Every now and then, “once in a blue moon,” vintage drum collectors stumble upon a very rare and unusual find. Sometimes we become so enamored with the thrill of the hunt, trying to unearth the ultra rare vintage Black Beauty or Billy Gladstone snare drum. Also, we spend countless hours surfing the internet to possibly find a hidden treasure. In this fast moving world, the opportunity only presents itself with a very small window of time.
It's usually when you least expect it, that you have a, “wow, what is that?" moment. This is what happened to me. I was still in my “caught off balance mode” after receiving a message from my friend Howard about a snare drum he had picked up in his travels. We never actually discussed the details of make, model or finish until I actually had received a photo. We are both old school and usually like to meet in person to check out a new acquisition. Howard is a jazz enthusiast, always searching out a variety of unusual antiques, collectibles and vintage musical instruments.
Very casually, I asked him for a few photos and when he had time to please forward them to me. When I finally received the pics, I did a major double take. The rush of vintage drum adrenaline came over me. After studying the photos, I immediately pulled up an old Slingerland Catalog page that displayed vintage drum finishes of the 1930s. I remember that there was a specific rare finish that I had truly admired but had never encountered in all of my years of collecting vintage drums. The finish was Abalone Pearl! And, the Drum that this beautiful finish is attached to is a 1930s Leedy 5x14 Broadway Standard Model. I have actually only seen this finish on a Slingerland 1930s Radio King snare drum and a miscellaneous vintage bass drum. What a beautiful, stunning and striking finish this is. The Abalone Pearl has a three dimensional vibe that really illuminates with the change of natural lighting. The array of beautiful colors is what makes this finish pop. Apparently, there are only a handful of drums with this rare finish that exist. Also, I have not seen another Leedy snare drum equipped with the Abalone Pearl finish.
Here are the details:
Shell Construction: The maple shell is 5”x14” 1-ply with solid maple reinforcing rings. Many Leedy snare drums of this era have a date ink stamped inside the shell. But, interestingly this snare has no ink marking. The free floating design allowed for easy head fitting - you could practically spin a head on the shell.
Lugs: The cast lug design is the “X” or “box lug” variety. These lugs are beautifully crafted with an art deco vibe. Internal springs support the receiving nut to insure smooth self-alignment for the tension rods.
Hoops : - are nickel over brass, double flanged. The snare side hoop has a flanged gate. The bottom hoop has the Broadway Standard name stamped into it the hoop.
Tension Rods: The Leedy Company supplied 10/24” tension rods that are 2-1/4” in length. Most American drum companies during this era utilized 12/24” thread, as this was the industry standard, and still is. The finer thread 10/24” tension rod and size was Leedy’s unique design for accurate tensioning and precise tuning.
Strainer System: This drum is equipped with the four-point throw-off. This was the first four point generation offered in the early 1930s era. The throw-off is equipped with a short arm design with no extension handle. This strainer functions very well with a smooth, positive on and off snare positioning.
Tone Control: The spring loaded tone control/muffler is a simple but effective design. Leedy offered this muffler as an option on all of their top of the line drums. During this “Jazz era” many drummers preferred this option to control unwanted overtones.
I believe that this one may very well have been a special order or unique one-off.
A special thanks goes out to my friend Howard for contacting me about this awesome vintage snare!
Please feel free to contact me via the comments section, if you have a Leedy Snare or any drum with this unique finish.