I think that vid is a lip sync nothing seems to match up.That is definately the studio version of Hymn 43,with Clyde Bunker on drums,probably using his Oyster Blue Ludwigs.There are some live vids on youtube with Barrymore Barlowe I think,Playing Thick as a Brick.

Steve B

If it were my endeavor, I'd go blue, amber or clear, 5 piece. Gotta have a Supra with that setup. That's me.

Good luck and happy hunting.

B

To a certain extent, there will always be a marker for vintage Vistalites. They definitely have their fans (like me). The thing is, now that the reissues have been around for a while, the demand for them is cooled off a bit.

When the reissues hit the market, old Vista prices went sky high. After being able to land nice ones for $750-$800, you couldn't touch a white or blue kit for under $1200 for a while. Amber and yellow were more than that, with green, red, and the striped versions hitting $2K or more. Smoke, and solid black or white have always remained pretty cheap. I bought a 13/14/16/24 smoke kit for $500 back in 2006, and it was an 8/10.

The prices have now dropped back down to earth. I recently bought a 1979 12/13/16/22 red Vista kit with a '75 red 5x14 snare for $1200, and it was a 9/10 condition wise. A really nice tequila sunrise kit would hit $2500 easily a few years ago; nice ones can now sell for $1300-$1750, depending on sizes.

But truth be told... The modern Vistas are better made, and with thicker shells, they sound much warmer than the vintage ones.

Acrylic kits really spiked up in value 5 6 years back as I remember,with Fibes and ludwig bringing the most money,with more desirable colors and kits in good cosmetic condition and no cracks bringing above 2000.00,but that does not seem to be the case anymore,I guess people are still trying to get that kind of money regardless of condition and desirability,probably that is why you don't see them actually selling.Certain colors bring more money,Amber because of Bonham,clear smoke, and I think green because of rarity,and I think some of the multi color shells bring good coin,the ones that take a beating are more translucent ones like white and black.The best looking used acrylic I have ever seen personally was a clear,no badge Japanese kit,it had shark tooth lugs,and was perfect,no cracks and only a few surface scratches on the kick.I have heard the Japanese acrylics were built well and that you can find them a lot without major cracking like you see with ludwigs.I think the kits bringing above a thousand these days have to be in really good condition structally and cosmetically.

BUZZ: Would you consider a price of $500 for a 14/16 (toms) / 22 (bass) red vista kit in excellent condition to be a "steal", or simply a "decent" price in today's market? THANKS!

$500 for that config in red and in nice condition is a steal.

14"'s can be tough to find. Makes me wonder if there wasn't a 13" to go with it at one time.

OldSchool. Yes that would be a steal at that price..Why Red vista's are to me the second rarest color to fine..Green being the most rarest..So i say buy them if they are in good condition and NO crack's around the lugs and mounts...Mikey

Thanks, Buzz. A few additional questions: Were the hoops on the Vistalite kits from the 70s wooden or acrylic? Did the buyers have a choice? Finally (I promise!), were there any kits that came with in-lays a different color from the kit itself (i.e., blue sparkle in-lays on a red Vista)?

Thanks for the input, Mikey. BTW.....Did you get the additional pics of the MIJ parts I sent you?