Teacher's Pet wrote: Sun Dec 12, 2021 6:44 pm My neighbor's kid up the block has a mini-kit in the basement. They are dear friends.
All the sizes are tiny and the cymbals are a joke, but that's OK, he's 10.
He's getting the hang of it and plays drums in a combo at school.

I want to get new top and bottom heads for each drum, what should I get?
Looking for cheap and durable.

What sizes are you looking for? I used to run a studio in the city that some here knew about. Most of us principal peoples were drummers. When we closed up I was left with a mountain of spare heads, many lightly used. PM me here, maybe I can help some of that miracle happen for the cost of shipping...

Thank you (everybody)!
I think I'll be able to measure/confirm sizes tonight.

HIPPIES. BAH.


This is an early 1960s Gretsch round badge floor tom. The wrap has been removed and the glue underneath was sprayed with blue spray paint. And then someone used wheat paste or Elmer's or something to stick dozens of magazine photos to the shell. Please also note the machine bolt being used as a thumb screw to keep the very rusty legs in place.

Took me all day and two different chemical stripping compounds just to get it to this point:


Once the goop had dried, I sanded with 80 grit, then 120, 240, 1000 and 2000 grit sandpaper.

Here's another photo of the sanded drum:


I ordered replacement thumb screws for the leg mounts and a set of lugs for the bottom of the drum and a replacement die-cast hoop.

This is the same drum that is in this photo with the snare shell:

And here is the finished drum:

Here are some glamour shots of the finished drum:

That's a beautiful drum, DFtR. I really like that gloss black finish that still has a little grain showing through.

I don't have much happening in the world of drum resto, except I have a black (batter side) hoop on my Gretsch kit that I'm ordering an inlay strip for. The hoop is just a plain ass commercial gibraltar hoop and needs to be routed out to glue in a 3/4" strip of burgundy sparkle, which is currently on order. The front hoop is original and has the original 60s inlay.

I'll put some photos up when I start!

twelvepoint wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 12:16 pm That's a beautiful drum, DFtR. I really like that gloss black finish that still has a little grain showing through.

I don't have much happening in the world of drum resto, except I have a black (batter side) hoop on my Gretsch kit that I'm ordering an inlay strip for. The hoop is just a plain ass commercial gibraltar hoop and needs to be routed out to glue in a 3/4" strip of burgundy sparkle, which is currently on order. The front hoop is original and has the original 60s inlay.

I'll put some photos up when I start!

From where did you order your inlay strip? Some dudes are cooler than others, in the drum parts world.

dontfeartheringo wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 2:26 pm

twelvepoint wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 12:16 pm That's a beautiful drum, DFtR. I really like that gloss black finish that still has a little grain showing through.

I don't have much happening in the world of drum resto, except I have a black (batter side) hoop on my Gretsch kit that I'm ordering an inlay strip for. The hoop is just a plain ass commercial gibraltar hoop and needs to be routed out to glue in a 3/4" strip of burgundy sparkle, which is currently on order. The front hoop is original and has the original 60s inlay.

I'll put some photos up when I start!

From where did you order your inlay strip? Some dudes are cooler than others, in the drum parts world.

It was drummaker.com. They seem to be the only shop that can get the real Gretsch burg. sparkle color correct. Most other ones are a little more of a vibrant red. That said, I'm still waiting for the order to ship, so who knows!

twelvepoint wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 3:31 pm

dontfeartheringo wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 2:26 pm

twelvepoint wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 12:16 pm That's a beautiful drum, DFtR. I really like that gloss black finish that still has a little grain showing through.

I don't have much happening in the world of drum resto, except I have a black (batter side) hoop on my Gretsch kit that I'm ordering an inlay strip for. The hoop is just a plain ass commercial gibraltar hoop and needs to be routed out to glue in a 3/4" strip of burgundy sparkle, which is currently on order. The front hoop is original and has the original 60s inlay.

I'll put some photos up when I start!

From where did you order your inlay strip? Some dudes are cooler than others, in the drum parts world.

It was drummaker.com. They seem to be the only shop that can get the real Gretsch burg. sparkle color correct. Most other ones are a little more of a vibrant red. That said, I'm still waiting for the order to ship, so who knows!

Bug him. That dude can be..... unreliable.

dontfeartheringo wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 3:34 pm

twelvepoint wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 3:31 pm

dontfeartheringo wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 2:26 pm

From where did you order your inlay strip? Some dudes are cooler than others, in the drum parts world.

It was drummaker.com. They seem to be the only shop that can get the real Gretsch burg. sparkle color correct. Most other ones are a little more of a vibrant red. That said, I'm still waiting for the order to ship, so who knows!

Bug him. That dude can be..... unreliable.

Gotcha.