NOMO Finish Protectors

This is just another great example of the famous Plato adage, “Necessity is the Mother of Invention!”  Steve Ives saw some of the same “drum needs” that many of us have become all too well aware of, and he actually did something about it.  That something became a line of products that are now known as NOMO.  Some of these “little fixes” became drum finish protectors, designed to keep your drums from scratching or otherwise damaging each other from contact or rubbing; others, are just intended to be helpful in getting the job done in a neat, stealthy manner.  Each NOMO is designed to be used “as is” or custom augmented for each drum or purpose.

The flagship product in the line is the NOMO protector that started it all.  Steve saw that the rim of his snare drum was coming in contact with the finish of the underside of his rack tom and scratching it.  He took a piece of durable material, double-sided it, stitched a loop across the top and ran a piece of leather cord through it and tied it off on each side to the drums tension rods.  The Finish Protector now hangs out of sight between the two drums, keeping them from making contact with each other.

Steve also has larger Finish Protectors that protects the bass drum from toms mounted on snare stands. Many of us have found out the hard way that this is also a good way to scratch the finish of your vintage or custom kick drum.  Simply place your NOMO on the kick drum in the area of the “danger-zone,” tie it off and stop worrying about it.

With NOMO, the only limitation is YOUR imagination.

The NOMO Kick Hoop Protector guards against the tight grip of bass drum pedal clamps.  Many (if not all) kick pedals seem to use hard clamps that squeeze down on both sides of the counter hoop…….marring the finish of even the most resilient drum hoop.  This NOMO is made of a single sided piece of the same durable material as all NOMOs, and ties the same way around the drums tension rods, folding around the outside rim of the hoop and coming between both sides of the hoop and the pedal clamp.  If the pedal ever slides on the hoop (as some guys kick harder and some finishes could have a “slippy-er” finish than others), some sort of “tacky”material can be glued on the inside of the NOMO material to get a tighter bite on the hoop.  Again, fully customizable!

In experimenting with the NOMOs , I found a great new use to combat an unforeseen problem with one of the toms on my kit.  It seems that the 16” suspended tom has a “RIMS-like” suspension bracket that apparently has slightly fatigued over the years and was now making contact with the drums lacquer finish as well as making noise.  I took one of the NOMO Kick Hoop Protectors (as it is single ply and thin) and custom cut it with a pair of scissors and fit it between the drum and the suspension bracket, again tying off the leather lace with the tension rods.  Mission accomplished! This incredibly easy and effective fix is so stealthy that it’s hard to notice, just like all the NOMO products.

I usually only use a few pair of sticks, mallets and brushes when I play.....never one to like the idea of taking 20 pairs of sticks to a gig. The other issue I have is I don’t always use a kit that has a free-standing floor-tom to attach an average size or larger stick bag to. The larger, hanging/suspended toms I use much of the time won’t support that type of weight.  Steve Ives seems to have come up with the perfect solution for this with the NOMO Stick Caddy.  Each one holds two pair of whatever sticks or mallets you are using.  It attaches the same way as the other NOMOs by simply tying the leather lace around the adjacent tension rods. They can be hung on the low-end toms (or any other drum for that matter) and even work well laying across the top of the kick drum for a quick grab at a stick.

One evening I thought I would get a little creative with the Stick Caddies.  I decided to see about anchoring them to the lower end of the drum shells, thus providing two points of contact with the drum.  To accomplish this, I merely took a pair of scissors and poked a small hole on each side of the center stitching about a quarter of an inch inside, and parallel to the bottom tension rods.  The next step was to thread a piece of the leather lace through the holes and tie it off to the tension rods.  I then repeated the process again for the next tom, adjusting for depth.  What I like best about these stick holders is that they stay on the drum when it gets packed away in the case; just like all NOMOs, it folds up with the drum.

The final NOMO I “played” was the NOMO Set List Holder.  Made of a heave-duty, clear material, it ties anywhere you want it.  Fold your set list in half and insert into your NOMO, now your set list is protected and exactly where you what it:  only an arm’s length away.

