OK, that's it. As I said, some of the stuff can use some cleaning up, including the cymbals.

I don't think anything's really damaged, in terms of big dents or chips or anything (other than the aforementioned broken snares) though when I look at the closeup of the Gretsch, it looks like the upper rim (is that what it's called?) might be deformed, but I don't remember that being the case. I'll take another look at it tomorrow.

The Rogers....... is a Chrome over Brass 5x14 Dynasonic, 1974-75, early transition drum, within the last 2000 or so Oval Badge Dynasonics. It appears complete. In condition as shown, 150 would be a lot. Cleaned, properly, and on a good day, you might see 250-350 for the drum. That is...........IF it cleans up, IF it is not damaged, and IF it is in great condition. As is.......its a risk at 150.

It should clean up well. Thanks for your post. I don't think any of the hardware, lugs, etc. are oxidized at all. I think one or two of the little snare things that go across the bottom might be snapped, but other than that I didn't see any dings or dents, just some very superficial surface scratchs. I'll try to get more pics of it.

Is there anything I should be aware of if I attempt to clean these up a little? Just to get the dust off, etc? I'm assuming I could do some damage if I don't use the right type of cleaner.

I would advise careful and complete disassembly, with a good soak in a mild solution of dawn soap. Do not rub anything. Get it soaked up, and then, using only 100% soft cotton baby diapers, gently, very gently, give it a wipe down, frequently turning your cloth to a new area. Rinse with water. Get the shell clean, and dry with..... again, the cotton baby diapers. Repeat process for all the parts, except the Throwoff, frame and snares. The Throw Off may need complete disassembly, and cleaning as described above, reassembled and greased with the proper lubricant. The snares can be romoved from the frame, and that can be cleaned the same way.

Do pay careful attention during reassembly and DO NOT over tighten the Lug retaining screws.

Some people like to use various polishes on chrome, but ..... polish usually means abraisive, and .... well accidents do happen.

No matter what anyone tells you, under no condition do you use steel wool of ANY grade, EVER, NEVER NEVER NEVER forever never......on a COB Dynasonic.

That's a little more detailing than I'm willing to do! :D I'll leave the deep cleaning to an expert. I'm afraid if I disassemble it, I might break something, lose something, or forget how to put it back together.

It sounds like if I use a soft cotton cloth and some mild detergent, I can clean off the surface dust without too much trouble and maybe run a q-tip or two into some of the nooks and crannies to remove any dust. Don't worry, I won't use any steel wool!

I really, really appreciate your response, though. Thank you so much. :)

As dirty as that drum is.............. I would not recommend any other cleaning except a complete disassembly, total very careful cleaning, and ultimate detailing. The thing I would be afraid of is this........... once you have cleaned..... the space between the lugs is not that large, the amount of grim you will pick up once it is concentrated in the smaller space your finger tips will make on whatever rag you are using, essentially becomes a fine sand paper itself, and will show evidence of the "cleaning" in the finished drum.

You will be able to see the rubbing outline in the square of each panel between lugs.

I wouldnt do anything else. Total cleaning.

[COLOR="DarkRed"]One of those choices. I was gonna say, sure wipe it down a bit with just a mild household detergent and soft, non-teri cloth.

But, then again, you wouldn't be able to get all of the dirt off and it would conglomerate near the seams of the lugs.

So...it kinda becomes a question of leaving it as is, maybe just cloth-ing it w/ no cleaner, and get a bit less for it (I think even if dirty and in current condition... folks would jump all over that snare for $150 if you Craigslisted it...I would advertise it as-is at $175, IMHO) or try to maximize the sale but disassemble the drum and clean thoroughly; resulting in maybe another $100 on the sale. Your call.

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As an update, I went and picked everything up tonight. The Rogers, I would say, is in better condition than the Gretsch, but they're both in decent shape. I'm going to take a crack and cleaning them up, just because I think it might be a fun challenge.

Once I get everything cleaned up and ready to go, I'll post more/better pics as well as a new thread in the "For Sale" forum. Give me a week or two to get everything ready.

Both of them have some tiny, tiny rust spots around the rims. Any advice on cleaning those off, or is the best thing to just not worry about them?

First get them clean.

Then, use one of the Mothers brand chrome polishes on the rims. And keep them out of wet environments. Thats what probably caused it in the first place. You cant undo rust, but you can hide it very effectively.

I've decided it will probably be best for me and for the future owner of the vintage snares if I just sell them as is. These really belong in the hands of a collector.

Accordingly, I've taken a lot more pictures and posted them in a thread on the for sale forums: http://www.vintagedrumforum.com/showthread.php?t=6646

Please check it out if you're interested.

I'm going to try to sell the Ludwig set and a few cymbals as a kit to someone locally, but I'll likely have a bunch of cymbals and stands left over after it's all said and done.