Where else could you get something this Good!!!!!Clapping Happy2Clapping Happy2D' Drummer

I’M BACK! Yeah I heard that groan, even all the way over to here in Italy. I’d still be drawing ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ’s but one of my neighbors decided to start his ^#%@&*$ renovation work at 8:10AM. Can you imagine? The megatropolis I live in has maybe 40 residents, max, and one of them is another drummer. I’ll bet Davide is groaning in his coffee this morning, too! And by the way, seems to me I have heard “You suck” (ref "sleep is for suckers") before, but I was sitting behind a set of drums, not a keyboard.

OK where was I? Oh yeah, addressing “#2 restoration.” Mr. “GoneDrumming” (God I hate these monikers. Back in my day real men addressed each other by their real name ((that was a joke, by the way)) (((no one is laughing)))). Once again, BRAVO! Ya done good again! You saved what is/was obviously a candidate for the scrap heap and breathed new life into it. Best of all, you have proof…photos. Can’t stress how important I think this is (I know you are all hanging on every word I have on what’s important). Now when some idiot turns up his nose at your “restoration” job you can show him the “before.” What else can he say but “BRAVO! Ya done good!" You have taken a “girl at closing time” and turned her into “front line go-to instrument.”

That said (you didn’t think this was going to be that easy did you?), I’d like to address your other string…the one where you timidly addressed my comments on “definition examples.” I think we covered (I know…bad pun) the floor tom. Now lets talk about the Radio King (by the way…killer drum…I’ve had the pleasure of owning one but sold it to buy a Gladstone…I know “What an idiot!”) WTF color was that originally? Dayglow red? I lived in Texas back in ’69 and if I remember correctly you boys would say whoever did that should be “Tied to the nearest tree and horsewhipped!” OK, couldn’t agree more…prime candidate for a refinish job…no waiting period (I can just hear some drummer out there going “DUDE, I think it’s SICK!”). BUT (you knew there had to be a BUT), I am only going on photos (nothing like a hands-on exam) it looks like the hardware was nickel. In my opinion (hey isn’t that what started all this) nothing beats the look of polished nickel, especially against a black background. And by “polished” I’m talking about good ol’ Brasso (or the equivalent) and elbow grease, not a buffing wheel. I can spot a buffing wheel polish job from across the room. It’s just too good. By hand, a little of the patina (I love that word, especially in restoration) shows through. Maybe the hardware was beyond help, in which case I am full of s**t.

I’m done (for now) and the bill is in the mail (I know “so’s the check”)

Best

Chet

PS Thank God for the 9 hour time difference...you guys are drawing ZZZZZZZZZZZZ's and I cen get some much needed practicing in. Great to talk about them but more fun to play them.

I want to say something about #1.

I don't care what the drum is, 40-60 or more years of grunge, dirt nicotine, stale beer...it smells, it is nasty, and I will clean it, I don't care who the keeper was beforeme. And I will sand a bad edge, clean up a drum that sounds bad. A bad sounding drum is just that, a bad sounding drum. If recontouring the edges is the ONLY way, it gets done. I don't take it lightly at all, but I will do it, if it is warranted. You wouldn't leave a layer of crud and road grime on your Farrari, would you? Dirt is dirt, non-musical souinds are a pain in the ear...I fix them, no matter. That is my position, no matter if they are American vintage, a Gladstone, a Curotto, a Ludwig or Apollo, I don't care. Nicotine and stale beer, now that is a smell we want to keep...

And I am of the same mind as many others, a drum that is compromised Can and should be brought back, you ought to see what I do. And people laugh until they play my restored, conserved, saved from the fireplace drums. At this point, I don't need anymore crap about "maybe they should be firewood" you have no idea. Every drummer that plays my drums asks if I will do up a set for them, or if I will sell my WMP no name MIJ, because they are amnazing instruments, not some kids toy, like they were 40 years ago, but great sounding, viable instruments, and for a gigging kit, you can get a kit from me, in primo condition, sounding like a battery of cannons, with a cool wrap for a very sweet price, and as a bonus, that irreplaceable prize American vintage kit doen't have to go throught the exposure of playing live gigs, as we know what can, and does, happen in live play situations...damage, nicotine and stale beer....

Chet, good morning, or I guess afternoon over your way. It's Mike BTW, that's cool you lived in Texas, we might have bumped into each other at that time, I was the little blonde haired kid in the stroller holding up a 1 finger telling everyone how old I was. :) grin...

