With drums as sweet as those - if you don't like the finish, wear sunglasses!

Thats an investment!!..Maybe small,but in our world,thats a lottery ticket!

Nice - they look in very good shape.

In case you run up against it (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong), your drum sizes probably are:

14 x 22

9 x 13

16 x 16

5 1/2 x 14

Those were the common sizes of those diameter drums.

The bass drum T-handles date the drums a little earlier than late 50's I think, we had a discussion about that awhile back.

Well I've disassembled the snare completely. Took plenty of pics so I could get it back together. All of the parts polished up real nicely. Plenty of pitting due to age though. I just used a mild silver polish, I don't want to wreck the value.

Ordered new tension rods and a new snare set.

Cleaned the shell with a damp cloth only. The finish is checking so I don't want to damage it. The bearing edges seem ok but I really wouldn't know. They seem consistent and there's no damage.

Now I need to get a set of heads for it. I'm not a drummer so wouldn't know where to start. The snare hasn't had tension on it for probably 30 years so I'm concerned about newer designs. Something basic and not terribly expensive is what I would prefer. I do plan on playing the set (terribly I'm sure) so it's not just about looks.

As for the other members of the set I'm not touching them as the heads are ok for the moment. As I replace them I will clean/polish all of the hardware.

I don't plan on touching the cymbals at all except to clean off the dirt/grime with some water and a towel.

I'd leave the cymbals without a cleaning unless they're really filthy (as in "inexplicably covered in some mysterious tar-like substance" filthy). Collectors can get very picky about vintage cymbals being too shiny--they like the ancient patina that builds up on a cymbal over decades. Besides, "the dust of ages" is part of what gives vintage cymbals their character!

As for snare drum heads: they're very much a matter of personal choice, though it's hard to go wrong with a coated Remo Ambassador for the top head. They're inexpensive, they're available everywhere, and they're more-or-less the industry standard go-to snare drum head. A coated Ambassador will give you an open tone that doesn't get in the way of the sound of the drum. I've tried some of the heads designed with special features to control overtones, and generally I find that they just take the life out of the drum. (The one exception is the Evans EC -- I just put one on my 6x12" snare and found that it really fattened up the tone and cut out some of the unwanted ringing without decreasing the drum's sensitivity at all. I love it, though I'm not sure I would recommend it for a vintage drum. My instincts tell me you'd just end up with a muddy sound.) For most snares, an Ambassador is probably the most versatile choice, and it will let the drum speak for itself.

That said: there are plenty of different head choices out there, including some nice ones that simulate the sound, feel and look of calfskin. These can be especially nice on vintage drums. Examples include the Aquarian American Vintage and Remo Fiberskyn Ambassador. Elsewhere on this forum, someone (I can't remember who--sorry!) posted a very positive review of the new Remo Skyntone head, which has a similar idea behind it. I've never played any of them on a snare, so I can't comment.

Lastly, I know some forum members are devoted to the real thing--actual calf heads. They would probably sound out-of-this-world on a snare like yours, but they require a bit more of a cash outlay up front and a bit of loving care. I've never worked with them, but MastroSnare is a real calf evangelist and would probably be happy to give you his take on them.

I don't have much experience in shopping for snare-side heads, so others can give you more guidance there.

Enjoy your kit!

I agree,

the Remo ambassador, the Evans Genera or the Aquarian classic coated, they'll all do what you need in the simplest way possible.

as for snare sides they come any varying thicknesses so it all depends on what sound you are going for but a "200" or a "300" thickness are around the standard these days.

if you have the time take a look at this - home.earthlink.net/~prof.sound/index.html - it really puts together all the basic info on drums and the ins and outs on what different heads do etc. for someone like you who seems to be embracing the idea of getting into drums it be a good foundation of understanding

Steve Maxwell here.

That's a very nice set you have. 13/16/22/5.5x14. Finish looks very nice. Copper mist is rare in any sizes and any ply configuration. While it is true that the jazz sizes 12/14/20/4x14 will bring more money, the larger 13/16/22/5.5x14 is still very desirable. This finish was only offered for a short time much like the caddy green finish. Basically from around 54 til around 57 or so. If the entire set is 3 ply then the finish on those is a lacquer. On the later 6 ply sets the lacquer was sometimes covered over with a clear wrap.

Sets like this have excellent collector value and are also excellent players kits. I know people have their preferences for heads, but these drums were made in the day when calf was still very much in the mix and plastic was new. Calf on the top and bottom is crazy these days because calf changes a lot with change sin humidity and it makes tuning a nightmare. Calf on top and plastic on the bottom can work because then you onloy have to tweak the top head, but even so calf is very expensive. I tend to use a simple formula for plastic heads on kits like this: Coated Remo Ambassadors top and bottom, and, if the Remo heads are a tight fit the Aquarian heads are made slightly larger. No muffled heads, no thick heads, and no pin stripes or Super Kicks on the BD. Let the drums "breathe". Muffled heads take the drum and turn it into something else. This set is not the DW, Pearl, Tama, Yamaha generic drum sound that exists today, it's vintage Gretsch, so let the Gretsch set sound the way it was intended to. It's part of why those drums are so highly sought after today: It's because they sound very different from what is being made today. Part of the difference is the shells (a big part). Part of it is also heads, because all the muffled heads basically take the true drum sound away. It creates something else. It's not wrong or bad, it's just different and it's not the vintage sound people are now looking for. Last part is tuning, and that's no small part of the picture. Since you're not a drummer I'll toss out what we do (and I know everyone has their own ideas about this, but I'm just sharing what works for us): Top head (batter head) is always tighter than the bottom head. That goes for all the drums: snare, toms, bass drum. Example: If we tune the bottom head and turn each tension rod 1 1/2 times, we turn the top head tension rods 2 times. Play around with it. Each drum has its own character and sweet spot. If you want a higher pitch just tune the top head up a bit. Anyhow, if you do decide to sell this kit let me know. Meanwhile, be VERY careful with it. If this is the 3 ply lacquer finish it can chip easily and you don't want that. The finish should be kept as nice as possible so just take some care with it. Also, avoid gigging with it if you're going to leave the set unattended between gigs at a club. It will probably disappear. It's a nice set and a nice investment, so protect it. Steve. www.maxwelldrums.com

Well said Steve, I thought that that finish was rare but I am not a Gretsch guy. I am going to try that tuning method, I always tune the reso side higher, this could be cool.

Thank you all for the responses and advice. My hardware order came in and I bought all new heads. With luck I'll get to try them out this weekend. I'll post some more pics once the kit is set up.

You would have to kill me to put anything but calf heads on those drums.