First, define who is in the running. There's Gretsch, Ludwig, Rogers, ... ... ... ummmm ... Leedy, ... ... ... ... is there any more? Slingerland is absent. Kent never returned. Most of the others have been missing for many many many years. I think Fibes might still building some new drums in Austin, but they were never what you would call "old vintage American drums". They had no intention of dredging up the past and focused on modern shells and modern sounds. Don't think you can include them...if they are still around.
There are a couple of NEW companies who are building drums out of shells that resemble the shells of old. To be honest, those shells aren't even close to an aged vintage shell. They are nice, but it's really comparing apples to weasels. I played the "vintage" and "jazz" DW shells. They were nice, but they were NOT the old school sound. I've also played the Pearl African Mahogany kit. While it was an amazing kit, it was NOT a vintage sound.
Call me crazy, but I've never considered the Gretsch drums above 3 plies to have a vintage sound. The same goes for Rogers. Fact is, Rogers can be credited for pioneering the modern drum sound of today. So, it's kind of hard to include those drums in this competition unless you redefine what the vintage sound is all about. That may be the key to all of this: What is the vintage sound? It may be different from person to person.
So, the competition is somewhat limited. I have only really considered the originators of the sound to be in competition. That would be Ludwig, Leedy, Rogers, Fibes, and Gretsch. Of those, I like the Ludwig best. They have really hit on "that" sound.
