Just how common are the various wraps and finishes that Gretsch used on its vintage drums? If that sounds like a familiar question, it may be because this study is a compliment to last month’s study involving Gretsch Round Badge era drums.[i] This study reviews data gathered from a representative sample of Stop Sign Badge and first version Square Badge Gretsch drums produced from about 1970 through about 1981.[ii] This study will be referred to as the Stop Sign Badge era study, even though it also includes the initial Square Badge which was used between versions of the Stop Sign badges. The earlier study will be referred to as the Round Badge era study. The database used for these studies was originally compiled to study serialization of Gretsch drums[iii] but provides insight into the finishes used by Gretsch and available in today’s resale market. The 1970s finish choices reflect a significant change from the 1960s. Some comparisons are noted here, but readers are encouraged to view both studies to make in depth comparisons between the eras.
The study data set used for the Stop Sign Badge era study consists of a total of 3,089 drums. Two hundred and eighty (280) drums are disregarded because they are acknowledged or determined to be rewrapped or refinished, or their finishes cannot be definitively determined. The remaining 2,809 drums are sorted by finish and analyzed.
Overall Distribution of Finishes:
The total number of drums with each finish is provided below[iv]:
Wood finishes are much more prevalent in the Stop Sign Badge era, up to 41% from only 2% in the Round Badge era study. About 43% of the drums are wrapped, wood shelled drums. This is down from 86% in the Round Badge era study. The wrapped drums are divided between Nitron (20%, up from 2%), Sparkle[v] (8%, down from 45%), Pearl (8%, down from 26%), Chrome over Wood (4%, up from 0%) and Satin Flame (3%, down from 14%) wraps. Gretsch also produced Metal shelled snare drums (15%, up from 10%) and Painted wood shelled drums (1%, same is Round Badge era). The overall distribution of finishes is shown graphically below:
The number of drums of each finish and color are provided below:
Wood Finishes:
The Wood finishes are broken down by color, with Walnut (37%) the most prevalent, followed by Maple (34%), Rosewood (22%) and Mahogany and Burnt Orange (1% each). There are also a number of drums of undetermined color (5%). No breakdown of Wood finish color was provided for the Round Badge era study because so few Wood finished drums were found (2% of total). Note that it is possible that some of the Wood finish drums included have been refinished or were originally wrapped. Also note that determination of color is at times difficult due to lighting variations and faded in pictures seen in online listings. The distribution of Wood finishes by color is shown graphically below:
Nitron Wraps:
The Nitron finishes are broken down by color, with Black (63%) the most prevalent, followed by White (24%), Yellow (8%) and Dark Blue (2%). There are also a small number of drums of unknown or uncertain color (3%). Nitron wraps rose from 2% in the Round Badge era study to 20% in this Stop Sign Badge era study. All of the Nitron wraps in the Round Badge era study were Black. The distribution of Nitron wraps by color is shown graphically below:
Metal Finishes:
Gretsch produced snare drums with Metal shells. The Metal shelled drums are broken down by finish type, with Chrome (74%) the most prevalent, followed by Aluminum (25%) and Other (1%) including one Gold-Plated shell. These are similar to the distribution of Metal finishes seen in the Round Badge era study (Chrome - 77%, Aluminum - 21%, Other - 2%), although no break down was included in the Round Badge era study. Although metal snare drums were available in the Round Badge era, wood snare drums became less common in the Stop Sign Badge era. Most catalog pictures of complete sets had metal snares rather than wood. This likely contributed to increased numbers of metal drums overall. The distribution of Metal finishes by type is shown graphically below:
Sparkle Wraps:
The Sparkle finishes are broken down by color, with Champagne (34%) the most prevalent, followed by Blue (21%), Silver (13%), Red (13%), Gold (7%), Burgundy (4%), Tangerine (3%), Green (2%) and Anniversary (1%). There are also a small number of drums of unknown or uncertain color (2%). The overall frequency of Sparkle wraps is much lower than in the Round Badge era study (9% of all drums, compared to 45%). Although fewer Sparkle wraps are seen, the color choices are not significantly different, as Champagne, Blue, Silver and Red, in that order, are the four most reported colors in both studies.
