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Since 1988, a treasure trove of info about vintage drums, custom drums & legendary drummers

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The first vintage & Custom Drum Magazine, since 1988

Not So Modern Drummer

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Database of Articles 11/13 to current

My 40th Anniversary with my Gretsch Set

May 29, 2023 Kurt Ekstrom
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You were all I thought about from the time I started taking drum lessons the year prior. When the time had come to get you, you were not at all what I had pictured in my head as my 12 year old mind was set on finding a nice shiny Ludwig set that would stand out. The choice that fateful day back in June of 1983 was between you and the Ludwig Tivoli lighted set of Vista-lite drums set up in the window of Looney Tunes music that was at the southern end of Main Street in Concord NH

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In Kurt Ekstrom, Vintage Drums, Gretsch Tags Gretsch, Gretsch USA Custom
7 Comments

From editor George Lawrence

October 30, 2022 George Lawrence

All my items I have listed on DrumSellers.com have been repriced with “or best offer”. This includes all snare drums, drum sets, cymbals of mine and of those consigned to me by Steve Johnson, Tom Boyle, John Dittrich, and Jason Cooper. Well over 300 cymbals, 50 snare drums and several drum sets. This

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In From Editor George Lawrence, Vintage Drums Tags ludwig, slingerland, DW, Rogers, Ayotte, Tama, Gretsch
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The Rare 1930s Gretsch Heavy Brass Shell Snare Drum

June 30, 2022 James Anzelone
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In the 1930s, Gretsch was in the early stages of developing their metal brass shell snare. These models started off with a center beaded shell that was one piece, seamless in design and plated nickel over brass. The very first models came equipped with six tubular lugs, single flanged hoops and an outsourced strainers from a major drum competitor. It is important to note that catalogs referencing these early 30s model snare drums are very rare and hard to come by. Most

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In James Anzelone, Vintage Drums, Gretsch Tags Gretsch, 1930s Gretsch Heavy Brass Shell Snare Drum
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Gretsch is looking for a home for an inventory of vintage 70s' Slingerland Timpani parts and pieces

September 7, 2021 George Lawrence
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The Gretsch company, which is headquartered in Pooler, GA, published a Request for Proposal to find a home for an inventory of vintage 70s' Slingerland Timpani parts and pieces

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In Vintage Drums, Industry News Tags Gretsch, Slingerland
1 Comment

Mid 1960s Gretsch Round Badge Drums without Silver Sealer

January 31, 2021 Rick Gier
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One of the many unexplained mysteries of vintage drums is the existence of vintage 1960s Gretsch Round Badge drums which lack the typical silver sealer interior paint. This was an era before clear drum heads, so few people saw the inside of their drums. However, Gretsch was marketing “The Great Gretsch Sound” and part of that sound was allegedly the silver sealer they applied to the interior of their drums starting in about 1954.

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In Repair & Restoration, Rick Gier, Vintage Drums, Gretsch Tags Gretsch, Gretsch Round Badge, Gretsch silver sealer
8 Comments

1960s Gretsch Progressive Jazz Set

July 29, 2020 Phil Wilson
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“I like the smaller bass drums, although I look better behind a larger one. It's all bout the look, you know. Ringo looked good behind a 20" bass drum, but Abe Laboriel Jr. would not look good behind a 20" bass drum.”

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In Phil Wilson, Vintage Drums, PWA1 Tags Gretsch progressive jazz, Gretsch, Phil Wilson
6 Comments

1960s Gretsch Rock and Roll Set

February 27, 2020 Phil Wilson
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Gretsch drums are some of my very favorite sets to collect and play. The first drum set I actually owned was a 1960s Gretsch kit. It was a beautiful Aqua Satin Flame double bass set. I have owned several Gretsch kits in my collection over the years and currently have a few beautiful Gretsch sets which I highly treasure

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In Phil Wilson, Vintage Drums Tags Gretsch, Gretsch round badge, gretsch rock and roll
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Update: New listings of drums, cymbals, etc. for sale at DrumSellers.com

October 29, 2019 George Lawrence

When you sign up for DrumSellers.com you can choose to get daily or weekly updates in your email. If you haven’t signed up as a user, here are some of the latest listings you’ve been missing. Good Stuff!

