[COLOR="DarkRed"]Nice finish...but it's a tough Q you pose. Those wraps were prone to fading...so it may well have been a bronze which has yellowed over time....

If you can possibly find an image of one of those two colors from that era....like a catalog cut or old pic or such....thenn that may help narrow it down.

[/COLOR]

Hey Jaye, Thanks for jumping in.

If these drums have faded, they've done so quite evenly between the two of them. I suppose that could be a possibility.

I've gathered over 60 strata pictures online (solely for personal purposes) of all the different colors - and half of them are of the Gold and Bronze flavor. Not only do they vary widely, but it seems that other owners may struggle with the exact same issue. -- Some of the pics I have that owners label as Bronze look more Gold and vice versa and some of the so-labled Golds, while 3 color, look more Lemon.

In the '68 - '71 catalog color swatches, the Gold Strata *seems* to be the only one with 3 colors - black, silver & gold-ish copper. The other swatches for Blue, Bronze, Lemon, Ruby and Avocado all seem primarily 2 tone, shades of the name color & black.

In the real world photos I've gathered, only the real Lemon seems consistently two-tone. I have seen Bronze & Ruby in 2 color only versions, but more often they also have silvery shades added. - I've wondered if the shift from 2 color to 3 color in all shades is any indication of the drums manufacture date - earlier ones being truer to the catalog 2 tone swatches (except for the gold) - with later versions becoming less consistent in the base color.

It is a somewhat chaotic color scheme. - - IT'S DRIVIN' ME CRAZY !!!!

Perhaps your fade concept is the underlying 'hiccup'. Could be that mine are faded bronze or non-faded gold being compared to yellowed gold. To make matters worse, I've seen (have) a '71 catalog pic of a Gold Strata set - Totally Indiscernible!

Here's a Drum Forum link with a similar question:

http://www.drumforum.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=37020

It seems that I've not been the only one. Thanks Jaye!

I have the swatches of those finishes which have not faded much since they have been kept in storage.

I can grab them and match them to the snare drum... Just not until later this evening.

[IMG]http://vintagedrumguide.com/images/my_collection/misc/ludwig_color_swatch_standard_thumb.jpg[/IMG]

Click here for the Ludwig swatch page....

N-O W-A-A-Y !!!! Mind Blowi

You ARE the WebMaster!!!!Jump For JoyExcitedCool1Clapping Happy2

PS: As a side note, my Drum Image Gallery post has the exact same snare drum as pic 1 & 2 here - and looks totally different from those shots. If I didn't know better and saw them side by side, I'd say that the pic with the rest of my set is a Bronze. http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=6031

Let's see if this answers the question about your GOLD Strata Drums.. Hint...Hint...

And the drums in the DFO post would be

Bronze Strata Snare Drum

Lemon Strata Bass Drum

and

Gold Strata Drum Set

David

[COLOR="DarkRed"]I vote Gold Strata.

My main reasoning is what you already say, NewDecade...the Gold has a more pronounced tri-tone to it than the Bronze does.

That...and : I look at the Bronze swatch from Webmaster (dude...where do you find these things ? Eye Ball) and I cannot imagine that Bronze strata ever fading in a way which would match what your shell looks like.[/COLOR]

+1 for Gold Strata

I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!!!!

I knew they were red... No BLUE!!!! Aaaaaahhhhhhhh....... Laughing H

COOL - those swatches are the BEST! That is the definitive post on the subject. I've tooled around the web since August '07 gathering photos & info - Having REAL vintage swatches is a far cry better than pics that have been copied & re-copied & tweaked & re-tweaked.

I'll be sure to point folks posting ambiguously named Stratas to this thread for a revelatory experience.

I finally feel Liberated - I'M FREEEEEEE flowers2

Thank You O Wise Webmaster!!!!!! And Many Blessings Upon Your Batter'd Heads! Yes Sir

THANKS TO ALL THE REST OF YOU FORUM CATS - I appreciate the interest.

Peace to all who enter here....

Now if I could just find a New/Old stock CANASONIC head :eek:

As a final footnote on the snare & tom: I just found out on Saturday, that the original owner "Bink" Gary Obernauf (r.i.p.) had sold the set to another friend (Wurm) in the '70s for $30.00 !!!! Wurm said he used them for 2 years then sold them to another guy, Gerald, who sold them back to Bink - who gave me the snare & sawed of tom in '84 - (he pulled them out of the basement from behind the furnace). Nice to know a little history ~ Bink would be pleased.

I have a 71 Standard Lemon Strata (bought it new as a kid). Matching Snare and 2 rack toms.My shells colors have not faded much to speak of over the years. My guess is that yours in NOT a Lemon.