Future 'Vintage' Drums

maybe this is hard to predict, but do you think there are any particular drums (kits or snares) that will be desirable in 30+ years like many of the current vintage stuff (60's/70's Supras and Acrolites, 60's Ludwig kits, Radio Kings, etc)? I also wonder how desirable these items will be in the future themselves. some gear from the 1920s is quite desirable still, so would a 100 year old Acrolite be a big deal some day?

personally I feel like the era for products having that cool 'vintage' appeal and the desirability for them will just never be the same (even for most things produced today- cars and such).
 
This is the golden age of drum manufacture.

I think in 50 years, the vintage stuff of the future will be way better than todays vintage stuff of the 70's and back.
 
I think drums that have a particularly unique construction are always going to be the ones that really stand out.

Looking at what's desirable now, it's the 1920s brass snares with the two-piece shells and folded/welded edges. Solid shell Radio Kings, Dynasonic snares, 3-ply Ludwigs... What has consistently risen to the top has been the things you can't really get anymore.

I think the modern drums that are more likely to rise to the top with collectors are going to be drums made of unique or exotic woods. We're already seeing several exotic tonewoods being restricted from use due to overlogging, and that's probably going to become more and more common. As sustainability increases in drum manufacture we're going to see fewer and fewer exotic tonewoods in use, throwing a spotlight on the drums incorporating them.
 
About two years ago I tried to find some used Yamaha Club Customs, and there were none anywhere. The search took about a year, and I had to buy from overseas. They sell used for what they used to sell new, or close to it. A few years into production, Yamaha closed down that factory, so the market isn't flooded with them. The finishes are hand-painted, textured, and very high quality -- easily the nicest lacquer finish I've ever encountered. The hardware and mounts are top-notch Yamaha stuff, they tune easily, and they sound excellent.

But they're only about 8 or 9 years old, so it'll be a while before they're considered vintage.

Sonor Hilites have a very good reputation, too. But the big tom arms sticking through the shells is a turn-off for me.
 
A few immediate first ballots I can mention by name:
DW timeless timbers, Tama Vikings, Pearl Reference Redlines, NC, Ayotte, Kep, and others I can’t think of, also boutique snares, limited material made kits will be sure fires. Owners of these renown instruments will create their own market and thus be very high.

Maybe second ballots will be less scarce materials and finishes such as colors, wraps, lacquers, matching snares of course would be in this category as it eyes the more liquid market.

Cymbals will be for me would be the hardest to gauge but maybe all these contemporary cymbal ‘smiths’ will be obsolete and still have a following?
 
I would think if there are a million DW Collectors and only 50,000 Pearl reference for example, the References would fetch the higher price. So for equal kits, the ones produced in the fewest numbers would likely be sold for more.

I think it's safe to say Craviottos, Bradys, Spizz cymbals would be coveted. I would like to think that Gurus belong in that category

There are so many boutique builders these days. It's never been this good for custom drums.
 
Am hoping my Pearl Masters "Redline" will fit into this category as it is one of only 5 to come into the UK & production numbers were extremely low :)
 
I think in 50 years, the vintage stuff of the future will be way better than todays vintage stuff of the 70's and back.

Heresy.

Yeah, I think some of the really desirable, yet still widely-known, stuff from nowadays will be REALLY desirable in the future, like Craviottos. But, I also think that the mass-produced drums, like DW Collectors, will still have an appeal, much like the vintage drums that were mass produced back in the 60s/70s do now.
 
In the future, any chrome plating will be thought of as vintage.

While shiny and durable, it comes with an extremely high cost to human society and ecology. I imagine it will likely be phased out in the near future in all but the most necessary cases.
 
I think high-end wood drums will be sought after in the future. It really depends on advancements that are made in drum manufacturing and materials. Once products are drastically altered, people pine for the old.
 
In the future, any chrome plating will be thought of as vintage.

While shiny and durable, it comes with an extremely high cost to human society and ecology. I imagine it will likely be phased out in the near future in all but the most necessary cases.

care to elaborate on this? genuinely curious. I saw an older supra on ebay a few days ago that the seller said was newly re-plated. I wondered how someone does that on their own and how expensive that even is. I did a quick google search, but didn't dive into it too far.
 
care to elaborate on this? genuinely curious. I saw an older supra on ebay a few days ago that the seller said was newly re-plated. I wondered how someone does that on their own and how expensive that even is. I did a quick google search, but didn't dive into it too far.

The two most common concerns have to do with the conditions under which it is mined and the disposal of electroplating solution.

I noticed a slew of newer products like the Tesla Model Y that have foregone all chrome plating, and expect that this is part of the trend that we will see into the next decade.
 
In the future, any chrome plating will be thought of as vintage.

While shiny and durable, it comes with an extremely high cost to human society and ecology. I imagine it will likely be phased out in the near future in all but the most necessary cases.

I agree, but I've been seeing the signs this was happening "soon" for over 20 years now, and there's still an awful lot of chrome on drums. I'm at the point now that I won't be surprised when chrome gets phased out, just surprised it took as long is it did.
 
People have said that Cow Farts helped to Greatly increase the effects of Global Warming, however while the World has been in lockdown the Worlds Cows have Farting Away Madly with no real affect .. Teslas might be Chromeless but I bet those Batteries are worse than Cow Farts..
 
I've noticed a little uptick in price in early Pork Pie USA drums. I don't know if people are getting what they are asking, but I commonly see kits from the late 1990's at premium prices.



Because of this, I have refused to drill holes for traditional floor tom legs into my suspended floor toms. Instead, I put up with the God-awful cradles/baskets for my floor toms, but I don't want to hurt the value of the floor toms. Here's a pic of my kit circa 1998 (14" floor tom not pictured).

98205624_3434610863233917_6862342898365497344_n.jpg
 
Any drum that survives for 60 years will be sought after by someone. Heck Spongebob kits might even fetch a hefty shekel in 2080. The real special drums now will be even more special later. That's my prediction.

I think any drum sound will improve as the shell dries out and loses weight. To me that's the real upside of old drums.

Which makes me want to slow bake my drums. That might be the next big marketing thing, dried out shells.

John G are you paying attention lol?
 
I've noticed a little uptick in price in early Pork Pie USA drums. I don't know if people are getting what they are asking, but I commonly see kits from the late 1990's at premium prices.



Because of this, I have refused to drill holes for traditional floor tom legs into my suspended floor toms. Instead, I put up with the God-awful cradles/baskets for my floor toms, but I don't want to hurt the value of the floor toms. Here's a pic of my kit circa 1998 (14" floor tom not pictured).

98205624_3434610863233917_6862342898365497344_n.jpg
I wouldn't be surprised if the Pork Pie USA drums have gone up in price. But.....since the Coronavirus lockdown, the drum market has pretty much crashed. There are tons of drums being put up on Reverb every day, but very few are being sold.
 
Maybe Premier drums? They're pretty much off the market now and maybe in a decade or 2 people will get into 'that company that went from stardom to the gutter'. Hmmm... would say the same thing about Remo drums. I see them pop up on used sites a couple of times a year and still fetch a nice price for them.
 
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