How Does Rewrapping a Vintage Drum Affect Value

[kenshireen1]

I've seen alot of great looking vintage snares that are all original other than being rewrapped.
How do you think this affect the market value and appeal

 

[JDA]

40/60

 

[kenshireen1]

40/60

Don't understand ratio

 

[backtodrum]

I get the collectors wanting everything to be all original and so forth, but with that said, drums to me are instruments to be played. I wouldn't think twice about rewrapping a drum if it needed it. I know that is not a popular opinion with the purists and I understand where they are coming from, but really after all they are just drums and in the overall scheme of things and there are not that many purists, and if it devalued the drum how much is it worth to begin with, and does it really matter? I would ask myself what my intention is for the drum to sit on a shelf and collect dust to maintain its value? Is it really worth that much? and what's the down side of re-wrapping it? As for me and my situation, I have never owned or bought a drum for its intrinsic value, nor am I interested in collecting for collecting sake. I buy drums and gear and alter them in anyway I see fit and don't give it another thought. In my opinion there are a lot better things to invest in to make money than old drums in someone's basement. I realize there are many on this forum that see it completely different than I do and I think that is great and wish them all the success there is. Difference of perspectives is what makes the people on this forum so interesting to me. I just use my drums and equipment for their intended use and I take exceptional care of them to the point of being anal. But outside of that they are used and changed as the need arises...

 

[Rich K.]

The OP asked specifically about resale value and appeal.
In many, probably most, cases, rewrapping a drum will devalue it by a lot (compared to a non-modified original drum) and make it much more difficult to sell.

 

[JazzDrumGuy]

I think the value will generally go down if rewrapped, but how much so depends on a few factors.

First of all, the new color - is it historically accurate? In demand? Fit the drum? I've never seen a fuzzy leopard Radio King nor a Peacock Pearl Export. I have rewrapped drums, but rarely, unless the wrap was shot. I have wrapped more bare shells than I have rewrapped. I do not take off a good wrap just to change the color.....

Second, who did it - a weekend warrior, a pro, etc. Is it clean, sloppy, glued, taped, etc? I glue wrap but don't use the 3M stuff - I just use regular glue - it looks and functions fine, but have just done that for drums I've kept.

3) Is it "real" wrap? Delmar or other brands most likely. I say this because I've rewrapped kits in vinyl (and disclosed when sold) and Con-tact paper (my DW pre-collectors kit, which looks awesome). Some people use newspaper, wallpaper, etc.

4) What is the drum/kit? A vintage rewrapped R.K. or other drum would still have some value. I don't think anyone would care if Precision did an aged WMP on a Sound Percussion kit.

As for appeal, some people like the rewrap, and some don't. I don't care so long as it looks good and was done right. Lots of collectors prefer the "original" wrap even if it looks like junky (to me). I'd rather just have the drum.

If I saw a nice vintage kit, and it had newer wrap ("real" and properly done), I would expect it to command a price some amount less than the original wrap in good condition. If I saw a vintage kit with awful original wrap, I still think it would be worth more than a rewrap. At the end of the day, I want a kit that looks nice and functions, and the price is right. Also, depends on the buyer's intended use - keep, play, flip, collect......

 

[p83]

simple - it's only original once.

 

[wflkurt]

simple - it's only original once.

This.

I have no problems at all with rewrapping a drum if the drum is already messed up to begin with. I made a Ringo clone snare drum for myself a while back. Someone had already tried to make it a Ringo clone in the late 90's when I bought it but the wrap never looked right and the muffler was in the wrong panel. I re-did it in a better wrap, moved the muffler and repainted the interior. I probably have no more than $400 in to it total. I just hate seeing perfectly good vintage drums get a new wrap job or a modern hardware upgrade when it doesn't need it.

 

[lossforgain]

I think @JazzDrumGuy did a great job explaining. There are going to be a lot of factors to consider. Some drums that are more highly desirable to begin with will still bring a decent price as a rewrap. But an average run-of-the-mill Slingerland set won’t be worth more when it’s rewrapped (and I love vintage Slingerlands) — probably less. That said, I can really appreciate a great looking and well-applied rewrap job. If I found a set of vintage drums I really liked and they were in nice rewrapped condition I would certainly consider purchasing them. In a Slingerland, or a Rogers, I would expect to pay maybe 70-75% of excellent original condition? Ludwig and Gretsch seem to be a little more valuable in a rewrap.