All NOMOs are available in black or clear material.  I have NOMOs all over my kit and they are hardly visible as they are designed to do the job without detracting from the drums. They are easy to adapt to your particular configuration or custom need.  With NOMO, the only limitation is YOUR imagination.  Steve also welcomes your requests for custom orders and ideas.  In short, I really have to recommend these things, you should probably have at least a half dozen for yourself……they’re cheap, they’re simple, and they really work!

From Lancaster County PA, Thoughts from the shop………. Brian Hill

My JFK Drum Set

By Nelson Hawkins

Back in the day before our world was turned upside down by the events of 9/11, a commonly asked question was "Where were you when JFK was shot?” On November 22, 1963 I walked out of a music store in a small Kansas town where I had just picked up a brand new set of Ludwig drums that had been on back order for weeks. They were black oyster pearl which was a new and unique wrap to me but only a few months later Ringo appeared with the Beatles for their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show with a similar set up and color, and a classic was born. I commented to friends that he must have really good taste. HA!  In getting these new drums I was more excited than a kid on Christmas morning.

I carefully packed the drums into my car and walked next door to get change for a phone call (cell phones were way in the future). Entering the hotel I noticed a group of people gathered at the lobby desk listening intently to a small transistor radio. As I got closer a young woman turned to me with a shocked expression on her face and said, "The President has been shot! Someone shot JFK in Dallas!" What had begun as one of my happiest of days suddenly turned bittersweet.

Where were you when Kennedy was assassinated? “I was buying a drum set, of course!” 

I returned to my apartment and set up my new drums in front of our little television set. As I watched, the events unfolded -the swearing in of LBJ in the plane on the tarmac at the Dallas airport with Jackie Kennedy still wearing her blood splattered dress standing beside them and, later, Lee Harvey Oswald's capture and assassination by Jack Ruby, and then finally the sad funeral procession to the slow, somber beat of muffled drums, with the image of JFK’s son, little John John, saluting his fallen father as the caisson passed by.

This single event had the largest impact on the people of our country since the bombing of Pearl Harbor and everyone seemed to be dazed by it. I was taking a drawing class at the time and I decided to somehow depict the event in pen and ink. I incorporated President Kennedy's famous quote "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country!" in a collage, along with quick sketches of JFK and little John John saluting. Ironically, I ran out of room when I was doing the lettering and had to spell "Your" as "Yor" to make it fit in the space.... and then repeated it.  I recently found the old drawing, now beginning to fade after 50 years. I framed it and hung it to commemorate the upcoming anniversary.

I have taken care of these drums and, as a result, have been able to continue playing them for many years.  Once I had to rent them out to pay the bills. I've stored them in friends' homes and even slept behind them on stage one night when we were stranded in a club during a snow storm. They have been great travelers and have been set up on many stages throughout the country. Along with helping me make an extra income through out the years, they have provided me with hours of fun and allowed me a way to express myself.

This Hollywood set up came with two 8 x 12 mounted toms, one of which I traded or sold many years ago. I found a beautiful 9 x13 BOP tom which I mounted and used for a time. I traded it and went back to playing the four piece set that I currently use: a 14 x 20 bass drum, the original 8 x 12 mounted tom and a 16 x 16 floor tom. Although I have owned many snare drums, this 5 x 14 Ludwig Supraphonic 400 is my favorite and has a good story. I bought it from a fellow who claimed to have won it in a poker game while he was working as a hand during a wheat harvest in western Kansas. My cymbals are Zildjian and, befitting the story, I use a “ghost” pedal.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Nelson Hawkins

Canopus Zelkova Snare Drum

Before I get into the meat of this review, let me say that I was already very familiar with the Zelkova snare drums, having played a few over the years. I knew what to expect with this particular review drum. I have a predisposed bias to this drum so I apologize in advance for gushing.

