I do not know if they are real Wildwood or not, but I do know that the wildwood dye did tend to fade quickly. It was a short lived option because it

didn't work very well.

Thanks, I guess that is why these were only made for 1 year.

That is the general color of the wildwood set I saw-but it seemed to have a more pronounced grain-is that what is meant by "fading"?

From what I've heard from others, the dye used to create the color striations in the wood faded when exposed to direct sunlight over time.

That picture is from an ad on Craigslist and the guy selling them is either here in Connecticut or in Massachusetts and the ad has been running for over a year and the price has just recently come down. I believe that the kit started out at $2400.00 last year. I contacted him over the summer but he wasn't looking to budge at all on the price.Last time I checked he was still looking for $1800.00. Just some FYI.

Same thing i was thinking the set looks to lite in color to me..Do you re-move a lug from a drum and look it should be more darker than the shell around it..Do you check and see if around the grommet;s or at the niles on the badge's and see if they have been re-moved and replaced on the drums?.Do the niles all match on the drum's?....Mikey

I've seen pictures of Wildwood kits in The Rogers Book. Beautiful looking finish. However, once they have faded to plain wood, is it still a Wildwood finish?

Did you get taken? That depends. If I was paying a premium for a Wildwood finish, I would expect to see that finish, not a faded image of former glory. To me, you essentially purchased a Londoner kit with a natural grain exterior.

Please forgive me if I seem insensitive to this. I've seen other Wildwood kits for sale and I just don't feel it's fair to ask a premium for something that no longer can be seen.

Interior badge numbers should at least narrow down the question somewhat.

Just checked eBay and this appears to be the same kit that sold for $1000. That would be a fair price as long as all shells are in good condition, with all hardware included and functioning properly. The collets appear to be the die cast version, correct?

Interesting that it has two 8x12 rack toms. Looks like both are for left hand mounting.

Clean them up, install some new heads and enjoy your kit. I'm sure they'll sound great... they're Rogers!

Mark