Vintage shells

rogue_drummer

Gold Member
I have an opportunity to buy some used shells, but I'm not at all sure what make or brand these are. They are vintage, but these have no badges and no markings on the inside of the shell. The only thing that makes these shells attractive to buy (and refurbish) are the reinforcement rings on the bass drum and snare drum. The bass drum has a reinforcement ring in the middle and one on each end. The snare has reinforcement rings at either end.

I wanted to begin to make / refurbish drums and these are priced so cheaply that these would be a low-cost way to start and practice recovering, or painting them,etc. But if these are vintage Ludwig, Slingerland, Gretsch, or other "name-brand" drums, I don't want to jack up the shells.

I'm not aware of any knockoff Japanese brands in the 60's or 70's that put reinforcement rings in the shells, but I could be wrong.

I'm not looking for exactness here, but someplace in the ball park of what brand these shells may be. I have no pictures to share, but am wondering if anyone knows if or when Ludwig, Slingerland, Gretsch, Kent, or Premier, etc. put reinforcement rings in their shells. And the owner doesn't have a clue, so I'm sort of throwing this question out there to this fine drumming community. I know this is pretty vague, but ANY info at all is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
 
One way to tell is if the shell is made from luan or maple or (good) mahogany. If it's made from luan, then it's probably an import.

By the way, the only kits I've seen with reinforcing rings in the middle of the bass drum shell are imported kits, and the wood was definitely luan. They sounded nice, though.
 
Mid-shell reinforcement rings almost always indicate a Japanese "cheesewood" drum shell. Now, whether it will sound good or not, you'll only know that after putting the drum together. Ludwig stopped using the reinforcement ring in 1976. Rogers, in 1979. Gretsch, I've never seen a Gretsch shell with one. Unless you have all the parts already, I'd pass on this deal.
 
Thank you everyone for the good information. I've decided to pass on this opportunity. The owner didn't know anything and couldn't answer more of my questions. Thanks again!

David
 
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