As the centerpiece of many stage ensembles, the drum kit has seen its fair share of stylistic evolutions over the decades. Every finish change was a telltale sign of the music being played, the musicians playing, and the daring visual leaps that would ultimately come to define the latest example of pop culture’s ever-evolving aesthetic. And some of these designs were just too cool not to keep around, so Sweetwater proudly offers a great pick of snares and shell packs boasting history’s best vintage drum finishes. Let’s dive deeper into 10 beauties, review some of our favorite Sweetwater examples, and catch each iconic look in action!
Note: At Sweetwater, we know there’s no such thing as “best” when it comes to music gear. Every player and artist has unique tastes, which is what makes selecting gear so fun! The items on this list feature some of our favorite products from top manufacturers to help you start your buying journey! Explore these recommendations and dive into Sweetwater’s massive collection of gear on our online store. For personalized picks and expert advice, please contact our knowledgeable Sweetwater Sales Engineers at (800) 222-4700!
- Aged Metal
- Traditional
- White Marine Pearl
- Ludwig Oyster Pearl
- Gold Sparkle
- Tangerine (Mod Orange)
- Transparent
- Ludwig Vistalite
- Chrome
- Dark Wood
Aged Metal
We’ll start with a finish category that, until recent years, was never really a marketed or deliberately sought-after design: the aged-metal drum. From oxidized copper to raw brass, this “patina’d” result of the artificial aging process brings out the stunning complexities of the metal exterior of each shell, offering a vintage appeal for drummers similar to that of raw and un-lathed cymbals. And while many companies have their fingers in the aged-metal pie, A&F Drum Company is world-famous for completely nailing this antique aesthetic.
Complete with no-flange hoops, narrow lugs, and claw hooks anchoring down the intonation of every shell, A&F’s gorgeous collection of instruments goes well beyond the finish in terms of assuring maximum old-timey appeal. To see what we mean, have a look at the Raw Brass and Raw Copper shells and snares from the A&F’ers Bell Series. You can feel the once dormant energy of a piece of percussion history pulled from a dusty attic trunk or barn shelf just waiting to explode with restored song.
Traditional
When we say “traditional” finish, we’re talking about those instantly identifiable, old-fashioned colors that dress drum shells with the charm of the distant past. Simple as they may seem, there’s a vibe to these older finishes that speaks to the roots of the instrument in Western musical culture, be it a militaristic marching look, a turn-of-the-century elegance, or the dawn of big band. Typically, white, black, red, and blue are the primary finishes we associate with the category.
To get a taste of this old-age charm, we’ll again look to A&F for a few examples since the company has mastered the bygone grace. Firstly, this A&F Maple Club snare drum fits the bill perfectly, as it’s offered in a unique Chandler Blue finish with rosewood hoops and brass hardware — “enchanted heirloom” is written all over this snare! A&F’s 1901 Limited-edition 3-piece shell pack tells a similar tale, looking like a Gilded Age time capsule in its Antique White finish with nickel-over-brass hardware. Shifting companies, the Welch Tuning Systems Epiphany Series 3-piece shell pack dons a timeless matte black finish and a unique key-driven wire tuning system reminiscent of Civil War–era rope-tension drums.
White Marine Pearl
The most iconic drum wrap from the 1920s through the 1950s was undoubtedly White Marine Pearl. Historic companies like Slingerland, Leedy, and Ludwig became world-renowned for this look but were by no means the only manufacturers to offer it. As the perfect look for jazz clubs and eccentric big-band kits with massive 26-inch kick drums, White Marine Pearl has become a cherished design among vintage drum enthusiasts that seems to only get better with age — literally! The yellowing of these wraps over time adds a delightful and well-loved luster to their kits that no other era can claim.
