Fixin' Up the Kit

  • Thread starter Thread starter RecordingMaster
  • Start date Start date
RecordingMaster

RecordingMaster

A Sarcastic Statement
Hey there,
I think it would be useful to get a couple of ballpark opinions on a few Tune-ups I want to have done to my current Tama Kit.

1 - Bearing edges re-cut.
I was thinking of getting the bearing edges re-cut on top and bottom for my 12 and 13 toms. Not terribly noticeable but with a close finger swipe you can feel it needs a fresh cut.
Any of you know (in USD) about how much something like that would cost just for two drums. I understand all Drum Techs have different prices, but I'm looking to put together an overall average from your answers just to get a ball park idea.

2 - Re-finishing shells
I was also thinking of getting my shells re-finished. They currently they have a solid blue/teal finish which has dents and scrathes from years of use without cases (wasn't me! Bought 'em used years ago). I was thinking of going with something fresh looking but nothing too fancy (no fades or starbursts or zebra or anything).
Any of you know how much re-finishing a whole kit would cost? I thought I could go two ways:
A - Re-finish the actual covering material
or
B- Tear off the original finish and get it stained/glossed.
Which would be more expensive of the two types of re-finishing and does anyone have a ballpark cost for this?

Oh and here are my drum sizes:

9/10" Tom
11/12" Tom
12/13" Tom
16/16" Floor Tom
16/22" Kick.

Any useful input would would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help guys!
 
I would re-wrap them myself. I forget the name of the company I ordered mine from years ago, but you can check out these guys: http://www.precisiondrum.com They sell precut pieces of wrap, you just order based on your shell sizes, and it comes in the exact size to fit the depth of your drum, and with just enough for the seam to overlap an inch or so. Even if you don't get it absolutely perfect, you never see it because of the hoops.
The trickiest part for me was wrapping the wood bass drum hoops. That had to be perfect.
 
If this isn't a high end kit ( top maple or birch shells, very good low mass lugs) I wouldn't bother. Just google drum recovering. A 5 piece kit can run you up to $500 for materials. You really need a machine to hold the cover material to get a proper fit. Recovering drums is harder than it looks to get a perfect fit. (I know as I messed up a couple of drum trying to DIY) Many places that sell shells cut edges. Usually around $15 or $20. You would just have to check if the take outside work. Good luck.
 
Wow, I would have never thought getting bearing edges re-cut was so cheap! I guess it's as casual as like sharpening your skates.

Anyways, I guess, yeah, re-covering the shells would be the way to go. If it's gonna cost me around 500 bucks to get the coverings, I could just see how much the Drum Tech in my area would charge for the labor (since he's already going to re-cut some edges for me).

While I'm at it, why not get all new lugs too?! I looked around and for a good lug it doesn’t seem to cost more than 5 bucks! That's basically a complete restoration for, what...a little over a Grand? It sure beats the hell out of buying a new kit when I can just customize my own.

That was my biggest quandary....to restore or just to buy a whole new damn kit, and I guess the way to go is restoring.

Any oppositions or warnings or suggestions? I'd really appreciate it!

Thanks guys for your advice thus far.
 
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