Just as noted in the earlier study, some drums described by their owners as Tangerine may have been Red but it is difficult to determine for certain due to poor pictures or fading issues. Several drums described by their owners as Orange are included with the Gold totals because the Gold Sparkle wrap looks Orange.
Most of the colors of Sparkle wraps were available throughout the study period. Anniversary Sparkle is last shown in the 1958 catalog but two examples appear during the earlier years of the study period. It seems possible that these two drums are misreported, rewrapped or otherwise unoriginal.
The distribution of Sparkle wraps by color is shown graphically below:
Pearl Wraps:
The Pearl wraps are broken down by color, with White (38%) the most prevalent, followed by Black (23%), Midnight Blue (19%), Emerald Green (14%) and Wine Red (6%). As with the Sparkle wraps, Pearl wraps are seen less frequently in the Stop Sign Badge era, representing 8% of the total, down from 26% of the Round Badge era drums. The distribution of Pearl wraps by color is shown graphically below:
Satin Flame Wraps:
The Satin Flame wraps show a large number of different colors, some of which are not shown in catalogs of the era. The most common color of Satin Flame wrap is Moonglow (30%), followed by Gold (28%), Aqua, Salmon/Sunset and Peacock (9% each), Silver (8%), Olive (5%)[vi] and Blue (2%). The catalogs from the 1960s showed Aqua, Gold, Silver options, while Moonglow and Peacock appear in some 1970s catalogs. Some of the colors documented did not appear in catalogs - Olive, Salmon/Sunset and Blue. The distribution of colors of satin flame wraps is quite different that in the Round Badge era study, but with far fewer reports, drawing too many conclusions is not advised.
The distribution of Satin Flame wraps by color is shown graphically below:
Observations:
1. This study only involved 2,809 of the about 138,000 (2.0%) drums believed to have been made during the period studied. Although it appears to be a fairly representative sampling of the distribution of finishes and colors used by Gretsch in the 1970-1981 time period, this is a smaller percentage than the Round Badge drums in the earlier study (3,620 out of 116,000, 3.1%). Nonetheless, the data is sufficient to show a significant switch from Wrapped finishes in the 1960s to Wood finishes in the 1970s.
2. This study does not necessarily show the proportion of finishes produced by Gretsch during the study period. The data used is highly populated with drums offered for sale via internet sites so may not capture drums held by their owners or lost or modified during the intervening years.
The finishes on several drums (280) were disclosed to be non-original or were determined to be altered based upon pictures. Some of these were rewrapped, others were refinished in wood stain and some were likely repainted. It seems likely that some drums which now appear as finished wood shells started that way while others originally had wraps or paint. Unless the owner revealed the original finish, all drums known or thought to be non-original were excluded. Some Metal shells have been refinished or painted. It was easy to discern their original finish, so these drums were included in the study. It is not clear how much impact the refinishing of these 280 wood shell drums skews the results.
[i] https://www.notsomoderndrummer.com/not-so-modern-drummer/2022/8/1/vintage-gretsch-round-badge-finishes
[ii] Stop Sign Badges replaced the Round Badges in about 1970, with three different versions between about 1970 and about 1981. The Square Badge interrupted the Stop Sign Badges when it made its first appearance in the 1977-1978 time-frame. Gretsch returned to Stop Sign Badges before moving again to Square Badges starting in about 1982. This study involves drums with all three versions of the Stop Sign and the first version of the Square Badge.
[iii] More information on vintage Gretsch serial numbers available at Richard E. Gier, Dating of Vintage Gretsch Drums Based Upon Serial Numbers – Challenging the Legend, Lore and Lies, Rebeats Publications, Alma, MI, 2011.
[iv] Due to rounding accumulation error, total would be 102%. Therefore, Sparkle finishes are shown as 8% (actual is 8.51%) and Painted finishes are shown as 1% (actual is 1.53%).
[v] Certain colors are generally seen in the study period as Glass Glitter (irregular shaped particles) and others as Sparkle (hexagonal shaped particles). Both are presented in catalogs of the era as Sparkle finishes, so that name is used in this study.
[vi] Due to rounding accumulation error, total would be 99%. Therefore, Olive Satin Flame is shown as 5% (actual is 4.49%).