The snare is the tough part. I've had 12 Oyster Black Jazz Fests, and they sell for BIG money. Out of all of those snares, I've only had ONE "totally correct" Ringo snare, which is a '63 with the strainer one panel away from the badge. Besides Ringo's, it's one of only two that I know of. They are just impossible to find. A collector from Japan actually flew here to buy it in person. http://www.classicvintagedrums.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=93&products_id=718

The other drums can certainly be found. If you're willing to deal with single drums, the market for them has dropped dramatically. An Oyster Black 16x16 recently sold for $380 on ebay: LINK. These used to be $1000 drums all day long. The downside to singles is trying to match fade, year, and condition. Also, for some reason single rail Oyster Black 20" and 22" bass drums almost NEVER come around for sale, but the toms seem to be everywhere.

Actual 3 piece kits that are factory matched and in near mint condition, in the correct Ringo configuration, sell for big dollars, such as the 22-13-16 just was just bid up to $4900: LINK. 3 piece kits with a few issues, like fade, extra holes, or splits in the wrap, sell for between $1500 and $3000.

As for the Rogers mount, don't forget that not all of Ringo's kits had one...he used the stock Ludwig mount for some of the kits. If you drill for a Rogers mount, even though it's what can be seen on some of Ringo's kits, it will greatly reduce the value of your set.

Thanks,

Bill

Here is the link to the snare we were debating earlier this year. It is as close as one can get, as far as we can tell. There is a link to his pix on the first post. Top shelf, almost perfect snare from a closet and in the case for years.

http://vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=14814&highlight=high+school&page=3

Here's another kit to consider on eBay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-LUDWIG-BLACK-OYSTER-PEARL-SET-W-MATCHING-SNARE-/110607953644?pt=Vintgae_Drums_Percussion&hash=item19c0bf6eec

What's odd, though, is it's listed 13 times and has an opening bid of $88 and appears to have no reserve. Yet, if you read the description, it mentions a $2,000 Buy It Now. Yes, it's a re-wrap, but nicely done. Might be worth checking out...and an excellent alternative to trying to track down an all original kit. I realize your thoughts on this, but it's worth a look, right?!!

Yeah.....that's generally known as a scam listing....from someone's hijacked account. DO NOT BID ON IT! DOH

I think the idea of the Legacy kit is a good one. You can order it with a virgin bass drum and put on whatever you want. Those are some real nice drums!

Hey Ludwig-dude! Thanks for clearing this up. I really thought there was something odd about this being listed 13 times!

With all due respect to Ludwig, and all Ludwig lovers out there (of which I am one!), the Legacy's are the most over-hyped, over-priced kits out there. I say this from first-hand experience from a friend who owns his own drum shop in Glendale, California. He's known in the industry and his customers are a veritable "who's who" in drumming. I've seen these drums up close and the problems with them. I know I should not be going on like this, but it pains me to see Ludwig charging so much for these drums and the problems they have. I don't mean this to be a post for Ludwig bashing, just to relay first-hand experience on an incredibly expensive set of drums.

Here ya go.$1200 opening, $1400. BIN. And George is a great guy to deal with.

Just look for, or order up a matching snare......

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220692704001#ht_1932wt_1141

And what swivo arm did Ringo use? Was it made in the US or in the UK? Keith Moon's I believe were made in the UK (English Rogers/Ajax). Anyone know?

English Rogers mounts as DrumCity fitted them for him and that's what would have been available over in the UK at the time....