I did a four piece kit myself in a blue marine pearl and that set me back around 250USD just for the materia from Precisionl. There would be a few hours of labour on top of that. The names that keep coming up are Precision Drum, Jammin' Sam, Bonzo and Jack Lawton (virtually all of them with links here, I think).

Doing it yourself is not actually that difficult if you follow the instructions herein and on the various sites and forums. Only bit I found really tough to get exactly right was trimming the wrap up to the bearing edges. Otherwise it's actually pretty easy, surprisingly quick and very satisfying in a "I dun that" kind of way.

Having said that, have a serious think about doing a re-wrap on a kit with an existing wrap in good condition - in collector world you will be seriously diminishing the re-sale value.

And as for "that" finish I wrote something about this on a forum (this one?) as early as this morning. There are a lot of Butcher's Block kits around right now because they were wildly fashionable in the early 70s and (right this second) look really dreadful so people are off-loading the highly prized Rogers kits relatively cheaply just because of the aesthetics (I suspect).

Because there are a lot of these available some of the young hipsters will finally be able to afford them (remember, cool indie bands dig the vintage stuff as well). Then we are about 30 seconds away from some of these kits turning up with the hot new band this minute and suddenly Butcher's Block will be a fashionable again and, once they've been around for a few months, you'll suddenly be thinking "hey, that Butcher's Block is kinda cool".

Retro pearls, sparkles and the like have had a very long revival period - now all those very late 60s and early 70s kits with natural lacquered finishes (complete with battle scars) will start to come onto the vintage market. I confidently predict "beaten up" natural finishes are the next WMP or silver sparkle (and possibly just as loud).

Just got myself a natural maple Camco kit and couldn't be happier. Convinced me to strip a previously recovered kit back to the original lacquered wood as well (and I know Butcher's Block is just a plastic wrap - given Rogers fantastic rep on everything else, I never understood this). OK, rant over.

Cheers,

David

OK yeah my previous comments were on this site.

I posted the other comments on this site as well. I was just thinking it might be worth the money to pick one up at a good price and rewrap, vintage issues aside. I would be using them as a players kit anyway and the normal bumps, scrapes and scratches wouldn't hurt the drums (or me) that badly knowing it is no longer a collectors item.

I mostly gig in Manhattan where you have to get on/off stage in a heartbeat, fighting not only the next band but the crowds as well. These are mostly very small clubs and stages, and a collectors kit would not survive. I already spend half the night using my sticks to poke our rhythm guitar player away from my cymbals.

That's why I do not gig my DW WMP's, as they are pristine and I want to keep them that way.

It's a players kit I am looking for, one with that great vintage sound..........

I believe Jack Lawton gets $250 for a 14x22 bass drum in a basic wrap. Special wraps are higher. Your looking at about $500 to $600 to wrap a five piece set in a basic finish.

I hate to see anyone rewrap a vintage set, especially Rogers, unless the finish is damaged and you have no choice. Leave the vintage drums alone. Buy a good import.

Jack

:)

The only way it would make economical sense is if I found a kit damaged badly enough that the cost of purchase was super low. It would not make sense for numerous reasons to destroy a clean kit. It's the Rogers sound I am looking for.

I think it's best to wait for a kit in a finish you prefer and get over sized padded bags so you get get them in the bags quickly and of the stage protected.

I put together a 12/14/20 cleveland/Dayton Rogers kit (a "bitser," all singles purchased individualy)with a 5x14 Tower snare and it needed recovering. The 14x14 (a rare item) was by far the most expensive. The toms and kick were all silver glass, but the fading was not even and it didn't look right. Knowing I was going to have to recover, I bought the snare with no concern over the color. The edges needed work and the labor and wrap cost about $1400 on top of the $1100 (close to 700 on the floor tom). So now I have a beautiful players kit that absolutely sings but it cost over $2,600 with the swivo hardware I had to find. I know you can find a good four piece Rogers Cleveland or Dayton kit for less than that. I'll never be able to get that money back but it is a killer player. Oh guess what, I bag the drums before I move them off a stage. The over sized bags make that a snap.

Keep your eyes open for a nice kit in a color you like. If you want a players kit to be a beater you can get one for a lot less than the cost of wrap and labor. If you are looking at this kit http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Rogers-Butcher-Block-Drum-Set-70s_W0QQitemZ300149667478QQihZ020QQcategoryZ119015QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

like antipodes says, don't rewrap it, someday it will definitely be cool.

Regards,

Gary

Yes, I have them on my watch list already. We will see where the auction goes. And thanks for the tip on oversized bags. As for a snare, I will keep my Supra for any vintage kit...and that I keep well protected.

I DID CHECK OUT THE ROGERS KIT..THE TOM MOUNTS ARE WRONG OR SO I SAY THE T-MOUNTS ARE NOT ROGERS THEY LOOK LIKE THE 70S C.B 700 TOM MOUNT ARMS.THE REST OF THE TOM MOUNT IS ROGERS..ANYWAY ON THE COST OF REWRAP IAM LUCKY TO WORK AT A DRUM SHOP WERE I CAN GET ANY VINTAGE WRAP ARE COST THATS COOL BUT I MYSELF I HATE TO REWRAP VINTAGE SETS..BUT SOMETIMES I DO,ONE GOOD THING I CAN CHANGE THE COLOR...Keep on Pl

I've toyed with the idea of a re-wrap on my '72

Koa kit as well.

However, the end cost would exceed what I

paid for it from the original owner. ( in the window

of a sheet music store in a town of 4,000 )

Polka fests and ice cream socials with no cases

took a toll, but the shells are immaculate and the sound

unmistakable.

Seeing what the Fender and Gibson Custom shops are

billing for "gently used" re-issues I'd agree with David

that lightly pummeled natural finishes are likely the next

thing.

Let's call them "character dents" on EBay...