Maybe no one really knows all the trees that are out there. Who would have done the inventory count? Chewie:

There's lots and lots of places where no one has ever even been. Growing up in Canada, there were lots of places you could walk into woods and go several hundred miles and it would be solid Xmas trees. It's very speculative what's left out there.

My guess is that the trees are there, just not in bulk for cheap like in the past.

Huge difference there. Using the glue everyone uses is like putting layers of plastic between the wood and stops the wood from "becoming one".

I'm surprised that people don't latch on to what violin makers have spent centuries refining - that the finish is ultra-crucial and it can't be plastic. If you tried to put the finishes they use on drums on top quality violins the violin makers would kill you.

So you are saying the vintage sound is before 1950 all calf heads etc... i belive what most people refere to as vintage sound is the 60's and early 70's when there was more music recorder in a ten year period than in all the previous years combined.... and yes plastic was the drum head used 99% of the time... also on this huge DW sound Hmmmmm i never heard a DW set yet that sounded anywhere near as big as Bonhams 3 ply ludwigs wood you listen to Creams madison square garden shows those DW drums sounded like crappola compared to gingers Ludwigs from the 60's and the DW's were no way close to as loud and punchy...

Every DW kit I have ever played was significantly more quiet compared to my Ludwigs...

Jeez! I thought I MUST have posted on this thread...but no!

So....

Yes, I have gigged with both of my Jazzette kits on gigs -complete with vintage hardware, etc. I've also used the stock 1941 Ludwig Junior kit -with the original calfskins! I knew it was a quiet venue with very good acoustics and the sound of the drums was unreal!

I don't make a habit of gigging with my vintage kits, though. It's only an occasional thing. Mostly I gig with vintage drums that are not valuable for anything other than the tools they are.

I never take my Arbiter kit outside the house -ever. It's too heavy and too prone to scratches with its lacquer finish. It makes a beautiful "grand piano" in my practice space, though!

I have yet to use the complete Downbeat kit on a gig, but I'm getting the urge to do it soon!

I don't foresee ever using the Deluxe Classic on many gigs, but it may come up that they get used in the studio.

I thought we were talking about playing vintage drums "today", with today's heads. I may be in left field compared to what this whole site is about, but I'm not trying to be a purist. I play my '68 Ludwigs cause I love the sound better than any of the new sets. Use what ever heads you want, record them and play it on what ever medium you want - if you compare the new vs old drums using same heads, and tuned by someone who know what their doing [I'm constantly surprised by how many drummers who don't know to tune] you'll usually hear a big difference.

'

Yes, you will hear a marked difference. I recently posted a video of this on YouTube. I did a bit of video using mylar and then did a bit of video using calf on the batter side. I'm still waiting for either calf or goat for the reso side. All of the heads that I've purchased since then have been a "no fit". So, when I manage to finally stumble upon a set of heads that actually fit, I'll post the final two pieces to it.