VINTAGE DRUMS FOR SALE!
VINTAGE DRUMS FOR SALE!
Article printed in March 2000 issue of Modern Drummer about Steve Velasquez.
The Internet has given drummer dozens of venues for discussing technique, equipment, band situations and other relevant topics. It's also given drummers a new place to shop. A few minutes spent surfing the Web can take you to choices ranging from large urban drum stores that use the Web as an extension of their showrooms, to independent dealers who sell vintage equipment out of their homes.
Steve Velasquez of Santa Cruz, California buys, sells, restores, and repairs drums. Though he deals primarily with vintage equipment, he says that all shoppers--whether seeking collectible drums or a set to play every day--can find good deals on the Internet. “The biggest advantage to shopping on the Internet is that you can find just about anything.” Says Steve. “Rather than just looking locally for the one piece that will complete your 1960’s kit, you expand your search nationwide--or even worldwide.”
Selection and range may be the biggest advantages of shopping on the Internet. The most obvious disadvantage is risk. After all, shopping for drums involves getting more than just a visual sense of a potential purchase. Sound is equally--if not more--important. To deal with this aspect of drum buying, Velasquez often sends interested buyers photos of the kits and other items he is selling. If the buyer is still interested, he or she makes the purchase with a cashier’s check, which Velasquez deposits, but holds. Steve’s customers have the option of returning anything they’re not happy with, and obtaining a full refund. They pay only for the return shipping.
Drummers planning to shop on the Web should follow Velasquez’s model. Ask for additional photos of the kit. Even if it is a standard model, photos may provide some indication of the equipment’s condition. Deal only with sellers who will permit returns, allowing you to check the sound of the gear before the purchase is finalized. And be sure to check references. Velasquez says that particularly with the vintage drum community many people who do business over the Web know who is reputable. “There is a code in the vintage drum community,” he says. “Honesty is the best way.”
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