Summer is almost gone and hopefully we are heading for some cooler weather. In my part of the country, we are ready for a break from the hot weather. Anyway, outside gigs will be a lot better for a while and then it will be cold once more and we will be longing for some warm weather again. I still enjoy playing even at my advanced age, but I much prefer the climate controlled inside rooms to the take- what -you get outside jobs we often play. I enjoy setting up a vintage drum set on occasion and imagining the history behind a 1960s set that has aged in sound and appearance over the years. I try to play many of my drums but certainly not all of them. I have collected some sets and snares that are not going out on jobs, but most of them certainly could be played with a little tuning or tensioning, if you prefer, of the heads. A layer of dust covers some of them but that could be remedied with a micro fiber cloth and a little Windex.
I have a sweet 1960s Rogers Dynasonic snare that I have never played on a gig. It is the drum I want to feature in this article. Several years ago, before new Rogers drums came back on the market, I decided I had to own a wooden shell Dynasonic snare. They were the rage among the collectors and the prices were high for nice ones. Rogers drums have since made a comeback with beautiful snares and kits. The new Dynasonic is awesome. I am not sure if they hurt or helped the value of the earlier vintage ones. The vintage wooden shell Dynasonics are still very much in demand and the prices are still pretty high. I was looking for a good buy on one in excellent condition. I finally had an opportunity to bid on one on E-Bay. It seemed like the bidding was very low for such an amazing drum. The problem was it was over seas and the collectors were afraid. I have to admit I was also concerned about the fact that the seller was selling such a beautiful drum with no reserve and a small set amount for shipping from over seas.
I started talking about the drum in messages to some of the Rogers experts telling them about my concerns and what was going on with the sale. They were very helpful with their comments. Some were afraid the drum would get to America with a huge tariff to be paid. A very trusted collector informed me it would not happen. It was an American drum coming home so there would not be a tariff. I remember selling some drums at the drum show in Chicago to a foreigner and having a fellow collector scold me saying," well there goes one that will never come back." I wanted to tell him about my Dynasonic after I bought it and tell him here's one that came back. I placed a bid that was really pretty low for this drum and won the auction with less than my maximum amount. I was amazed and was sure I would be outbid, but I won. Now the question was would the seller ship the drum and would I get it. I paid with Pay-Pal and not friends and family. Don't do that unless you are really sure about the seller. I felt pretty good about the whole transaction so then all I could do was wait.
In a few days the box with foreign writing on it was at my door. My heart starting beating faster as I opened up the box and there it was in all its glory. A beautiful 1960s Rogers Dynasonic in amazing condition. The Bread-and-Butter lugs are all perfect and the blue glass glitter wrap is flawless. There is not an issue anywhere on the drum. It is in excellent condition. I consider it one of my favorite snares in my collection. I don't recommend buying and selling drums from people in other countries without carefully checking them out. I was just extremely fortunate with this deal and I am very thankful it worked out the way it did.