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In DrumSellers, Industry News Tags Paiste, Gretsch, Gretsch Brooklyn
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Announcing the opening of Brad Bilhorn’s Homestead Vintage Drums

October 27, 2019 George Lawrence
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Brad Bilhorn opens new vintage drum shop

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In Industry News, Vintage Drums Tags Brad Bilhorn, Ludwig, Rogers, Gretsch
1 Comment

The Story Behind the Creation of the Iconic Gretsch Drum Kit Logo

September 18, 2018 Ron Denny

Wendy Lubbers doesn’t know exactly how the now-famous Gretsch drum logo originated. But she speculates that Fred Jr.—knowing how creative her dad was, and seeing the many logos he had designed for local small businesses and schools—approached Bob about creating a new Gretsch drum logo. “My dad was as big-hearted as he was talented,” says Wendy. “He did a lot of free artwork and logos for his friends. I’m sure he jumped at the chance to work on something that was music related—especially for Uncle Fred and for Gretsch drums.”

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Tags Gretsch, Gretsch logo, Bob Lubber
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Everyone had a first set of drums... What was yours?

September 22, 2017 Kurt Ekstrom
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in the summer of 1982 my world changed when a group of kids that were 3-5 years older than me had a band and they played on the back of a trailer at the park. As I sat watching these guys play things I had never heard before like AC/DC, Aerosmith and Van Halen I was totally sucked in to each band member feeling connected to what was going on. I knew my small hands would never be comfortable with a guitar or bass and I also knew I would never have enough confidence to stand out front of a stage and sing. What really caught my attention were the drums! The drummer was only three years older than me and I will never forget seeing that 1973 maple cortex set of Ludwigs with the shiny hardware and hollow logo Zildjians. I wondered how this kid knew what to hit, where and when and how he knew how to make them sound the way they did.

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In Vintage Drums, Kurt Ekstrom Tags Ludwig, Gretsch
3 Comments

Reinventing the Wheel: Racks and Remote Hats From A Century Ago?

May 14, 2017 Chet Falzerano

So you think that state-of-the-art rack system you emptied your bank account for firmly puts you among the pinnacle of 22nd Century Drummers, right? After all, it is equipped with a remote cable Hi Hat, so it's the “Latest and Greatest.” Would you believe your great grandfather, the guy you got those drummin' genes from, beat you to the punch by nearly a hundred years?

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In Chet Falzerano, Vintage Drums, News, Legendary Drummers Tags Ludwig, Chet Falzerano, Gretsch, Chick Webb, Premier Drums, Electro Jazz, drum rack, Gretsch-Gladstone hi-hat pedal
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Gretsch Name Band Outfit in Tangerine Sparkle finish.

April 12, 2017 Mark Markowitz
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This is my very first Gretsch set and I finally own a kit made in NYC - Brooklyn, as a matter of fact, during the heyday of round badge Gretsch drum manufacturing. This is one of the most beautiful drum sets I have ever seen. The kit can look yellow, gold, red and orange depending on the lighting. I personally think it looks best in plain daylight.

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In Vintage Drums, Mark Markowitz Tags Gretsch, Tangerine Sparkle
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Fred Gretsch Receives Honorary Degree from Elmhurst College

June 3, 2016 George Lawrence

Fred Gretsch is flanked by Elmhurst College Interim President Larry Braskamp (left) and Music Department Chair Peter Griffin.

Fred Gretsch Receives Honarary Degree from Elmhurst College

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In Industry News Tags Gretsch, Fred Gretsch, Gretsch Drums, Elmhurst College
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The Gretsch Building Turns 100

April 30, 2016 Fred Gretsch

I sometimes wonder if the people currently living on what used to be the seventh floor of the Gretsch Building are aware of all the musical history that happened there (and all of the stars and legends that walked those floors when they visited the factory).

