When can you call a drum set or snare drum vintage?

[Dutch Drummer]

Dear fellow drummers,
Since I was patching up an old steel snare (bought it somewhere around 1988) I was wondering if I could call this snare a vintage snare. My gut feeling said 'yes' but thinking about the real age of it (about 37 years) I thought 'no'. But I was not sure wich was the right answer. So this is my question to you all:
When can you call a drum set or snare drum vintage?

 

[Chris Whitten]

In the world of antiques 'vintage' is over 40 years old. That seems like a decent benchmark for drums and cymbals too.

 

[IBitePrettyHard]

In the world of antiques 'vintage' is over 40 years old. That seems like a decent benchmark for drums and cymbals too.

Vehicles can get antique plates after only 25 years.

I think you may be able to call a snare or kit vintage between 25-30 years, possibly?

 

[Dutch Drummer]

In the world of antiques 'vintage' is over 40 years old. That seems like a decent benchmark for drums and cymbals too.

So my snare is about to be vintage in a few years

 

[JimmyM]

When I’m selling, it’s vintage. When I’m buying, it’s used.

 

[Dutch Drummer]

When I’m selling, it’s vintage. When I’m buying, it’s used.

I am laughing out loud, but I am sure it works for most of us that way

 

[PorkPieGuy]

Drums from the 80s are old.
Drums from the 70s and before are vintage.

Yes, I just made this up, but it makes the most sense to me.

 

[Dutch Drummer]

Drums from the 80s are old.
Drums from the 70s and before are vintage.

Yes, I just made this up, but it makes the most sense to me.

I am not diagreeing, but still I wonder why this makes sense to you?

 

[GetAgrippa]

Yeah I'd say maybe over 30 for some, over 40 for sure. I'm sure drums age but is it like wine-age to perfection? I know they say guitars wood age improves sound and I know many drummers believe vintage sounds better. But I wonder how much of that is a real objective sonic difference and how much is our biases showing? Personally I think drum shells are better now, and it's not just the hardware has improved. Of course that's a subjective opinion and I fell in my own dang rabbit hole.

 

[Adios]

When it's older than ME!

 

[Chris Whitten]

I am not diagreeing, but still I wonder why this makes sense to you?

Answering for myself.....
It's all subjective, nothing hard and fast. As I was a student in the 70's and a professional musician in the 80's, the 70's feels more 'vintage' than the 80's to me.
Also, taking the loose definition from the world of antique fairs etc, anything pre-1983 would be 'vintage'.

 

[PorkPieGuy]

I am not diagreeing, but still I wonder why this makes sense to you?

Not really sure. I think it has something to do with the 3-ply thing.

 

[Dutch Drummer]

Answering for myself.....
It's all subjective, nothing hard and fast. As I was a student in the 70's and a professional musician in the 80's, the 70's feels more 'vintage' than the 80's to me.
Also, taking the loose definition from the world of antique fairs etc, anything pre-1983 would be 'vintage'.

And do you 'believe' drums get better when they age?

 

[DutchDrummersDreams]

It also depends how rare something is if im not mistaken.

Not just age.

And in the last 30 years a lot has come from larger assambly lines, so with some exceptions a lot is just old and not vintage.

 

[jda]

There's two points to look at "vintage" from.

From the date we are in this moment.
And as a category in times "previous"

in the first there's an arbitrary agreed upon number- like 20 years- 22 years etc. from the present moment.
In the other it's an agreed upon time frame i.e. Primitive -1899-1920 /Vintage- 1929-1959/ Modern 1960-1975/ Post-Modern etc etc

In other words (loose example) you may be able to get "antique" plates for your 1989 Impala SS but at Pebble Beach that car will be in the "Modern" or post-modern category.. (loose example)

 

[jda]

And do you 'believe' drums get better when they age?

or cymbals; no
methods of - and materials of production -possibly not available or practiced today; is what leads to - that value- judgement at times.

 

[PorkPieGuy]

And do you 'believe' drums get better when they age?

I do. There's something about wood instruments where they have to decide that they are going to stop being a tree and start being a drum (or a guitar, or violin, etc.). It has to do with them drying out and getting harder which takes time, especially with something made of plies.

 

[harryconway]

When can you call a drum set or snare drum vintage?

It's really kind of a sliding scale. The newer the drum you're calling "vintage", the more push-back you're gonna get.

I used the google machine ..... and found one answer to say "anything before the mid-90's". So, you're in the clear by THIS definition ..... but maybe not everyone's definition.

 

[caddywumpus]

There is no clear established delineation between what is vintage or not. It’s a term that people use to their own benefit.

Some people believe in a sliding deadline, like 25 years, or 30 years, or whatever, where on one day your kit isn’t vintage, but somehow, the next day, something magical happens and *poof!* your kit is suddenly “vintage.” It somehow justifies trying to sell that 1987 Pearl Export for more money.

Some people believe that vintage is an older drum set made with certain manufacturing techniques, from “the good ol’ days” (3-ply drums w/re-rings, Jasper shells, horizontally-seamed metals snares, etc…). “They don’t make ‘em like THIS anymore.” “The wood is tight grained from old growth forests and has aged well.” “You can really see the craftsmanship.”

Vintage is a term originally used to describe things of quality, particularly wine, as “of a certain year” that makes it desirable, but there is no cutoff. “This wine is of a 2015 vintage, from this country, from this grove, yada yada yada…” So, I lean more towards that definition, although, the drums of distinguished quality, to me, are typically of the mid-70s and before. But, I have referred to high end 80s Tamas and Yamahas as “vintage” without batting an eye, so…

 

[Otto]

When you are trying to sell it, its vintage.

When you are trying to buy it, its old.