by Carlos Guzman
I was given this bass drum as a gift. Despite the poor condition it was in due to its age, once I saw the wooden lugs I knew that I had a diamond in the rough. Doing some research I learned that the drum is a 30" Ludwig & Ludwig "Victory" model which was manufactured around 1943. During the era of world war 2 manufacturing restrictions were imposed on metal parts used in making musical instruments. I knew that this drum had survived a long lineage and just had to be restored.
I stripped the drum down and began the lengthy task of hand sanding and staining the wood parts. That took the better part of a week but with each sanding the true beauty of the drum slowly began to appear. Layers of light wood stain were applied.
Aside from sending the metal tuning rods and harness clips out for gold plating and purchasing a fibreskyn head for one side, the drum was ready to go in a very short time. One of the calf heads had survived and, despite a very tiny cut, was still very playable and gave the drum a distinctive worn vintage look.
The sound is massive. A few years ago I was asked to participate in a drum sampling session primarily for bass drums so I knew I had to bring it! The producer's jaw dropped when he saw it. The low end that resulted from striking the drum with a mallet was incredible.
I have attached a couple pictures from shortly after finishing the drum and one from the sampling session. Thanks to a little hard work this drum continues to live on with its own musical history.
Carlos Guzman
guzmanglobalbeat@aol.com