Gretsch orphans or new kit?

Red Menace

Platinum Member
My old thread on my planning for my next kit got deleted because of the havoc that those damn hackers wrought on out beloved Drummerworld so I am starting this again as I still have a few questions.

The background: I am planning, as I said, my next kit purchase. I have an odd sized it that I am trying to sell and purchase a nice, simple kit that I can use for most gigs. I want a 13, 16, 22 kit in classis sizes. Either wood or composite material and in some sort of sparkle wrap.

I have learned that the local Jammin Sams sells pre-cut wrap in the color I like and would be comfortable gluing it myself. I bet a 70's Ludwig with a damaged wrap or scratched finish would make a good candidate.

I also have a 13x10 Renown tom that I scored at a local shop, I was kicking around the idea of stripping the finish and finding a 16x16 ft and 22x14 bd to make a complete kit out of orphans. The trouble I'm having is that when Gretsch stuff comes up for sale as a one-off thing it is pretty pricey. Is there any suitable substitute for a Gretsch FT and BD? It seems that only the 60's/70's stuff came in a 14" depth for the bass drum and those are priced like collector's items on Ebay. Anywhere else I can look for orphaned Gretsch drums?

Appreciate any input anyone might have.
 
Looking at the path that you're taking.... Just find the 3 pieces that you like and BumWrap them. No need to strip the old finish or remove the old wrap.

Alternatively, scour craigslist for a complete set. Used Renowns kits typically can be gotten for 800-900. Most Renowns are 22/10/12/16. The 13RT typically was kitted with the 24"BD.
 
What's the total budget?
'Orphans' can be cheap, or damned expensive (like ebay), especially Gretsch. It is hit or miss on local used sites....so could be a long wait if you want all the same make/model. It took me a year to find/collect 3 Slingerland orphan drums at a 'reasonable' cost (total of about $300).

If you have a kit and doing this just for a lark, I'd wait it out. But if you're looking to get a kit ASAP in the most efficient inexpensive way, forget about orphans. I suggest buying a complete used set. Renowns are a great idea. There are plenty of used 13-16-22 kits out there. Good luck.
 
Thanks for the replies. I figure I'd like to keep the budget around 6 bills for the drums. The re-wrap, if I go that route, will run me about another 150-200 bills.

I am a little apprehensive of the prices for those used Gretsch components. I think I'd be happy if I could score the 16 and 22 for 3 bills but I really don't see that happening. At this point I am leaning towards selling the 13" and getting a 22, 16, 13 set in a different brand.
 
Why do the other drums have to be gretsch as well. I found a set of pearl masters shells (10x10, 14x14) and I had an old gretsch kit (12x8, 16x16, 22x16) with the 30° Bearing edge. So I got a friend to cut down the 10 in. and redo the bearing edges on the pearls to match, bought gretsch hardware for them, and got a different friend who paints cars, to paint all of it Mercedes Benz silver sparkle. I then sold the kit for 500 bucks more than I paid, labled as "custom kit"..........

OK I see your point why you want all gretsch shells. Maybe you don't want to do all this but now that I see this I already have this whole thing typed out soo.....
 
I actually have since traded the tom for a nice, thin set of older Zildjian hats that work beautifully for my low volume church gig and sold the odd-sized kit for a little cash plus a set of Rogers drums. I have stripped off the old, ugly black wrap and am looking into either having them wrapped or getting a local shop to paint them in a flake finish.

I know it will vary quite a bit depending on the shop and the location but does anyone know that I could expect to shell out for a paint job on a 3 piece kit? If I can get a nice large flake Champagne sparkle job for $200 or less then I would go that route instead of wrapping.
 
If you plan to gig with the kit I would definately go with the wrap. I'm guessing that the wrap will not only be more durable but it will probably be cheaper to do.
 
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