1968 Walberg & Auge Perfection Jazz Outfit in Blue Stata Pearl

March 30, 2019 Mark Steven

These non mass-produced drums sets were made by the company that provided the metal hardware and hardware designs for the big drum companies in the 1900's. Based in Worcester MA, Walberg and Auge is considered to be, "the biggest unknown name in the history of twentieth-century American percussion" Check out the unique mix of hardware. This drum kit was hand built to 'Perfection' by Robert George Bernard (RGB) in December 1968. The shells are the early 60's 6 ply Gretsch Jasper shells with the COOLEST MIX of Gretsch, Ludwig, Rogers and W&A hardware. Whatever RGB had near him when he decided to build a set. So unique and one of a kind.

1939-41 SLINGERLAND 6.5 x 14 GENE KRUPA *SEA GREEN RADIO KING MODEL

March 30, 2019 Mike Curotto

Sea Green was in the Slingerland catalog from 1928-1938. Mark has dated this drum from 1939 to 1941. Mark has also mentioned this is the only Sea Green Radio King that he has ever seen...there is another...more on that later.

1926-27 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 5 x 14 10 LUG 12 PT. FLORAL ENGRAVED DeLUXE ALL-AROUND MODEL (cat. no. 1)

January 25, 2019 Mike Curotto

This drum was on EBay about 13-15 years ago. It was an early morning (1 am) ending auction so I waited up for it and sniped it right at the end. The drum was found in a closet at the Long Island Grotto #44 Masonic Lodge in Brooklyn, New York. There was a name pin that came with the drum so I googled Walter T. Morris, Long Island Grotto #44 and made some phone calls but no one was interested in helping me with the history of Walter T. Morris so I’m just reporting what I have in front of me.

Who Is This Band?

January 24, 2019 admin

1959 Ludwig Transition Badge Super Classic Outfit No. 980P

January 23, 2019 Mark Markowitz

As you can imagine, these drums sing! This is by far, my personal favorite era of Ludwig Drums. These are the shells of greatness. These mahogany shells have amazing tone, warmth & projection. Making this set even more special is the fact that the Transition Badge was used for such a short period of time (58-60) and the incredible optional 14x14 floor tom was ordered, as this kit is a born together set. All the drums match perfectly with zero flaws in the wrap.

1970s Ludwig Amber Vistalite Pro Beat Drum Set

January 16, 2019 Phil Wilson

The set I am featuring from my drum room is a 1970s Amber Vistalite Pro Beat set from Ludwig. They are strikingly beautiful. The Pro Beat sets have a 24X14 bass drum, 18X16 floor tom, 14X10 and 13X9 mounted toms. Most Pro Beats set have a 16X16 floor tom as well. When I bought this set there was no 16X16 with it. I plan to purchase one to add to this se

1960 Ludwig Downbeat Outfit No. 988P in Oyster Pink Pearl

December 26, 2018 Mark Markowitz

This kit is my personal "holy grail" set and as a Ludwig collector/player is pretty much at the top of the vintage list and falls, as I was told, under the "go and try to find another" category.

What is this Worth? Vintage Rimmel Drum Set

December 20, 2018 George Lawrence

nobody else in the family plays the drums, we have decided to sell this set to someone that can really enjoy it and appreciate its historical value

1932-33 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 6.5 x 14 LUDWIGOLD STANDARD MODEL

December 20, 2018 Mike Curotto

*I am saying 1932-33 because of the internal tone control. Tone controls were first seen at L & L in 1932 and the Ludwigold option ended in 1933.

For Sale: "The Most Costly Drum In the World" - The Wm. S. Hart All Gold Ludwig Snare Drum

December 20, 2018 Harry Cangany

The William S. Hart All Gold snare drum, made by Ludwig & Ludwig in 1925, owned by one family since then, is about to see the light of day. Some lucky person is going to be able to buy it and I hope I get to chronicle the story. Donn Bennett is the broker - www.DonnBennett.com . Since William S. Hart started off as a Shakespearean actor, I will quote the Bard with a little bit of a change as I daydream about this drum….. “This is such stuff as dreams are made on”.

1965 Rogers Swingtime Outfit in Wine Red Ripple Pearl finish.

November 30, 2018 Mark Markowitz

This is a 1965 Swingtime Outfit in the not so often seen Wine Red Ripple Pearl.

It’s a bit of a tongue twister to say indeed! I have learned (thanks to many of the Rogers experts online) that this is one of the rarest wraps Rogers produced and was not a particular big seller. To me it seems that most vintage drum companies “Pink” drums did not sell well when they were first introduced to the public all those years ago. And that low number of kits makes for quite a treasure hunt today.

How I Got My Radio Kings For Free by Adrian Peek

November 30, 2018 admin

Being the house drummer for Los Angeles’ longest-running (and only) jazz jam at the late Billy Higgins’ non-profit The World Stage means playing music without or without charts, including original music, at the drop of a hat. We have many name and not-so-name high-level players sitting in on a regular basis. This isn’t the type of gig that will make a person rich, but the immense riches to be had just by keeping the rust off my jazz chops is priceless! Or at least I thought so until a short time ago….