 

[bigbonzo]

Depends upon who you're selling to.

A collector? Bam! Practically no value whatsoever.

A player? Yup. Looking for something that sounds and looks good.

 

[jptrickster]

I think @JazzDrumGuy did a great job explaining. There are going to be a lot of factors to consider. Some drums that are more highly desirable to begin with will still bring a decent price as a rewrap. But an average run-of-the-mill Slingerland set won’t be worth more when it’s rewrapped (and I love vintage Slingerlands) — probably less. That said, I can really appreciate a great looking and well-applied rewrap job. If I found a set of vintage drums I really liked and they were in nice rewrapped condition I would certainly consider purchasing them. In a Slingerland, or a Rogers, I would expect to pay maybe 70-75% of excellent original condition? Ludwig and Gretsch seem to be a little more valuable in a rewrap.

You would pay north of 1,500 for a rewrapped vintage Rogers kit? ( based on a nice original at 2,000 +)
As a collector of vintage drums I would never buy a re wrap. It has very little value outside of its parts.
If I'm buying a vintage drum I'm buying its story as well as its sound. I'm also buying for resale somewhere down the road, could be at the end of the road neverthe less an original will always bring good money. A rewrap not so much.

 

[Fat Drummer]

I get the collectors wanting everything to be all original and so forth, but with that said, drums to me are instruments to be played. I wouldn't think twice about rewrapping a drum if it needed it. I know that is not a popular opinion with the purists and I understand where they are coming from, but really after all they are just drums and in the overall scheme of things and there are not that many purists, and if it devalued the drum how much is it worth to begin with, and does it really matter? I would ask myself what my intention is for the drum to sit on a shelf and collect dust to maintain its value? Is it really worth that much? and what's the down side of re-wrapping it? As for me and my situation, I have never owned or bought a drum for its intrinsic value, nor am I interested in collecting for collecting sake. I buy drums and gear and alter them in anyway I see fit and don't give it another thought. In my opinion there are a lot better things to invest in to make money than old drums in someone's basement. I realize there are many on this forum that see it completely different than I do and I think that is great and wish them all the success there is. Difference of perspectives is what makes the people on this forum so interesting to me. I just use my drums and equipment for their intended use and I take exceptional care of them to the point of being anal. But outside of that they are used and changed as the need arises...

THIS! 100%!!!!! That is as well written and succinct of an answer to this question as I could have ever hopped to write myself!

 

[lossforgain]

You would pay north of 1,500 for a rewrapped vintage Rogers kit? ( based on a nice original at 2,000 +)
As a collector of vintage drums I would never buy a re wrap. It has very little value outside of its parts.
If I'm buying a vintage drum I'm buying its story as well as its sound. I'm also buying for resale somewhere down the road, could be at the end of the road neverthe less an original will always bring good money. A rewrap not so much.

I get what you're saying, and to some extent I agree. But I would probably not spend 2k+ on an original Rogers set -- I tend to only pick up vintage drums when they are priced really well. I don't fancy myself a collector, just an appreciator of these drums. That said, if a set with damaged wrap had been professionally rewrapped in something that really looked stunning to me (green glitter, perhaps) and had sizes I really like (20/12/14/matching snare) then I could possibly be attracted to that set at $1500. I'm sure that someone could respond using my own previous words about the desirability factors, since a 14" Holiday floor tom and Rogers drums in green glitter are pretty rare, making $1500 more of a deal compared to the same set with a 16 in gloss black. But that's the silliness of collectability in my mind -- the exact same drum with a different layer of plastic on top is worth a vastly different amount to the collector. It's really not, to me -- but my number is going to be lower than the collector's number anyway.

