Help with color choice

So I've been looking for a good reso head and can't decide between a Fiberskyn, a coated emperor, or another powerstroke 3. I'm definitely going with a white resonant though. Haven't heard much about the fiberskyn being used as a reso (or it being used at all) , but I love the look of it! Any one here use it? Does it sound good?

I use a Fiberskyn on my Renown as a reso and it sounds fantastic.

I believe the P3 Fibreskyn is just a power stroke 3 with the Fiberskyn finish instead of the normal coated finish.
 
I use a Fiberskyn on my Renown as a reso and it sounds fantastic.

I believe the P3 Fibreskyn is just a power stroke 3 with the Fiberskyn finish instead of the normal coated finish.

Ok, that's good to know. Yeah, my next question would've been about the different styles. I know there's an ambassador, a diplomat, and a powerstroke version, and I was either going to go with the powerstroke or the ambassador.
 
Sorry guys, I've been pretty low on money lately so i don't have my heads yet, I basically have a pile of hardware waiting to be put on. It's really making me mad that I have to wait at least 2 weeks till I can go get heads and finish this fun project. Pics will be up as soon as possible. Still gotta figure out what heads I want as well. I think I'm going to go with either coated emperors or coated ambassadors for batters, and clear ambassadors for resos. Then an emperor x on the snare with a hazy ambassador for the snare side. Thoughts? I'm going for a warmer sound.
 
Reminds me of my first set I got in college, was a mismatched set in pieces that I got for $20. The wraps were basically just taped on there. I pulled them off, stained the shells in black, and applied some poly. Great kit for a while, I think I ended up donating it to a church.

As for heads I'd say Coated Emps over Amb.
 
Sorry guys, I've been pretty low on money lately so i don't have my heads yet, I basically have a pile of hardware waiting to be put on. It's really making me mad that I have to wait at least 2 weeks till I can go get heads and finish this fun project. Pics will be up as soon as possible. Still gotta figure out what heads I want as well. I think I'm going to go with either coated emperors or coated ambassadors for batters, and clear ambassadors for resos. Then an emperor x on the snare with a hazy ambassador for the snare side. Thoughts? I'm going for a warmer sound.

I think coated Emperors (or G2s or whatever) would go pretty well as long as you aren't opposed to spending a while tuning since these drums may have some iffy bearing edges. Everything else sounds good- an Emperor X will get you a pretty thick sound, though you may lose some sensitivity & low volume response.
 
Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates, just had my 18th birthday party today, so I got some guitar center gift cards and cash. Will get some heads and maybe even some new cymbals ordered later tonight after homecoming. Hopefully I'll get everything soon so I can finish this up and get some nice pics uploaded!
 
Alright so I was finally able to order everything I need, plus some new cymbals (well, new to me, got them used from guitar center for pretty good prices). Decided to go with vintage emperors for Tom batters, a coated emperor snare batter, and clear ambassador resos, with a hazy snare side. I did go for the powerstroke 3 fiberskyn for the kick reso. I was able to snag a straight cymbal stand for only $10. For my cymbals I picked up a pair of 13" Zildjian K/Z hats for $130, a 20" Zildjian A medium ride for $60, and a Zildjian 18" A medium crash for $80. I'm also going to use the 16" Zildjian A Custom fast crash that I already have. Should be here by Friday or next Monday. Will get pics up as soon as possible.
 
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Ok everyone I'm sorry the long delay, but this is finally finished! Got all my cymbals in the mail yesterday, they were all pretty dirty, so I took some groove juice to them, and they almost shine like new lol. Got the heads all tuned up. Love the sound of the K/Z hi hats. So anyway, after almost a month, this kit went from crappy garage kit to a gig ready kit.

If the pictures post in the correct order, then the first pic should be the original picture from craigslist. Not pictured is the 8x12 tom that I will either not use much, or switch in to take the place of the 9x13 tom that's mounted at the moment.

Now I know it doesn't look like a $1000 set or anything, but I think for $40, I got way more than my moneys worth. I personally love the look of it, and am very proud of myself haha. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy, if you have any comments or questions I'd be happy to answer!
 

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In that lighting they almost look like Cordovan or what is some times called Ox Blood. Nice hue.
 
In the first four pictures you say you put on a few coats and let it dry for 48 hours. Most stains I have used suggest you wipe them off before they dry. How did you get rid of those big sweeping swipe marks to get to look smooth
 
In the first four pictures you say you put on a few coats and let it dry for 48 hours. Most stains I have used suggest you wipe them off before they dry. How did you get rid of those big sweeping swipe marks to get to look smooth

If I understand him correctly, he mixed the stain with the polyurethane, maybe so that he would have more control over the final color as opposed to actually staining the wood.

To the OP; I think they turned out really nice. If you ever do this again I would suggest finishing the shells all the way up to the bearing edge. A lot of wraps are a little bit away so that they don't interfere with the head's collar, but with a stain/lacquer/poly finish it won't hurt to go all the way and it might look better up close. Also that bubbling stuff that happened on your floor tom is usually from brushing and might be removable with steel wool. It's best to do that a little between each coat (if you're letting each coat dry completely before the next). Also it looks like you might be using a satin finish poly. Gloss is a bit more forgiving for getting an even finish. Some wet sanding, buffing and carnauba wax can do a whole lot.

Congrats on a good-looking new kit (for cheap!)
 
TMac29, very nice job. That's a sweet looking kit you've got there. I'd say with price and workmanship you've done yourself proud. Enjoy those drums (by the way, I have a sentimental soft spot for Rogers drums).
 
Thank you everybody! The stain I used was a Minwax PolyShades: Mission Oak, in a satin finish. It dried really quick so I was able to get 2 coats on fairly quickly since you don't have to wipe it off.

After some time tuning them I got them to sound pretty good! The 14x22 kick is nice and thumpy, and this was the first kick that I could get to sound really good without any dampening inside.

I'm also thinking about buying some pearl internal dampeners from guitar center. They're only $5 a piece and seem really easy to install (other than having to re-tune after i put them on. I want these to I can take the moon-gel and dampening rings off and have a clean look. Any thoughts on internal dampening?
 
Also, not that'd I'd sell this kit, for now it holds a special place in my heart, but I found a pdp kit on Craigslist for only $75, it comes with a 5 pc kit, throne, cymbal stand, hi hat stand and cheap cymbals. If u were to buy that, and refinish it, do you think I'd be able to make a profit selling it? I'm asking because I don't know if refinished kits sell for anything worth it.
 
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