They look fantastic on stage.

The first Vistalites were from the stone age of the acrylic drum construction,

often the drums are not round.

The shells are not seamless. The sound is more dry, not open.

They are very sensitive to shocks.

And you can´t put coated heads on it...

For me the are more cons than pros.

Ludwig,Pearl and new comer Crush seem to be selling them.I know Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers was playing an acrylic Pearl kit not long ago.

Bonham made amber vistalites famous,and desirable enough that Ludwig began reissueing the Amber vistas in 2001,and still offers them.

Steve B

I have an early '70s Big Beat set that I use for all my gigs. They are "player" grade, with the normal scuffs and scratches (minor) but they still look nice.

Every now and then someone will ask, "Are those Vistalites?", and I can proudly say that they are, and vintage at that!

Opinions differ on drums like they do on cars and women, but I like what I have!

I have sold many 70's Vistalite kits and the key is condition. A mint 70's Vistalite is worth some money..period. Either you like them or you don't. When they are pristine they are eye catching for sure. I have posted some beautiful Vista's on here but I can't seem to get any pics up anymore but I could show you about 20 sets of pristine Vistalite kits that sold for good money to people who wanted those drums. And I certainly never had any problem putting coated heads on them although I put clear on most of them.

Like everything, there are people that wouldn't have a Vistalite if it were given to them and others who would, and do, pay very good money for them.

To make it through decades as a plastic set of drums and have no scratches, never mind cracks, is worth quite a bit more than the same set full of gouges, scratches or just general hazy shells...which many are.

I have owned a few vistalite kits and I love the sound as well as the aesthetic. I regretfully sold a red Hollywood kit a week ago.

I've owned a few vistalite kits over the years and am definitely one that sees more pros than cons. Love the sound and actually gigged with a clear kit for about a year straight.

The only reason I stopped was the constant worry that they would get scratched, which we know is a time-consuming process to fix.

But all in all, love the look, sound, and history. Just my two cents.

Why would there be a problem with coated heads on them?

I enjoyed my Vistalite kit before I supplanted it with a Slingerland Phantom. Both give me a bit more attack, and I can still get a good tone from either brand.

My first choice will always be wood, but the acrylic drums never fail to elicit positive comments from fans, who don't seem to notice as much when I use my wood Slingerlands, all of which are visually striking in their own way.

While sound was probably not the primary impetus for Ludwig's development of Vistalites, I'm sure it was the deciding factor when it was time to decide on producing them.

Coated heads wouldn't be a problem soundwise, but they would negate the visual aspect.