Hey,
I recently got a Gretsch Singerland Bass, snare, hi-hat, and crash jazz set. I'm in the process of restoring it, its pretty beat. Joe Fiorella owned it and gave it to me, he played many big-bands including arty-shaw. It had a marble/pearl finish that became warped into a yellowish color. I was wondering what I could do to get the original color back. I'm fairly new at restoration so any other tips would be appreciated. Thanks!
-Tom
Welcome to the forum Tom, post some pics here and try to show the original color and what it's turned into now!
Thanks heres a pic of the snare. its a raido king with the parts taken off.
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Hi T-dubs,
You may never be able to fully restore the original white color to the wrap if it has faded, become stained from nicotene, or been damaged by UV rays. The good news is you can certainly clean it up and give the wrap a nice shine :). I always start with a little bit of dawn dishing washing soap and a lightly dampened sponge - just to wipe way the surface dust and dirt. I follow that up with products made by Novus - There are three Novus products in all - a plastic cleaner (#1), light scratch remover and polish (#2), and a deep scratch remover and polish (#3). I have had great results using numbers 1 and 2. They really make the wrap shine like new and remove lots of grime. Should work nicely.
Good Luck!
James
Congrats on picking up some great old drums!
...but there's nothing Gretsch about that drum. Gretsch and Slingerland were two completely separate companies when your drums were built.
It had a marble/pearl finish that became warped into a yellowish color. I was wondering what I could do to get the original color back.
That finish is called White Marine Pearl. You can polish it up and it'll look great, but the yellowing isn't just on the surface so you won't be able to get it back to its original color.
In case you're curious about the age of your drums... The stamped "dog tag" badge on your drum came into use in 1953. The style of lugs on your drum were replaced by "Sound King" lugs in 1955.
Your drums are a really close relative of my own. I have a 1955-56 kit with that exact same badge and finish.
I would follow the advice above...just clean the surface gently. The coloration you see is actually sought after by collectors...it's an indication that the drums are in an an original condition. There is a company that actually makes a wrap that has a slight yellow tint to duplicate what you have naturally!Cool1
Thanks everyone!
oh and i'm not sure about that whole Gretsch Singerland thing, because the bass drum says Gretsch on the badge but the snare is a radio king. I'm a bit confused about it. Thanks for the tips ill clean it up a bit then.
well, if thats the case then it is a Gretch/Slingerland mix-n-match :). Hey, both are/were great companies..i bet those drums sound great. Take a picture of the bass drum if you can.
James
Ya sure here are some pics...
Definitely a mix kit. That bass drum is early 50's...and worth a lot.
