more pix.....no badge....but that is small potatoes concerning this drum

Gary - Great project drum! You'll be saving a great old rare-bird. I'm including a little motivational photo for you, to encourage you. It's called; Turning a sow's ear into a silk purse!

You can do it, baby! Looking forward to seeing the process of going from trash to treasure. Nice find.

Gary, is it an old 3-ply shell?

[IMG]http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n632/PurdieShuffle/gk5.jpg[/IMG]

John

I think it will make a nice addition to the family!! Congrats on finding it Kona!!

Cheers

way cool Kona, cant wait to see how it turns out.

Thanks guys.

John - there is no way on earth my drum is going to end up near as nice as that Burgundy Sparkle of yours. I've been following your thread....that is a spectacular finish...tip my hat to your wife regarding the choice if I remember...and you have done a fantastic job there. They are like je wels.

Okay...here's the deal with my drum. I've been looking for a 3ply 14" floor tom for ages. They just do not come available often and when they do you're looking at almost the price of a 4pc Gretsch Vintage kit for the one floor tom....at least that's how I'm reading it.

I would not even think about converting this Cocktail drum to a floor tom if it was in better shape. I don't feel badl about having it cut down because the finish is not salvageable and there is a lot of the hardware missing. It's the perfect candidate for a re-fit to a floor tom I think. I spoke to a few people in the collecting and drum building (separate) business and they agree that a refit to a 14" floor tom is a good idea.

I contacted Ray Ayotte and he's agreed to take on the task of cutting it down and shaping me some nice 50's Gretsch-like bearing edges (each drum of my late 50's Gretsch kit has different bearing edges). He will also try to cut me a nice 6.5" snare drum as well. We will talk about a snare bed.

He said he is looking forward to "Chomping into it."

A floor tom and a snare! Can't beat that with a stick! Excellent idea... is there a seam in the shell where that metal band goes round? Or is it one long single piece shell?

John

I don't know that yet - have to wait until I get my hands on it. I'm hoping the top portion is at least 14+ inches. I've never seen one of these taken apart. Maybe if someone reads this and sees the photos they can tell me. But, I'll find out soon enough. The drum is being delivered to a holding facility in Blaine Washington. I will probably make my way over there to pick it up sometime next week I think.

Gary - those old cocktail drum shells were 14" x 24". You will get your 14" x 14" and have a 10" x 14" shell left to work with. If he cuts to avoid holes, it shouldn't be hard to get a nice 7" x 14" or 6.5" x 14" or even a 5.5" x 14" out of the end cut.

Outstanding! Going to be a fun project to follow.

John

Just beautifull brother , that was some shock and awe . Yes Sir