Now- the snares with shells made by cymbal makers? Those have nowhere to go but up. But those were truly limited editions, unlike what Banjo Center is selling as a "limited edition". Because there is a minimal chance of those EVER being made again, they are pretty desirable for collectors. And if they are turned out like cat food later, the older versions will be EXTREMELY valuable.

Also, I have noticed that snare drums are so much more collectable than drum kits (just an observation). G.E. Smith has an impressive number of snare drums. But I am a noobie in the vintage drum game, not so much in the vintage guitar game.

But in the end, we have no idea what is going to be highly desired in the future. What you named is probably going to appreciate at the rate of inflation if not more, which is really not a bad thing. The latest Joey Jordison Limited Edition, #--- of 10,000,000 crap-over-cardboard (COC) drum kit? Not so much.

I think unless I'm reading this wrong this is what was asked, Quote>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just for a bit of fun really. I was wondering what kit's/Snares from todays makers will hit true vintage status in 40-50 years time. Will DW Jazz series kits pull through. Tama Bubbinga's maybe? Craviotto Solid shell? Will any of the new glut of custom builders make the fold?

I'm interested to see what you guy's make of it.

I was Speaking to the "vintage collectors" market. As if that would ever include these. I don't believe it will. What these Represent are just quality instruments for short term investment.

Bunnyman makes a good point about things that are unlikely to be made again will be sought after -a la the Paiste and Zildjian snare drums.

Snare drums are definitely easier to collect than are entire matched drum kits. So, yes, I agree that they will be collected more than any other drum/component.

The real difference is that drums are not made in the same way now that manufacturing has been "Asian-ized". There is no option for the old ways of drum building. Not even super-custom builders can replicate those old American ways and machines and tools. The drums WE collect, now, might as well have been made on a different planet!

Maybe someone in the future will take an interest in creating a whole new collecting game. Take for example how MIJ drum kits are more popular now than they ever were at the start of the vintage American drum collecting game. I never would have predicted it, but, then again....some of those kits have really cool wraps and badges...and some people like the sound they make. That's one thing that has most definitely changed.

Good topic! There's lots of facets to this discussion. I like it.Bump

Collecting is built into human nature, I think.

Thanks O-lugs. It's the kind of question that can be visited every 5-10 years I guess.

Totally get the speciality drums being collectable. I'm not so sure about DW collectors kit's. But pre 2000 black badge keller shell DW's yes. And the current crop of Jazz series and Classics maybe too.

Going back a bit. One surprise to me on the not so Vintage front is the late 70's Big R Rogers kits. I am surprised that collectors and drummers ignore them. They sound incredible, especially when the Rack Toms are mounted on Snare stands or RIMS instead of those Memri-Lok things. I have a huge black kit sporting a 24" BD and it sounds amazing on record. I bought it(drunken Ebay moment!!!) for next to nothing a couple of years back and to my surprise it has more than proved itself in studio sessions. Will they in turn click over into the 40+ year bracket in a few years and be suddenly sought after? Or just stay being a secret weapon of the few(such as me!). If they stay cheap then they may die in the hands of unknowing beginners, or un-cased in the back of the gig van, or dumped in the damp garage.

Collecting interests change.

Ludwig's biggest and most attention-getting kits were the Octa-Plus kits introduced in the mid 70's. Now, they are all but forgotten. For a minute, they were the greatest, iconic thing to have if you were a drummer in a rock band. Now, the Octa-Plus is a ghost town of drum sets. It was all concert toms except for the Supra and the two bass drums. Thing is....concert toms were the COOLEST kind of toms to have during that time. People hate them, now. What is it that happens that makes everything change in terms of interests and fashion?

Octa-Plus kits

Bell bottom pants

Mirror balls hanging over dance floors ;)

The "Dry Look" from Gillette

Karate

Variety shows on television

I think my Arbiter AT drums are cool. Lots of people disagree and they were a failure on the market....but they are still cool. Maybe that's my opinion only. But I've enjoyed them, so IF things like that do become sought after some day, then cool. If not, then oh well. Who could have predicted in the 1930's (or whenever it was) that Gladstone snare drums would one day in the future sell for what they do?

It's all magic and luck and chance that drives certain interests. If there was a way of predicting it, we'd all be millionaires.

I agree with most posts so far ,I don,t post are reply very often because I,am not a collector just an old drummer but you know I think that the young drummers of today and in the future will collect what they played during their careers. It may not be vintage but someone in the future will start collecting specific kits and ,boom, others will start collecting them like the Rogers example. U.S.A., overseas, or whatever, they will become collectable.

Now the facet of drum collecting ie: vintage , probably has reached its zenith except within the collecting community itself, but hobby collecting of drums has become to expensive and people might not have the cash to buy a really fine example of the vintage era, although I don,t know what "vintage" really means.

One thing I would do over again during my career would be to have as many drummers like Cozy Cole,Rich,Kruper,Bonham,Baker,Moon, Morello, and a lot of others sign some drums or even hit them for me,if I had been smart enough .

So I feel todays drummers, should try to get as many modern drummers like Weckl,Calaiuta,Smith,Peart,Phillips,Paice,Moore, Mayer and others to authenticate and sign or even better hit a snare for them and there should be plenty collectables in the future. I know its easier said than done but they should at least try. You dont have to be wealthy just persistant.

O-lugs you should say, Bell bottoms that always would hang up on bass pedals requiring you to pull on said pants. Tom

^^^LOL! Yes! been there many times! I would be playing and then the bell bottoms would catch the beater and....Help2

Asian-ised. Yup. I have found that when a product was Asian-ised, it is just made to look pretty, not for any function.

The difference between Japan in the '60s and China today is the fact that the Japanese wanted to copy perfectly, then do it better to infinitum, besting the benchmark. The Chinese seem to just want to make it very pretty and cut corners any way possible. This appeals to businesses that want to make a quick buck, and encourages this practise further. Notice the lack of Taiwanese stuff in the marketplace? They got too expensive...

I predict we will collect signatures on instruments more than anything. Which means the Pretty **** 3800 snare drum with Dave Weckl's signature will be worth more than a Craviotto...

Maybe not:)

All it's going to take for those Big R drums to go ape sh** in value is when people realise that they were good, and that there's fewer of those than they think there are. Yes, the "wow, they're vintage" button will be hit. And the fact that there will be fewer clean examples of those in coming years will play into your favour. When someone screws with a '70s Gibson Les Paul, I just say to myself "makes mine more valuable".