I can't agree that the rewrapped drum is only worth its parts -- a green (or black) Rogers 20/12/14 with shells in nice shape is going to sound phenomenal. I want to play and enjoy that set! I have occasionally bought something to flip, but it's not primarily or usually my motivation. Often when I do that I end up liking the piece too much to let it go, and have several things like that in my stable. When I buy, I almost always buy things I like, for a price low enough that I'm not stuck with it if I don't. Even if I break even but I got to try something new or enjoy playing it for awhile, that's fine with me.

 

[jptrickster]

Some people collect re wrapped drums, orphan shells, extra holes shells and that's all just fine with me!

 

[Rockin' Billy]

I always compare this to vintage cars. There’s people who want all original or its ‘poo-pooed.’ Some of these types trailer the car in.
There’s people that don’t mind mods. “Hey, cool looking car. Like what you did to it.”
Theres people that don’t care. Run what ya’ brung. “We just like having and old car and have fun driving it.”
For somebody looking for an all original drum, yes it will hurt value to that buyer in particular.

 

[amosguy]

All depends on original condition. You decide.

Top picture - original wrap drums - 18/14/12 - $300
Second picture - rewrapped and missing parts installed - $2000 for the 3 drums (no snare)

 

[kdgrissom]

Slightly OT: I have an all original two-piece brass shell, 1926-ish Ludwig Super (5x14) that was in great shape except for some nickel plating loss and minor rust here and there. I had it professionally re-plated and restored in nickel and it looks brand new. I figure I aided in extending the working life of the instrument.

 

[Rich K.]

All depends on original condition. You decide.

Top picture - original wrap drums - 18/14/12 - $300
Second picture - rewrapped and missing parts installed - $2000 for the 3 drums (no snare)

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How much would the same set go for if the wrap was original?

 

[amosguy]

How much would the same set go for if the wrap was original?

That was not an option in my case. . . LOL Thinking it would be close to what I received unless it was in almost NOS condition.

 

[Ludwigboy]

I get what you're saying, and to some extent I agree. But I would probably not spend 2k+ on an original Rogers set -- I tend to only pick up vintage drums when they are priced really well. I don't fancy myself a collector, just an appreciator of these drums. That said, if a set with damaged wrap had been professionally rewrapped in something that really looked stunning to me (green glitter, perhaps) and had sizes I really like (20/12/14/matching snare) then I could possibly be attracted to that set at $1500. I'm sure that someone could respond using my own previous words about the desirability factors, since a 14" Holiday floor tom and Rogers drums in green glitter are pretty rare, making $1500 more of a deal compared to the same set with a 16 in gloss black. But that's the silliness of collectability in my mind -- the exact same drum with a different layer of plastic on top is worth a vastly different amount to the collector. It's really not, to me -- but my number is going to be lower than the collector's number anyway.

I can't agree that the rewrapped drum is only worth its parts -- a green (or black) Rogers 20/12/14 with shells in nice shape is going to sound phenomenal. I want to play and enjoy that set! I have occasionally bought something to flip, but it's not primarily or usually my motivation. Often when I do that I end up liking the piece too much to let it go, and have several things like that in my stable. When I buy, I almost always buy things I like, for a price low enough that I'm not stuck with it if I don't. Even if I break even but I got to try something new or enjoy playing it for awhile, that's fine with me.

I agree and think along the same lines are you do, Lossforgain ...and others that chime in on this topic for that matter....

A case in point, I love Ludwig first generation Keystone badge Oyster Black Pearl drums...I am fortunate to some kits in this wrap. I use a OBP Pioneer but cannot justify the cost of a original Jazz Festival snare in this wrap......it is better for me to buy a vintage drum and rewrap it .. even cheaper than the reissued Legacy and other models.....sure, it won't be perfect but it will be a heck of a lot cheaper than the original Jazz Festival in that wrap . Even now I am rewrapping 80's-90's Ludwig Rocker snares as they are very reasonable in cost. They look good and only the the most knowledgeable Ringo gear fan will know the that it isn't.

IMHO, I would think this reasoning works for some of the rarer Ludwig wrap snares ..... Psych Red, Citrus Mod, Mod Orange come to mind so I can see their owners doing the same thing though I think some of the new wraps of Psych Red, Citrus Mod and Mod Orange may look closer to the originals than the Oyster Black Pearls.

IMHO, thanks for bringing up this topic and allowing me to share,,,,,