Recommendations for a vintage RB Gretsch Rehab

Neal Pert

Neal Pert

Silver Member
I bought this Gretsch kit a few months ago that's fantastic sonically. But some part of me wants to get it refurbished to make it look all nice- maybe a rewrap (note: the current wrap is old but not original) or paint job or whatever plus getting the whole kit up to spec. Do you from personal experience know any people-- especially people in New York State-- who do this kind of work really well?

I'm not sure if I'm going to do this, and a lot of people would be angry to hear that I'm thinking of re-wrapping a kit that has about five decades of pure mojo accumulated on it. But I like the idea of having a nice, clean RB kit so I'm thinking about it.
 
What finish wrap does it have on currently?
I love the vintage gretsch stuff!
 
question I'd want to know:

do the three drums have post-68 Hex head or pre-68 Round head screws holding the lugs.
I fear Hex head (removal refitting, threading back apprehension) earlier Round head (taking on/off) are a breeze.
side inquiry: sticker with serial number in any of the three? what are the numbers;
 
Last edited:
IBitePrettyHard said:
Post some pictures of it!

Precision Drum Company is in NY, you're so lucky! Everyone sends their drums there to have them worked on. I've heard nothing but great things about them.
Click to expand...
I concur; Precision Drum, upstate NY. They're a family operation, two brothers and their sister, George, Gary and Andrea, who are totally honest, have integrity and do great work. They're not cheap, but you can count on them to get the work done right. Their father started the business decades ago.
 
If you don't mind the possibility of minor flaws that only you will notice, it's not really that difficult to strip, sand, and paint drums. Go slow, multiple coats, sand in between if you feel so inclined but I never do. I have achieved some nice finishes with plain old rattle cans.

That said, precision drum is the way to go especially considering your proximity.
 
I've had Precision Drum re-cut bearing edges on a couple drum sets, cut down some power toms, and also build me a couple Keller shell toms, and all of their work has been flawless and their communication and customer service is top notch. I cannot recommend them highly enough if you need any work done on a drum set.

They've also seen an awful lot of drums and if you need advice on how to proceed with your own drums don't hesitate to ask them about what options would work best.
 
Winston_Wolf said:
I've had Precision Drum re-cut bearing edges on a couple drum sets, cut down some power toms, and also build me a couple Keller shell toms, and all of their work has been flawless and their communication and customer service is top notch. I cannot recommend them highly enough if you need any work done on a drum set.

They've also seen an awful lot of drums and if you need advice on how to proceed with your own drums don't hesitate to ask them about what options would work best.
Click to expand...
I've never heard anything bad about precision drums and I used them for a small project many years ago with great success.

If you do go the diy route and need any parts I and many here have nothing but great things to say about drum factory direct as well.
 
You could consider restoring the natural maple shells. They used old growth maple on those old Round Badges. I stripped and restored a Round Badge kit about 12 years ago. I considered rewrapping, but when I saw the wood grain underneath (quilted maple), I decided against the rewrap. Also, Round Badge shells are oversized, so typical heads go on quite snug on the bare shells, let alone how difficult it is to put them on wrapped shells!

Here’s a thread about my restoration project:

Caddy's Gretsch Round Badge kit!

Finally, after long last, the restoration process is finished. I'm just waiting on new heads right now, but I thought I'd share the story, in pictures, with you guys. Enjoy the pics! 1. rack tom, painted a very, very thick blue... 2. rack tom, with hardware removed. You can see how the...
www.drummerworld.com
 
thinking about the Head and RB thing. Gretsch didn't change Remo widened
Old Gretsch heads I've a few kept around had narrower channel
(so Classic Fit is Remo returning to what was what was 😁
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top