Vintage Gretsch Round Badge Restoration

One of the coolest things about drum restoration is helping a fellow drummer get an old kit back into swing. What gets better is knowing a drummer is sitting back behind a kit after nearly two decades of "taking a break."

So it is with this latest restoration of a mid-1960s Gretsch round badge Progressive Jazz outfit. The client, the original owner, got this kit in 1967 from her dad while in high school. It was used for years through college and after as her primary gigging kit. She then handed it down to kids and it stayed in the family. Eventually it was put in storage in the family attic where it stayed for about 20 years.

Just before Thanksgiving, she called on referral and asked that I help her do a complete restoration of the kit, along with a WFL Speed Kind bass drum pedal that had seized up. She was retiring and wanted to get back to playing again. 

I post a lot of restorations with before and after pics. This time, just a select few before shots. The completed restoration has this vintage Gretsch Progressive Jazz outfit looking nearly new and ready for another couple of decades of drumming.

RESTORATION NOTES:

During the early 1970s, the bass drum was outfitted with a double tom post mount, replacing the original rail consolette, which accepted an add-on 13" Gretsch stop sign badge tom. When the double tom mount was added, the round badge on the bass drum was moved to the lower consolette mounting hole to use its original vent hole as one of the tom mount holes. By all accounts, this modification was done professionally. There are no visible signs of drill rash or funk on the inside of the silver-painted shell.

The bass drum hoop inlays were rewrapped as the original wrap had separated and in places the inlay had broken. All drums received seam correction to repair lifting drum wrap, followed by a three-stage wrap recondition to bring back the lustre in the original blue sparkle.

Other than the noted modification to the bass drum, all other drums were in original condition, with original heads and 50+years of original dust, dirt, fingerprints and overall vintage funk.

SPECS:

Mid-1960s Gretsch Progressive Jazz outfit with upgraded 4157 "Name Band" snare and 13" add-on tom, all in blue sparkle; original diecast hoops, tone controls (including Jimmy Pratt muffler in bass drum) and drum key in snare slot :

• 5.25 x 14” snare drum (round badge) – Serial #41790, Model 4157 – inner paper tag intact
• 8 x 12” rack tom (round badge) – Serial #42865, Model 4415 – inner paper tag intact
• 9 x 13” rack tom (stop sign badge) – Serial #123434, Model 4416 – inner paper tag intact
• 14x14” floor tom (round badge) – Serial #41166, Model 4417 – inner paper tag intact
• 14 x 20” bass drum (round badge) – Serial #42008, Model 4249 – inner paper tag intact​

BEFORE RESTORATION:

AFTER RESTORATION: