No thats quite silly. Gotta love clueless people.....:p

That's Ivan. He's got a home business out here in Arkansas. His work is un-FREEKIN-believable. His prices match that. He's way overpriced. And, yes, his work is way way way more than you would expect. Good guy, though. I will say this...if you are looking for a Ludwig 60's kit in showroom from the factory condition, that's the place to go. Just expect to pay an obscene sum of money for it. He will adjust eventually and pull his prices down to a more reasonable level. Until then, this is what you see. I've always been curious as to why almost all the kits he sells are sky blue pearl. I found that odd. It's like all the black diamond pearl you see on ebay. It's just statistcally unrealistic.

Fishing for a high offer I suspect. Ebay can be the cheapest national advertising you can get. And if someone actually pays an obscene price, then he won't mind the fees.

No. He actually gets that much for his drums and such. He's sold a lot of kits for obscene amounts of money. Check his website out

http://www.arkansasdrumworks.com/

You can see a couple of kits he's sold. Let me assure you, they went for over two grand...some of them closer to three. He puts this stuff in absolute mint condition. I've never purchased one for personal reasons, but he is selling them. These prices are too high for most people to justify, but keep in mind that there are those that are looking for the "PERFECT" piece. That's where he comes in. This stuff is cleaner and more spot on than if you purchased it from the music store...because there are no fingerprints and such from others testing it. I'm not a customer or a friend. I've just done my homework on this guy. He's the real deal as far as Vintage Ludwig restoration is concerned. There's a guy in Tennessee who is the "go-to" for Gretsch restoration. I'm sure there are guys for Rogers and Slingerland hanging out that are the tops in their field. Ivan's problems stem from selling this stuff on ebay. He should be educated on dealing direct with collectors and such. He catches a lot of flack for his prices, but I'm telling you this, you won't find better quality stuff out there. Least wise, I've not seen it.

I've watched these posts and contributed to them. But, I felt that it was time to say something positive for the guy. He really does amazing work and puts out the absolute best Ludwig kits. Do some research and check the guy out. His prices are still unreasonable, but dang! His work is amazing.

The Gretsch "go-to guy" would be Forks Drum closet....I believe that was who you were speaking of Michael.... Cool1

Good words Mcjnic!!

I visited his site several months ago, and if he does what he says he does to achieve the results he gets, then the labor alone warrants a big price tag. And the parts he has to purchase to piece together those $1895 sets of hardware on Ebay is enormous... he posted some pics of the dozens of each item he had to buy to put together those sets in defense of his pricing not long ago. Having to carry a high inventory plus the large labor hours means a big price tag. I've never heard anything negative about Ivan's offerings other than the price, but all things considered, that's what he has to charge to come out ahead.

I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some of his "seconds"... I'm sure they would suit me just fine.....

I visited Fork's about a month ago....

Very nice people, very helpful.

I was looking for brass DW two-ended lugs, and the guy helping me explained you can't just buy DW lugs, you can send in a broken or damaged one for repair or replacement, but the company won't just sell you lugs outright. But he did go to the back to rummage around for some they might have harvested from previous in-house projects, but no luck. He did take my name and number though, with the promise of a call if they ran across any.

To my surprise, there was no Slingerland gear anywhere to be found, until I looked up at a shelf near the ceiling which ran the width of the store. The owner's collection of Ludwig and Slingerland snares was on display there. None for sale, but what a sight!! He must have a Slingy snare in every finish ever offered...... WOW

The Gretsch "go-to guy" would be Forks Drum closet....I believe that was who you were speaking of Michael.... Cool1

Yes. That's him. He's incredible. I've played and checked out several items he restored or worked on. Man knows his stuff.

Hey Kevin!

He does personal restorations, also. I've thought about it several times, but never went that route. I've never had anything that warranted that level of work. As far as his "seconds"...oh man...drool...that would be sweeeeeeeeet. He's got a bunch of 70's kits waiting for restoration. He also has some larger sized 60's kits waiting. He's selling the small 60's kits first. Then he will move the larger sized drums. Then and only then will he touch the 70's kits. I play the 22/16/13 setup. I'm thinking it may not be too much longer before I drive out to his place and put in my order. He's got the drums. He's not worked 'em yet. That's a fight I deal with every so often. I know I don't need the kit. I know I don't want to deal with having to "watch over it" to keep it safe. But man, the thought of having a 64-ish kit in the sizes I want - MINT!!! It's a tough fight.

Does Ivan keep items on display that are in process or waiting for pick-up? I wouldn't mind driving out there for a look-see...

Maybe pick up a cup washer while I'm there as a trophy!

:)