This is the earliest known set in existence of the finish made famous by the Beatles Ringo Starr, 8 years before Beatlemania hit in 1964. This finish first appears into the Ludwig catalog in 1959 where it can be seen on the Las Vegas Stand Up cocktail outfit. In 1956 WFL Drums biggest star endorser was the one and only Buddy Rich.
Read moreMemphis Drum Shop
Nestled in the heart of Midtown Memphis, located in the ever popular Cooper-Young district, there is a special place with deep ties to music. With its flat white exterior, and black awning, 878 S. Cooper Street is home to none other than the world famous Memphis Drum Shop.
Read moreGaillard & Loiselet "Jazz Band" snare drum
Gaillard & Loiselet is the successor of several manufacturers who exist and succeeded since 1812... This brand has succeeded to "Couturier Pelisson Blanchon". Gaillard & Loiselet was created in the early 1930s and exist still exist on the early 1960s. The factory and the manufacture was in Lyon, at 273, Cours Lafayette and produced essentially wind instruments (trumpet, saxophone, tuba, etc…) and some marching drums and bass drums.
Read moreTruss Tension Drums
The late 1880s – 1900s was what was known as the “transition” period for snare drums and drums in general. This was the transition from rope tension to metal rod tension. It originated from the European or “Prussian“ designed drums consisting of sometimes highly decorated wood hoops over a metal shell. Metal hooks and long te
Read moreThe Barry Collapsible Bass Drum
Picture this: The year is 1920. You’re a drummer in the big city. Plans for owning your first automobile are still on the drawing board, so you ride the municipal trolley car to and from gigs. Consequently, the size of your set is limited to what you can manage to carry on board with you. A challenging dilemma? Not if you own a Barry Collapsible Bass Drum!
Read moreMarcel FAIVRE Mambo drum set - French circa 50s
The brand: “Marcel FAIVRE Pigall’s Swing” was a music store in Paris. Their drum sets were manufactured by a little Parisian craftsman (P. Casadei who manufactured “Gary” brand)
Read more1960s Ludwig Downbeat Drum Set in Oyster Blue Finish
The bass drum on this set has two sets of disappearing spurs. Maybe they added the second set to keep Joe Morello's bass drum from creeping off during his solos! :-)
Read moreLeedy 1949 "Broadway Standard" Snare Drum - a rare solid shell
...a rare and unusual aspect of this drum is it was made with a solid one ply maple shell construction instead of the normal plywood shell.
Read more
2008 5x14 Leedy USA Custom Shop/Craviotto solid Mahagany Relic Series Special #1
Fred Gretsch still owns the Leedy name, and several years ago I asked Fred Gretsch if we could do some special Leedy USA drums using Craviotto solid shells. I liked the idea because Leedy was one of the companies that used solid shells for their snares at various times, and I thought it would be great to do some solid shell snares made in the USA with the Leedy name, but with Johnny Craviotto's incredible shells.
Read more1966 Ludwig Super Beat set
The Superbeat is an uncataloged set consisting of the optional 20” kick with the Super Classic 13” tom and 16” floor tom. So, 20/13/16. This set appears to be a special order set as well as both the floor tom and the tom have dual mufflers, one for the top and one for the bottom heads. The bass drum also has dual front and rear sets of spurs. All these options were available when you ordered a kit back then.
Read more1900s F.E. dodge drum kit
Recently a client of mine gave me a 100 year old F.E. Dodge drum kit that was in their attic that belonged to a relative. Knowing I am a drummer they gave it to me to see it would go to someone who would appreciate it. The kit included a bass drum with an almost mint wooden pedal & bass drum cymbal, two snares, snare stand dated 1901, a triangle and even three original pairs of drum sticks: wood, rosewood & ebony wood. The snares on one snare drum were the original cat guts.
Read morePennsylvania Drum Show oct. 22, 2017
1970s Ludwig Standard S-330 drum set finished in bronze strata
Standards have their own unique triangular shaped badge. The interiors of the bass and toms are coated with grey speckled paint, but some Standards have white painted interiors. Standards usually have smooth low mass lugs. If your Standard kit has Classic lugs that might also be correct. Ludwig would use the Classic lugs if they were low on Standard lugs.
Read more1920s-30s DUPLEX 5 x 14 “ARTIST MODEL” ALL METAL ENGRAVED/GOLD PLATED BLACK JEWEL (CAT. #410-A)
As of this writing there are now five known Duplex engraved Black Jewel snare drums. The previous four Black Jewels are on pages 36-43 in my book: VINTAGE SNARE DRUMS, THE CUROTTO COLLECTION VOL. I. There is another way to look at this Black Jewel situation. Of the five Black Jewels only two actually have the name “Black Jewel” engraved on the shell so one could argue that there are only two Black Jewels in existence at this time, the one on pgs. 36-37 in my book and the drum in this article. Noted drum historian and black/engraved snare drum expert John Aldridge is of the opinion that the “un-named” drums are also Black Jewels so I am going with John’s evaluation. I have included a photo of the other 4 Black Jewels.
Read more1968 Ludwig Super Beat kit in black panther finish
Black Panther wrap was introduced in 1968 along with the mod wraps. It first appeared in the 1970 Ludwig catalog and was offered throughout the 70s. It’s really a one of a kind wrap. It has this fake leather look to it and, personally, it reminds me of the old Marshall amplifiers which is why I like it. It is a thin material that is unlike any other wrap used by Ludwig. The most famous drummer who used this early on was Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Read moreGear Obsessed - It Starts Slowly
I know I am not the only one. I’ve been on the internet. We are many. We are unabashed. We are gearheads. Professional drummers are amazing people. We worship them, adore them, buy their signature drumsticks, learn their techniques, styles and solos…hang posters of them in our practice spaces…but a few of us yearn for more. We love the drumming, but are fascinated, captivated, no…obsessed with…THE GEAR.
Read more1965 Ludwig Club Date Restoration
My project started with a bunch of Ludwig drums and assorted cymbals I bought from a guy going the digital route. Beneath the grime and stickers were a partial club date kit, 14" and 16" WMP B/O toms, and a super sensitive snare.
Read more1970s Ludwig Green Vistalite Big Beat outfit
I don't understand why green was not a very popular color among the Vistalites produced by Ludwig in the 1970s. Some collectors claim, that Mr. Bill Ludwig said, there were only about fifty green sets made in the 1970s. I have my doubts about that number, but we know there are a lot fewer green sets than clear or blue. The darker green and red sets just didn't sell as well as the clear and lighter colors. The amber color got a big boost from John Bonham's using them on tour with Led Zeppelin.
Read moreSlingerland's Snare Drum "Hybrids"
In my early days of collecting, I often asked myself, “What is this model?” or “Why is this snare drum made like this and inconsistent with similar drums of this era?”, or “Why is this snare drum different than the one in the catalog?” As I grew more familiar with Slingerland drum catalogs and references, I became a vintage Slingerland drum detective of sorts. I learned to read between the lines of the typical and not so typical examples. I discovered that these hybrids came into existence because of the supply and demand issues at the factory.
Read more1935-1936 Ludwig Silver Anniversary 5x14 Engraved Black Beauty, Super Ludwig model
In 1935, Ludwig & Ludwig Drum Company celebrated its 25th “Silver” Anniversary and issued a series of redesigned Silver Anniversary snare drums in Standard, Super-Ludwig, and Super-Sensitive models. Mark Cooper (Cooper’s Vintage Drums) has noted that while the Silver Anniversary occurred in 1935, these drums did not appear in print until 1936 (Ludwig Drummer Magazine, Ludwig Silver Anniversary Edition catalog 36-A).
Read more