Gretsch Round Badge Maple

harryconway

Platinum Member
Maybe it's not gonna be the last drum set I buy ... but it's certainly the last drum set I'll ever need to buy. A 22" kick I would have preferred, but I can always buy, swap, make, get, etc .... one of those later​
Without further ado ... ladies and gentlemen ... my 20, 13, 16 GRBM's​
 

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Awww H.

I'll spare you the details.....but using my best "gentleman's speak."......It's fair to say that I've just soiled myself!!

They look fabulous. I'm green with envy....Luddy's AND a round badge?? A boy from Oz's wet dream!!!

What are your early thoughts? And are they dampeners on both batter and reso? Does it get any more Gucci than that? :)
 
Sweet set man. But I think you have the floor tom upside down.
Thanx. Yeah, I flip all my floors 180, gets 'em lower to the ground, and I still get to use the knurled part of the leg.​
What are your early thoughts? And are they dampeners on both batter and reso? Does it get any more Gucci than that? :)
Early thoughts .... these drums are primo .... already pulled the Jimmy Pratt out of the kick ... I never liked those so much. And yes, dampeners on both ends. Those I'll keep installed ... I think.​
The shells originally had a wrap on them (you can tell that from the tag). Who-ever did the re-finish did an excellent job. But I knew that going into the deal, so the landed price of $1540 .... well worth it. And since I've played and heard GRB's before, I knew what to expect there. So, no surprises. Just great drums. And in my fa-vo-rite finish.​
 
. And in my fa-vo-rite finish.​

For sure, mate. I don't think I've seen Gretsch drums that "natural" before. Most unwrapped GRB's I've ever been lucky enough to sight, have seemingly had that standard 'orange-ish' tinge.....a la Charlie's kit. I'm right there with you.....that natural maple is absolutely stunning.

Very exciting stuff H. Great looking kit. Enjoy immensely!!

Caddy.....just look at what can be done with a GRB......if you ever pull your finger out, of course!! :)
 

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Beautiful drums... How do they sound??

Also, what's that diamond/square plate on the rack tom for?

EDIT: Oh I see you have the rack on a seperate stand. So the plate is for mounting with bass drum?
 
...

Its just shades of blonde with you, Harry. A little peroxide here compared to your Luds.. ?

but I love em all.

I love the sizes but surprised you do.

...
 
Harry, (or anyone else) if you please, a little history of GRB's?

Like between what years were they made. The next model that replaced the RB's...what was the difference? What came before the RB's? Why are there no vent holes? Who made the RB shell? Why did they stop making them that way? Anything else I should know that I didn't ask?

Hope you don't mind all the Q's, I really don't know much about them.
 
And are they dampeners on both batter and reso? Does it get any more Gucci than that? :)

Yes those are the Gretsch dampners. I did not know the round badge line had these particulars ones, I thought they were newer. They are much like the old slingerland radio kings dampners except the Gretsch have a bigger foot print, rectangular felt plates. For my taste, they would be removed instantly, they do an awful job of muting, much like laying your hand onto the drum skin.

Beautiful kit Harry, old Gretsch shell were very well built. i pulled a vintage 4 1/2" snare shell out from under a pick up truck load of old hardware and music stands. The shell I believe was 1930's, it sprang back into round as soon as i pulled the weight of it and it made a great sounding snare.

2cxdvrm.jpg


That is it, black one on the right, as well as 60's Sonor Beech and Premier Birch
 
Harry, (or anyone else) if you please, a little history of GRB's?
I'll see what I can do for you ....​

Like between what years were they made.
I've seen round badge's going back to the 30's ... they ended in 1969.​
The next model that replaced the RB's...
The stop sign badge started in 1970...​
what was the difference?
To my knowledge, other than the badge shape, no change.​
What came before the RB's?
nothing...​
Why are there no vent holes?
Well, there is a vent hole, on the kick. But the toms ... part of that great Gretsch sound, I guess...​
Who made the RB shell?
As far as I know, Jasper was making shells for Gretsch.... the 3 ply shell was made up until about 1956 .... and then '57, '58 the 6 ply shell came into being.​
Yep, Floor tom is definitely upside down.
Post #4 addresses that issue ...​

