1953 Leedy & Ludwig Set

Thanks to Patrick Bradley for submitting his 1953 Leedy & Ludwig set - we love it!

Stanley Krell’s Rogers Drums, A Once In A Lifetime Find

by Robert Bernhardt

 Recently I acquired a set of Rogers Holiday drums from the Covington, OH era.  I bought Stanley Krell's drums.  He was a Rogers endorser in the early 60's.  I think these drums were stored in their cases for the past few decades at least.  The snare drum with this set is a very early/rare pre-oval badge Dynasonic.  According to one of the resident experts at the Rogers Owners Forum, this is a once in a lifetime find.

 I found these advertised on Craigslist. With the ad already posted for six days I didn't expect to even get an email back from the seller. Sure enough I got a phone call within thirty minutes of my emailing him. I arranged to go have a look at the drums that afternoon, knowing I needed to act quickly if I wanted to have a chance at buying these. Luckily, because of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I was the first person to see these. I'm new to the Rogers addiction, so I hadn't even seen a Holiday set in person. The second I saw these I knew these were different than the Fullerton script logo drums I just bought a month ago.

 I bought these four cases full of vintage drums and drum equipment. The name on all the cases, as you can see, is Stan Krell. I got them from a wonderful guy named Joe, who buys estates. He got these with the rest of the contents of a home out on Long Island. The homeowner told Joe she bought these drums for her son, back in the sixties, from Stan Krell.

 As you can see on the tag, the Dynasonic is serial number 3660. No oval badge, just the script logo. It seems to have the original reso head on the bottom. Needs a good cleaning but seemingly in very good shape for a fifty year old drum. The 12" tom seems to be the oldest, but I'll leave that for the experts. It's got a Cleveland sticker, serial 10880. The 13" tom has a Dayton sticker, with serial 88281. The 16" floor tom has a Cleveland sticker, serial number 42570. The 22" bass drum has a Dayton sticker, with serial 80690.

 All drums seem to have the original Rogers heads still, with the exception of the snare. There is one beat up, 14" head in that rolling case though. Hard to tell if it's a Rogers now, but it's there nonetheless. I included a picture of a T-Rod and Claw as an example of the condition this entire set is in. I have a feeling these have been sitting in their cases since the sixties.

 Camco bass drum pedal, Swivo HH stand, two 18" Zildjian Rides, 14" Zildjian hi hats, and what seems to be a Ludwig 10" splash cymbal. (Did they call them splashes back then?) The Rogers woodblock is interesting. Didn't do much research on it. I have to imagine that's rare. The cowbell seems very well made. No name on it, but it says Ludwig on it's hardware. A half dozen pairs of Regal Tip sticks from that time period. Some no name brushes, heavy and wiry. A Rogers drum key and a Ludwig drum key. The custom road cases themselves also just really add to the completeness of this find.

 I'm going to play these drums. I'll probably re-skin them after an hour of light playing to preserve the heads, but I can't wait to get some time behind this set. I will never break any of this up either. That woodblock will not go up on eBay just because it's probably rare. I really think that Dynasonic should remain with the rest of this set too. Like I said in my original post, this is really like a time capsule. I definitely intend to keep it that way.

 I welcome any info any of the experts would like to share regarding these drums. From what I can tell from the dating guide, the 12" was possibly made in 1957?!?!? The FT is early/mid sixties Cleveland while the 13" and the BD are mid/late sixties Dayton. That's all the research I've done so far.

John Aldridge Engraved Black Beauty

"A Drum Geek Xmas" Here's a nice gift. My wife and kids had my Ludwig Brass on Brass Black Beauty engraved by master engraver John Aldridge. The really cool thing is that John sneakily engraved my daughters names inside two leaves of the scroll pattern. I'm so thrilled with it, I had to share.

Happy Holidays, David

Star Spangled Vintage Snares

David Klockau sends us this great collection... "[He's got] a silver 60's Ludwig Symphonic model; an early 60's Rogers Luxor; in red sparkle; (sorry, brass tube lugs are incorrect), a late 40's Slingerland Radio King in white pearl, and a 60's Gretsch Max Roach model in blue sparkle. The [photo below] has all of the above, except the Ludwig."

"Red, White, and Blue: An American Drum Legacy."

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Thanks David! Do you have something to share? We'd love to see it! Send pictures and information to submissions@notsomoderndrummer.com.  

