What to Look For in Buying Used Drums

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're 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 and 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.