Them yellowed kits look nice, my WFL is pretty creamy too.

Do the newer 70's WMP wraps also fade out if gigged once in awhile outside?

JR/EricP!

JR: Am I a huge Buddy Rich fan? Does it show??!! Yes indeed! Been following BR since 1967. Was able to see him LIVE 5 times between 1973 and 1978. Met with him one on one in his dressing room in 1973. Quite a story that is, and one I have never tired of telling. He was still quite at the height of his powers then, but I would have LOVED to have seen him from 1964 through 1967, as that is when he was playing a lot with Harry James, his own band, and even better... playing Rogers drums! As soon as I was able, I began searching for a 60's era Rogers Buddy Rich Celebrity set, and finally found one years ago complete with correct hardware. I gig on those most all the time, thus doing my part in keeping Buddy's memory ALIVE! GREAT that you are also a fan!

EricP: Yes... unfortunately 70's era WMP DOES indeed yellow badly with UV exposure. Truth be told, WMP didn't become STABLE, as in no shrink.. fade.. yellowing.. until quite recently. A new formula came out in around 2007/2008, and this stuff does NOT shrink.. fade, or turn yellow with exposure to UV. That is the wrap I have on my 1965 Rogers Buddy Rich Celebrity's.. and .. the beauty of it is: It IS slightly "yellow/creamy" as manufactured to LOOK like gently aged WMP! Even better yet.. ( for the Rogers enthusiasts ) .. is the fact that the chip pattern is almost exactly like the Rogers WMP of the 60's!

Tommyp

'Round these parts, we refer to a good ol' vintage kit WMP that's yellowed as having a "bar tan". Cig smoke, etc.

Tommy P., I caught Buddy the last time he ever came through Columbus, OH. He was using the RK's, a Swiv-o-matic pedal and CALFSKIN on his floor toms! Each head had about a 2-inch circular area dead center where every single stick mark was.

I've had 11 sets of RK's and at least 20 of the snare drums and I gotta tell ya, that kit of his was magic. I'd heard that Joe McSweeney had prepped them. I called him just to tell him that they were amazing. He kept me on for about a half hour with stories about it after Buddy got it that had me hanging on every word. He kept saying, I'm not hanging you up, am I?" I said, "Hey, bud, YOU'RE the one running the drum company. I'll hang all day." I CANNOT say enough good about Joe McSweeney. If you've not talked to him about Buddy's RK's, do it.

tubwompus!

Course you do know that "bar tan" and the REAL reason that WMP yellows are two totally different things, yes? Yes! Cigarette smoke, club grime, etc CAN BE CLEANED... UV damage alas, cannot. Well, to qualify that last statement: UV damage can indeed be removed.. but .. it is not for the faint of heart! I have done it.. ( on a 1950 WFL Buddy Rich Be-Bop 3x13 snare drum ) .. and it came out real nice!, but... it wasn't worth the effort and "possible" damage that could be incurred. Regarding BR/Joe McSweeney:

Oh god yes... know that entire story COLD, and truth be told, I chatted with Joe way back in the early 90's about the drums he restored for Buddy. You know, after four decades PLUS of following/researching "all things Buddy", I don't think there's much left that I haven't seen.. heard.. or talked about having to do with Buddy.. including .. much conversation and getting to know guys that were on his band, writer/arrangers.. ( in this case John LaBarbera ) .. and even guys that handled and took care of his drums, not to mention all the research I have personally done on his drums/hardware/endorsements. That all said though... I always ENJOY chatting about this stuff, so THANKS for chiming in! By the way... Joe did much more then prep those 1940's Slingerland RK's for BR.. ( as I'm sure you might know ) .. it was a set of "orphans" that he totally re-worked and assembled into a complete set. A LOT of work was done on those, and all for FREE as a labor of love. Joe gave Buddy the set. Never asked for a penny! Interesting sidenote:

At this point, Buddy had NO DRUM COMPANY ENDORSEMENT, and had been playing his Ludwig's without an endorsement, so when Joe presented these drums to BR, Buddy was overjoyed. Buddy had also come full circle as he started his full time career playing Slingerland RK's... and he would end his career playing Slingerland RK's!

Tommyp

TommyP, I have a followup question for you. There some car products that go on like wax, then buff off, that claim to prevent UV damage on plastic. Do you have any experience with any of those. I was thinking of using some Maguire's lens restoration product on my champagne sparkle Ludwigs. I recently picked them up off of Craig's List and they look new with no fading or discoloration. I want to keep them like that! Thanks.

Rob!

Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with a product like that.. but .. my "educated" comment on it would be that it won't really work on 60's era wraps as I believe that UV will eventually work it's damage over time regardless. Reason for that is the actual wrap material itself, and the damage that UV causes on it. A fine modern example might be today's car headlight lenses. They are made of a super clear plastic, but over time... they yellow/fade badly as we have all seen or experienced. So... they can be polished back to clear, and a UV protective coating applied.. ( perhaps similar to the product you have mentioned? ) .. except .. it doesn't last! The headlights eventually go back to yellow/faded even with the UV protective coating. Then the process is repeated, etc. Again though, I can't definitively say... but that's my thought on it. Today's wraps are UV stable, and what a difference that has made!, and especially so with the pearls. Still...

... worth the try/experiment? Let us know what you find out!

Tommyp

Thanks Tommyp. those pics don't lie. you must have been busy!

Don't florescent bulbs put out a lot more UV than incandescent bulbs? And if so what about the new "curly" bulbs we are all being forced to buy, they are essentially a florescent bulb wrapped into a ball. I've been somewhat concerned about this as I have had to replace the regular bulbs in my basement with the new style. Again it might take years to notice any damage but is it still cause for concern?

K.O.!

That is a GREAT question! Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? ( couldn't resist! )

Tommyp

Excellent point . I wonder about that and if so it just gives me more reason to dislike those stupid bulbs . My wife replaced the bulbs in every lamp in our house with them and I got rid of them right away and went back to the regular bulbs .