Sparkle vs Natural Finishes

i prefer sparkle finishes... for some reason i think that's what drums should look like... i think i would be afraid if my drums had a high end furniture finish that they would get scratched and that would make me mental
 
Sparkle on the drumkit. Wood finish on a fine concert snare drum.
 
I'm trying to collect a different color sparkle drum for a 5- or 6-piece kit I'm trying to put together. Once it's done it might look like a collection of jellybeans....

But I really like a sparkle finish that's part of a naturally finished shell. DW did this by spraying in sparkles into their lacquer finishes. Very subtle until the lights hit 'em!
 
I prefer natural finishes (and oiled not lacquered) because as much as I like the look of a lot of wraps, I just can't bring myself to wrap a shell in a heavy plastic that's got to deaden the shell.

I'll retell the story of the time I had a Tama Superstar kick drum from the mid '80s that sounded fantastic. But it was part of a Frankenstein kit so I had them all wrapped to match each other. That bass drum never sounded good again, and I swore I'd never wrap a drum again. That was 20 years ago and I've only had natural kits since.

Besides, there's something classic about seeing a wood grain through whatever color the shell was stained before it was sealed up.
 
I like them both, but I prefer lacquer finishes. I think musical instruments should be beautiful and I love a well done, mile deep "furniture" finish.

But I have a soft spot for a nice vintage sparkle or oyster finish. There's something classy about silver sparkle or white oyster I really like a lot.
 
Natural ................................ all the way.
 
I prefer natural finishes (and oiled not lacquered) because as much as I like the look of a lot of wraps, I just can't bring myself to wrap a shell in a heavy plastic that's got to deaden the shell...Besides, there's something classic about seeing a wood grain through whatever color the shell was stained before it was sealed up.

I couldn't agree more. I have lacquered drums and there is something about seeing the wood grain... It feels to me as if I'm more connected to the tree(s) that became the instrument and that deepens my appreciation.
 
Natural, oiled, for reasons previously stated, but I am partial to the look of a chrome kit under lights, although I wouldn't own one.

The workhorse kit; Ludwig COWs w/ May mics. they definitely look better the farther away from them you get, but they sound great. I upgraded the factory Iron Cobra driveshaft to an Axis; you wouldn't believe the difference.
 

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Red sparkle is my favourite finish of all time.
But I do have a soft spot for natural maple.
 
I like both....but I'm a nut for Sparkle finish.
The Nitro wrap on my new Custom USA Gretsch is something I've wanted for a long time and they are stunning.....Champagne Sparkle. I would love to own a Sparkle Lacquer finished drum. I think the ultimate finish - for me - would be a Tung Oil Sparkle or Glass Glitter in Green or Red.

Tung Oil is a natural finish.....none of the toxic chemicals involved in the process.

For example:
I have a Gretsch 60's snare drum that needed to be re-wrapped. I bought some beautiful Vintage (new Vintage style) Red Sparkle wrap and was excited about how the drum would look. But, under everything there was this beautifully figured maple wood. There is no way I could cover that. Ray Ayotte suggested Tung Oil. It is one of the nicest finished drums I have. I still have the Red Sparkle wrap...another project.

Ya...I love wraps AND natural finishes.....it all depends what it is.

The Dixieland snare with Tung Oil
 

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The workhorse kit; Ludwig COWs w/ May mics. they definitely look better the farther away from them you get, but they sound great. I upgraded the factory Iron Cobra driveshaft to an Axis; you wouldn't believe the difference.
Nice! Although I'm a wood fan to the core, nothing says "This is a rock band" more than a chrome kit.
 
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