A "Seasoned" 1970s Zildjian Cymbal

Asa Lane, a drumming colleague of ours and employee of Fork's Drum Closet here in Nashville, posted this story to Facebook today. Too interesting not to share. What are your thoughts? Have you ever done this? What was the outcome?

-NSMD Staff

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Back in October of 2013, I "seasoned" this 1970's brilliant finish A. Zildjian & CIE Constantinople 20" ride with black walnut sap, and buried under 2 feet of Pure Michigan soil out in the woods behind my folks house for 7 months.

I put it in the ground with it having a lot of brightness, a good bell, but was more of a gongish crash-ride type sound. It just wouldn't open up for crashing, nor did it have quite the definition to make a successful ride cymbal.

After 7 months, and being smack in the middle of the frost line (42") during one of Michigan's coldest winters in quite some time, the cymbal changed in nature in the following ways:

• Wide open crash-ability. The cymbal now has a gorgeous feel to it when crashed on. Still has minor stick definition, though. I can only imagine that the shifting soil throughout the freezing/thawing periods messed with the metal somehow, and opened it up.
• Due to the cymbal in essence being an "A" Zildjian with a brilliant finish (first series to have a brilliant, I believe), it originally had a nice glassy overtone to it. This also unfortunately included annoying highs that were a bit piercing. The annoying highs are still there, but definitely have reduced noticeably. The glassy aspect though, still is pretty much still there, but actually is kinda pleasant.

After wiping the cymbal down with a rag (no cleaning) and throwing it on a kit, I know this cymbal will make a great crash, with a cool bell. Nothing life changing, but definitely a useful cymbal.

Plus, it's 100% Pure Michigan. :o)

My Pilgrimage to Meet Bun E

by Bryan Herrman

My favorite drummer is Bun E Carlos. As a high school freshman in 1978, the album Cheap Trick Live at Budokan was the biggest thing I’d ever heard – and Bun E Carlos was the coolest drummer I’d ever seen. Bun E shaped my playing style, and as a kid from a small, rural town in western Kansas, I traveled the world through Bun E and the music of Cheap Trick.

Fast forward more than 35 years. In June, I’ll turn 50. My wife has been asking what I’d like for my birthday. It’s a special milestone. It deserves a special gift. After thinking about it for several months, it hit me square between the eyes one late Saturday evening as I was chatting on a vintage drum facebook page – “I want a Bun E Carlos drum kit from Cheap Trick. I wonder if he’d consider selling me one?” Never hurts to ask, right? So, at about 11pm, I shot Bun E a private message on facebook. I explained the situation, how much his music has meant to me over the years, and asked if he’d consider selling me one of his Ludwig kits. To my surprise (and delight), he responded almost immediately. He said he had a Mod Orange Ludwig Classic Maple that was stage played with Cheap Trick! Mod Orange – my favorite Ludwig color (I have a ’67 and ’69 Super Classic in Mod Orange).

After a few messages about the details, and hoping to not overstep my boundaries, I asked Bun E if I could pick it up in person so I could shake his hand and thank him for all the years of great music. He kindly obliged, and so began my pilgrimage to meet Da’King. A week later, my wife, son and I piled in our Jeep and headed from Kansas City to Rockford, Illinois. Seven hours-one minute, 481.2 miles on GPS. We listened to Cheap Trick ALL the way. We arrived at Bun E’s home at 10am the next morning. I pulled up to the “Bun E Hut,” and knocked on the door. I heard a friendly voice from inside, “C’mon in, Bryan.”

In a moment, I was standing with Bun E Carlos and shaking his hand. He was so friendly, that it was like we’d known each for years – just two drum guys talking drums. He couldn’t have been more accommodating, spending over an hour giving us a tour of his incredible vintage drum collection before we ever looked at the kit I was there to buy. He even let me play his practice kit, and showed me a few “tricks” in his equipment set-up.

Finally, we switched our attention to the kit I was picking up: a 2004 Ludwig Classic Maple in Mod Orange wraps.  24+12+13+16. It’s a beautiful kit with a vintage vibe. The interiors were all signed and dated by Bun E when he picked them up in 2004. He also signed my son’s guitar, and the front head of the bass drum with a note, “Bryan – enjoy playing my drums.” Being the genuinely good guy I found him to be, he even helped us pack and load the kit into the Jeep.

