SYMBOLIC DEATH
Senior Member
My question is when does a kit become "vintage"? Is there a certain number of years old where a kit becomes "vintage," like a classic car, or is it like "classic" rock which means rock music from the 70's?
I pretty much agree with Not So Modern Drummer, in that a vintage drum is a drum that's 30 years old (or older) OR if it's a model that's no longer in production.My question is when does a kit become "vintage"?
When I think vintage drums, I think of cymbal designs and raw materials that have long since gone the way of the dodo in favor of highly specialized types with the usual types of metals we see nowadays, the days of Ludwig, Rogers and Slingerland being top dogs, cheesy budget drums like Mercury and CB700, etc.My question is when does a kit become "vintage"? Is there a certain number of years old where a kit becomes "vintage," like a classic car, or is it like "classic" rock which means rock music from the 70's?
What is it? You've probably elaborated elsewhere, but I can't recall.. . . and picked up a vintage Pearl kit in 2013.
It's a white, early 70s Wood/Fiberglass kit. When I got it, two rack toms were missing. I've got 16/18/24. It came with 8/10 concert toms also, but they arent Pearl. Eventually I will wrap and re-hardware it all to match the Midtown. I've also picked up a matching 12" tom, so when all is said and done it will be 10/12/13/16/18 with 16/24 kicks. I'd love to find a 20" kick for the 16/20/24 intervals.What is it? You've probably elaborated elsewhere, but I can't recall.
Okay, I remember the bird story now. I just couldn't recall the kit specifics. Sounds like a gem. Reconditioning it should be a fun project when you get around to it. You're a lot better at that stuff than I am.It's a white, early 70s Wood/Fiberglass kit. When I got it, two rack toms were missing. I've got 16/18/24. It came with 8/10 concert toms also, but they arent Pearl. Eventually I will wrap and re-hardware it all to match the Midtown. I've also picked up a matching 12" tom, so when all is said and done it will be 10/12/13/16/18 with 16/24 kicks. I'd love to find a 20" kick for the 16/20/24 intervals.
The 8" tom is out of round so I gave it to my wife's bird to bang on, which he does not.
This is all in the future because as of right now I dont have room for the 24" kick, let alone the rest of it.
I'm with you on pre-80, even though there was some overlap.My non-expert opinion:
When the 80's hit and power toms and solid colors became the standard, vintage drums fell out of favor with the general drumming population (GDP). Guys were painting over their sparkles and pearls. It was a travesty but you know, they looked old-fashioned at the time.
I think by the mid 90's things started to turn around and the sounds of the 60's and 70's came back with an appreciation for the look of the time. But drums still came standard with power toms though wood finishes were in fashion. Bass drums became cannons and toms started to shorten by the 2000's. But the look and sound of vintage drums was starting to become mainstream and desirable again by the GDP. This is probably when real vintage drums became the rage. So drum companies slowly started offering standard sizes and vintage wraps as a standard again. Now you can't spit without hitting a "vintage" re-issue brand new drum set. I couldn't be happier.
Please don't take the above scribbling too seriously.
Oh, and for what counts as vintage...pre 1980, man.
My Supraphonic could be a 79 or an 80 but I insist on referring to it as a 79!I'm with you on pre-80, even though there was some overlap.
I've found that the best way to collect awesome vintage gear is be there when it was going for cheap and the second best way is not to go for the high dollar stuff and try to find the beauty in the cheap stuff. Play up to its strengths and not its weaknesses, and I've learned it's same about drums now that I'm fixing up this set of cheapo CB700's that I was given 20 years ago. After playing sets today at the stores, I'm discovering that they're just different and not necessarily better or worse than anything else.so my first kit was my dads 1955 Ludwigs. i played on those from 1973ish until 1994 when I bought my Pearl Master Custom Maples. Because of being raised by him, I ALWAYS have had a reverence for vintage kits. I still play on and use his kit today - along with his Zildjians from back then. I "survived" the 80's and did not forego dads kit for the power tom, large kit madness...mostly b/c I could not afford to get a new kit, but I also did not really want one either
I remember studying old drum catalogs that dad had, and talking about what Krupa used, or Chick Webb, or Zutty Singleton...and how they helped establish the drum "industry" as we know it now...
the only things that kept me from being a vintage collector was being a poor, traveling musician until about 10 years ago...
My question is when does a kit become "vintage"? Is there a certain number of years old where a kit becomes "vintage," like a classic car, or is it like "classic" rock which means rock music from the 70's?
I pretty much agree with Not So Modern Drummer, in that a vintage drum is a drum that's 30 years old (or older) OR if it's a model that's no longer in production.
I've found that the best way to collect awesome vintage gear is be there when it was going for cheap and the second best way is not to go for the high dollar stuff and try to find the beauty in the cheap stuff. Play up to its strengths and not its weaknesses, and I've learned it's same about drums now that I'm fixing up this set of cheapo CB700's that I was given 20 years ago. After playing sets today at the stores, I'm discovering that they're just different and not necessarily better or worse than anything else.
BTW, where's the vintage Ludwig porn, bro? Snap to it!
That's awesome! Wish I still had my original shells. A little different than your dad's set. Black/gold Duco, single rods on the bass drum, hoops with hooks on the toms, and came with calfskin heads and a piece of calfskin on the bottom of the toms attached with thumbtacksI have always been a sports card collector, and this has always been my modus operandi in that world...also being there when it was new helped too (much of my cards are from the late 70's to mid 90's
here are the 2 best shots I have without digging through a ton of thumbdrives...
View attachment 110750
View attachment 110751
I the hardware in these pics is ot the original, but I still have all of it. I don't like to bring that stuff out on gigs. I also have the original Weathermaster plastic heads it came with, and the Speed King pedal
I use this kit with my jazz group and my rockabilly/country group as well
I grew up learning how to play to Rush; Styx;Kansas; Iron Maiden; Sabbath; Metallica etc on this kit...I had to get real creative with learning fills...but also was learning Jackson 5; Temptations; Gladys Knight; Dave Brubeck; Benny Goodman...dad had me playing all styles...soooo much mojo and history in this kit
I still use my pointy cheapo Kramer Focus with the Floyd and humbucker in the back...love it as an all around guitar.Funny how closely this all tracks with the guitar scene. In the '80s pointy headstocks and locking tremolos and rack mounted signal processors were the big things, similar to power toms and cage type setups for drums I guess. And of course the solid colors. Then in the '90s it started swinging hard toward vintage.
Funny how closely this all tracks with the guitar scene. In the '80s pointy headstocks and locking tremolos and rack mounted signal processors were the big things, similar to power toms and cage type setups for drums I guess. And of course the solid colors. Then in the '90s it started swinging hard toward vintage.