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Quandry - which kit to keep, which to sell?

Posts: 15 Threads: 3

So yesterday I go to a yard sale and as I pull up I see a vintage drum set stacked on the lawn. I know I'm buying them even before I get out of the truck. I get up to the drums and there's a price on them that says "FREE." I couldn't believe they were giving them away. And they were still there at 11am! So I'm looking a "free" early 1960's Rogers Sky Blue Ripple Holiday set (Cleveland) with a champagne diamond pearl wood snare. The shells are in fantastic shape. Hardware has minor pitting. Missing bottom rims on the toms, kick is missing one rim, the tom arm , and 1 spur. Also, the insert wrap on the remaining kick rim is buckled (the finish on the other drums are in great shape).

I now have two wood kits -- the 1960's Rogers, and a 1986 Pearl DX series kit (in my dad's attic). Since retiring as a drummer, I've been playing on a Roland digital kit in my headphones exclusively -- but lately I've been craving to get back to wood and to play with real human beings instead of my mp3 player.

I need to sell one of the kits pretty quickly -- I need the dough.

The question is - should I go get my 1986 Pearl DX series out of my father's attic and play them and sell the Rogers? Or keep & restore the Rogers and sell the Pearl kit? I love the Rogers without even playing them yet, but since I've never restored a kit before I don't know what I'd be getting into. Is it hard to find replacement parts?

Posted on 17 years ago
#1
Posts: 1459 Threads: 87

Free at a garage sale? Man I gotta get out more.

Keep the Rogers. You will be happier in the long run. Rogers parts are not hard to find to restore them to playable condition. Exact "Cleveland" parts may be a bit costlier, but basic Rogers stuff comes up on ebay all the time.

Pictures please.

Posted on 17 years ago
#2
Posts: 1597 Threads: 96

and there is no comparison in quality the rogers are super drums and you found the deal of the century since God lead you to them i think he wants you to play them...The Band The Band Excited

Posted on 17 years ago
#3
Posts: 15 Threads: 3

amosguy & Mike T -- Thank you for responding. I was hoping you would say keep the Rogers -- it might not be the practical choice since it will delay my being able to have a playable wood kit -- but I have to admit my heart is thumpin' over them. One thing I just noticed that is NOT good is that I just realized that the floor tom is grey ripple, not blue. So I have a married kit. Very close match, but definitely not original to each other. Plus - the grey ripple floor tom has a serial number of 7941, while the kick is 28748 and the mounted tom is 29099. So the floor tom is much earlier, too. Although the hardware on all three pieces have "Pat Pending". Do you have any idea of the dates of manufacture?

The snare doesn't have a label, and I'm only 90% sure that it is Rogers -- but of all four drums, the snare drum is in the best overall condition - and might be playable as-is.

I'll post pics when I have a few minutes to take them - but I might not get to it until tomorrow. I'm stealing a few moments to post, but can't break away to take photos.

I'm still flipping over the kit - but Mike T, they're not as spectacular as I made them sound earlier in light of the fact that the floor tom is married. Still - I cannot wait to get replacement rims/parts and new heads on them -- especially the snare (which I am super-psyched about). Also - the kick is a 20", and I recall playing on a friend's '60's vintage Ludwig kit that had a 20" and being amazed at how fat and punchy the sound was.

Posted on 17 years ago
#4
Posts: 5173 Threads: 188

The Pearl kit will never gain in value. The Rogers pieces will always gain in value. The fact they don't match is insignificant as far as sound. Take it as an omen that you found a stack of vintage Rogers drums for free.x-mas3

"God is dead." -Nietzsche

"Nietzsche is dead." -God
Posted on 17 years ago
#5
Posts: 134 Threads: 12

Keep the Rogers without a doubt. Where are all these things when I'm looking. You fell into a real nice one.x-mas3

Jack

:)

http://Rogers Owners Forum
Posted on 17 years ago
#6
Posts: 15 Threads: 3

[IMG]http://www.bigbangzero.com/snare1.jpg[/IMG]

Ok - I am now playing hooky from work and snapped one pic of the snare. I have to avoid my wife(we work from home) -- who is really awesomely cool and loveable, but will freak out if she catches me caressing the drums instead of doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Well, can any of you guys tell me if this snare is a Rogers? Or if not Rogers, what make? And yes -- the snare tightening rod is missing and I put in a narrow machine screw as a place-holder earlyu this morning (about 6am).

There is no label or badge. I don't have time (or the nerve) to take off the top head and have another look inside right now - but I am hoping someone will recognize the maker/model from the finish and the lugs.

Thanks again.

Posted on 17 years ago
#7
Posts: 5173 Threads: 188

It's absolutely NOT a Rogers snare drum. In fact, it's probably an imported drum -a vintage snare drum likely made by the Pearl factory. Value is very low. The Rogers, on the other hand....Let's see some pictures of those...as long as you're playing hooky, anyway! ;)

Also, it would be helpful to get some pictures of the insides of the shells and also the bearing edges.

"God is dead." -Nietzsche

"Nietzsche is dead." -God
Posted on 17 years ago
#8
Posts: 15 Threads: 3

Ouch! Ah, well. Maybe it'll sound good anyway once I replace the heads and tweak it a little. Thanks for the response O-Lugs.

Posted on 17 years ago
#9
Posts: 15 Threads: 3

Here's a few shots of the kit, minus the snaredrum that broke my heart. That stuff hanging out of the BD rim is excess muffling material. I'm going to remove it when I replace the head, which, btw, is on the front, not the beater side, I think. I guess the previous owner was a lefty? Here's something funny - there was a lightbulb socket in a bracket bolted into the interior of the kick drum -- thank God the previous owner didn't drill a hole when he installed it. He just removed a spur mount screw, set in the light bulb get-up, and replaced the screw. Whew!

[IMG]http://bigbangzero.com/fullshot[/IMG]

[IMG]http://bigbangzero.com/cu.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://bigbangzero.com/label.jpg[/IMG]

Posted on 17 years ago
#10
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