[COLOR="DarkRed"]'dad and mcjnic won't wanna hear this from me AGAIN....but...I gotta be devil's advocate here.

I have renovated over 60 kits in the past 4 years...and I could never recommend the tape method of wrapping. It sounds great, it's not hard...but...eventually, you get out of it what you put into it. Over a short time, as the drums get moved from inside to outside, get in the sun, get left in the car or van overnight, etc....the wrap, being plastic, will expand and contract.

With glued-on wrap, there is adhesion over 100% of the shell surface so this movement is minimal. But with the tape method, only a small portion of wrap is actually adhered to the shell. The rest is held down by the lugs, spurs, mounts, etc. Over time, the wrap wil stay tight and fixed at the hardware and tape points....but will loosen/expand/contract in between.

It is, IMHO, a short-term solution...a quick way to make drums look good for a couple of years, maybe.

Sometimes you can't keep one foot on each side of the fence.

I say: make a decision. if you like natural finishes, then have it refinished. if you like wraps, them wrap it...but wrap it the way high-end pro makers and mfr's wrap it....with glue, and tape used only at the end seams.

OK..off of soapbox...sorry if I offended anyone...it's not my intent, just sharing my experience...:2Cents:[/COLOR]

Everything Jaye said is accurate. The wrap will suffer if left in extreme temps, but would you do this to a glued wrap, vintage set? I wouldn't. Also, if you invest in some good bags or hard cases, then the wrap should last more than "a few years", IMHO. I've seen import kits well over 10 to 15 years old which have the wrap taped instead of glued and the wrap was still in excellent shape. I assume that these drums were well cared for.

My old Cortley kit from the mid 70's, which I stripped and refinished sometime in the late 80's had no wrap issues other than all of the scratches I caused by not being careful and NOT using cases.

Plus one last advantage of the tape method which hasn't been touched on yet is, you could change your mind in 5 years and easily rewrap (with tape) in a different color/pattern. Hmmm... getting bored with the WMP, heck... lets try green sparkle. Bam, done!

As far as "where"...JamminSams is a wonderful supply site on the web. Not only does he have excellent quality wraps, but he also precuts it all for you. AND, he pre-applies the tape. It's really a no-brainer. I've not refinished that many kits (under 20). So, my experience is more limited than some of the other posters here. I've used JamminSams for several kits and he's done me right time and again. Maybe there are some other more experienced wrappers who could give even more insight or ideas. That's why I hit this forum. Unbelievable wealth of knowledge! Good luck on your kit. It sounds like either way, it will be sweet to play!