loading
reading
writing
saving
searching
RARE! Gretsch Tony Williams Lifetime Yellow Drum Set in TWYL Yellow - $549 (cole valley / ashbury hts)
make / manufacturer:
Gretsch
model name / number:
Tony Williams
size / dimensions:
20-13-12
QR Code Link to This Post
Beautiful tone you can only get from handmade American drums from this era!
20” bass, 13” and 12”” rack toms
“You can’t beat that great Gretsch sound!“
All of the toms appear to have the original heavy duty Gretsch die cast rims!
"Real" Tony Williams Yellow is a gorgeous opaque yellow lacquer on the natural wood...the official name being "Tony Williams Yellow Lacquer" at one point and called Lifetime Yellow at another point. It would be the same as older Duco style finishes but with more finish work to make the lacquer glossier. Gretsch also did some drums in a Nitron (plastic wrap) version. My drums are the real wood lacquer Tony Williams Lifetime Yellow! (TWYL) these drums are not wrapped! They are real wood lacquer with a beautiful original factory paint job!
This drum set has seen many recent jazz and rock jam sessions. I am planning to restore it by just filling the extra holes and maybe putting on the original tom mount again. But, I’m putting it up for sale because it might be a while before I get around to restoring it to the original condition.
The 20 inch bass drum has two holes filled where the original tom mount went. Of course, it also has the “upgraded“ Rogers tom mount on there also. Some of the tension, rods and claws are not original. One bass hoop is the original yellow, and the other hoop appears to be a replacement and is black.
The 16 inch floor tom is SOLD AND NOT INCLUDED !
The rack toms each have an extra hole where the tom mount arm goes through. My guess is that this kit was originally a factory ordered left-handed set and somebody wanted to turn it into a right handed set? There are also some extra scratches on the 12 inch.
The usual scratches on the chrome rims and hardware that you would expect to find in a drum set almost half a century old. The drums were usually played with just one of the rack toms at a time, but you can probably get the hardware to work with two toms. I think I’ve mentioned all of the eccentricities of the drum set. It’s in great overall shape and ready to go.
Overall, an awesome sounding set that still drips with all of the original flavor of Tony Williams. Even Elvin Jones bought a Tony Williams yellow set when he saw how cool Tony’s was!
I have more detailed pictures so hit me up if you’re interested. These deserve to get played by a true Tony Williams fan.
I am open to offers!