Olympic Drums in Portland Oregon has a wonderful selection of vintage drums for collectors and players alike. I recently purchased 3 Ludwig & Ludwig snare drums that particularly caught my eye. The New Era, Stipelgold and Gold Flash were rare finds and perfect additions to my wood snare drum collection.

After working out a great deal with Olympic Drums partners, Bill Wanser and Scott Colner, I purchased the 1929 New Era. Shortly after, I picked up the 1926 Stipelgold snare. Both drums were featured in previous articles.

To complete this fabulous trio of wood snares, my last purchase was the 1930’s Ludwig & Ludwig Gold Flash Super. Almost all wood snares up until 1940 were solid shells, whereas this snare has a ply shell which helps to keep its shape. The shell is covered with Gold Flash Pearl, which again was a rarely seen covering. After 1932, Ludwig used Gold Flake Pearl, which has a larger pattern gold flake in the pearl. As a result, the Gold Flash Pearl is not often seen today.

Bill and Scott did a great job cleaning up the snare and replacing any missing parts with era correct parts. The original Super L & L strainer is very sensitive and gives it that classic Ludwig tone. The Classic Gold hardware was cleaned and re-lacquered and, along with the Gold Flash Pearl wrap, makes this drum stand out in my collection.

Specifications

5 x 14 ply shell with Gold Flash Pearl finish and classic white paint interior

Classic Gold hardware finish was cleaned and re-lacquered

10 tube lugs

Both rims, couple of rim clips, tension rods and a few nuts and bolts were replaced with era correct parts

One snare guard is from the earlier deluxe copper plating era

Oval brass badge

Pictures courtesy of Olympic Drums

Danny Bilan

Our Man in Canada