Tama Bell Brass Due Diligence

mikec0502

New Member
New member here, I have a chance to purchase a re-issue Tama BB 14x6.5 40th anniversary. Supposedly it’s #17 of 50. $3,500
I’m solely looking at this as an investment, and will play it sparingly.

Thoughts?
 

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I'll admit that I'm not the best person to ask for financial advice, but I wouldn't buy a drum I wouldn't want to play.
 
I wouldn't buy it, simply because, as others have stated, instrument investment is extremely risky. Don't buy musical instruments to put in a glass case. And that's an awful lot of money for one snare drum.
 
Buying something just to clean and look at is pointless. You may die tomorrow and never see a return on your investment.
 
Those 40th anniversary reissue drums presented quite a conundrum for me. I had an opportunity to buy one of those Tama reissue rosewood snare drums with the square case and certificate of splendor, but I passed. I couldn’t imagine bringing one of 40 drums made in the world to a sticky, smelly bar where no one could care less about its sound. And if I couldn’t take the drum out on the town, I wouldn’t feel good about owning it.
 
Drums are a horrible financial investment. Way too much risk and a narrow resale buyer pool. Given that you don’t plan to play it much, go for a genuine financial product with lower risk.
 
Drums are a horrible financial investment. Way too much risk and a narrow resale buyer pool. Given that you don’t plan to play it much, go for a genuine financial product with lower risk.
Gold?
Bitcoin?
 
Drums are bad investments. I can't see anyone paying what you would need to make that a worthwhile investment. Buying at a high price point....you'll be lucky to get your money back in devalued dollars. Steer clear.
 
Drums are bad investments. I can't see anyone paying what you would need to make that a worthwhile investment. Buying at a high price point....you'll be lucky to get your money back in devalued dollars. Steer clear.
Drums can be a good investment, but only if you can buy them at a very low price and are reasonably certain you can get more if you sell them. In other words, the factors have to be in place to go that route.

If you can buy a mint Ludwig Acrolite for $50 at a yard sale, it's a foregone conclusion that you will probably get $200+ when you sell it, as long as it's kept all original and in great shape. That's just one example. The trick is, buy low, and only when you know it's worth more. The vintage and collectible drum market changes. Like vintage guitars, the blue chip collectibles in the drum world are the best bets: Gladstone snares, Slingerland Radio King snares and sets, Leedy and older Ludwig snares, Gretsch 3-ply Round Badge sets, vintage Rogers wood Dynasonic snares, rare vintage wrapped finish drums, celerity-owned drums. etc.

Buying drums at a high price to start with makes no sense at all in terms of investment.
 
Drums can be a good investment, but only if you can buy them at a very low price and are reasonably certain you can get more if you sell them. In other words, the factors have to be in place to go that route.

If you can buy a mint Ludwig Acrolite for $50 at a yard sale, it's a foregone conclusion that you will probably get $200+ when you sell it, as long as it's kept all original and in great shape. That's just one example. The trick is, buy low, and only when you know it's worth more. The vintage and collectible drum market changes. Like vintage guitars, the blue chip collectibles in the drum world are the best bets: Gladstone snares, Slingerland Radio King snares and sets, Leedy and older Ludwig snares, Gretsch 3-ply Round Badge sets, vintage Rogers wood Dynasonic snares, rare vintage wrapped finish drums, celerity-owned drums. etc.

Buying drums at a high price to start with makes no sense at all in terms of investment.
Dont forget to count in location too.

I can get Brady’s, Sonor’s, Craviotto, etc sometimes for a steal. Then count in shipping and taxes for the buyers, it ends up breaking even or even loosing money.
 
"You make your money off the buy." is a good rule of thumb. If you look to make money then don't pay retail.

Rare, desirable items HOLD value and some people buy to have an item for a while before reselling for a similar price, just to have had it.

Maybe someone can, or has already, started a registry for those drums? A chain of custody. A method to control fakes.

A factory Quadrajet 4 bbl carburetor for a certain car was over $3500 last I looked. People were buying whole cars with one to take and complete a better project.
 
I still personally think drums are an absolute abomination as an investment.

I think drums in someone's blue chip investment portfolio is really rare.
 
Well at least they don't go bad as wine does. I mean unless a gig in the pouring rain 😁
Wine investors make themselves believe that expensive wine can still be drunk after 60 years of age. Which is absolute nonsense but nobody checks it because it's too expensive to drink 🤣 Cheap wine goes bad and so does expensive wine eventually. It was a better wine to begin with, but it's not as if it contains more preservatives 😁 (Provoking deliberately)

I don't know much about investing. I know the money you make is the money you gain minus the money you spend. So you don't want to spend a lot. People do it because they think since the thing has taken so much value ALREADY, it will continue to do so. Which is less probable than it losing its value. Unless we believe each other's stories about the price going up further and further.

Each story has an end and not always a happy one.

Ouch so much wisdom I will stop here.
 
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