Are you sure it's not a knock-off Gretsch snare by some shady woman named Gretchen?!?

It could be a Renown Snare drum or.....if it's a 6 lug drum maybe a Dixieland. The hardware looks Gretsch from here. That airhole there looks like the drum Key holder. Someone may have removed the badge. Is there a hole where the badge once was?

If it's a Dixieland snare drum the hardware there alone is worth $300 + on a good day is my guess. I know from experience the Gretsch 6 lug snare drum hoops are hard to find and could fetch $100 a piece. The key holders go for about $35 these days....the lugs $5 or so a piece....the shell $50 or more. These are only estimates but I have been buying Gretsch parts to complete various vintage projects for about 5 years.

If it isn't Gretsch, it's a good knockoff. It looks like an 8 lugger. The badge should have been located in the panel directly to the left of the tone control. As Kona suggested, look for a hole where the badge should have been. A few more pics would be helpful.

Looks like one of the Aluminum shell models that Gretsch sold as student drums in the late 60's/early 70's. It was sort of their answer to the Ludwig Acrolite. They came in both 6 and 8 lug models and your tag has the correct number for the 8 lug model.

If that is an Aluminum shell (looks like it) then it pretty much has to be the real deal. No one would go to those lengths to fake one of these (and if they did they'd surely have put a badge on it too). I'm not sure why the badge wouldn't be there but suspect that someone might have removed it to use on another drum. Is there a vent hole and does it have a grommet in it?

Great info everyone.

It's a 8 lugger with Aluminum shell. There is a vent hole with grommet. If someone removed the badge I would think you would see a slight outline, but it looks clean like it was never there. Comes in a suitcase with sticks and stand and a drum key. Any guess on value based on if it's a student kit as K.O. mentioned.

Thanks for your insight

I once had a COB Gretsch snare that came from the factory with no badge. It had a microsensitive throw off and came with a round badge set so I guessed it was from right around the time they were switching to the stop sign badge.

Looks just like my RB 4108 only a little cleaner and missing the badge.(grommet is in the same location as the badge should be) Has the same 4 point mounted throw off too.

Would it surprise anybody if the badge was "borrowed" to complete a more valuable drum?

http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=26632

Rich,

How do you know yours came from the factory without a badge? When and from who did you buy it?

Might have slipped out of Brooklyn (or Arkansas) without a badge. When you see what badges go for there is certainly incentive to swipe one off a "student" snare.

We had a discussion about these over at the DFO a while back and the conclusion seemed to be they are a fine sounding snare drum.

Speaking of robbing parts off one of these...many years ago I found a six lugger at a local music store. I needed the bottom die-cast hoop to complete a Dixieland I had so I talked the owner into selling me just the bottom hoop for $20 (then he would put a triple flange on his drum). He offered the whole drum to me for $40 but I said "no".....Duh!