Gretsch · round badge bop kit · 1961–1971
Gretsch Round Badge Bop Kit
When Gretsch made a 120-set round badge reissue for its 120th anniversary in 2003, it called the 18, 12 and 14-inch kit a Be-Bop set. Its 1950s catalogs had used the Bop name for something else, a Broadkaster outfit with a 20-inch bass drum and 13 and 16-inch toms. The 18 came in as an option on the Progressive Jazz outfit, which Gretsch said was the set Art Blakey and Max Roach played. From the 1961 catalog through 1971 you could order it with an 18 x 14 bass, a 12 x 8 tom and a 14 x 14 floor tom. These are the years of 6-ply shells with silver-painted interiors and the Rail Consolette tom holder, just after the 1958 catalog quoted Birdland's manager saying most of the club's drummers played Gretsch anyway. Because the 2003 sets wear a round badge too, read the interior and hardware before you assume a kit is from the 1960s. Small kits also get pieced together from loose drums, so look for three drums whose badges, interiors, labels and wrap fading all agree.
Progressive Jazz outfit with its standard 20 x 14 bass (1958 on)Broadkaster Bop Outfit, Gretsch's own catalog Bop set with a 20-inch bass and 13 and 16-inch toms (1950s to 1961)120th Anniversary Round Badge Be-Bop set, 18/12/14 in Champagne Sparkle or Dark Walnut, 120 made (2003)
Spec at a glance
- Brand
- Gretsch
- Model
- round badge bop kit
- Family
- Round Badge
- Type
- Kit
- Years covered
- 1961–1971
- Made in
- USA (Brooklyn, New York, then De Queen, Arkansas from 1969)
- Sizes
- 18 x 14 bass, 12 x 8 tom, 14 x 14 floor tom
- Era
- 1960s
Inside the shellround badge bop kit
- Shell
- Multi-ply
- Construction
- 6-ply molded wood shell with a silver-painted interior
- Hardware
- Rail Consolette tom holder, disappearing bass drum spurs, Jimmy Pratt bass drum tone control
- Finishes
- White Pearl, Black Pearl, Midnight Blue Pearl, Champagne Sparkle, Silver Sparkle, Blue Sparkle, Tangerine Sparkle, Burgundy Sparkle, Jet Black Nitron, Moonglow Satin Flame, Hand Polished Walnut
How to date one
Gretsch says fires destroyed its serial records, so date one by its parts. The round badge ran until 1971 and the octagonal badge took over in 1972. A silver-painted 6-ply interior fits the late 1950s on, and a natural 3-ply interior is earlier. Collectors date the paper label inside the shell from about 1962 or 1963.
What to check before you buy
Shells get split up and later reassembled into married sets, so one drum often doesn't match the other two. Re-wrapped drums turn up with extra or filled holes and swapped hardware.
- 01Badges: Look at the badge on each drum in the photos. All three should be the round Gretsch badge, fixed the same way.
- 02Interiors: Ask the seller for a photo inside each shell. Silver paint fits the 6-ply shells of these years, and it should look the same on all three drums.
- 03Paper labels: Ask whether each drum has a paper label inside. Labels point to about 1962 or later, and a set that has always been together should agree drum to drum.
- 04Sizes: Check the listed sizes against 18 x 14, 12 x 8 and 14 x 14. A 20-inch bass with these toms is the standard Progressive Jazz set, which is fine if you'd rather have it.
- 05Wrap: Look along the wrap seams and around the lugs in the photos. Even fading on all three drums and flat, tight seams point to original wrap.
- 06Extra holes: Ask for photos of the bass drum shell around the tom holder, inside and out. Original mounting holes only, with nothing filled or added, is what you want.
- 07Bearing edges: On arrival, pull the heads and run a finger round each bearing edge. It should be smooth and even, with no dents, chips or flat spots.
- 08Packing: Ask the seller to box each drum on its own with the heads on and stands packed separately, or pick it up locally. One big loose box is how shells and hoops get damaged.
Find one on eBay
We haven’t been through this drum’s listings yet. Search eBay for the exact model and run every listing through the checklist above. Ask for clear photos of the badge, the inside of each shell, the bearing edges and every lug, and ask how it will be packed. Pass on any listing that won’t show them.
Search “Gretsch round badge 18 bop kit” on eBay ↗eBay searchCompare with
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