In fact, the look has become so coveted that kits like the Pearl Session Studio Select STS944XP/C 4-piece shell pack even offer a Nicotine White Marine Pearl wrap to tribute the aged color. But if that’s not quite your speed, then the Gretsch Drums Renown RN2-J483 3-piece shell pack delivers the goods in a gorgeous Vintage Pearl color, even elegantly striping the natural bass drum hoops along the way. After a WMP-themed snare? Check out this Rogers Drums PowerTone snare drum, and bask in the beauty of its vintage glow and classy script logo!
Ludwig Oyster Pearl
As we make our way through the 1950s and into the early 1960s, Ludwig’s Oyster Pearl wraps became top choices among professional players of the British Invasion while encouraging the bivalve beauty of past pearl wraps to continue in a new direction. In 1964, this newer stripe-like design popped up on the kit of Ringo Starr on The Ed Sullivan Show, and ever since, the look of the Ludwig Oyster Pearl had its place sealed in history with grand acclaim — and rightfully so!
The specific 4-piece backbeat of the Beatles came wrapped in Black Oyster Pearl. Still, Ludwig had a variety of other colors to choose from within its catalog — and Sweetwater’s got all era-appropriate looks! From Vintage Pink and Blue Oyster to Lemon and Olive Oyster, there’s a colorfully classic Ludwig Oyster kit or snare with your name on it!
Gold Sparkle
Another competing mid-century stylistic choice was the Sparkle finish. This jet-age look expressed the same gaudy attractiveness as tailfin cars, diners, and neon signage, with a glitter that could captivate under stage lights. And while there were Sparkle kit examples of almost every color imaginable, there were perhaps none quite as remembered as Gold Sparkle, or its frequented Champagne Sparkle cousin heavily popularized by Ludwig. From hotel lounge bands to session drummers to Michael Shrieve’s mind-blowing Woodstock performance with Santana, everyone rode the Gold Sparkle train for quite some time. And looking back, how could they not have?
Sweetwater has a nice helping of Gold Sparkle drums to choose from, starting with the Pearl Masters Maple Complete MCT924XEDP/C 4-piece shell pack, which nails the look, courtesy of its Bombay Gold Sparkle finish. The same company also hit another home run with its deluxe offering, the Pearl Music City Custom Reference Pure RFP422/C 4-piece shell pack in legendary Bright Champagne Sparkle. Need more gold? How about a snare with serious shimmer, like this Gold Sparkle FinishPly DW Performance Series snare drum?
Tangerine (Mod Orange)
Tangerine, or Mod Orange, in Ludwig’s case, proved to be quite the up-and-coming scheme for drum kits around the late 1960s and early to mid-1970s. This groovy finish took after the orange and yellow stylings of muscle cars and minimalist modern furniture and quickly rose to fame, adorning the drum sets of the stars, including, most famously, John Densmore of the Doors. His kit was on full display during the band’s infamous performance of “Light My Fire” on The Ed Sullivan Show in September of 1967.
This lava-like dress code gave drummers and their kits a can’t-miss psychedelic aesthetic that caught on and never really let go. This historic shade is kept alive through kits like the Mod Orange Ludwig Classic Maple Pro Beat 24 3-piece shell pack, while other offerings like the TAMA Superstar Classic CL72S 7-piece shell pack with snare drum and this DW Performance Series snare drum sport Lacquer Burst and Marine renderings of the same exciting Tangerine style, respectively.
Transparent
The next stop on our list of the ten best vintage drum finishes is, well, not really a finish at all. It’s the absence of a finish — the anti-finish! The story of transparent acrylic drum popularity is one with many twists and turns, beginning in the early 1970s with drummers like the Who’s Keith Moon and his custom-ordered Zickos drum sets and traveling through the 1980s and beyond at the disposal of players like Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater. Music was traversing previously unexplored horizons at frightening speeds, as were recording technology and revolutionary instrument manufacturing. What better looking glass for exploration than a see-through drum set?