While the kit I purchased is not vintage, this trip was all about nostalgia – a Cheap Trick road trip, the tour of Bun E’s vintage kits, sharing pictures of all my vintage kits, lots of good talk about great old drums. Best of all, I got to experience this incredible journey with my wife and 17-year-old, classic-rockloving son. It’s an experience we will never forget. Sometimes your heroes turn out to not be what you expected, but Bun E Carlos proves that good guys can finish first. He’s a stand-up individual, and couldn’t have shown more hospitality. My pilgrimage to see Bun E certainly exceeded my expectations, and I made a vintage-drum friend along the way. What a great way to celebrate 50!

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Bryan Herrman is a hobby vintage-drum collector, restorer, and re-seller. He focuses primarily on Ludwig, Gretsch, Slingerland, and Rogers kits from the 50’s & 60’s, and his favorite finishes are Ludwig’s Mod Orange and Psychedelic Red. He is the founder of the facebook page, VINTAGE DRUMMERS. You can see his collection of vintage drums & accessories on Pinterest at SUNDOG VINTAGE DRUMS. Bryan has been playing drums for nearly 40 years, starting at age 10, and his first kit was a sparkle blue 1967 Ludwig Club Date. He is the drummer for SUNDOG, Kansas City’s only masked surf/spy/sci-fy band.

1923 Conn Engraved Snare Drum

Hi All,

This is my first article on NSMD. I’m a drummer in Chicago and happened upon what turns out to be quite a cool drum.

Here’s the story: I was checking out a local vintage clothing/thrift shop in my neighborhood a few months ago. I saw this beat up looking old metal drum sitting on a corner shelf. At first I thought it was possibly an old antique toy drum for a child, but up close I saw that it was a Conn. I was more interested but was still thinking to myself if it was a Ludwig or something maybe I’d buy it (I didn’t know too much about Conns.) Then I noticed all the cool engravings including one that read “Frank Biggs 1923.”

So, I thought I better at least google Frank Biggs. It turns out Biggs was a popular jazz drummer in Chicago in the 1920s onward..He is credited as writing “That’s When I’ll Come Back To You”  recorded by Louie Armstrong’s Hot Seven. There are some articles and announcements of him playing at different Chicago Jazz hotspots, etc... including a great ad for Conn from 1922 with his photo in it (maybe that’s the drum?)

So, the jazz buff in me wanted that drum just for the cool story behind it. It’s always cool to find out where an old instrument came from. I went right back and bought it for not a whole lot of money. My initial thoughts were to restore it, play it, and bring it back to life.

On to the drum itself, this past week I contacted Adrian Kirchler, Harry Canangy, and Mike Curotto. All of whom shared their expertise with helping me further identify this drum. Turns out it’s a custom made, custom engraved gold plated Conn Victor Model.  A real “gem” as Adrian called it, a one of a kind. And while it’s not a Leedy, Ludwig or Slingerland, it’s really a neat piece with a cool connection to early Chicago jazz.  Maybe not the best idea to take out on various gigs?

There’s a bulb fixture still in tact, all the lugs, rims, and shell are in great shape, actually.  Also, Frank Biggs signed his name backwards on the inside of one of the heads presumably to illuminate his name through the bulb. It’s still completely legible.

There are some extra mounting holes by the strainer. There’s a higher end Ludwig strainer on the drum. The question Adrian had was whether or not Biggs ordered the drum with the better strainer or had the standard utility model removed and replaced it with the better Ludwig. An interesting thought…

Well, enough words, here are some pics:

Hope you all enjoy the drum. Feel free to email me if you have any more info, fun facts, etc... Jbatchko@hotmail.com. Again I’d like to thank Adrian, Harry, and Mike for their great help. And to Chicago pianist/sleuth Steven Heliotes for finding all the interesting info on Frank Biggs. And thanks, George.

Cheers, Jason

Terry Guinn's Drumiture

  Drummer Terry Guinn has found a special way to combine his two passions - drums and art. He converts drums into furniture and advertising specialty pieces that capture a musician’s career or a fan’s love for  his favorite team, school, or band. Terry's motto is "Save a Drum." He can find a discarded drum and bring it back to life with his unique original art. “I took a drum I found in the gutter and gave it a wonderful new life when I presented it to the San Jose Sharks NHL hockey team’s mascot 'Sharkie.' Check out the pictures  of some of his work in the pictures below, especially the one he did for Neil Peart and the one he did for the Johnny Mercer family.

