Are those actually PEACH colored? If so, wow.

ubercat wrote:Are those actually PEACH colored? If so, wow.

More amber in the right light.

That's the lights we have in the studio, which are full spectrum lights (to combat studio depression) turned all the way up for the photographer.

I haven't recorded this kit, yet. I can't imagine it sounding anything but huge.

I'll post audio files somewhere if I do.

dontfeartheringo wrote:I'll post audio files somewhere if I do.

It would be great if you could put a posting on this thread once you get some recordings:

http://www.electrical.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=18633

I started the thread because it's pretty difficult to find recordings that you know were played on Vistalite kits. Even John Bonham, they say, used his maple drums in the studio. So, I wanted people to be able to hear how they sound, if they're curious or thinking about getting some Vistalites.

I don't have the big mo-fo Bonham sizes, but the drums sounds I got at EA were every thing I could have hoped for...

Scuffed up

Blue 16" Floor. I will use for parts, no?

Hardware = Shiny
Couldn't resist throwin' a head on for kicks. These are gonna look sick.
sick.

Bass Drum Rim...sand down to natural wood?
Suggestions?

Dr. Venkman wrote: Bass Drum Rim...sand down to natural wood? Suggestions?

Personally, I'd go with the traditional look on the rims. Sand 'em, prime 'em and paint them a semigloss black. You can buy the green sparkle wrap for the inlays at http://www.jamminsam.com/ . You have to cut the strips yourself with an x-acto, then rubber cement works really well at keeping the wrap on & in the groove.

optimistic wrote:

Dr. Venkman wrote: Bass Drum Rim...sand down to natural wood? Suggestions?

Personally, I'd go with the traditional look on the rims. Sand 'em, prime 'em and paint them a semigloss black. You can buy the green sparkle wrap for the inlays at http://www.jamminsam.com/ . You have to cut the strips yourself with an x-acto, then rubber cement works really well at keeping the wrap on & in the groove.

I'd say sand the hoops down until they're smooth- I wouldn't worry too much about getting them all the way down to the wood unless the paint is flaking that badly. I would prime them with some sort of spray primer. Then just paint them black with a gloss black spray paint. Do two costs to smooth out the final look and to make it harder to chip the hoops down to the wood finish.

I recommend buying your inlays from Precision Drum Company because he will send the inlay to you pre-cut! Make sure you measure the inlay that comes out, because there are three sizes of inlay you can order. I THINK ludwig inlays are 1 7/8". Now, the question is: Green glass glitter or silver? My amber vistas have a Tangerine glitter inlay instead of the classic gold because I replaced it. I have found, though, that tangerine glitter doesn't throw as much light as some of the others. I am glad I didn't do a whole kit in it.

Sparkle vs. glitter: the sparkly finishes on old American kits in the immediate post-War period were largely made with actual bits of glass inlaid into the wrap, so if you see an old Gretsch kit from that era, the gold sparkle is kind of breathtaking. I knew this idiot girl in Pensacola who had one of these kits and it sat in a stack in the corner of her little flophouse room. She couldn't play and she couldn't be convinced to part with this kit for love or money. I still hate her.

Later, sparkle finishes became popular with manufacturers because they used bits of plastic laid into the wrap, which was cheaper. If you're ever recovering a kit and you're going for a retro look, sparkle is a little more muted and looks kind of '60s-ish. The glass-glitter wraps, on the other hand, look really DELUXE, and I dig them.

I just received a second floor tom for my kit that I bought thru Ebay a few weeks ago. The description said there was paint on the shell, so I got it cheap. I was looking for an 18" but those things sometimes run $300 and up, so I went for a second 16" (Buddy Rich style), which was WAY more affordable. The paint isn't as bad as I had feared - I couldn't even see it in the Ebay photos. There are some drips that I need to get out, though. I'm going to dismantle this thing and start working on it tonight.

Let me know if you have any tips for getting spray paint off of acrylic. I'm going to start with some polishing compound and see how that does...

Yeah, try that first. You'll probably end up going with a very fine sandpaper, though. There was some clear spray paint on my kit too. But since I was sanding the drum anyway, I just sanded it off.

optimistic wrote:

any tips for getting spray paint off

two words: lacquer thinner. go easy. wet the rag, not the drum.

pwalshj wrote: optimistic wrote:

any tips for getting spray paint off

two words: lacquer thinner. go easy. wet the rag, not the drum.

and do it outside.

That stuff stinks. It's good for getting solvent based screenprinting ink out of screens.