A very special treat for everyone today... I know of only 4 examples of this particular snare drum and I have only actually SEEN one - mine - before this one landed on my bench. The other two are reported to be in the hands of Joe Montinerri and Johnny Craviotto (however Johnny says his may have been lost or stolen). This is an Advance Drum Company snare drum. The Advance Drum Company is the first Canadian drum company ever and was started by George Way in Edmonton, Alberta in the early 1900s.
George Way was responsible for a substantial number of inventions that remain in use on modern drums. Way invented the swivel / self-aligning lug and the first parallel action throw off. He was the first to ever wrap a drum in a pearl finish. He also introduced the China cymbal (what he called the "Chinese Sneeze" cymbal.
I'm not sure if this drum was painted at the Advance factory or if it was painted afterward. Either way, as you can tell by the head it has been around for a very long time - through 2 world wars and a lot more.
The owner brought this to me and asked me to make it playable. I agreed to do this, but with the understanding that I would not remove any of the patina. It is an amazing piece of drum history and while I look forward to hearing it I will do my utmost to maintain the integrity of the drum as you see it here.
-Ronn Dunnett www.dunnett.com