Saving drums and helping charities with his "Drumiture", Terry is starting to be well known and recognized for his passion and kindness. He is now receiving back what he has given all these years from some great people he has met along the way. One particular piece of drumiture that he is proud of was created for Rod Morgenstein, drummer for the Dixie Dregs and Winger. "Rod sent me his very first two drum sets after we talked at my booth at NAMM in 2013. I worked with him for over a ten month period creating this piece.  He didn't want the integrity of the drums compromised, so we came up with hanging them from a rack so no holes had to be cut for legs or mounts!  He didn't want photos of himself inside them so we put all his major influences inside each different drum. After renting a motor home and driving across the country,  I arrived at his home in Long Island and began to install it. He is calling it his "Museum Piece".  He has his very first cymbal he ever got and is using my piece to display it and all his vintage band and music memorabilia!  He is a very generous and gracious man and it was a honor to create and deliver this for my mentor and now very close friend, Rod Morgenstein."

See more of Terry's unique art at www.drumiture.com

The Eggstar Drum

EGGSCITING DESIGN EGGCELLENT SOUND EGGSPERT CRAFTSMANSHIP

The idea for this drum first came to me many years ago while watching my mom, Lola Rokeach, refinish a table with eggshells. Yes, actual eggshells! The finish looked very striking to me, and I thought that it would look pretty cool on a drum.When I mentioned it to her about a year ago, her response was "Well, bring me a drum." My mom, in addition to raising eight kids, is quite an accomplished artist. She's done everything from sculpture, to painting, to rug making, and oh yes, furniture refinishing. She celebrated her 80th birthday last June. She was pretty confident that the eggshell finish would work on a drum. I wasn't so sure, but I thought that it would be worth a try.

I didn't want to use just any old drum. I had to get something special. I'm a Yamaha endorser, but I didn't want to bug them about doing a custom made one-off that might or might not work anyway. Besides, I was thinking about a single--ply solid shell for this project, and Yamaha has yet to offer one (I hope that they do someday). I did want to get someone involved who knew something about drum finishes.My mom lives just outside of New York City in the small town of Harrington Park, NJ. On one of my recent trips back there, I visited my old friend Neil Richter, also a drummer, also from Harrington Park, NJ. He told me that he had recently reconnected with yet another drummer from Harrington Park, Rob Kampa. Readers of this newsletter may know about Rob from his drum company Magstar, and his work with DrumMaker. Rob is known as one of the best drum craftsmen in the country. I had read rave reviews of Rob's custom drums over the years, in Modern Drummer magazine and on the internet. I also knew Rob when I was a kid.Between Fall of 1969 and Spring of 1970, I played in the percussion section of the Harrington Park School band with Neil and Rob. They were in eighth grade, I was in fifth. Rob, Neil, and another Harrington Park drummer named Mike Murtaugh, who was already in high school by this time, were the best drummers around. I thought that those guys were about the coolest dudes that ever lived. Getting to hang out with them definitely helped plant the seeds of my desire to be a drummer early on.Rob has been living in Nashville for the past few years, but still gets up to New Jersey every once in a while to visit family.

The more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that Rob would be the perfect guy to help make this happen, If he'd be willing. He could even get together with my mom and figure out the woodworking logistics if necessary. Well, Rob and I reconnected on the phone. Once we got to talking about drums, we decided to order a 5.5 x 14 solid shell from Vaughncraft. Vaughncraft sent a shell that was so beautifully figured that it would have been a crime to cover up the wood grain. I loved the shell but had planned to let it go. My wife and two daughters knew how much I hated to let that amazing shell go. They decided to have Rob build it for me as a Christmas present. So Rob built an incredible drum with a beautiful soft gloss finish, ten tube lugs, and a trick strainer. It looks and sounds fantastic. Merry Christmas!But we were still left with the task of finding a shell for the egg drum. We didn't want to order another solid shell. It seemed crazy to ask for one that was crappy-looking so that we could cover it. So we decided to use one of Rob's eight-ply Keller shells that he had already stained black. I had heard great things about Rob's multi-ply drums. This seemed to make the most sense. I had sent Rob some photos of a table that my mom had done her eggshell magic on. After seeing the photos, he suggested that we use black hardware for contrast.He sent the shell up to my mom in New Jersey. I still wasn't sure if the eggshell thing was going to work on a drum. I could tell that Rob was a bit skeptical too. My mom seemed to be the only one who was sure that it would work.She got going on it. Eggshells-- lots of eggshells, Elmer's glue, and ten coats of varnish. I was worried that the eggshells might be easily knocked off, but she told me, "Those eggshells aren't going anywhere."

