Hello to all the beautiful people on the Vintage Drum Forum. I've only posted two questions so far, both pertaining to vintage drum sets i've considered buying (but obviously haven't).
I was wondering if you good people had any general tips on buying vintage PLAYER kits. I'm not interested in pristine collector's items.Tips could include places to search, gauging the quality, price ranges, etc.
Thanks in advance!
Avoid extra holes, split wraps, excessive missing parts, after market non brand mounts, PEARL TOM MOUNTS, "professionally recut edges" when the professional was a framing hack with a hand held router, and, have an idea for the genuine article to avoid being scammed by fakes.
Yes, people will fake certain vintage snares, badges, whole drums. Even in player grade kits. A faked player is often harder to spot than a pristine collector.
Player does not mean a set that has enough holes to make a brothel look like a safe haven of vestal virgins. Player means the set will have gig wear, it will have been used. It will have been played. Player does not apply to a set that was found floating on the Mississippi after Katrina, or was stored for 25 years in a leaky basement or barn. It does not apply to a set some guys grandson spray painted in clown posse colors. And in my opinion, it does NOT apply to a Rogers drums set that has Pearl pipe mounts and a rack.
And the most important, know what you are looking at. Do your due diligence in research.
craigslist, forums, ebay.
Check on the Guitar Center site from time to time. Their used gear is often overpriced but really, it can be all over the map.
Avoid extra holes, split wraps, excessive missing parts, after market non brand mounts, PEARL TOM MOUNTS, "professionally recut edges" when the professional was a framing hack with a hand held router, and, have an idea for the genuine article to avoid being scammed by fakes. Yes, people will fake certain vintage snares, badges, whole drums. Even in player grade kits. A faked player is often harder to spot than a pristine collector. Player does not mean a set that has enough holes to make a brothel look like a safe haven of vestal virgins. Player means the set will have gig wear, it will have been used. It will have been played. Player does not apply to a set that was found floating on the Mississippi after Katrina, or was stored for 25 years in a leaky basement or barn. It does not apply to a set some guys grandson spray painted in clown posse colors. And in my opinion, it does NOT apply to a Rogers drums set that has Pearl pipe mounts and a rack. And the most important, know what you are looking at. Do your due diligence in research. craigslist, forums, ebay.
The Plough has nailed it there. That sums it up.
I would like to add. In this day and age the Drum shop culture is all but gone from every city(particularly here in Britain anyway). Most of the transactions are online looking at some pictures and the hyped words written by the seller. You will be buying into a set or a single drum through a looking glass with the reputation of the brand and it's vintage ahead of what it actually plays like. I have bought drums in the past because they have blown me away in the shop. A £2000 gretsch kit had me by the balls one afternoon because I saw it, played it and refused to leave without it.
Now I've bought stuff online with the promise of what it is, and yeah I've lucked out a few times, but also I've landed some stuf, which, on that afternoon I would of put straight back on the shelf regardless of it being a highly sought after holy grail Rogers, Slingerland, Ludwig etc etc.
What I'm saying is we are being pushed into a corner. Yes the internet has opened up our beloved hobby, but at the same time we are judging our books by their covers so to speak. Be careful and research your butt off. This site is a great start.
The important thing to remember is ... there are some very nice kits priced affordable and in good shape. Take your time to find your kit. Do not fall into the "Brand" mass hypnosis that can affect many newbies. Most all of the vintage manufacturers put out pretty good product. You really can't go wrong if you're careful.
"Brand" mass hypnosis defined ...
"Ludwig drums and Zildjian cymbals are the ONLY things that sound good!"
"Ludwig? They don't hold a candle to Rogers build quality."
"Rogers has always been a notch below Camco in pure melodic tone."
"Shut UP!!! Everyone knows Gretsch is and will always be the BEST! Count the jazz drummers!"
"Slingerland 3ply will put Ludwig under the table any day of the week. The layup was WAY more refined."
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!! I will KILL you ALL! TAMA! TAMA! TAMA!!!"
Since I am the most beautiful member of VDF, I will answer this question!
The best thing you can do is find a kit, or two, that peaks your interest, and get a couple pictures. Post them on this site, and just ask if anything is wrong with the kit. The guys will spot any major flaws with the kit, quick, fast and in a hurry. Also, don't be afraid to mention what the price of the kit is. People that flat out ask how much a kit is worth usually don't get many replies for whatever reason, but posting some pictures and asking if the kit pictured is worth X amount of dollars will get some action on here.
I haven't ever bought a vintage kit, except for one 300 dollar no-brainer off CL, but if I was serious about buying, there is a half-dozen, or so, VDF members that would get PM's before I spent a penny on it.
Happy Hunting!
Drumhack is right, he probably is the most beautiful member here.
One thing that I have noticed on this site is that it seems that when a member poses a question about a kit for sale that may be well into the public domain (i.e. ebay) that other forum members tend to chime in with very helpful replies but they don't seem to go after it in a self-serving fashion. It would seem that if someone said "hey check this out" that a lot of others may jump on the item but that does not seem to be the case. Most guys that are really interested in an item that ask about it and get positive feedback generally seem to end up buying the item.
I suppose a bit of unspoken honor and decorum is the status quo here. That is pretty refreshing. I am sure there are instances that would prove otherwise, but I don't recall someone missing out on an item they were asking about and then have another member turn around and post about their conquest of the same item.
