An old discussion, however - here I go again.

I think it depends....

In my book, originality is only really important on rare items.

A Bugatti Royale should be kept original - but a hotrodded nineties Honda wouldn´t destroy my sleep.

So a seventies, mass produced Ludwig that became a very much better drumkit by having resoheads fitted really is - I think - a very good idea.

What´s the use of originality - if it sounds not very good?

It is a drumkit, not a museum piece.

Rant over....

Regards

Jon

It took me years to understand ... but I eventually figured it out. I just don't want a kit that's not original ... or ... I look for kits that are original.

That's just me.

I look at kits and as soon as I see that something is "not right", I walk away.

I play what I play and I thoroughly enjoy what I play. So, this works for me.

I think the operative word here is restoration. You can't restore something by making it into something else.

You can convert it, you can improve it, but restoration implies making it like it was when it left the factory.

It seems Ebay sellers make all sorts of description errors. I saw a snare for sale that had an "eternal muffler"!

You said what I had intended to say, and you said it well!

I used to use the word "restore" more than I do now (since I joined this forum). Now, when I have to rewrap and/or otherwise modify a set (or a set of orphans, which is the case most of the time) I've gravitated to using the word "reproduction" in my descriptions, 'cause that seems to "fit" what I've done better than "restore." Most of my work ends up in the hands of players anyway.

I think the eBay seller should have chosen his words better. But, even in spite of his choice of words he did seem to have a better handle on what he had done (and why he did it) than a lot of eBay sellers. We've all seen listings where the seller HADN'T A CLUE as to what he had, what he was saying or how he was saying it...

Fish, I feel your pain! I'm not going to "prop" it by providing a link, but there's a current auction on eBay where a guy is selling (hmm... trying to sell) a 70s Pearl Fiberglass bass drum (and you know those are right up my ally!). His price and his overall LACK OF KNOWLEDGE about what he has listed just about made me puke... Toilet

At least he didnt include the all mighty" bass drum peddle" and "cymbols". Somebody is going to buy and enjoy playing this set of drums..................V

Thank you, sir!Bowing

Okay, then I can agree too.

"Restore" is a thoroughly wrong word to use.

Just as long the meaning isn´t that the kit now is destroyed - only its originality. Which, in this case I don´t think is very important.

Regards

Jon

That is what I call a hot rodded kit. It is not a restoration, but a customised kit.

Yeah, it's rant-worthy. But it's a better customisation than the CB700 by Gretsch that was attacked by gold rattle bombs with dremel-kissed cymbals, for sure!!! That was on Craigslist last year, and kinda goes along with all of the craptastic MIC kits that have been rattle bombed flat black with red hardware I saw a lot of last year. Haven't seen too many of those lately.

Rogersling makes a good point. If its wrong, walk away. But first I have to absorb all of the knowledge on this forum to know if a kit is wrong. I already know this new Slingerland isn't right, but I want to make it right. Restore means to make like original, and this Ludwig kit clearly isnt.