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Gretsch Round Badge Question Last viewed: 1 minute ago

Posts: 232 Threads: 32

I have been given a Gretsch Round Badge kit and as I am a Ludwig guy I know nothing about them. The Kit is a 20x14, 12x8, 12x8, 14x14 floor tom with a 5x14 wooden snare with 8 lugs, red double felt? tone/muffler, a Gretsch paper tag with model # 4109 and serial numbers 72689, its missing the snare strainer.

I have looked at catalogs and the nearest kit with these sizes is the Rock & Roll series except this kit has a wooden snare & 14" floor tom and are three plys & no interior wooden rings like vintage luddies, if these are vintage Gretsches? The hardware looks the same as in the catalog though.

The kit is wraped with either leather, vinyl or (naugahyde) that looks like a Luddie Black Panther Clone (but in rough shape) not torn though,needs some re-glueing

All the toms have both batter & reso interior tone/mufflers,Gretsch paper tags with model & serial#s, and the bass drum has an interior muffler either on the reso or batter head, depending on the correct direction the bass should face. Like I said I know nothing about older Gretsch drums. I do have a newer Gretsch Catalina series kit but nothing like these.

But, I think they have been rewraped as they are painted white over Silver interiors, although the Gretsch tags are still there and in good shape.

My question: Are they worth restoring? Should I restore them and use the Kit for playing? How expensive would this be?

I know, I know, I,ll post some photos tomorrow if I can. Also the badges have carpenter tacks,(flower type) except the snare has a round badge with just a air hole type grommet in the center.

Adding to all this is, they came with a ton of cymbals in two cymbal cases. I haven,t had time to go thru them though.

Tom

Posted on 14 years ago
#1
Posts: 10714 Threads: 579

Tom, I'll start at the bottom first, yes they are re wrapped,all the other questions I can give you a better answer after the pics are posted!, there is no cataloged configuration as you described, but that doesn't mean a lot!

Your drummers not much good is he!? What you need is someone that's as good as me. ! John Henry Bonham !!
Posted on 14 years ago
#2
Posts: 232 Threads: 32

Thanks vintagemore 2000 I.ll get some photos up tomorrow. I just got then about 3 pm,and with playoff games I was busy.

Tom

Posted on 14 years ago
#3
Posts: 10714 Threads: 579

Cool, do it when you get the time we will be here!

Your drummers not much good is he!? What you need is someone that's as good as me. ! John Henry Bonham !!
Posted on 14 years ago
#4
Posts: 232 Threads: 32

Trust me photos coming. I took photos as I was taking the drums apart. Remember this kit was given to me and has a lot of issues.

I don,t know the number of pictures I took but, they will show the good,bad, and the ugly sides of the kit. Also took pictures of all the cymbals and signatures. May be tomorrow as I had a meeting to go to this afternoon and I am just now putting them on my computor to upload to photobucket.

Tom

79 Photos total of drums & cymbals

Posted on 14 years ago
#5
Posts: 556 Threads: 39

"Cymbals and signatures..."? Sounds like some tasty K pies!

Posted on 14 years ago
#6
Posts: 232 Threads: 32

Ok: I have this kit and Cymbals that were given to me. The drums have a lot of issues so I,ll list what I think they are up front.All drums are in round and even on a level surface. The cymbals are the best of the items.

Bass drum: 14x20,rewarped,No Gretsch Badge no Gretsch tags(but I can see the square where they should be). Painted white over the silver interior.Two extra holes? Lugs and spurs and tom mount seem to be original. Has an interior tone/muffler inside that doesn,t have the correct felt on it.Has to different styles of tension claws,I don,t know which is proper for this set.A metal plate is attached on interior side with parts of some felt? attached.

Snare drum: 5x14, Tag with model# 4109 Serial#72689,Gretsch badge with vent hole type grommet. Has interior red felt muffler. There is no snare or strainer and. Painted white over silver inside.

Opps! Still trying to upload photos

Two Mounted Toms: 8x12, Gretsch Round Badge Model #4415 Serial#95930, and other one Model 4415 serial #95711 one is missing both hoops & one missing bolt on hanger,plus one muffler.Other has one bolt missing on the hanger. White paint over silver interiors.

Floor Tom: Has the hole but no gretsch badge or paper tag.Has different lugs but look original to this drum, with correct interior muffler. Has different hoops.No silver paint under white paint. I don,t even know if this FT is a gretsch.

Like I said in the first post I known almost nothing about gretsch round Badge drums.

I have 9 Grandkids and some are already playing and I would like them to play "vintage" drums so I plan to re-wrap these drums for one of them. Hope it doesn,t cost me to much.

Be warned! Here is 79 photos I took while taking the drums apart. Also the Cymbals. Here they are, the good, bad and theugly.

Tomhttp://s569.photobucket.com/albums/ss134/evenfall575/Gretsch%20Round%20Badge%20drums%20and%20cymbals/

Posted on 14 years ago
#7
Posts: 232 Threads: 32

I am stilltrying to attach the photos to this reply.

http://s569.photobucket.com/albums/ss134/evenfall575/Gretsch%20Round%20Badge%20drums%20and%20cymbals/

I think I was succesful Tom

Posted on 14 years ago
#8
Posts: 586 Threads: 22

Lots of ugly, but there is good in there too. Some of what you have used to be a Gretsch drum set. You have quite a project ahead if you want to restore them.

The snare model number should be 4103, not 4109. The muffler is not correct for that era and appears older and non-Gretsch. This is a mid-60s drum.

The bass drum muffler adaptation is homemade but is attached to the original Pratt style muffler mechanism. The resonant side claws and T-rods are non-Gretsch. It is hard to date this drum based upon what I can see.

The 12" toms have the right mufflers. They are a year or two newer than the snare.

There looks to be little Gretsch about the floor tom other than the muffler.

My advice:

Rewrap, refinish or repaint and enjoy. Use coated heads and hide the interiors. Move the mufflers you have around so they are on batter side only on all drums or remove them completely. Warning - Gretsch 12" 5 hole hoops in good condition are expensive and may be hard to find. Look for a good floor tom.

Collecting information about the following for ongoing research projects:
Gretsch drums with serial numbers,
Ludwig Keystone and B/O badge drums with serial numbers and date stamps,
Ludwig Standards from 1968-73, and
Ludwigs with paper labels from 1971-72
www.GretschDrumDatingGuide.com
Posted on 14 years ago
#9
Posts: 526 Threads: 60

If you're looking for a cheap way to rewrap these, you might go with a satin flame finish from Canal Plastics Center. (They call it "moire" rather than satin flame.) They come in rolls 24" wide and as long as you want them. Last time I checked, they were $15/yard, so you should be able to get this kit done for under $75. Not bad for a beautiful Gretsch-catalog finish. As a bonus, the material is very easy to work with, though it does scratch easily (as all satin flames do).

If you're interested, check the Canal Plastics web site and see if they'll mail you some samples. Just be sure to get the opaque backed material, not the clear stuff.

Kits:
1950s Gretsch Name Band in Midnight Blue Pearl (13/16/22/14sn)
1965/66 Ludwig Club Dates rewrapped in Black Diamond Pearl (12/15/20)
Posted on 14 years ago
#10
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