This drum is a leftover 1930s Leedy 6.5”x14”, “Broadway Parallel”. The finish is blue and silver Duco, and is equipped with a solid, 1-ply maple shell.
Read moreRare 1952 Leedy & Ludwig Broadway Parallel Snare Anomaly
Kenny Aronoff Tama prototype and Trackmaster snares
I’ve had these drums for a while but they were only seen on pages 148-153 in my book: VINTAGE SNARE DRUMS THE CUROTTO COLLECTION so here they are offered to a wider audience.
Read moreMy Wood Snare Drum Collection, Part II
1956 5.5x14, White Marine Pearl Classic Porto-Pak Snare Drum I recently purchased this drum from Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault in Seattle, Washington. Donn gave me a really good deal in exchange for some inside stories about a band called Moxy that I played with in the 70s. Donn was a big fan of that band, so when I mentioned I played with them we immediately hit it off!
Read more1969-1970 Slingerland Green Glass Glitter Duet Set
Like so many collectors, I regularly look through DrumSellers, Reverb, Ebay, Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for vintage drums and cymbals. Early last summer, I came across a 1969-70 Slingerland Duet set in Green Sparkle (actually glass glitter), offered by someone who lived out near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
Read moreLudwig Standard, Pioneer, or Universal?
My problem is that I have read that the Pioneer also had 8 lugs, and I don’t know the difference between a Standard, Pioneer, and a Universal.
Read more1920s L&L Peacock Pearl
In my early days of collecting I was drawn to engraved DeLuxes (Black Beauties) and out of the ordinary finishes. One of my favorite 1920s-30s finishes is Ludwig & Ludwig’s Peacock Pearl. Over the years I have tried to collect as many different “runs” of this finish. The following is what I have collected as of this writing. There are a few standouts that I will explain later in the article.
Read moreNew project - MIJ Lido Supreme 4 pc. jazz kit in "Fantasia Pearl"
Whenever I buy one of these “beautiful ugly duckings”, I plan on playing it and using it for at least a while before passing it on to some other vintage drum geek who just can’t live without it. I remember a crowd of drummers at one of the Chicago Drum Shows laughing at me as I walked out of the building with a brand new Remo PTS “fiberboard” drum set that I bought at the end of the last day for $100. Man, I got my money’s worth out of that kit..
Read moreStories From the Hunt: Part Two - Purple Passion Slingerland
As I drove the 45 minute drive, it felt like I was getting further and further away from any civilization. Whoever this person was lived pretty far out in the middle of nowhere. As I approached the house, it was kind of a run-down farmhouse and there were chickens and other livestock roaming about the yard. A big guy with a long white beard and a pair of overalls came out to greet me. He actually reminded me of Uncle Jessie from the Dukes of Hazzard and explained that because of his line of work, his hand were messed up and he had not played drums in years.
Read moreMy Wood Snare Drum Collection
This month I will highlight 6 of the Ludwig & WFL wood snare drums in my collection of nearly 50 snare drums. People often ask me why I need so many snare drums. The answer quite simply is that they all look different and have their own unique sound. For this reason, I will continue on my infinite quest for more snares.
Read moreRest in Peace, Floyd Sneed, drummer of Three Dog Night. Drum Solo Video
Three Dog Night added that Sneed "also an extraordinarily unique drummer who brought so much to Three Dog Night's sound." The late musician was lauded for breaking "many barriers both musically and culturally," with the band noting how "he also influenced countless other drummers with his amazing technique."
Read moreOdd Slingerland: Need Help Identifying
George,
New to me, parallel action strainer with rollers on this drum? Have you ever seen one before?
1929 L&L New Era-Sensitives
Here are some rare and very rare 1929 Ludwig & Ludwig New Era-Sensitive models. This model was only seen in the 1929 Ludwig Drummer magazine. From what I’ve seen and from those that I have consulted with it looks like this model was very short lived, 1929-1930.
Read moreStories From The Hunt
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.
Read more1970s Ludwig Sky Blue Pearl Classic Set.
The set I am featuring this month is a 1970s Classic four piece 22,13,16 set with three ply shells. This beautiful kit is wrapped in Sky Blue Pearl. The blue color is still vibrant in the near perfect wrap
Read moreTreat yourself to a great Christmas present; a pair of Gus Moeller's Perfect Drum Sticks
Christmas Special - Moeller Sticks - $60 including shipping
Read more2007 Craviotto/Adrian Kirchler Diamond series
These three drums were ordered at the 2007 Chicago Vintage Drum Show. Master drum craftsman Johnny Craviotto (Craviotto Drums) teamed up with master drum craftsman Adrian Kirchler (AK Drums) to create the Craviotto Drums/AK Drums Diamond Series snare drums.
Read more1971 Ludwig Supraphonic “Cut Badge” Brass Snare Drum
In the 1970s, very few of these drums were made with brass shells. The Cut Badge snare has two distinct features. One is the B or BR stamped near the muffler. The other is the modified blue and olive badge.
Read more1958 Walberg & Auge WMP Set Restored
I’m calling this my “Cab Calloway” Set. In my opinion, this set is the epitome of vintage Jazz sophistication and elegance. I have been working on it for a year +.
Read more1949 WFL Zephyr lug set
This is regarding the drum set in the 2 of the late Itsuzo Sumy's photos from the exhibition of his work in the Town of Chester in the S.E Adirondacks of New York State. From Town of Chester historian, Donna Lagoy: The man playing them in the photo is William Walkup. His son, Bill bought the drums 2nd hand from an unknown person.
Read moreLudwig/Slingerland/Leedy orphan set - rare sparkling pearls
Like many of you, I've come upon a good number of orphan drums through the years of collecting, buying and playing. This kit consists of orphan drums that were either included with kits purchased or just purchased to add on. But some with the hopes to piece an entire kit together (which is still possible!). But what is special about these drums is that they are all very rare and hard to find sparkling pearl wraps in pristine condition by the Great American Drum Companies of yesteryear.
Read more