The Radio King snare that I posted was brush painted a redish pink color. The hardware was rough...too rough for a high gloss black paint scheme. Those parts were all re-nickled to complete the restoration, yes I said it again, restoration. I would consider myself a restoration purist. I try my hardest to get a drum back to an original condition as it was offered by the factory, every nut and bolt going back on in the same length, pitch and finish.

In 50 years once again, this particular drum will have worn, have patina and be ready for someone to give it love again. Restoration is not for every drum, but there are drums that need it. I personally would rather take one and make it look new and have it start the wear process again then try and take one and put a faux finish on it.The drums I restore are not shelf looking show ponies, they go back to work. I want people to hear these drums played, to understand that these drums make sounds that no drum being produced today can make.

Ok..next post...on to #3

Hi Mike,

This is a great thread. Great, because no one is pulling punches. One of the things I loved about Texas is Texan’s don’t take no s**t from nobody (yes, three negatives). The other thing is the Dallas Cowgirls but that has no place in this Forum (or does it?) Anyway, you said in your last thread that I am “a bit of a purist.” I am a TOTAL purist. To the point of Buddy Rich or Billy Gladstone. I AM NOT putting myself in their league, but I will live everyday trying.

OK so we agree to disagree and that’s cool. I don’t believe in taking away ALL the past 50 years from a drum. Clean, sure (scrub, no), fix a damaged bearing edge, sure (recut a new edge, no), repaint a drums that has been painted (I’m sorry but that looks like Dayglow) a reddish pink color, definitely, but we disagree about the plating and like I said that’s cool. I would have tried to breath life back into the nickel that was there an leave a little of the past 50 years. But you know what? It ain’t my #$!^&*’n drum. By the way I agree about faux finishes but if a part needs to be replated (because it was welded as an example) then I would ask the plater to try to match it to the rest of the drum (it can be done IF he knows what he's doing).

As to #3? I just read through my initial string. My God I’m long winded…gotta work on that…I repeat “the third valid only if done appropriately.”

Best

Chet

Ok...So below is what really started this entire thread. It's a 49 to 52 WFL Ray McKinley Rumba kit. The wrap is not pristine by any stretch of the imagination but it's tight, it's all there and to me has aged really well to become a very unique looking kit. The other important thing to note about this kit is that all the original hardware is there too. It's rough, pitted a little, flaked, rubbed but it's all there and functioning perfectly. All I have done to this kit is Preserve it. I washed, cleaned and polished every part to get it as shiney as the part would allow for its age. I polished the wrap and on the bass drum removed some gold glitter paint someone sprayed on it.

What I was trying to do by creating classifications is to get people to understand that some drums need a little coaxing, some need a lot of coaxing, and some need to just be looked after a bit.

Once again, not every drum will fall into one category, but by opening peoples eyes a bit they may look at what is in front of them and decide what really needs to be done, or sometimes not done.

There are people that just come on here and read and never post, they just get ideas and pass on through. I did that and just stayed...kinda like a stray cat, or maybe a one eyed cat peeping in the seafood store.

Chet I agree...this is a great thread.

Another funny thing about the black Radio King. It's a pretty early version and the shell is thicker than most of the grommets that are available. I called a very well known supplier and they told me, "Oh when we have those we counter sink the shell at the grommet to get it on." In my mind I'm thinking...WTF you're kidding me right? I'm not going to counter sink and drill on a perfectly good shell. So it took me a month until I came up with my own grommet to put on the drum correctly. My son was telling me (he's 13 and the actual player....another story) "Dad it's good enough, let's put it back together" and I told him, "NO! It's not right and until I figure out how to get the badge back on right I'm not doing another thing to it." Like I said before, I'm a bit of a restoration purist, which I guess is kind of an oxymoron.

Ahh the blurred line between "restoration purist" and the 13 yr. old that wants to make the snare sing haha. My money's on the 13 yr. old.

I wanted a Radio King kit but could not afford buying one in really good shape. So I've been assembling a kit of RKs by looking for shells that were originally painted. It eased my restoration conscience to scrape off what little paint remained (they were pretty abused drums) then wet sand Maloof oil into the exteriors to provide a nice natural finish on the outer maple ply. This way the drums basically have a matched finish and natural wood always looks great.Knowing the drums weren't museum quality to begin with, I now have a great set of old tubs that I gig and record with. I'm totally enjoying all that goes with an old kit like these: ever-changing head tensions with the calfs, slightly out-of-round shells, out-of-round wood hoops on everything, toms hanging and bouncing on the bass drum via clamp-on mounts, etc, etc.

I try to channel Dave Tough (without the alcohol).

How they heck are you doing! So you found a floor tom? Na the 13 year old didn't win out at that one. But heck, there are so many drums around here he can't really complain too much. LOL