Some here will tell you to leave it alone. I would suggest that if you want to use the drum, and if there is truly an issue and not a faulty head then you have to address the edge. No different than dressing frets on a guitar.

Chris Heuer of Heuer Labs is excellent. He's in LA. idrum4fun (Mark) put me on to that shop and I was astonished at the quality of his work. His prices are very fair and the only issue for us East Coast guys is the cost of shipping. From north of Boston, I paid about $90 each way on either Fedex or UPS (can't recall which) for a box large enough to carry the shells of a Rogers 22,13,16 set. He also buffed the red onyx wrap, which was already very nice and made it look like day one from the factory. Edges came back like Dynasonics.

As many of you know, Rogers had bearing edge cutting issues all along the way. They had a good edge profile after the flat edge Cleveland era, but seemingly a lot of trainees and/or less than necessary quality check of the edges. This issue increased in intensity in late Dayton and early Fullerton. I've had two sets from that later era in which the edges were quite poor. The first time I had the issue, I didn't know where to turn. This time the work was perfect. Same edge cut, no measurable loss in the lenght of the shell. Just perfect.

http://heuersdrumlab.com/

PS - I recently bought a 14x20 Rogers bass drum from Dayton mid-68 with serial number around 106xxx. Same issue with front bearing edge where they simply missed the cut and it is flat on one side. I haven't had a chance to try it out on a gig mic'd, but can't hear anything too aweful at the moment. But when I get back to the US, I will send that shell out to be corrected.

If I had a museum example of a particular set that was just for display, and it had edge issues, I might just live with it. But for the run of the mill vintage drum that I'm playing, I prefer to have poor factory workmanship corrected now that I know of a high quality resource that can do it. I find the architecture of the old drums the main attraction, along with their unique era wraps and so forth. They have a particular sound too and they evoke memories from that time, but I see no reason to live with any poor workmanship that resulted from high levels of production in the 60's that can be readily corrected now. Just doesn't make sense to me to play a drum with lousy edges.

I do my own bearing edges; I like a "vintage style" profile on vintage drums. To me, that means 45 degrees on the inside and a roundover on the outside.

Both my '69 Slingerlands and my '59 WFL snare needed it in a big way.

The Slingerlands were all over the place, low spots, high spots, re-rings varying in thickness, etc. The WFL more consistent, but still not flat.

The drums sound so much better afterward. Easier to tune, fewer odd harmonics.

Well I am no expert by any means but I have slowly educated myself on cutting and truing edges. From my experience I could tell a big difference in sound from my simple edge work. If the drum is a vintage drum that will loose value because of re-cutting edges and you think you might want to sell it someday then leave it alone. But if your using it to gig or record and don't care about re-sale then defiantly have it fixed.

Bearing edge issues? I have been given the impression that Rogers were the best and untouchable by the other companies of the day other than maybe Camco. I remember being really quite straightened out about this on a rogers thread on here. No one mentioned bearing edge issues, just that they are the Cadilac of Drums. I know Ludwig had it through the Ringo surge, but surely that wasn't the case for Rogers?

I have had edge work done by two masters:

1. Gerd at St Drums

2. Shawn at Anchor drums

Both were able to do factory Sonor, Rogers, Ludwig and Gretsch edges. The results from both were amazing and the drums I had done sounded much better and tuned easier.

When Rogers nailed it, they had the best edges in my view. I note that almost every manufacturer eventually moved to an edge cut very similar to theirs and that the edges used in the vintage days by Ludwig, Slingerland and Gretsch were eventually abandoned to an edge that is most closely represented by the edges used by Rogers during the Swivomatic/Beaverail era. Of course, every edge design has its distinct properties in terms of sound. Coupled with differing shell designs, you get entirely different sounds. If you want the sound of a Ludwig from the 60's, you are not going to get it from a Rogers and visa versa.

However, edge cutting may have been the element of drum construction requiring the most skill and care. Rogers shells were being built off site and in a controlled and mechanized machine enviroment. The Rogers' shop cut them to length, added reinforcing rings, wrapped, drilled and cut the edges. The edge cutting is a process that has to be done by an individual with a lot of care and experience on a true table and sharp cutting head. During periods of high production there clearly were issues. That was the case with other firms as well. I've seen shells with edges that escaped the factory in conditions that you cannot even believe would have occurred. But it did. That is a fact. Again, when they nailed it, I believe they were top quality drums in every respect, best sounding and most beautiful. Obviously a matter of opinion, but I've owned and played almost all them - Rogers, Ludwig, Camco, Slingerland, Gretsch, Leedy, Premier and probably owned 50 Rogers sets since about 1990 or so. In the end, Rogers has become my preference and I've let all the others go. The only negative for me is the weight. They are heavy to transport. The same era Ludwigs, Slingerlands and Leedys do provide a benefit in that regard.

Ok I see. Thanks Dan.

As you can see I have a lovely old XP8 kit which is great apart from the hardware (which is the worst I ever known, even over my crazy ball and socket Gretsch's)but those shells are lovely. They record wonderfully. And they only cost me a few hundred pounds.

I do worry about vintage Rogers what with BB lugs that split and late Swivo gear being a bit cheaply made etc. You saying crappy edges freaked me out a bit. Mainly because I've been coming around to the idea in investing in some old Rogers at some point.

Anyway there is no competition amongst the old US brands for me. Each type brings it's own thing or "vibe" to the table. I'm loving trying to possess one or two kit's from each of the brands even if they are "players". I'll get there one day!