Hi all,
I got this one off of Reverb. This drum has been around for a while and the owner worked with me on an even lower price. WFL two-tone pearl drums are pretty scarce so this was a good drum to add to the collection.
THE SHELL:
The two-tone pearl finish is in pretty good condition but there are a few divots here and there in the finish. I was able to remove a few layers of schmutz via my usual cleaning/polishing regimen. The inside is clean with a tight badge and grommet. There were a few undisclosed gremlins that I had to deal with... 1. Some “brainiac” of yesteryear decided – for reasons unknown to me -- that an extra hole and a bolt would be perfect for the left side of the butt plate. My only guess is that maybe there was a heater/light bulb attachment there at some point in time. I dug into my vintage heater/light bulb parts bag and rigged up a more presentable and justifiable solution... 2. There were 2 extra holes right between where the twin strainers are attached; a factory error? Fortunately the extra holes filled in nicely with some mahogany filler and are covered internally by the attachment washers... 3. One of the strainers needed a pin instead of the metal wire that was holding it in place. This was an easy fix for my machinist and the official “saver of vintage parts”, Abe Abello. The seller was easy to work with and made a fair adjustment to the original price.
THE HARDWARE:
The nob hardware is all original but needed a good cleaning and polishing. The 16 staggered lugs are kind of in between the WFL Zephyr and WFL Imperial lugs. Notice how WFL had to modify the lug directly above the twin strainers as compared to the other lugs. I also have a WMP version of this drum with the same lug situation. A word of caution about these lugs. Be careful when you unscrew them from the shell as the internal spring is just wedged in there and will pop out and go flying across your workbench.
Of-the-era WFL top and bottom heads rounded out this cleaning/restoration.
Enjoy!
Mike Curotto