is rare since the gold was paper thin) and prices were in the $6000 range.”

Enjoy!

Mike Curotto