Sweetwater’s got some awesome transparent shells for sale, including a DW DDAC2215CL Design Series 4-piece shell pack and a matching DW Design Series Acrylic snare drum in a Clear Acyclic finish. Another fan-favorite clear, seamless acrylic kit is the Ultra Clear Pearl Crystal Beat CRB524P/C 4-piece shell pack, a series born out of the 1970s that has been favored by many over the decades, including YouTube drumming sensation Casey Cooper!
Ludwig Vistalite
Speaking of see-through drum sets — there are undoubtedly none in this finish category as famous as the mesmerizing Ludwig Vistalite series kits. Brought into the spotlight in 1973 by Led Zeppelin’s legendary rhythm man John Bonham, the Vistalite series showed off the true power, resonance, and range potential of acrylic drum building while offering a look that diverged from previous acrylic endeavors. While transparency was still an option, Ludwig’s Vistalite series supplied a lineup of killer translucent designs that injected flavor into the looking-glass aesthetic. These included standard primary colors in addition to more exciting ventures, like green, Tequila Sunrise, and Bonham’s iconic amber.
Oh, if only there was a way to harness the massive energy and matching look of Bonzo’s amber Vistalite today . . . Wait a minute — this is Sweetwater — of course, there is! We’ve got the amber Ludwig Vistalite Zep 5-piece shell pack with snare drum ready to order, along with a handful of other exceptional Ludwig examples, including the green Vistalite Pro Beat 3-piece shell pack and a stunning Pattern “A” blue-clear-blue-striped 50th Anniversary Vistalite Fab 3-piece shell pack.
Chrome
“Everything is chrome in the future!” Alright, not everything, but the chrome finishing fad of the mid-1970s and 1980s certainly delivered its share of otherworldly glam and futuristic flair. At a time when staging, light shows, and special effects were reaching new heights and enormous audiences, the look of the chrome kit played the perfect complement. In the 1970s, legendary drummer Neil Peart of Rush cloaked his double kick Slingerland kit with chrome, as did Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen in the 1980s, among countless others.
Back then, many manufacturers followed the chrome-finished trend, including Ludwig, Fibes, TAMA, Premier, and more. The ever-popular Pearl Export series made chrome-finished kits available for a much more attractive price tag, allowing drummers of all budgets to get in on the fun. Check out this comparably priced Smokey Chrome Pearl Export EXX725S/C 5-piece drum set with snare drum, or get into some serious Neil Peart territory with the Smokey Chrome Pearl Export EXX728DB/C 8-piece double bass drum set with snare drum and a stunning chrome Mapex Black Panther Cyrus snare drum!
Dark Wood
The final stop on our search for the 10 best vintage drum finishes is the dark wood look. Kits of the 1970s and 1980s finished in natural or stained mahogany, walnut, koa, and the like were indicators of contemporary fashion and style, like most other finishes on our list. For those who lived through the time period, it goes without saying that you remember the wood-paneled living rooms and basement bars of the era! But on a drum kit, there’s an elegance to the dark wood aesthetic that plays just as much of a role in design as it does in tone.
The old “Stop Sign Badge” Gretsch kits are some of the most notable models that became associated with this appearance, and this look is expertly revived in the mahogany Gretsch Drums Renown LTD 4-piece shell pack. The PDP Concept Maple Classic Bop 3-piece shell pack, with its walnut finish and maple shells and hoops, delivers some exciting two-tone spirit as well, while kits like the dark mahogany Rogers Drums Cleveland 3-piece shell pack present a drop-dead gorgeous dark wood aura fit for any decade of drumming!
Shop Vintage Drum Finishes at Sweetwater Today!
Whether you’re interested in channeling the vibes of history’s greatest drumming superstars, looking for that classy and charming old-school example, or really chasing after that rugged and aged aesthetic, there’s an awesome vintage drum finish for every enthusiast right here at Sweetwater. See something that stood out? Interested in finding out more about the incredible kits we offer? Be sure to give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700, and they’ll help you find the historic look that’s exactly your cup of tea.