The Shell

Zelkova Shell

The Zelkova is a unique snare drum cut from a hollowed section of a 200 year old Japanese Zelkova tree stump. This wood is also called Japanese elm or redwood. Using the traditional techniques of making the barrel shaped Japanese Taiko drums, Canopus achieves the resonant and sonorous sound of the Taiko.  The barrel shape is designed to be stronger than other barrel shaped stave drums which have traditionally prone to cracking. Its unique thickness and structure of the shell disperses the tension forces equally. The shell is thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges. The bearing edge is extremely sharp. The shell is seasoned for three years and the drum is dried in a specially designed wood drier to reduce the moisture content down to nine percent. This drying procedure also contributes to minimize the shrinkage and cracking of the drum shell. The snare beds are fairly shallow. The craftsmanship that goes into the shell is immediately obvious.

The Sound

Fat, warm, solid, thick, sweet, rich, sharp, strong, throaty, resonant, with a lot of body. It is a unique sound that I have never heard from another snare drum of any kind. It does not sound like maple. It has its own distinctive tonal qualities which can not really be compared to other woods. powerful love spell

Aesthetics

Zelkova Hardware

The gorgeous brown Zelkova wood is lacquered to bring out the appealing grain pattern. The eight tube lugs are brass with a round center brass stud. The hoops are chrome die casts.

The hardware is kept to a minimum: eight small and simple, yet somehow expensive looking, solid brass lugs, each of them attached to the shell with just one screw. The reason for eight lugs as opposed to ten is to lower the overall mass of the hardware and to allow larger sections of the shell vibrate freely, unimpeded by the lugs and screws. The revolving height adjustable tubular lug has a mechanism which enables height adjustments at the interval of plus or minus 2mm by turning its center pole. The die cast rims keep the drum perfectly in tune even with extended playing times. The snare mechanism is a simple P85 type that works well, and the snare wires are Canopus.

If you are worried about tuning with just eight lugs, don't be: the die cast rims keep the snare perfectly in tune, as I can attest, having played it for about half a year now. The leather washers under each tuning screw also help keep the heads in tune. Those washers are actually a Canopus product that can be bought separately, called "Bolt Tight". The air hole is simply that; a hole cut in the drum with no grommet, in keeping with Canopus's philosophy of minimal hardware and contact.

Testing

When I play this drum, it feels different than other drums. It feels like the shape of the shell produces more "give" in the head, which is very pleasing. The sound has a lot of character - lots of bottom but with crisp highs at the same time. And the bottom does not disappear with high tunings. The tuning range is very wide. The snare sensitivity is perfect - very even all the way across the head. The drum is very responsive and does not choke when played loudly. I was not hesitant about digging into it. The rim shots and rim clicks are very crisp while maintaining the warm, fat shell sound - not unlike a triple flanged hoop feel. Most drums with die cast hoops have a drastically sharper rim sound. The Zelkova rim sounds are more organic, even with the die cast hoops.

Conclusion

One of the best snare drums money can buy. A definite "10". I wish I owned one but I need another snare drum like I need a hole in my head. It is a very versatile drum that does not bring attention to itself in a recording mix. It's just……………right. Let's hope that the Canopus Drum Company has a long history with this holy grail drum. You can hear very accurate sound samples of the 5x14, 6.5x14 and the 8x14 models at the website.

Holland Drums' Muffin Top

Every time I go to a drum show, I’m always looking for something new and significant.  In an art form that is so basic and primitive; the drum and the percussive arts in general, it’s really hard to surprise me.  Over the last 150 years, we’ve seen incredible innovations and variations on the theme, leaving us with some very good instruments.  So now we’re left with simple refinements, right?  Not just yet!  There’s always someone thinking a little left of center, and those are the guys I’m looking for.  This year at the Chicago Drum Show, I found another one of……. those guys.

Enter, Holland Drums.  If ever there was a percussion instrument that I didn’t know I needed 25 years ago…..this is one of them!

Scott Holland, of Holland Drums, has made a significant hybrid instrument that effectively crosses the lines between the snare drum and the hand drum.  If you find yourself working with singer/song-writers or have the need to provide lower volumes and different timbres, this is a drum you should give serious consideration.

