My 40th Anniversary with my Gretsch Set

May 29, 2023 Kurt Ekstrom

You were all I thought about from the time I started taking drum lessons the year prior. When the time had come to get you, you were not at all what I had pictured in my head as my 12 year old mind was set on finding a nice shiny Ludwig set that would stand out. The choice that fateful day back in June of 1983 was between you and the Ludwig Tivoli lighted set of Vista-lite drums set up in the window of Looney Tunes music that was at the southern end of Main Street in Concord NH

Simmons Mania

March 30, 2023 Kurt Ekstrom

Alex played a monstrous set with the core of the set centered on Simmons bass drums and toms with an acoustic snare drum and an array of Paiste 2002 cymbals. I had thought the Simmons drums sounded pretty cool and unique when the album came out that March but that night at the concert, the sound of those Simmons drums coming from the PA rattled my teeth and just exploded with low end. One round house fill around the toms sent chills up my 15 year old spine and it was then and there that I knew I wanted a set.

Stories From The Hunt

December 30, 2022 Kurt Ekstrom

I decided to open the trunk to have a look inside and saw a bunch of very lightweight rusted hardware, some old decorations from a party, some confetti and a few other belongings not related to drums. What did catch my eye was the top of a drum head sitting in the case. As I slowly lifted the drum out of the case, I felt a little like Indiana Jones on one of his crusades and I nearly fainted when the drum revealed itself as a beautiful very white WMP twin strainer snare drum in 100% mint original condition.

The Search is Over!

July 31, 2022 Kurt Ekstrom

I have spent countless hours looking at Mod Orange sets and saving pictures of them. I have been to countless drum shows as well as music stores and in the last 30 years of looking, have probably seen no more than 10 sets in Downbeat sizes.

Homage to Charlie

September 1, 2021 Kurt Ekstrom

I never met Charlie or any other of the Rolling Stones but I feel fortunate as I was able to indirectly help put a rare WFL drum Charlie owned back to original shape. Charlie acquired a late 30’s WFL twin snare drum that had off-set lugs and the type of strainers that often broke at the tip. Charlie’s drum had one broken strainer and his tech, Don McAulay was looking to find a replacement strainer

The Legacy of Mitch Mitchell

May 31, 2021 George Lawrence

Major Kevin John simon has gone to great lengths to compile tons of rare photos, information and general knowledge on all things Mitch and decided to take things further when he took on the incredible task of recreating the three Ludwig sets Mitch used with Jimi Hendrix from 1967-1969. When Kevin made the decision to showcase the sets and the group at the famous Chicago drum show that happens in May, a decision was made to recreate the Black Panther Ludwig set that Mitch used at Woodstock.

Mr. Nelson's Opus - A Tribute to Life Long Drum Teachers

March 29, 2021 Kurt Ekstrom

Normally I write articles on vintage drums or drum history as I have a love for that stuff. I felt this article would be a great chance to pay tribute to those individuals that have taught drums for many years.

Canister Thrones

January 31, 2021 Kurt Ekstrom

According to my WFL/Ludwig catalogs, the Ludwig canister throne was invented around 1953 and it was touted as the sensational new “seat-case” as it was designed to hold traps and accessories.

Gretsch Progressive Jazz kit

October 29, 2020 Kurt Ekstrom

A friend of mine had come across a set of mismatched champagne sparkle drums that included a Gretsch round badge 5x14 name band snare drum, 8x12 tom and 14x14 floor tom…

WFL Victorious

August 31, 2020 Kurt Ekstrom

As I sit here wondering when life will get back to some sort of normal, I am pondering what to write about in a drum article that would make for a good distraction, yet relate to the state of things in the world today. One such drum that comes to mind for me is this WW II era Victorious snare drum. The very name Victorious is something that I think is appropriate because in due time, I feel we will all emerge stronger and victorious from the effects of Covid

Influential Alex Van Halen

May 28, 2020 Kurt Ekstrom

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I also consider Alex to be somewhat of a teacher as he had the ability to lay down straight ahead rock along with the occasional shuffle and a song using brushes. My teacher was a great swing brush player but somehow hearing my idol play brushes (Big Bad Bill from Diver Down) made it seem all that much cooler.

WFL Deluxe Marble Outfit

December 26, 2019 Kurt Ekstrom

….One such finish was called DeLuxe Marble and it was a short-lived finish that was painted on the shells to look like faux marble. The finish first appeared in the 1941 catalog and it lasted through WWII. Because a 10% metals law was put into effect during WWII limiting the use of metals on products, WFL was forced to design a drum made mostly of wood. That means that there were very few sets made in DeLuxe Marble that featured all-metal lugs and hardware made pre- WWII.

1971 Ludwig Citrus Mod Finish...The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

October 24, 2019 Kurt Ekstrom

Ludwig first introduced Citrus Mod sometime in mid to late 1968 along with the finish Black Panther. When these two finishes were released, Ludwig was in between catalogs as catalog ‘67(printed in 1966) was the current catalog and it would be several years before catalog ’71 (printed in 1970) would be released. Citrus Mod was featured on the back of catalog ’71 but by the end of the year the color was discontinued and catalog ‘73 (printed in 1972) appeared and Citrus Mod was removed from the color options. This means is that unless a store had a set for display, a dealer had the color in a dealer swatch or you saw another drummer using a set in this finish, it was unlikely that it was known that the color even existed by most consumers when the finish first appeared. By

Michael Shrieve and a Super Classic (w video)

August 29, 2019 Kurt Ekstrom

Imagine being a young 20-year-old drummer on tour for the first time playing to large audiences that were not familiar with your band, as the record had not come out yet………… and as fate would have it, the song that included your drum solo spot was put into the final cut of the movie known as Woodstock; 3 days of peace love and music.

