Scratches and dents - something to be worried about?

[tehJESSEH]

Hey,

 

I don't know if this is a stupidly obvious question or not, but I've tried searching for answers and have found none.

 

I'm looking into buying a used Gretsch Catalina Maple set that a guy at school is selling. It's a six piece and he's throwing in cymbals stands and a pedal and all the other appropriate hardware. No cymbals.

 

The bass drum has scrapes, scratches, and dents on it. Some of them are on the actual shell near the batter head, some are on the hoop. Most of them look like they're only past the finish - some of them are (very) slightly deeper. The toms have some dings here and there as well. One of them has the deepest dent of all of them. It looks like it's about a millimetre or two deep.

 

I don't drum, this will be my first kit.

 

My question is whether or not these are purely cosmetic, or if they are cause for concern? He is asking 650CDN for it. I might be able to get some pictures for you guys if it will help.

 

Thanks!

Jesse

[1001gear]

What do the heads look like. Are the all banged up/taped/scuffed/ generally abused looking or do they have nicely centered wear spots? This'll give you some idea of the kind of treatment they get. The price sounds way high in the first place but the edges and hrdwr should be examined carefully. You really should have a drummer look 'em over for you.

[tehJESSEH]

They are all pretty scuffy evenly all around the heads. I wouldn't know how to describe them... sorry. They don't look too abused. No dents.

 

All of these damages are on the actual shells. The heads are Remo Pinstripes on the batter heads of the toms, clear Ambassadors on the resonant heads, a coated Emperor on the snare (where there are very small spots of the coating wearing away and the shiny surface is peaking through), and an Aquarian Superkick II on the bass drum.

 

The hardware is all Pearl. What do I look for in good/bad hardware? And you mention I should examine the "edges" - edges of what?

 

Unfortunately, I don't know any drummers that would be able to help me look the set over. How much should I expect to pay for a 6pc. Catalina Maple? Gretsch is hard to come by in Canada - they are way more abundant in the US.

 

Thanks for the reply!

Jesse

[WildWes]

Seems high to me, but I don't live in Canada either.

 

By 6 piece kit, I take it there's a snare, a kick, two mounted toms and two floor toms. What pedal model is it and are the stands (hi-hat, cymbals and snare) double braced? Road rash is not unusual on a used kit that has been gigged with, but if it's been damaged beyond the finish (or wrap), they may have been rode (abused) too hard. Difficult to tell without seeing the actual drums.

 

Ask the seller to let you take photos of the drums/hardware/heads and post them here. If he won't, I'd suggest moving on to something else or offering him less. Good luck. WW

[1001gear]

 

They are all pretty scuffy evenly all around the heads. I wouldn't know how to describe them... sorry. They don't look too abused. No dents. All of these damages are on the actual shells. The heads are Remo Pinstripes on the batter heads of the toms, clear Ambassadors on the resonant heads, a coated Emperor on the snare (where there are very small spots of the coating wearing away and the shiny surface is peaking through), and an Aquarian Superkick II on the bass drum. The hardware is all Pearl. What do I look for in good/bad hardware? And you mention I should examine the "edges" - edges of what? Unfortunately, I don't know any drummers that would be able to help me look the set over. How much should I expect to pay for a 6pc. Catalina Maple? Gretsch is hard to come by in Canada - they are way more abundant in the US. Thanks for the reply! Jesse

 

 

Edges are critical. Edges are where the shell meets head. These should be defacto perfect. Flat, evenly cut, no dings, perfectly cylindrical shell. Bad edges can render a shell worthless. Obviously you'd need to remove the heads to check this.

 

The hardware, and this includes the rims and lugs; you're looking for corrosion, worn stripped parts, sluggish pedals are a no no. Most of this category -to knock the price.

[twosticks]

No small dents and dings shouldn't matter, kinda like a car that runs good but has scratches on the paint job.

 

BUT like 1001 said, if the bearing edges are dented all up. That's the part of the shell (or edge) that the head actually sits on, then you might skip it.

 

So is a guy at YOUR SCHOOL that is selling this set?? If so, go by and play it before you buy. Raise and lower all the stands, use the pedals and make sure they all work, you want to make sure the stands are not stripped, the pedals actually move and work, the drum have no buzzes or rattles that can't be stopped with or without the snare around. Make sure you loosen the tom mounts, move the tom and then retighten it back down in another position, tom mounts (or stands) can get stripped out too. Can buy new tom stands if you need to, but is better if you don't have to. Good Luck and hope this helps.