Pretty or Cool

W

Whitedrummer

Guest
I've been thinking about this for a while now. Having owned several modern kits and several vintage kits in my drumming lifetime, I've realized that both have a distinct voice and pleasureable sound. I can pretty much get any modern or vintage kit to sound good, so I started thinking why do I prefer vintage kits over modern ones and it dawned on me, it's pretty vs. cool.
I look at most modern drums as being pretty, you know with these fancy finishes that make them look like something you'd buy at a furniture store. On the other hand vintage kits,(although there were some laquer finishes), were mainly wraps. You had your sparkles, glitters, pearls, onyx, satins, or solids, and some might say they were pretty, but I say they just look cooler than modern kits. Plus the fact that a nice vintage kit will retain it's value and even go up, but you know what they say when you buy a new kit, it goes down in value as soon as you walk out the door, even the mighty DW. I've made a New Years resolution to never buy a modern kit again, to never spend $2,000 on a pretty new kit, only to get tired of it and wind up losing money selling it, when I can buy a cooler vintage kit and make money if I decide to sell.

Pretty new one.
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Cooler vintage one.
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I think vintage kits get more character over time. The tone of the wood as it ages becomes more distinctive, like a good wine.
 
Last time I bought a "new" kit, I held onto it for 25+ years....then sold it for more than I paid. Them days are gone. Now, yeah, "vintage" kits talk to me way more. My Rogers/Ludwigs will probably last me 'til my grave.
 
I would hope that my 1 1/2 year old Gretsch Renowns will someday be Vintage. Right now though they are very pretty.
 
Well, if you buy a newer kit slightly used, you don't have to worry about the "relocation depreciation" (value going down once it's off the lot). BTW, that's one thing I never understood. Most people here in the states finance their vehicles. Once they drive it off the lot, it's worth less (seeing that it's "used" now, and no one in their right mind would pay them full price for it), but once they make their first interest-yielding payment, they're actually paying more than what they actually paid for it. A $10,000 dollar car can quickly turn into a $5,000 car that they paid $15,000 for. Man, what a waste of money!

Buy used! Drums, cymbals, cars, furniture, clothes...it makes financial sense.
 
As far as wraps go, the Ludwig Blue Oyster is my alltime favorite. Silver Sparkle and white pearl are also beautiful finishes.

I remember when I was 15 in the early 70's oogling over a Ludwig Blue Pearl set at a local music store that I could not afford. I never did get that kit and ultimately ended up with a Rogers champaign sparkle kit and then a Ludwig red visalite. If I saw a nice blue pearl set today, I would be very tempted. But other than that, I probably like the sound of Catalina Maples as well as any Ludwig or Rodgers set I had "back in the day".
 
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