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.
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.