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In News, Vintage Drums Tags Gretsch, Fred Gretsch
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Dorado by Gretsch - Made in Japan

September 28, 2015 George Lawrence
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This was sent to me by my drum nerd buddy Jay in Knoxville TN. He is the administrator of the Facebook group "Knoxville Drummers Union". He goes by the code name Jay Options over there. I think he is hiding from someone. You have to know the secret password to join that group and they are a shifty bunch :-) . Dorado Drums were added to the Gretsch Dorado catalog in 1973. They were cheap Japanese stencil sets; imports and didn't hang around too long. That's about all I know about them. I would put that particular set of Jay's in the $200 category just because they are in good shape. If the floor tom and snare drum were there they might be worth $300 to $350  -  George Lawrence

Here is a quote from author Mike Jones about Dorado guitars. Some of this may be applicable to Dorado Drums.

" I love the Dorado myself and have the same model 12 string as you. I also have 2- Model 5985 solid-body electrics. They are extremely well made and very playable. I am including information about them in a chapter of my book "Gretsch's Lost Weekend; The Guitars of Booneville and The Hagner Musical Instrument Company, 1970-1981" I am not going to be devoting much to the acoustic models but here's what I can tell you.

The Dorado guitars were made by Matsumoko of Japan between 1971 and 1973. The most intersting thing is, other than minor cosmetic differences, Matsumoko made the exact same guitar for Epiphone, Aria, Conrad, Granada and Lyle, though less so, their acoustic guitars. The ones that were marketed by the other companies were manufactured between 1970 and 1976. The Headstock design seem to be the only real variable on all of the models. As to why they were distributed by Gretsch, there was a long standing rumor that the Dorado was imported by Gretsch/Baldwin to make up for the lack of inventory after the Booneville factory fire in January 1973 destroyed the Gretsch production facility. While a plausable theory, It doesn't work with the time line. It appears to be more of a deal worked out by Fred Gretsch (still on the Gretsch/Baldwin Board of Directors) and Bill Hagner to work with Japanese suppliers. Gene Haugh told me that the decision to import was made in the spring of 1972 by Baldwin and Fred Gretsch. The first catalogs with Gretsch's name appeared in the fall of the same year and offered only acoustic models. In the 1973 catalog they offered an electric 6 string solid-body as well as a solid-body 4 string bass. Your 12 string model was one of two 12 string models offered in the 1973 catalog. Interstingly they also offered drums that year. A little known fact that you might enjoy. Gene told me that Fred brought a Dorado acoustic to Booneville one day in early 1972. According to Gene, Fred had put some masking tape over the logo, came into Gene's office and asked him to try it out. Gene played around with it for a few minutes then Fred asked him how he thought it played and what he thought it was. Gene said it played great and thought it was a Gibson. Fred peeled the tape off to expose the Dorado logo and said "That's what I thought too. Were gonna start distributing these." Gene told me he didn't care much for the electric solid body model's finish but the acoustics were as good as anything anyone was making during those days. Dorado had 3 logos. Plain Gold screen in fat block letters, Gold silk screen normal block letters in 1971-72 and in 1973 they introduced a Stylish in-laid mother of pearl logo. Yours is a 1973. I'll see if I can find some acoustic pics of the Aria, Epiphone, Conrad, Lyle acoustics so you can see they are all the same. For now, here's how the Dorado solid-body electric compares with all the other Matsumoko solid-body electric guitars. I hope this helps.

Mike Jones

In Vintage Drums, From Editor George Lawrence Tags dorado, Dorado by Gretsch, Gretsch
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Jasper Wood - Gretsch's standard 6 ply shells and Centennial shells

September 7, 2015 admin
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The company Jasper Wood closed down in 2003.  Because they had been primarily an office-furniture manufacturer they were forced out of business by the importation of cheap products… we’re all guilty here!

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In Featured Articles, Vintage Drums, Reader Submissions Tags Gretsch, Jasper
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About the 150th anniversary sets

https://www.johncrockenpersimmondrumsticks.com/

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