I'm reluctantly selling this kit. I'll be as detailed as I can with my description, so please excuse the lenghty post!
What would this be worth?
History
Early 1970s Gretsch (I have't been able to confirm the year but I was told it was early 70s when buying. Possibly 1970-73 based on some info below). It's been kept in storage, out of light, for most of its life. Kit was purchased from the original owner in 1996... The original owner kept this kit mostly in storage. The second owner mostly kept it in storage too. I have only had it a few months. I believe the kit even has most of the original skins on (I'm missing the original snare skins, and one floor tom skin has a hole in it). The seller whom I bought it from tells me he was offered $2000AU (currently $1300USD) just for the snare, but he wouldn't seperate the kit. I wonder if there is something collectible about the snare, or if someone was just really keen for this particular snare.
Comes with original kick pedal, original Gretsch 1A sticks (still in original bag) and original Gretsch tuning key.
Wrap
Shells with Midnight Blue Pearl finish. The wrap is in almost perfect condition. I'm no expert but I can't see a scratch or blemish on it. The one issue with the wrap is it needs to be re-glued where its coming away from the metal on the bass drum hoops (it has possibly shrunk very slightly on the metal bass drum hoops, as it does not reach quite all the way around, but comes very close). I've just put the joins under bass drum claws, as I am not sure which glue to use.
Chrome
Again, I'm no expert, but from what I can tell the chrome in immaculate condition on all parts of the kit. The one issue is a small patch of rust/wear/damage to the metal hoop on the batter side of the kick drum, where the pedal has been used without protection (not be me!). I assume the chrome is die cast from what I've read about Gretschs. Its heavy duty, and heavy in weight.
I had to replace one missing bass drum leg, but found an exact match on ebay. The leg I bought with the kit has a single spike, the replacement has the spike, with two little rubber feet. At a guess, the original leg would have once had some similar rubber feet, as they can be screwed on and off.
The kick pedal had a little rust on it, I cleaned it up pretty well, but don't use it anyway as the action is not great.
I believe all the lugs are original, and mostly in very good condition. One screw on the 13" and 18" toms, and two on the 14" could do with replacing. They're not threaded, but don't have a smooth enough action for my liking.
The snare still has the original wires, and the throw off is perfect and looks great. The snare stand is a Premier Trilock, which looks very cool and is a pretty heavy duty stand.
Shells:
All drums have the Gretsch Gauranteed For Life sticker inside, with hand written green ink serial model numbers.
The kick drum has been modified with a premier rack tom mount. I think there are two extra (hidden) screw holes in the drum as a result of this, and perhaps they cut the wood to allow the tom mount to slide in and out the kick drum. I'm not sure what the wood is, I've read on another forum "The Stop sign models all used the same shell. Jasper combination gumwood/maple, six ply for the toms and eight for the kick. During the stop sign era (about '73) Gretsch changed the way they manufactured their bearing edges. They changed from a very rounded edge (called the pencilled edge) to the classic 30deg. edge still in use." I am pretty sure my bearing edges are pencilled edges, which might help clarify the era.
All the shells are in pretty great condition, with double muffles on all Toms, a single muffle on the snare (wooden snare), and a muffle strap within the kick drum. The wood inside is painted silver, with all the Gretsch badges and inlay label/stickers attached. The 14" rack has some small internal splits/chips around the wood where some of the lugs have been screwed in, and where the replacement tom mount has been affixed. These don't seem to cause any problem, and don't look like they've cracked or spread again since the factory or the mods where made in the 70s. The 14" rack also has a very minor space between the outer two plys in one or two places (which might need to be filled with the correct putty for longevity?)
Drum measurements:
Snare 14" x 6.5" (with hoops on)
Rack Tom 13" x 10" (hoops on)
Rack Tom 14" x 11.5" (hoops on)
Floor Tom 18" x 17" (hoops on - four legs!)
Bass Drum 22" x 14" (hoops off) (Hoops on: 16")
Model/Serials
Snare: Model: 4158. Serial: 39414
Rack Tom 13" Model: 4416. Serial: 39547
Rack Tom 14 Model: 4420. Serial: 39546
Floor Tom Model: 4419. Serial: 39474
Kick: Model: 4247. Serial: 39545
I can't think of anything else to add but the photos, which are at the following link: http://s566.photobucket.com/albums/ss110/demdrumbs/
If anyone has any questions, or would like more detailed photos let me know, these photos were taken by the second seller and are all I have at the moment. Thanks in advance for any feedback, valuation ideas, I look forward to hearing from you!
