It doesn't seem the "candy" is as readily available as it once was.

The usual suspects ( Zildjian, Pearl, DW ) offer plenty of swag.

Tee's, Baseball caps, glasses, etc. but the cool doo-dad's and

freebies are usually now only found at the Trade shows.

Pens, lapel pins, one year Paiste had mini Swiss army knives

in all the colors of their Colorsound line!

How about a mini pair of Gretsch Phil Collins sticks? ( Which is kinda funny...)

Remember 8 x 10 glossies? Today you get a 4 x 6 baseball card.

Excepting the "Custom" shops like Dunnett, Noonan, Craviotto, et al

most of the majors are very similar in quality, features and construction.

Between the internet and sites like this, I don't know if there will be a

need for boxes and cabinets filled with the actual literature in the years

ahead.

My catalog collecting stopped in '94, but I'm still big on stickers and drumkeys...

I have wondered the same thing, about what we should be holding onto. The key to collecting is finding the things that weren't 'massed produced' because they really weren't that popular. A great example are the vintage Vistalite drums. I think it is the amber color (?) that people look for because no one bought them 30 years ago or so, and as a result they are 'rare'. This doesn't change the fact that they probably don't sound that great, it just means there aren't that many around. I am not picking on Vistalites or people who collect them, or even play them regularly...I'm just giving my views based on loose info that has been relayed to me.

A possible collector (because they didn't last long) might be something like the Pearl EXR or ELX model drums. These were the lines thought up maybe 4 years ago, that expanded the options you could get on a Pearl Export kit. DO they sound good? Not any better then any other Export drum, but they did some neat things with finishes, but they just didn't take with the public.

That's all I have...

Hey nailfoxx!

I think that is a good point... The BR Real Feel pads are an example, they stopped making them and are already going up in value!...

In regards to Vistalites, Amber was a popular color and used by John Bonham and that is why so many people are looking for that color. In regards to colors, any of the swirls and band colors are hard to find and in the solids, green and yellow would be the two most desirable colors.

It was stated that green was the worst selling color and production stopped for green... Green drum sets and snares do pop up on Ebay, and it lends to some people being skepticle that it was as limited production color as reported, but it could very well be the same drums coming up and changing hands after a few years....

Thanks

David

I think a lot of the "weird" drums will prosper in the future...Peavey RadialPro...Arbiter AT maples....so called "Free-Floating" drums...etc..

In essence, there was a time when certain builders really wanted to break the mold and try some "wild" ideas...but at the end of the day, drummers didn't accept the radical changes and, instead, wanted traditional designs. So traditional designs won out and all the "failed attempts" at innovation didn't survive the market. It's those drums that will resurface one day in the future and everyone will be going crazy for them.

Yes, sorry I was thinking orginially about yellow vistalites, not the amber...but yes green would be even a worse color, haha!

I could see the Peavey drums mentioned might become collectible, however Peavey is not now, nor ever was known for making drums the way Ludwig, Rogers, etc. were. But, I could be wrong only time will tell. I like Yamaha drums a lot, and they are terrific, but because the way they have set up there drum lines, I'm not so sure that a maker like Yamaha will ever have a collectible value to them. I saw their anniversary kit this year, which is very cool, but other than that...I'm not sure anyone will ever covet a 1994 Yamaha Maple Custom drum kit!

A thought I just had, was what really would signify a collectible kit? Let's say I come a across a locked room and inside was a set of drums made by, um..Nailfoxx Drum Co. (ahem). And next to this drum kit was a box with 3 years of catalogs that were 50 years old, talking about this company. We discover that this company was it's own start-up, meaning no other parent company affiliate, and that they only lasted 3 years in business. Let's say that these drums would rival or matched any drums made at the time by really any other widely known drum maker of its time, and also the drums are in pretty good condition. Given that NO ONE has this set of drums, and they were made quite well, would anyone want these drums? Would they have a collectible value? Maybe we should set some sort of collecting rule, to keep a fair market value on drums. For instance Mapex has been in business for 17 years, if they closed there doors today, would there line become more valuable? How about 25 years from today, will I be seeking Pro M, Saturn, or Orion drum kits from the late 90's and 2000's?

That's all I have...

Drums are very much mass produced these days and i dont see anything being really "collectible" in the near future.In the days when one mfgr. would do something innovative and the others ignored it,that product is likely now a collectible;the Dynasonic".Unfortunately our industry has reached way beyond saturation so it could be more likely 50 plus yrs to determine who really has the "i have to have it" product,because i dont think anyone can make that prediction these days.I know i wont be here to worry about it thoughKeep on Pl.................I should predict though that imo,all high quality well known wood shell drums will ALWAYS be sought after.All, or most of the other material used for drums will be common place,due to the lack of wood available.

I have to add this to this discussion. Vistalite drums sound awesome !

Any drum can sound good - as long as one knows how to tune the drums.

Sound and heads to use are in the eye of the beholder or behearer ! LOL

My .02 cents on future collectible drums. First, look at what the popular bands that have some staying power and what their drummer is playing.

Then, I would look at "Anniversary" kits... Gretsch, Mapex (yes Mapex... I believe the put out an Anniversary kit in 98, they rocked) Ludwig, Tama, Yamaha.

Color... don't assume the Pshyc Rec, Citrus Mod will happen again. It could, if the color is right but just not you and doesn't sell... that would be one.

Matching snare... have to have the matching snare!!!!

Sound.... If they sound phenomenal that doesn't mean collectible. Look at North and Staccato drums.... killer sounding, but a PITA like the egg shaped Trixon's...

With the market the way it is and drummers the way they are, I would suck up all the old Gretsch, Ludwig, Rogers, Camco, Slingerland I could as I think they will go back up (never like a guitar.... never could figure that out) look at the market on 200 year+ old violins and cellos etc., there hasn't been one for drums yet, but there will be.