1994  Alaskan Sitka Spruce                   1997 Ash                              2002 Black Cherry                           1997 Cherry 
                 6.5 X 14                                     5.5 X 14                                      6.5 X 14                                       5.5 X 14
    (One of only 2 ever made)                    Tube Lugs                            


  Craviotto Birdseye Maple              Sitka Spruce Badge                       Maple Badge                  Craviotto Trick Throw-Off
        Craviotto Badge                         


these bottom 2 photos are the photos being used for the 2 fraudulent auctions of Craviotto Drums
I refer to below
                       
  _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
Buyer Beware  UPDATE 

Craviotto Shell Kit #10 MINT 22,16,12,14 snare     and      Craviotto Diamond Series 6.5x14 NOB Snare drum RARE !        

The items shown above are taken from fraudulent auctions popping up on EBAY.
These items have been fraudulently listed several times over the past several weeks using different seller accounts.
I have reported them several times, but they continue to show up randomly.
The seller is demanding contact by email address prior to bidding. This should be a red flag to you already.
Again, these are not legitimate auctions. BUYER BEWARE
Do not contact this seller as this is a bogus auction.
I hope this will help someone avoid a mistake.

The badge photos are just photos to show the difference between DW / Craviotto EXOTIC badges & DW / Craviotto MAPLE badges. I've also included  the other DW / Craviotto badges and the Craviotto badges.
The captions below each drum describe the drum above to show some differences in the DW / Craviotto snare drums & their hardware.
I currently own these fine drums. (except for the Cherry Satin Maple that I sold recently. I miss her, but she got a good home)
If you see any of these drums up for auction and you don't see my name, it's a scam and please let me know or report it to EBAY. I will make
sure to update any sales here if and when they take place.



    For those of you who aren't aware already, there have been a number of auctions for Craviotto snare drums and drum sets that have been already sold and yet are appearing as new auctions. I spoke to one of the buyers to see if, for whatever reason, he decided not to buy and maybe that was why the drums reappeared on EBAY as new auctions, but he assured me that he bought the drums and ( like most of the Craviotto collectors) will never sell his prized possession. Be aware that this is a common occurrence on EBAY.  Make sure to watch for the same photos as those of drums that have already sold.
UPDATE :
Thanks to the due diligence of the EBAY Craviotto watchers, I haven't seen a single instance of  anyone trying to pull a Craviotto scam. You can all
pat yourselves on the back. Thank you for helping to keep the Craviotto corner of EBAY a safe place in which to find our favorite drums at reasonable
prices.

1
Make sure you are protected by EBAY Buyers Protection ( If it doesn't say that on the auction, it ain't so. Also, it WILL tell you when you are NOT protected. )
2
Timeless Timber Snare Drums NEVER sell for less than thousands of dollars. Always be aware of this and check to see if you are protected by EBAY. A drum selling for thousands that has no buyer protection is a huge red flag.
UPDATE:
The Craviotto Timeless Timbers are currently going on EBAY at approximately 1600-2300 for the Birch and 2300- 2800 for the Maples. Of course, the best of these may never again see the light of EBAY, but occasionally the elusive Steve Maxwell Collections provide a view into the inner sanctum of the Holy Grail of the Craviotto snares for the rest of us mortal drummers. I couldn't swear to it, but I do watch these like an eagle and my best guess is that Steve Maxwell has the finest Craviottos outside of Johnny's private collection. Just a few words to the real collectors....Maxwell Collection. If you can find a Timeless Timber that has a Maxwell Collection plaque on it....forget the money....forget the economy.....buy it ! The best investment in these torrid and savage economical times is Craviotto. And the best investment house in the country is Steve Maxwell Vintage Drums. Here's his URL:

Unfortunately, EBAY only allows links to things within EBAY, so,
you need to cut & paste this URL address to your address bars and click ENTER.                                                           

http://www.maxwelldrums.com/

For the Ludwig/Ludwig, Leedy fans out there, there's another note worth mentioning while discussing Steve Maxwell & Johnny Craviotto :
From the "Steve Maxwell Vintage & Custom Drums" website.....(URL above)

"We are proud to announce the creation of the Leedy USA Custom Shop. Through our arrangement with Leedy, our Leedy USA Custom Shop division will be responsible for creating, building and distributing custom Leedy USA drums.
Our goal is to honor the tradition of the great Leedy name by developing products that match classic beauty with classic sound. In this regard we are  pleased to announce that our first Leedy USA Custom Shop snare drums will be built with solid shells through our exclusive arrangement with The Craviotto Drum Company. Johnny Craviotto is well known as the world's finest craftsman of solid shell drums. Johnny's solid shells will add a new dimension of sound to the Leedy product line."

3
DW / Craviottos are becoming more scarce due to the growing number of collectors out there ( These are the drums Johnny Craviotto made during his short time with DW/ Drum Workshop Drums.)
Always look for Johnny Craviotto's signature and date on the inside of the shell. Drums sold as DW / Craviottos without this feature should always be suspect. There are however shells that were purchased by dealers after Johnny left that do not have a signature. As long as you are dealing with an established dealer, you should be OK, but I'd still ask about it and find out what year the shell was made. The newer Craviotto shells will have the Diamond Craviotto stamp on the inside of the shell. The others will generally have a date you can check on. A 2005 date on the shell isn't going to be a shell while Johnny was still at DW, but a Craviotto shell is a Craviotto shell and you can't go wrong there. Understand that the Unlimited versions (Maple) will generally sell for around $500 - $700, depending on the drum and it's hardware.
The Limited versions are another story. These are the exotic woods like Black Cherry, Ash, Birdseye Maple, Alaskan Sitka Spruce, ETC.
( it will have a  "DW" badge that says "exotic" on it, as well as a "Craviotto" badge ) and they can bring from $600-thousands, depending on the hardware, type of wood, number of drums sold and history of the drum.
A Curly Maple sold recently for $1000 and the prices are going up.

 Recently, there has been an onslaught of gorgeous Craviotto highly figured Maples and Birches with nicknames like Curly (MOE !, LARRY!..no, just kidding), Birdseye, Fiddleback and also some absolutely stunning HYBRID drums coming from Craviotto Drums. These are must see drums !
So here's the URL :

Unfortunately, EBAY only allows links to things within EBAY, so,
you need to cut & paste this URL address to your address bars and click ENTER.                                                           

http://www.craviottodrums.com/blog.php

But I digress...

Unique exotic wood drums with outstanding hardware, good condition and a solid, verifiable history will always bring the most at auction.

4
Currently, the Timeless Timbers from Craviotto (not DW / Craviotto) are bringing the best prices due to their unique wood and limited numbers. Needless to say, when you see these snare drums going for $400, instead of thousands,  you need to check to see if you are protected. You might wish to call EBAY and make sure the auction is legitimate in their eyes (since they will be the ones to say whether or not they will reimburse you if things go bad ). 

5
Do your homework first before buying. Take the time to watch to see what the drum you are looking for is selling for ( don't worry about missing an opportunity, others will come by )
The easiest way to get burnt on EBAY is to get caught up in impulse buying and jump into a bidding war over something  you haven't done your homework on. This is why you should always be wary of 3 day auctions.
Take your time, do your homework, watch for the same photos as those of drums that have already sold, look for the signature & date on the inside of the shell, make sure you are protected and if possible, buy using PAYPAL for added protection.
I hope this helps someone avoid getting burned.
Happy Bidding !

Regards,
Ray