After further looking, only the 13" tom has extra holes, and all but one of them will be covered by the mounting bracket I need to acquire. So... I'm skipping the inside paint. It looks kinda sad to me, but if it affects the value, then it's a bad idea.

Secondly, DANG. This is going to take a lot of freaking time!! I've got like 3 layers of paint and poly on these things. Plus it takes weeks for lacquer to be cured enough to buff out, and I need to start finding and buying all the hardware.

I foresee drums in my garage for quite a while!! :)

Off to search the forum for lacquer spraying advise....

Fill those two holes and re-wrap that sucker in a nice glass glitter! Find the couple of extra parts you need and call it good!

-Adam

Laminate wraps. I just can't do it. I know it's period, but I'm not really hot on the look.

That might be akin to hypocrisy here... :)

Cooked Egg

Thats cool man. Just a suggestion! They are your drums so make em look how you like! Just suggesting a slightly easier route since you expressed that it was going to be a long project.

Best of luck, and can't wait to see how they turn out. Piano black is definitely sweet!

-Adam

Absolutely!!

I appreciate the input. I'm the newbie and totally welcome help

-Thanks

Nope, not a Gretsch kit. Sell off what you have and let someone else deal with the restoration that knows exactly what they are doing. Having been away from the community for so long, you really don't have a feel for the market. Let an experienced hand do the deed. It will leave you better off, and the drums as well.

If you are a woodworker than I am sure you have the "skills" needed to tackle this restoration. Yes, it can be a long process but the results will be worth it. Go for it!

Hi, all.

I purchased these shells from Peter today. (Super nice guy, by the way.) I bought just the shells, no hardware, and no badges. So, obviously, I have my work cut out for me.

I restored a 1957 Slingerland kit at the end of last year, but it didn't require any refinishing or rewrapping, or hunting down too many vintage parts. I was bitten by the bug, so when I saw these Gretsch shells on CL, I jumped at the chance to get them and to start another, more challenging, project. Plus, I've wanted to have vintage Gretsch kit since I was a teenager. (This will be my third vintage kit -- in addition to the Slingerland, I also have a '67 Rogers kit.) I not really interested in selling these (I play them at home and at around town in a few bands). I'm also not a 100% purest when it comes to parts -- I simply can't afford to be.

Why am I telling you all of this? Partly as an introduction, as this is my first post to this board (although I am long-time browser of the site). Also, to give you all a little more context as I undoubtedly will be asking for help, advice, and looking to buy some parts.

My first step is going to be purchase some pre-cut wrap from Precision. But here's a list of what I am going to need after that to finish this project in case anyone has any of these parts they are looking to sell or have any leads.

[LIST]

[*]lugs for toms and snare

[*]snare throw off (original preferred)

[*]snare butt end thingy (forget what that's called)

[*]kick drum tension rods

[*]muffles (x5) - 2 per each tom and 1 on snare (I think)

[*]kick drum spurs

[*]rack tom mount bar (attaches to kick)

[*]rack tom bracket

[*]floor tom legs

[*]floor tom leg brackets

[*]and of course, round badges. At this point, I don't mind repros, I can get originals down the road if needed.

[/LIST]

Also, I live in the Bay Area, so I have Sam Adato's shop at my disposal. If anyone has any shops to recommend from around the country, I would appreciate that as well.

Thanks very much in advance, everyone! It's nice to "meet" you all. Looking forward to participating in this forum.

-Gabriel

Welcome!

Sam's is the place. One of our own, Jaye, is the go to guy at (or more to the point, for) Sam's, so tell him you are a member of the forum so he will know how you found him. You can simply go the members list, click on his name and you will get his PM and email addresses. Jaye is a good guy and, from what he has shown us, does some amazing work. And as a bonus, he shares his expertise for the price of a cup of coffee, or maybe a colbeer...

If you are planning on doing the wrap yourself, make certain you spend some long hours in his presence and maybe, just maybe, you can be there to offer a hand on one of his re-wrap projects, gaining some much needed experience on a job that can make or break a kit. Afterall, they are not going to be more than a players kit anyway, but making the look great should be your goal.

Good Luck with your new drums!

Thanks for the welcome and the lead!