I think I would avoid glass finishes as they are thicker and Gretsch shells are difficult enough to install heads without the additional thickness. I think you would be just fine with a sparkle finish.

Ninja - About two years back I was in the same predicament... I had a late 50's 3-ply Round Badge kit in good shape, but in need of a re-wrap. I went with the Burgundy sparkle from Precision Drums. It's now called, Merlot, like the wine. Just so you can see what it looks like on the kit, I'm including a photo of how they turned out. It's an excellent choice for any round badge kit from the era.

[IMG]http://i1143.photobucket.com/albums/n632/PurdieShuffle/k4.jpg[/IMG]

John

Black is very classic. Henry Ford used it a lot and so do the presidents, prime ministers, kings and queens. People wear it for black tie dinners. Goes with any other color. You can have multiple sets of hoops with differing color inlays or you can contrast with any snare drum out there.

Example: Black kit with burgundy sparkle inlays and a burgundy sparkle snare.

Or in my case, red onyx snare and inlays or blue onyx snare and inlays or COB snare and silver sparkle inlays. Inexpensive way to own a lot of different looks!

I like my black kit for all those reasons. Very versatile.

Of course, Purdie's suggestion is a very good one and I've done that before too.

Drums just have so much physical real estate, they're like a big canvas to create something cool looking in addition to a good sounding instrument. Heck, that's a big part of why they're fun to look at. IMO redoing something in black is a bit of a waste of that canvas. Plus I like to look loud on stage. Turquoise glitter, aqua satin flame and pink sparkle are the finishes of the kits I've gigged with recently.

Here's the look I like. Black with chrome or polished aluminum and red tail lights. So black kit, some kind of red snare and matching inlay is about as nice as it comes in my book. When I get home next week, I'll try to send a picture of black set, red onyx inlays and red onyx snare.

As to being seen on stage, they mostly ignore the drummer unless he's singing, up on a platform with suspended camera zeroing in on him like they did with Ringo Starr or he's screwing up the time (that would be the band looking at him). LoL

I remember once seeing an ad on craigslist for a modern kit. It was black with black lugs and rims, etc. and the seller had put Remo Black Satin heads on it, with a black resonant on the kick. Then he got some of those Zildjian Pitch Black cymbals, and somehow tracked down or made some all-black cymbal and hi-hat stands as well. He removed all the logos from the heads and cymbals.

You couldn't see a gd thing in his photos! It was hilarious.

Must have been the drummer for the Shadows of Knight. But he needed some red in there. Yes Sir