Restored a tarnished/crusty Gretsch Renown Maple

JosephDAqui

Silver Member
I found a bargain on eBay, or at least I thought so - Gretsch Renown Maple in Autumn Burst (8, 10,12, 14 floor tom and 22 BD) - the seller said all the hardware was very tarnished, and the mounts or floor tom legs were not included. Well, I got them for $380.00 USD, 170.00 USD for shipping.

He wasnt kidding, all the hardware was BLACK or rusty and crusted - the hoops, lugs, floor tome mount plates, BD spurs and etc. The tension rods had to be thrown away. However, the shells were in good condtion, no warping, not much cosmetic issues. I could tell they were from a beach house or something to that effect, not submerged in water though, just sea air I guess.

So, I spent 2 weeks doing a 3 step process after taking everything apart- 1) scrubbing all the hardware with Barkeeper's friend, 2) hand sanding each part with medium and fine emery cloth, and 3) Applying metal polish to every part right after. I lightly sanded the edges with extra fine sandpaper, cleaned and polished the shells, installed Yamaha YESS mounts on all the toms, put it together and voila. Besides what I paid above, I invested another $150 for the mounts, t-rods (all new), floor tom legs and a few heads. Not bad, saved a nice bit of change, plus I don't like the old GTS mounts, can't get your drums in close on a single tom stand.

The humility from the hard work to resurrect these guys and the tone/depth/projection of these drums, just made them sound all that much better. It makes one really appreciate his/her instrument.

Here's some pics: http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/album.php?albumid=1334

The hardware looks like brushed nickel after all the treatments - well, I did the best I could.
 
Good on ya, nice story. It sounds like they were exposed to heavy weather.

I think the tarnished or brush nickel look is fine and simply means they now have a 'story'....they returned from the dead. You are a drum superhero. I think its very satisfying to play a kit that has a story. Take pride.
 
They look great! I really like the brushed nickel look you've created. People pay extra for that you know.. : )

Very nice
 
I like the end result also. They sound great, look great, yes! We have a winner.
 
Good on ya, nice story. It sounds like they were exposed to heavy weather.

I think the tarnished or brush nickel look is fine and simply means they now have a 'story'....they returned from the dead. You are a drum superhero. I think its very satisfying to play a kit that has a story. Take pride.

Thanks man, that's exactly what I was thinking - this kit has a story, even though it's relatively young so it must have had a hard life :) Yup, I'm proud for sure, but I'm not liking the heads - Aquarian Super 2's (with the ring) deaden the 8 and 10 toms too much, probably going to go with clear emps - it's what I'm used to.
 
The humility from the hard work ....... makes one really appreciate his/her instrument.
I agree. I always feel a little more connected to the kits I put some labor/love into.​
 
You sanded your chrome? There was probably a way to clean it without sanding the chrome finish.
 
I agree. I always feel a little more connected to the kits I put some labor/love into.​

This is very true!
I had a kit that was badly mistreated, and not cared for properly at all.
I got her back in shape and now I actually feel bad for neglecting her like that for years.

errrr I mean it. Not her, it!

The Gretsch kit looks lovely, the finish is really nice on the hardware now!
 
You sanded your chrome? There was probably a way to clean it without sanding the chrome finish.

I wish. I tried every tarnish remover I could find as well as cleaners, and natural cleaners like pure lemon, baking soda, vinegar.

To remove the pitting, tarnish, that already eroded the chrome finish, I had to use steel wool in different grades and barkeeper's friend (that worked well) and the emery cloth actually made it smoother since I used a fine grade for the finish, I should post some of the before pics, they were really bad, I mean the stuff was crusted on there.
 
.... I should post some of the before pics, they were really bad, I mean the stuff was crusted on there

.


Ya - that'd be great. I'd like to see a pic of the rims before you started. There's a drum available locally that I'd like to get for the rims. Fairly cheap, but it has small, pitted bubbles in the chrome, and I know that means it's not just a surface defect, but would have to be taken all the way down.
Seeing your end result makes me think it could be done, and turn out well. They look really good.
 
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