What to Look For in Buying Used Drums
Edition 1, by Sam Barnard
© JamminSam. All rights reserved.
For about seven years (1982-89) I made a living on buying and selling
used drums (before the Internet offered cut-rate drum sets), in Arizona.
I was also selling drum wrap at that time, but that had not yet
"gotten off the ground." I bought and sold just about every set
out there (at the time) and acquired valuable information (at least to me)
as far as what to look for, and what to pass up. The purpose of this
article is to help you realistically evaluate a set of used drums to
see if the end result may be worth the purchase. When evaluating a used
set of drums, there are seven areas to consider:
- shell condition (roundness, strength, sound edge condition, wear/abuse,
extra holes, etc.)
- hardware condition (clean-ability, pitting, etc.)
- wrap/finish condition (clean-ability, is re-wrapping needed, etc.)
- changes from original condition (have extra holes been made, non-factory
hardware added, unprofessional looking or poor quality replacements, etc.)
- labor needed (how much actual time may be needed to re-furbish/repair set)
- missing parts (availability of those parts, cost of missing/worn parts, etc.)
- what is the set actually worth (realistically) in present condition, and in
re-furbished condition.
Shell Condition
For most of the drum sets I have seen and bought, the shells were in
reasonable to good condition (when the heads were always kept in place).
The head and rims do a good job of protecting the shells. However, sometimes
the shells are not in good condition. If the drum heads go on and off
quite easily, then the drums are "in round" and the shell versus
drum head tolerance is good. If heads are tight, either the shell is
slightly out of round, or the shell versus drum head tolerance is too far
off- avoid those drums/sets. Some manufacturers (especially in the 70s, and
some in the 80s, let their drums be sold that were too far out of tolerance
(shells were made too large for the corresponding drum head). Again, avoid
those drums whenever possible. If edges are bad (usually when heads and
rims were left off for a time period), they may need to be re-cut- consider
that cost as well. Sometimes extra holes are found in some of the shells;
this decreases the value of the set. Even though these holes can be filled,
consider this when purchasing drums like this- this decreases the value
of the set.
Note: Nicer wood is more desirable than cheaper wood, is easier
to resell and usually brings more money. But what is not widely known:
there is no sound difference between the two. The volume of the air
chamber together with the head (tuned & dampened) account for more than
95% of the sound. Realistically consider how much a better wood is worth
to you personally, and then to a set’s resale value.
Hardware Condition
Most hardware can be cleaned to an acceptable appearance. Rust can be
removed with steel wool; discoloration can be removed with metal or chrome
cleaner. Most people are amazed how chrome can be brought back to a
condition that looks new with an off-the-shelf product to restore hardware.
Pitting (little holes in the metal) is the exception, no-one can clean away
pitting. The only procedure that repairs this problem is re-chroming, and
that's usually expensive- so avoid drums with pitted hardware if possible.
Wrap Finish/Condition
This is the one area that is not so important. Most of the drums I've
bought, needed to be re-wrapped. Even with some of those that I thought
didn't need re-wrapping, I later decided to re-wrap them (keep this thought
in mind). When you get the drums home, you will find more problems with
the finish (and possible hardware) than when you inspected them for the
first time. This is important to remember when buying used sets- there is
always something you’ll miss while making the purchase.
Note: There is too much to inspect (hardware, wrap, shells, etc.) and
too little time; the owner is not going to let you dismantle all the drums
for you to make your decision. So again, remember, you will probably find
some problem with the set after you get it home- count that in the mix.
Changes From Original Condition
Are there any extra holes? Any non-factory hardware added? An unprofessional
looking or poor quality finish? These all negatively effect the value of
the set. These situations can turn to your favor, if the set can be obtained
cheap enough, to cover the cost of repairs plus a wide margin of increased
worth beyond the investment.
Labor Needed
How much time will you need to invest to restore the set (if needed),
especially if it needs to be re-wrapped. Many people look at this aspect as,
more, recreation/enjoyment than labor, but it actually is labor- consider
that time.
Missing Parts (if any)
How many parts is the set missing? Are replacements available? How much
will they cost? Even small parts can be expensive to replace- count on it
to be more expensive than cheap.
Initial Price Compared to Finished Cost
Even if a set of old "Ludwigs" can be made to look like new,
are they going to be worth the time and money for you to make them look that
way? One needs to realistically evaluate their present worth, and what
the set may be worth refurbished. Estimate the actual cost to you by adding
the initial cost to the price of replacing missing/worn parts. If it
is going to cost the same as one already done, it may not be worth your labor
hours. Sometimes the actual price is greater than that of a comparable new
set of drums. Ask yourself, "Is it worth it to me?" And as already
stated, count on a missed issue, that may "raise it’s head" after
getting the set home. If the finial cost is several hundreds dollars below
the going rate (market price) for the set, then it may be very well worth it.
Three Things Not to Focus On
In my opinion, there are three things that you should not to get too adamant
about: the present sound of the set, the present wrap/finish condition, and the
present overall appearance:
- Sound of the set.
I know you are thinking, "That is the most important!" Well, I
hate to say it, but you’re incorrect. Of all the sets I have bought (as much
as I can remember), I never played any of them, before I bought them. And of
all those sets (and many of them were low-end sets) they all sounded great
after I refurbished and tuned them. And this is known industry-wide in the
drum business. This is hard for some to believe, because of the hype they
have bought into from all the drum advertisements, but it is true. I have
heard drums made out of compressed cardboard, sound better than the most
expensive sets tuned by their owners. If you cannot tune your drums to sound
good, find someone who can, and have them teach you. The only situation that
might make a sound difference, is poorly cut bearing edges. But most of the
time, that would probably be more of a tunning issue than a sound one.
(See "Shell Condition/Note" info above.)
- Wrap condition.
Most of the time, the set will not be a color you
prefer, and as already
stated, most of the sets I have bought over the years, either needed to be
re-wrapped, or I decided to re-wrap them soon afterwards. However,
re-wrapping may be expensive and time consuming- you should consider that
aspect as part of the cost of the purchase.
- Over all appearance
For the most part, after inspecting the above items (hardware, shells,
etc.), the worse the overall appearance of the set, the more I get excited
over it. The reason: I know I will get it much cheaper than if it was all
cleaned up and pretty. If two drum sets in a music store are for sale,
sitting side-by-side, same basic sets, but one is dirty and one is clean,
most of the time, the dirty one will not bring anything close to the clean
one. If you are going to clean it anyway, why pay a sizeable amount for the
difference? If the hardware is good, shells are good, the set can be made
to look like new- that is the satisfying pleasure of buying used drums.
Usually, the nicer the appearance, the more the owner wants for them.
However, there is something to be said for buying drums in better condition,
(even though) you may pay more than it is worth, whatever the condition.
I hope this article helps you in your valuation of used drums. I wish
you well in your search and purchase of used drums. If you have any
questions, or would like to add to the information here, just give us a
call.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
We welcome your
interest in all our products and hope that you will call
us for a free catalog and samples of our drum material. Thank you
for spending the time to read this article.
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