Very cool story. I love the restoration side of vintage drums as well. There's just something so zen about it, and the satisfaction you get when it's all done is beyond description. Non-vintage drum guys just don't really get it... and I'm just fine keeping it that way. More fun for us Cool1

I would love to do restoration for a living!

Mspartacus you are 100% right...its so Zen AND fun to restore.

My story:

I began with an Acrolite and lessons and the junior high school marching band and orchestra when I was 12 in the mid-sixties. Eventually my parents gave me a used Ludwig blue sparkle 4-piece that was a super-classic but with a Hollywood ride tom, a 22" Paiste 602 ride and horrible junk hi-hat cymbals. I eventually got 15" Zildjian hi-hat cymbals and a Paiste 18" ride. Played in several garage bands and eventually a three-piece jazz combo with a sax and hammond organ, no vocals, playing night clubs near military bases around rural Oklahoma as a senior in high school. Went to OU and played in the OU Student Entertainers, a choreographed song and dance routine sponsored by the OU college administration for PR purposes.

I had always fantasized about Gretsch drums and "that great Gretsch sound" and about Rogers and their fantastic hardware, but was never even able to see any of these drums in person, let alone hear or touch them.

Life moved on - got married in 1975, moved to California, left the drums behind in Oklahoma, my parents eventually drove the drums out to me to get them out of their way and I donated them to Salvation Army.

Life moved on again - had two boys and one day in 1997 came home from work and there was a Sunlite drum set in the garage that had been given to my 13 year old sun by a neighbor who was moving. I made it a project to fix it up and got lessons for my son, I started playing a little, then my interest re-kindled in becoming a better drummer as my son lost interest.

I then decided to purchase an older (vintage) set for cheap but was surprised by the high prices. Purchased a dirty old mid-fifties Ludwig 4-piece in yellowed White Marine Pearl, cleaned and polished it up, used it for a couple of years and sold it for a profit. Rescued the Ludwig blue sparkle kit from a back porch for $100, cleaned and polished it and replaced missing parts. Rescued the Slingerland Jet, cleaned and polished it and replaced missing parts. With the continued patience of my wife (now of 37 years), purchased the Rogers Top Hat from Bobby Chaisson in 2002 (expensive, but Bobby is a top-notch guy and the kit is spotless).

Wanting to explore "modern" drums, purchased the Tama Starclassic Birch as a 5-piece. Decided to build it into a "monster" kit just to experience a "monster" kit and added matching toms, cymbals and hardware. Found the two Gretch kits (one rock, one jazz) on Craig's List two years apart, cleaned and polished them and replaced missing parts. Purchased various snares to match the kits and recently a Dynasonic from backbeatkeeper (great guy btw). Purchased two more Dynasonics and became interested in assembling the correct snare frames and restoring original Dynasonic snare strands, which has been my latest project (possible but tedious).

If I had to choose my favorite to own, that would be impossible – loss of any of the sets would be a great loss.

If I had to choose my favorite to play, it would have to be between the Gretsch Midnight Blue Pearl in rock sizes and the Rogers 5-piece Top Hat - love them both.

Thanks for reading, photos below!

The drummer of my band was an amazingly talented 15 years old fella named Jorge who barely had money for a pair of sticks...we couldnt believe how he played like that with no drums to beat on untill I went to his place. Guys, here in America we dont know poverty..real poverty. From out of wood and rubber he custom made a practice set for himself...From that moment something struck inside of me and the next day I brought a brand new Mapex Mars series set to Jorge's house...He couldnt believe it! ...Time went by untill he retorned the drums to me since he found a job and bought a set for himself...Thats 1998..I was having no luck as a singer for my band and I though "maybe my girlfriend (Now my wife) should sing and I should take the drum seat since I already have the drums"...We started a new band but something was wrong with the sound of the drums...I was doin ok so I went to a drum store in Santiago, Chile and I told the guy " I want the best drum set in the store!"...there it was: a Natural maple 1982 Ludwig set on 8x13,9x14,16x18,14x24 and a 402 Supraphonic...Ive been a Vintage Drum lover ever since then and now my passion became my career. Im celebrating 10 years in the Vintage Drum dealing business now and Im afraid that Im gonna have to move soon cause Im running out of space!...Thats what I chose the "VINTAGE DRUM BUG" as my trademark..."cause you got the bug dont'cha?"

To take this in a different direction, I think what really started the fire was the hours I spent as a kid lusting over the drum catalogs. All the drums!!! Rogers!! All the different finishes!! Ludwig!! I really think that it went through my head that someday when I'm able to afford all these drums...I'm gonna buy 'em.

So far, I'm doing a pretty good job!

Dave Z

My first vintage kit was also the first pro-quality drum kit I ever owned: an early '70's Slingerland 3pc in blue sparkle. I was a poor college student then, so it took me a few years to pull the money together to buy my second kit, a '66 Ludwig Downbeat in silver sparkle.

I've owned so many nice modern kits over the years, and so many nice vintage kits over the years, but I always go back to vintage Ludwigs.

I started playing in 1974 at 14. The person who was my teacher for the next two years let me have free use of a 1967 Rogers 4 piece. I only had a set of hats and an old K that was cracked. The first thing I learned in set up was nothing ever touches anything it isnt supposed to touch. The other thing was...... if the crack gets bigger, I was done. For whatever reason, the drums were sold, picked up, packed off, and gone. I had learned a lot in those two years, and loved the drums. I was 19 and working my own job when I purchased my first drums. Rogers 1977 super londoner 24, 13, 14, 15, 18 with a COB Dynasonic, Paiste 2002 cymbals and they came with cases. I still have that set. The cymbals are long gone, sold after 25 years. The drums are now a 24, 13, 16, 18. I think I caught the disease early on, but it didnt really hit until about 2000. Just about the time I was given a Ludwig Downbeat 1960 4x14. Ive been at it ever since.

And its mostly Rogers.

I was a young kid drummer when older siblings and neighbors had a good garage band in the 70's. Brother had a ludwig snare, and loved it. Forward to me playing lots and gigging in the 90's (with a Pearl masters custom) and i come across a funky music store in Oakdale, Ca. "Used appliance and music" or some such thing. Inside a 50's wfl kit, and i bought it for 500. Took years to understand it was the 'shoe that fits' me, but the pearls are long gone now. Have a ludwig standard now as well, and a supra. Old paiste 602 and 2002's. Always looking, and have my wife's blessing, but google has changed everything. Bargains are so rare in Northern CA now.

Excellent stories. Obviously the vintage drum bug has bit us all in different ways. Keep the stories coming, and post some pics of the culprits Yes Sir

Thanks to all for indulging me in this thread and making it so interesting.

Had toy drums and pots and pans as a kid, but started playing in the mid 90's in junior high. Picked it up pretty quickly and had lessons through high school, then played in rock bands through college. On and off since.

Used to stare at the big glossy ads in Modern Drummer in class. Saved up enough for a big Pearl maple kit, and it sounded dead and ringy. Sold it and got a big Tama birch kit, and it sounded pretty decent, more warm. Sold it and got a custom Keller maple kit, and it sounded kind of dead but kind of ringy. Sold it and got a big Mapex maple kit, and it sounded really loud and ringy. Hmmm...

A few weeks back I wanted to get a new kit and was looking at Tama birch as I didn't want another bright, ringy maple kit. Came across a beat up set of Slingerlands and thought, 3-ply, round edges, let's give it a shot. That was the sound in my head all along. Warm, full, resonant. Not bright and ringy.