Where to find vintage drums?

sXeDanimalsXe

Senior Member
I am sure this has been brought up before, but had no luck with a quick search.
I am interested in doing a drum project, I think it would be cool to have a little 4 pc kit, and I want to have some fun with it. So I was thinking of finding a vintage kit that might need some work and fix it up.
Besides ebay, and pawn shops, anyone know of a good place to find vintage drums?
 
your local craigslist, especially if you post WTB vintage 4 pc drum set, or just check craigslist occassionally. good luck on your search, it is lots of fun trying to find that "special" kit
 
Ebay is still your best bet for buying single drums,that need a home.Its also cheaper to put together a vintage kit that way.I'm not in favor of buying a complete kit and hotrodding it.Single drums that are orphans are much better suited for this purpose.

I assume you're going to "customize"these drums?

Steve B
 
Like mentioned, ebay is great for orphaned drums and getting them piece by piece. I've seen some cool stuff on Goodwill.com too. Usually because it's large, it is only for local pick up on Goodwill.
 
I kind of wanted to get a 60's era ludwig of gretsch style kit. Just something small and fun. I am also kind of thinking of building a custom kit. Having a cool 20in kick with a 10 or 12 tom and a 14 floor would be a lot of fun.

Steve specializes in vintage Ludwig, Slingerland, and Gretsch. Check out his site.
 
Slingerland will probably be the most "affordable" ... they just don't go for the same money as Ludwig, Rogers, and Gretsch. But they will give you that same "vintage" type tone.​
You say $1280 is a bit much, but you don't mention what is your budget. Keep an eye on eBay. I landed a Rogers kit, for $243. A Premier kit came my way, for $970. A Yamaha Recording Custom set came in at $995. My Luddies cost me $1100. Nowhere will give you the selection eBay offers, but the more places you look, the better your chances of a score.​
Less than 1 minute on eBay ... and I found a Slingerland kit for $899 ... free shipping .... http://www.ebay.com/itm/60s-Slinger...aultDomain_0&hash=item5d31f6fe92#ht_851wt_942
 
+1 ebay

+1 vintage drum forum

+1 pawn shops

+1 craigslist

...It might take you a while to piece together a kit, or to find a cheap kit that needs some work. Keep searching and have fun with it. By all means, learn as much as you can along the way--it will help you hone your search.

I kind of wanted to get a 60's era ludwig of gretsch style kit. Just something small and fun. I am also kind of thinking of building a custom kit. Having a cool 20in kick with a 10 or 12 tom and a 14 floor would be a lot of fun.

I hope you're not getting your hopes up about finding a 10" tom from the 60s. Not gonna happen, unless you come across one of the ultra-rare 10" concert toms, in which case you'll have to do the unthinkable and drill it for lug casings for the bottom head. If I were you, I'd keep my eyes open for the orphan drums, put together a 12/14/20 kit, get a Keller 10" tom and put the vintage hardware on it to match. BAM!!! Instant awesome kit!

Good luck! Can't wait to see what you come up with!
 
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I hope you're not getting your hopes up about finding a 10" tom from the 60s. Not gonna happen, unless you come across one of the ultra-rare 10" concert toms, in which case you'll have to do the unthinkable and drill it for lug casings for the bottom head. If I were you, I'd keep my eyes open for the orphan drums, put together a 12/14/20 kit, get a Keller 10" tom and put the vintage hardware on it to match. BAM!!! Instant awesome kit!

Good luck! Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Good call, I am not sure why I said 10in. Even the custom idea I had was priced with a 12in.
I am not a big fan of 13in toms, I can never get them to tune the way I like, but with a vintage kit, it's probably a bit different than a 13in 7mm thin maple or birch tom.
Thanks for the links guys. Hopefully this won't fizzle out and I can do something really cool.
 
I am sure this has been brought up before, but had no luck with a quick search.
I am interested in doing a drum project, I think it would be cool to have a little 4 pc kit, and I want to have some fun with it. So I was thinking of finding a vintage kit that might need some work and fix it up.
Besides ebay, and pawn shops, anyone know of a good place to find vintage drums?

Steve Maxwell Drums. Just search it in Google. I am suprised you can't find tons of Mom and Pop drum shops selling vintage drums by just searching vintage drum in Google. I get multiple hits every time.

Andrew
 
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