Drumbum: Yes, you did a magnificent job, no question.

I can see by the "after" pics how shiny and clean they are. Just curious....did the Novus remove ANY of the yellowing?

Yes, the Novus worked great and did remove some of the yellowing. I think it removed most of the yellowing from tobacco and smoke, however I dont think it will remove yellowing from UV and the sun. I'll post another pic soon of it completely done. Waiting on the reso head to arrive in the mail.

This kit has great history. As you can see it had a painted reso head on it for the band "The Dukes Of Rhythm". A check of the internet revealed:

Led by Houston, TX-born blues guitarist/vocalist, Joe "Guitar" Hughes (1937-2003), the Dukes of Rhythm is best remembered as the breeding ground for influential bluesman, Johnny "Clyde" Copeland.Together for a decade, the group reached its apex as resident house band at Shady's Playhouse, hosting Monday night jam sessions at the Houston nightclub from 1958 until disbanding in 1963, and releasing regional hits, including "The Shoe Shy" and "Ants in My Pants." While Hughes failed to breakthrough nationally as a soloist, Copeland, who he had taught to play the guitar, went on to become one of the guiding forces of the Texas blues scene of the '80s and early '90s.

Hughes was only 16 when he formed the Dukes of Rhythm. Although he was deeply inspired by the playing of Texas bluesmen, Lightnin' Hopkins and T-Bone Walker, he had been introduced to country & western music, gospel, and balladry by his mother. Purchasing his first guitar, with $25.00 earned as a dishwasher, he assembled his fist band, the Dukes, with Copeland, Pat Peterson, Steve Washington, and Cornelius. After Washington and Cornelius were replaced by bassist Herbert Henderson and drummer James Johnson, they changed their name to the Dukes of Rhythm.

Following the breakup of the Dukes of Rhythm, Hughes worked with Little Richard's band, the Upsetters, and the Bobby "Blue" Bland group. He launched a solo career in 1988. ~ Craig Harris, Rovi

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/dukes-of-rhythm#ixzz1ivkjImeJ

I love having the history of drums. Althought I can't find the name of the drummer. I also like to collect old hand painted reso heads. I hang them on the wall in my studio.

I'm considering sending the image of the original hand painted head out to DrumArt and have them recreate it on a new head. I think that would be cool.

First off, NICE CLEAN UP !!!. . they look FAB!!! secondly. . As mentioned, The snare is really really cool . . . nice. Thirdly. I used to be irked by the yellow but I have to say that with all of the shade possibilities of the new pearl wrap these days. . I have grown to like the aged hue of the yellow. When it is shined up like yours it looks great.I no longer see it as yellow I see it as a Lemon pearl. Great back story by the way. . I'd love to see the head collection as well . . . . . [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][SIZE="1"]BOOM [/SIZE][/COLOR]

Well I figured out the answer to the initial question. Those brackets are for a set of add on spurs. I found the spur legs in a box of parts that came with the kit. I think this kit was gigged a lot for the first 10 yrs of its life. The stock spurs for that year were not very good.