[COLOR="DarkRed"]Can you post a pic ? We can see how beat up it is.

Personally...if your intent is to refinish 'em in an almost identical shade to what they are/were...then I say do it, as long as it's a good, solid, clean job.

...especially if you really are gonna keep 'em and not try to turn 'em around.

Sounds like a nice, classic rig.[/COLOR]

Yeah that's what I'm thinking too. I have some pics, I'll try to add one to this post.

You can't see the bad side of the 13 in this shot but it definately needs some attention.

Still a pretty good score though imo

Oh yeah, the snare is a Ludwig 14x10 marching snare from early 70s and it will stay blue sparkle, not messing with that.

Thanks for the reply:-)

Hey,

If your intent is resale, then you might want to be careful about what you do to it. If you intend on playing the kit, then you should dive on in. This past summer, I was in the same spot. I purchased a Ludwig Natural Maple kit that had been beat up. I did the refinish thing and it looked ok. Problem is, the gouges were deep and the badges were in BAD shape. So, I wrapped it with hi-bond tape. If I decide to unwrap it, no harm no foul. You might want to think about that. Here's the before and after. It plays great. Something to think about.

mcjnic, those look pretty good before AND after!

I have a similar dillema, though the drum in question as is, is in very rough shape, but the wood has beautiful potential, inside and out. I see a heck of a lot of vintage drums, restored that still demand good prices, so I'd say it's a little different than guitars and the like.

[IMG]http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2055/50/47/1371250302/n1371250302_236165_6821.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2055/50/47/1371250302/n1371250302_236166_7081.jpg[/IMG]

A collector won't have any interest in refinished drums. A player on the other hand... will likely prefer the better looking kit. And if you are honest about the finish, if you do eventually decide to sell them, then I'd expect to get less $$$ for them. They are still Ludwig though, so I imagine you'd still get something reasonable for them.

They do look a bit beat to me, so I would probably refinish, if they were mine.

Hey,

You can do both. That's what I was pointing out. You can refinish them and if the shells are still dogged due to deep gashes (which was my case), you can then wrap them with hi-bond tape without too much fear of totally ruining the finish. If you decide to sell the drums to make a profit, then you can remove the wrap. Should work if you do it well. I've done it with no problems.

Well, if you are considering a wrap, then I would leave the shells as they are, clean them up good and then just wrap them. At least that preserves the original finish if you later decide to unwrap them.

Good points! The tape/wrap is a good idea imo cause the original finish is untouched like you said. So, if i were really thinking that someday I'll sell them and was worried about resale, that's probably what I'd do. BUT,,,,,I'll never sell this kit and the dude I have lined up to do the refin is reeeally good! So, I'll probably go ahead with it. There aren't any big gashes or deep wounds so that isn't a problem...and they should look amazing afterwards! I'll post some pics when it's done. Thanks for the suggestions:-)

DC

Hi,

Good thread! I'm faced with the same issue except with a 60's Gretsch kit. I think I will go the high bond tape route. Where do you find this kina tape?

Kelly