Then she sent it back to Rob. He put all of the hardware on, and here it is. The drum has eight tube lugs, triple flanged hoops, forty-five degree bearing edges, and a trick strainer. The EGGSTAR has been hatched! It sounds great and looks eggstraordinary! It's got plenty of crack, and it's high in calcium too!I'm eggstatic about it!

-Dave Rokeach

David RokeachDavid Rokeach is a freelance drummer in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has played with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Charlie Musselwhite, Mark Murphy, Rita Moreno, Merl Saunders, Aaron Neville, Patti Labelle,The Rubinoos, The Broadway Show Jersey Boys, Holly Near,and many others. He has been a faculty member at Jazz Camp West, The Stanford Jazz Workshop, Lafayette Summer Music Camp and The Jazzschool in Berekeley. You can visit his website at www.davidrokeach.com.

I Stole Ringo's Drums - and Bonzo's and...

Hello, George. We met briefly in Indianapolis at a vintage drum show. I was a guest of Bill Ludwig at the show. B3 and I have been friends since the 70s when I endorsed the company. Anyway, the case can be closed. I have Ringo's drums. Photo attached.

Sincerely, Robin Reuter-Steele Indianapolis

P.S. - I have Bonzo's set too! P.P.S. - I have Neil's set too. Last one. Anyway, I want to dump this one...it won't fit in the Prius.

Two Rare Leedy Kits

Hey Not-So-Modern-Drummer folks, here's some you don't often see. Check out the attached photos. A Leedy Dreadnaught kit from June 1944. The 1929-30 Leedy kit I got from the original owner. I call it the Frank Gomes Memorial Drum set.  He was a WWII hero who recently passed at 95.

Bob Meyer Cortlandt Manor, NY

John Root's 1930s Leedy Trap Kit

Hey George,

Here's the pictures of my thirties trap kit. It's a Leedy Spartan bass drum and snare. Front head can be illuminated from inside. Horsehair throne. I've assembled the kit over time to make it a true "contraption." Leedy Chinese toms and temple blocks, Ludwig cowbells and bass drum pedal. Leedy & Ludwig hi hat sock cymbal and ching cymbal. I play this kit and it sounds like a "Steamboat Willie" cartoon.

If you've got anymore questions let me know.  Feel free to reverse the images so that no one gets hurt in the view of the pictures. LOL!

John Root Nashville, TN

"Proud Left-Handed Drummer" www.JohnRootDrums.com

Bob Henrit Releases New Book

Bob Henrit's book, "Banging On!" is a hugely entertaining memoir of the legendary British drummer whose unerring sense of timing and rhythmic flair provided the rock solid base for Adam Faith, The Roulettes, The Kinks, Argent, The Zombies, Don McLean, Richie Havens, Ringo Starr, Colin Blunstone, Unit 4 + 2,  Honeybus, Richard Anthony, Roger Daltrey, Leo Sayer and Ian Mathews.

"Banging On!" is illustrated with a wealth of photos and personal recollections of Keith Moon, Cliff Richard, David Bowie, The Shadows, Queen, The Hollies, Sandy Shaw, Genesis and many more whose music will forever echo throughout the airwaves and digits of the world.

Born in 1944, Bob Henrit grew up in Hertfordshire and was educated at a Catholic college. Having mastered the washboard by the age of twelve, within a short time he was playing drums for Adam Faith. A founder member of Argent, he went on to play with (among others) Don McLean and Richie Havens, before joining Ray and Dave Davies in The Kinks.

He’s had a diverse career in music as player, writer, film-maker, broadcaster, drum store owner and inventor. Bob is happily married with three children and two granddaughters, and he lives with some of them in Enfield. His time is spent writing, reading, public-speaking, travelling, indulging in various sports and, of course, drumming.

For more information and to purchase his book, click here.