Vintage Drum Restorations: Projects '22-'23

The past year has been an amazing journey for Vintage FM Drums. Our client restoration and reconditioning work has expanded significantly, finishing museum pieces from the 1920s, family heirlooms from the '30s and '40s, player pieces from all eras, and just keeping gigging drummers gigging. On top of that, thrown into the mix was a massive move from Charleston, SC to Barnard, VT. 

Vintage FM Drums is officially "reopened" in our new shop in Barnard. We have some work to do in the shop, but being up and running and tackling client projects again is awesome! And we have two major projects underway - a restoration of a 1972 Ludwig Hollywood outfit and a complete restoration and rewrap of a 1960s Gretsch round badge "rock n roll" outfit. 

Prior to the move to Vermont, I had the privilege to customize some snares for a couple of my good drummer friends in Charleston, Deon and Lee, and one of the local gospel great drummers, Timothy, had me rewrap his dad's 1970s Slingerland outfit. These drummers are integral to the local scene in Charleston and it's always a privilege to work on gigging drummers gear - especially breathing new life into prized family possessions. 

For Deon: rewrap and customization of snare throw and butt for a mid-90s Yamaha snare drum...this project received multiple "wows!" :)
For Lee: Nickel over brass Crush snare drum with custom throw and shell recondition...I was pleased to hear that after several gigs in Myrtle Beach, Lee let me know his snare sounded better than he ever remembered it. Adding some tube lug gaskets, new Puresound wires, and dialing in the proper tuning was key.​
For Timothy: A complete drum rewrap in Delmar champagne sparkle.

And I have to talk about a family heirloom project that was so fun to do and so meaningful to this family. This gentleman's son wanted to surprise his dad with a restoration of his Ludwig high school marching snare drum that he found in the attic. The request was to bring it back as close to original as we could. I'm happy to say, it was an awesome project, both for us to work on and for his dad to reconnect with. We think it came out great and the family was thrilled with the complete vintage drum restoration.

Going back to January '22, Vintage FM Drums received an amazing commission to restore a Premier Royal Scot snare drum for a client in Nevada. We worked down to fabricating springs and missing parts, updating the complex flowbeam throw, and even custom paint touch-up. Look at this beauty! And what an amazing snare crack and tone.

These are just a few of the vintage drum restoration highlights over the past year-plus. We are grateful to be continuing our drum restoration support for drummers across the globe - from Charleston and Chicago to California, Chile and Costa Rica. Vintage FM Drums appreciates the trust so many drummers have put in our work and we can't wait to expand the shop and our services from Barnard, VT. 

Keep an eye out for new retail opportunities too as we expand our wholesale relationships to include Gretsch, PDP, Evans, Remo, Aquarian, Promark, Puresound, Gibraltar, and many, many more. Stay tuned through the balance of '23 and into '24. Cheers!