1950s METJAZZ brand French Drum Set

November 30, 2018 Emmanuel Giraudon

This full dress drum set dates back to the mid fifties, and its beautiful "fan" decor is made of painted engravings and inlaid brilliants ... Three ply shell with re rings, rounded bearing edge ... Nickel-plated zamack lugs, polished aluminum hoops and nickel-plated brass rods... Metric sizes GC 60cm (23.6") / CC 35cm (13.8") / Tom 30cm (11.8")... and calf skins.

I've completely restored this drum set which was shown during the exhibition "Roll & Swing, the drum set's birth in France" at the MUPOP french museum.

1960s Ludwig Standard S-330 in Avocado Strata finish

November 30, 2018 Phil Wilson

The Ludwig Standard drums were introduced in ’68 to compete with the lower value import drums made overseas. The unique thing about Ludwig Standard drums is that its shell was the exact mold found in all classic shells of that time. Consumers were getting quality grade shells offering the Ludwig signature sound. However, the standard series used less expensive hardware cutting the overhead cost. Standard series drums had most essentials belonging to a drum outfit distinctly unique to this line. Everything from utility hardware, shell hardware, finishes and badges. Standard drums were also the first to feature the Granitone sound enhancement coating on the inside of the shell. Standard drums debuted with 3 different configuration styles and 15 finishes.

1920s Ludwig & Ludwig Drum Set (May be listed on DrumSellers.com soon)

October 30, 2018 George Lawrence

I saw the pictures on your web site of a nearly complete drum set from the same era. I have an absolutely 100% complete drum set from the 1920's that has the oil painted mountain scene on the bass drum, two sets of spikes, (it was actually used a lot) the foot pedal, the high hat with cymbals, foot pedal and all, the snare and stand, the floor tom and stand, the chicken drum and holder, the wood block and holder, the cow bell and holder, the tambourine and holder, the accessory table with cymbals, cymbal stands, the complete set of turtle shells, etc . . . I can send you pictures if you want. I am willing to sell it all for the right price, though shipping may prove to be difficult. I have been told by many that it may well be the last complete set from that era. My uncle played them a lot. He got them in high school and played in many big bands. He was the drummer in the local Lansing, MI band called Buddy K and played with the Dorsey brothers and many other big bands that often traveled without drummers.

1919-21 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 5 x 14 ENGRAVED/GOLD PLATED TRIUMPHAL MODEL

October 30, 2018 Mike Curotto

This one is a blast from the past that I really never did an article about. This drum is on pgs. 14-15 in my book: THE CUROTTO COLLECTION. The story behind the purchase of this drum took a few turns for the worse before I was able to get involved. This drum was listed on EBay in the early 2000s. There were a number of bids, a lot of interest and the drum was reaching a pretty good price. All of a sudden a number of bidders withdrew their bids because someone had posted to the seller that his drum was a “6-lug” drum.

DRUMSVILLE! EXHIBIT TO OPEN NOVEMBER 8, 2018 at NEW ORLEANS JAZZ MUSEUM

October 30, 2018 admin

NEW ORLEANS (October 11, 2018) — The New Orleans Jazz Museum will debut a new exhibition, Drumsville!: Evolution of the New Orleans Beat. Launching on November 8, 2018, the exhibit will celebrate both the New Orleans Tricentennial and International Drum Month, along with the development of the drum kit in New Orleans and the ongoing evolution of rich local drumming traditions.

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.

Elvin Jones' Personal Gig Poster Collection

October 29, 2018 Donn Bennett

15, Mark Harris, Elvin’s B-Day ‘99 A.jpg

41, Elvin_Coltrane Portrait Photo 1990.jpg

46, Internationales Jazzfestival Bern ’91.jpg

96, Arthur Beatty Sketch, Paris 2000.jpg

Over the 14 years I’ve known Keiko, she has shared countless Elvin stories. One reoccurring story was about a collection of Elvin’s promotional posters they’d collected in their 30 plus years of touring the world. They came up in conversation many times, but we never discussed them in much detail. Earlier this year, the posters came up again. I eventually purchased the posters along with a forgotten cache of Elvin’s gear that had been stored in a friends garage in New Jersey (more about that soon). The posters arrived in a couple of Elvin’s old Jazz Machine trap cases. There were about 100 unique posters, photos and paintings, many of them with multiples, that Elvin and Keiko personally collected from gigs spanning 4 decades. They were collected from all over Europe, Asia, South America and the US.

Slingerland Photo Shoot

October 29, 2018 Phil Wilson

I recently had an idea after looking at some old black and white vintage drummer photos. What I wanted to do was set up a photo shoot with one of my vintage kits and pose like the old drummers did in those cool promotional photos.

Carlow Classics Vintage Drum Hardware
Clips, lugs & rods for 20s and 30s Ludwig snares
joeczulinski@rogers.com or 519-572-0255

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