how rare ia my 1948 gretsch?

[avoid]

i got a free set from my sisters parents a very long time ago, and i just dug it uo from the basemant to find that its from 1948. Its a round badge in gold sparkle. can anyone tell me how rare it is, or how much its worth. Thanks in advance.

[Sage]

wow!!! pm CArl Peterson, he may know. 1948... whoa excellent!

[griffix]

Kits from that early are highly sought after. I'd get in contact with someone who could tell you how much it's worht. You could be sitting on a lot of money!

[punkrockdrummer]

That's some old sh right there! I'd love to see it

[Regected]

Get pictures!!! Sounds expensive.

[erwinner]

naw, they're worthless...
send 'em to me!
Depending on condition, you could be looking at quite a chunk of change!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Gretsch-1960s-Round-Badge-in-Excellent-Condition_W0QQitemZ7363575060QQcategoryZ64439QQssP ageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
get some damn pics up!
btw... if they have tunable bottom heads, big plus. also if they have seperate lugs for the top and bottom heads, not just one in the middle for both, it's a very good thing. Vintage is funny, you have to have the right kind of vintage for it to be worth anything. Some drumsets can be old, famously branded, in good condition, and relatively worthless. Some kind be old, an odd brand, in awful condition, and still be worth a ton.

[bonzonerd]

It's worth a lot. Depending on the condition you could be sitting at between 3 and 5k.

[Sage]

I think the value has a lot to do with the availability and the drum company make. Try asking DeadSkinMask.. he's pretty good one vintage information and value.

[Tju85]

Yeah. Just being as the date is 1948...you'll be sitting on a pretty penny.

Get some pictures up ASAP so we can give you more information about your kit.

[avoid]

naw, they're worthless...
send 'em to me!
Depending on condition, you could be looking at quite a chunk of change!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Gretsch-1960s-Round-Badge-in-Excellent-Condition_W0QQitemZ7363575060QQcategoryZ64439QQssP ageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
get some damn pics up!
btw... if they have tunable bottom heads, big plus. also if they have seperate lugs for the top and bottom heads, not just one in the middle for both, it's a very good thing. Vintage is funny, you have to have the right kind of vintage for it to be worth anything. Some drumsets can be old, famously branded, in good condition, and relatively worthless. Some kind be old, an odd brand, in awful condition, and still be worth a ton.

they do have tunable bottom and top heads, and they do have seperate lugs for each top and bottom head. so how much do you think we are looking at here? sorry but the kit is at my friends house, (woops). i will try and get pics tommorow.

[greggp]

If it is truly from 1948 it would probably have "Rocket" lugs and single-flanged hoops on the toms. These are very rare, and usually come in a 24 or 26, 13, 16 combination. Snares were usually the "Broadkaster" 6x14, but you could still get a 2-way Gladstone. If it has Streamline lugs, it is not from 1948.

If it is a standard kit, I'd say it is worth about $2000, as long as the finish is in good shape. Gold sparkle from the period tends to develop a sort of weird "acne," little (or large) dark spots.

If you have a Gladstone snare, it is probably worth about $1000 by itself, provided everything still works. They have a special tuning system and key that tightens the top and bottom tension rods separately or together, depending on which part of the key you use.

[avoid]

should i buy a new wrap for it in gold sparkle? or should i just leave it. The sizes of the drums (i think) are 18X20, 12X12 and 16X16. The floor tom has thos kind of lugs but not the rest of the kit. It almost exaclty looks like the one in the picture except this one has a smaller bass drum and shorter snare.
here are some pics but these are not my set. i simply looked them up, but this is as close as i can find to what i have.

[Stu]

dont recover it!

[Sage]

^ I agree! Leave it original

[DeadSkinMask]

defintiely dont recover that snare..it will lose its value...try to keep it all stock and original..older gretsch's are going for a pretty penny on ebay..depending on the condition and exact model, i have seen them go for 225-650 bucks easily..some go even higher..I know the Gretsch stop sign badge snares are very sought after and bring in alot of money..can you get a pic up of this snare?

[DeadSkinMask]

does it look like any of these snares?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Old-Gretsch-Snare-Drum-Vintage-Round-Badge-Drums-Pearl_W0QQitemZ7363031440QQcategoryZ38095QQrdZ1QQc mdZViewItem

http://instruments.search.ebay.com/vintage-gretsch_Percussion_W0QQcatrefZC12QQfnuZ1QQfsooZ1QQ fsopZ1QQsacatZ10172

http://www.vintagesnaredrums.com/gretsch_snare_page.html

[nils]

dont recover it!

Leave it, its worth more this way, historicaly and monetarily (?correct expression?)

[Stu]

Leave it, its worth more this way, historicaly and monetarily (?correct expression?)

Correct. As with a lot of old things, furniture, paintings etc, it's best to leave them original...they are worth more.

[greggp]

1948 separate tension bass drums were: 20x14 (Dave Tough Model); 24x14; 26x14; 28x14; and 30x16.

1948 separate tension toms were: 8x12; 9x13; 12x14; 16x16; and 16x18.

Later, Gretsch went to a 14x14 tom in place of the 12x14. Bass drums in the 50s included 22x14.

Recovering would pretty much destroy any vintage value.

The older Gretsches will have 3-ply shells, and clear interiors. If any of your drums have a silver interior, they are probably post 1957 (though a few drums from 1955-57 may have silver interiors). If they have tags with serial numbers, they are 1963 or later.

I understand that the pic of the tom you posted is not your actual drum. However, I'll just point out that it is a later drum in silver sparkle, and it's had at least two mounts put on it (I would guess a standard Walberg & Auge clip mount, and probably a Swiv-o-Matic added later).

[iceyflame]

Wow I respect you greg... you know your stuff.

[weezer_army]

is would seem that way!^^^hes good

[bonzonerd]

I know lots about Ludwig, but not so much Gretsch. I can tell you one thing though, never change anything. Originality plays a key role when it comes to buying and selling vintage gear. People pay more for something if it's original, even if the condition isn't great.

[porkjosh]

Actually the sizes are a 14x20 bass, 9x13 tom, and a 16x16 floor tom. I know this because it's in my basement right now. BTW how's it going Eric, so you finally bought the rack, when's it coming.