Regardless, that is an amazing kit. Beautiful. I am extremely jealous.
thanx....​


...Its just shades of blonde with you, Harry. A little peroxide here compared to your Luds.. ?
Yeah, the Luddies are a tad darker, a little more "dishwater blonde ... and my Yamaha RC's, that "vintage" finish is quite a bit darker ... but it's all good ....​

but I love em all.
me too ....​

I love the sizes but surprised you do.
Well, a 22" kick, I would have prefered, but I wasn't about to let this kit go by me, just because of that ... I can always get a 22, and make it match .... that's the beauty of the GRB .... de-wrap it, and you have beautiful maple wood underneath ...​
 
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To my knowledge, other than the badge shape, no change.

There were a few changes. Air holes on all the drums. Mounting systems got rid of the rail thing and switch to the first generation of what we have now. The Stop Sign badges ushered in many innovations to the rack tom mounting. The bass drum spurs got more heavy duty. Also the Stop sign badges got rid of the cymbal stand attachment on the bass drum. If I had to guess, the Stop Sign Badges were exclusively 6 ply too.

Here are pictures of a typical 60s round badge and one of the earlier stop sign badges (69-70), because the tom arm still doesn't penetrate the bass drum.
 

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Thanks for that Harry...

What I don't understand is...

If the round badge shells are so sought after, and the stop sign badge is the same shell, why aren't the stop sign badge drums as sought after? Is it because the 3 ply shells are the coveted shells and the 6 ply shells aren't?
 
The first Gretsch badge is their most famous and revered: the Round Badge. It certainly came into use by the 1930s and lasted until 1970. Over those years, the imaging varied slightly on the RB. This is due to the fact that they were produced for Gretsch by at least two different outside sources, accounting for slight variations in tooling. During this period, Gretsch tom-toms had their badges nailed-on with upholstery tacks and even those varied from suppliers. Most snare badges were fitted with 3/8" brass eyelets, and some, like all bass badges, were pressure-fitted with 17/32" nickel-over-brass grommets. Badges for metal snare drums were usually fitted with 3/8" nickel-over-brass eyelets. By 1961, shortly after Gretsch's change from 3 to 6-ply shells, the internal orange/white labels started to appear. Pre-printed with That Great Gretsch Sound slogan, shell guarantee and serial number, the model numbers were usually hand-stamped in indigo or black ink at the factory. Unlike Gretsch's equally-famous guitar line, the drum serial numbers offer little clue to the actual dates of manufacture. However, here is a reasonably reliable dating-system for RB drums by serial number: four or less digits = early-'60s; five digits = mid-'60s, and six digits = late-'60s. (Late-'60s drums usually have internal hex-head shaped screws rather than the earlier round-head style.)
 
If the round badge shells are so sought after, and the stop sign badge is the same shell, why aren't the stop sign badge drums as sought after? Is it because the 3 ply shells are the coveted shells and the 6 ply shells aren't?
See .... there ya go ... 'causin' trouble again!​
I have no idea, really ... drum collectors are a funny breed. Hell, hardcore collectors of almost anything, are a little .... but the same kinda thing goes for Ludwig, with the Keystone badge ... Ludwig switched to the B/O badge way before the shell change to 6 ply ...yet the Keystone commands mo money ...​
Me, I'm a player, who just has a fondness for old drums ... and I've kinda struck a balance ... where I'm happy with re-finished, non-originals that look good and sound great.... and are affordable ...​
I've never even seen a 3 ply Gretsch shell ... so I have no way to compare the 3 ply to the 6 ply. I have heard that the 3 ply shell was more prone to de-lamination, and that may well be true, 'cause there sure don't seem to be many of 'em around...​
 
Thanks for that Harry...

What I don't understand is...

If the round badge shells are so sought after, and the stop sign badge is the same shell, why aren't the stop sign badge drums as sought after? Is it because the 3 ply shells are the coveted shells and the 6 ply shells aren't?

My guess: To collectors: Anything 60's > Anything 70's.

1960s were the golden age of rock-n-roll, when it all still brand new.
In jazz, Miles was king, the early days of fusion were forming.

Even most of the big 70's bands (Led Zep, Sabath, The Who) all were formed in the 60's.

People love a connection to the part of music history.
 
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