Cocktails Anyone?

October 29, 2018 Kurt Ekstrom

Ludwig(WFL) started making cocktail drums in the 50’s as a means for singers and lounge acts to quickly get on and off a stage using up as little space as they could. Several different models were made including a set that included a 4x13 snare drum that attached to the side of the drum. This model was known as the Las Vegas model and was made around 1959. Other models had the main drum that relied on a set of snares that pushed up against the head to create a snare effect. A baffle was used inside to separate the bass drum sound from the snare sound. Ludwig’s stand up cocktail drums came in a 16x24 size and some of the lower end models were single headed leaving the bottom open.

The Ringo Effect

May 20, 2018 Kurt Ekstrom

The color is also an absolutely stunning example of mid 60’s Oyster Black. It almost looks three dimensional and though Ludwig still had this color in 1968, it was slowly being phased out when Ludwig started using the bowling ball version. It’s actually pretty hard to match Oyster Black pieces as the pattern could change from batch to batch. All three drums have this beautiful match and the color is just hypnotic.

"Vintage"...But Not So Vintage

December 19, 2017 Kurt Ekstrom

Why am I writing about a modern set of drums? Because I am one of those people that puts my faith in a product that is used time and time again, like my old Ludwigs. I know that my new Ludwigs will sound great at every gig and I can count on them to do what I need them to do. They still look as nice as the day as they came home with me and best of all they have shared a lot of gigs, late nights and long car rides with me. I plan on using these for a long time and when I am old and not playing much. These “vintage” drums will have a rich history behind them much like some of the vintage drums I own currently. Hopefully, someone else will take care of my drums and keep them in good shape for future generations as I imagine that these drums should far outlive me.

Everyone had a first set of drums... What was yours?

September 22, 2017 Kurt Ekstrom

in the summer of 1982 my world changed when a group of kids that were 3-5 years older than me had a band and they played on the back of a trailer at the park. As I sat watching these guys play things I had never heard before like AC/DC, Aerosmith and Van Halen I was totally sucked in to each band member feeling connected to what was going on. I knew my small hands would never be comfortable with a guitar or bass and I also knew I would never have enough confidence to stand out front of a stage and sing. What really caught my attention were the drums! The drummer was only three years older than me and I will never forget seeing that 1973 maple cortex set of Ludwigs with the shiny hardware and hollow logo Zildjians. I wondered how this kid knew what to hit, where and when and how he knew how to make them sound the way they did.

The WFL Twin Strainer Snare

May 16, 2017 Kurt Ekstrom

There are many great examples of Twin Strainer drums left in the world but the parts are extremely hard to find. WFL continued to offer many of the parts as replacements up until the early 50s but most of those drums then were considered dinosaurs compared to the current offerings. Finding the strainers is probably the toughest part as there is a right and left half of each version, chrome or nickel version, and a smaller size version for 5.5x14 drums. The second version of the throw-offs also have very fragile tips and many a drum can be found with the strainer tips broken off. Most of the drums were also outfitted with a 10 strand set of snares for one side and a set of six silk wound snares for the other side. Occasionally I have seen drums with gut snares as an option as well. Many of the twin snares I have come across are missing either one or both sets of snares and they can also be very hard to replace. Lots of things in the drumming world have changed since the late 30s/early 40s but these Twin Strainer drums bring a look, sound and a design that comes from an era of great invention. There are many great examples of Twin Strainer drums left in the world but the parts are extremely hard to find. WFL continued to offer many of the parts as replacements up until the early 50s but most of those drums then were considered dinosaurs compared to the current offerings. Finding the strainers is probably the toughest part as there is a right and left half of each version, chrome or nickel version, and a smaller size version for 5.5x14 drums. The second version of the throw-offs also have very fragile tips and many a drum can be found with the strainer tips broken off. Most of the drums were also outfitted with a 10 strand set of snares for one side and a set of six silk wound snares for the other side. Occasionally I have seen drums with gut snares as an option as well. Many of the twin snares I have come across are missing either one or both sets of snares and they can also be very hard to replace. Lots of things in the drumming world have changed since the late 30s/early 40s but these Twin Strainer drums bring a look, sound and a design that comes from an era of great invention.

John Densmore's Mod - The hunt for the Ludwig mod orange kit he used with the Doors

April 12, 2017 Kurt Ekstrom

It was not until the mid-2000s that while surfing online I saw a pic of Vince Treanor (Former Doors road manager) pictured with the 14” floor tom that I knew was John’s. It was sometime in early 2016 when I learned that the drum had changed hands and was now in the hands of a new owner. I was able to contact that owner and was happy to find that he was very friendly and even happier when I realized that the drum was not terribly far from me and that I could go see it. Along with the owner, we were able to look at close up pics of John using the drum in the 60s and match up the color striations to authenticate it as the original drum.

Database of Articles 11/13 to current