The “Muffin Top” drum sits on a regular snare drum stand and was originally meant to be played with your hands, with and without snares.  But as with most good instruments, it allows you infinite possibilities.  When backing up various artists over the years, the variety of music has generally allowed me to push the creativity of the situation because I don’t have a lot of rules and regulations when I come up with drum and percussion parts.  That being said, the only rule I always keep is to “play for the song.”  That rule has kept me busy creating different and unique set ups that fit each situation.

When using the Muffin-Top drum, I’ve found it to perform not only as a centerpoint piece, as does a snare drum on a drum set, but also as an auxiliary drum in a non traditional set up that is more percussion based.  If need be, it can be switched out at a moment’s notice with a conventional snare drum for a little hand drumming.  If a significant portion of your gig's set is on the quiet side, you can use this as your primary drum.  I’ve found it’s also great with sticks and brushes, as well numerous other implements used to effect different textures.

This drum provides great sonic opportunities with and without the snares applied.  Imagine being able to play a part with your hands on a snare drum without wracking your knuckles on the metal hoop, as you would with a conventional snare drum.  Then, with a flick of the snare throw-off, playing something of a Latin nature, then switch it up again with a pair of brushes or sticks, without changing drums!

As part of a drum set, there is a whole world of new possibilities when combining this “hand-drum” with your feet.  Kick, hat, cowbell, tambourine, or whatever else you can whack with a pedal, will offer continued pattern combinations and grooves that will definitely be something new for most single drummer set-ups. When added as part of a hand drum/percussion set-up, this drum fits in especially nice.  With the snares off, it provides a “neutral” hand drum sound that isn’t quite a conga, nor a djembe sound.  Add the snares and you have a nice soft snare sound, perfect for those times when it’s all about color.

When looking at the Muffin Top drum, it looks different from any other drum I’ve ever seen.

At its heart is a solid, 6” depth, stave construction shell made of bubinga wood, milled to a unique design to accommodate a Remo djembe head, which has a 2.5” drop.  Solid walnut stave construction shells are also very popular.  The batter side lugs, rods and claws are Remo as well, but, the black counter hoop is custom made locally.

On the bottom rests a standard, conventional 14” snare head. A gold-tone, triple flanged counter hoop and Adonis lugs nicely round out this model. This particular drum has “split style” Puresound snares, and a Trick throw off.  I particularly like the very gradual snare bed that’s barely visible and doesn’t seem to make any negative impression on the head, which helps provide nice sensitivity.

Holland Drums utilizes different choices for different model combinations. Wood, snares, throw-offs, lugs, heads, gold-tone or chrome hoops, etc. are all optional.  There is a 16” x 16” Cocktail Bass Drum available that will offer even more sonic opportunities for set-up combinations.

Being a custom shop, Holland Drums has successfully combined two completely different drums, from different parts of the world, with fantastic results. Thus opening the doors for optional sounds and playing combinations, which is really what we all want in our drum choices, and Scott Holland has certainly succeeded in doing so.  I really do wish I had this drum 25 years ago!

From Lancaster County PA, Thoughts from the shop………. Brian Hill

Wake Up Call - WFL vs. Ludwig

OK people, we need to be a bit more imaginative. I mean, if you have the bucks and money is no object, by all means just go for the high-end stuff. But if you are like me, and the bank account is limited, then a little effort is required. Yeah, I wish I could buy every Gladstone drum that came along like I did when no one knew what they were or who he was (well, practically no one). But with the escalating prices of vintage drums, I have to be more creative. Personally, I am in rapt ecstasy over the current price trend of vintage drums. I genuinely surprised and amused when I see vintage drum collectors whine and cry (sometimes belligerently) over these price trends. DUDE, your collection is going up in value. OK, you can think the $165,000 this and the $65,000 that is absurd, but the $50 this and $100 that, you bought 10 years ago is going up too.

Be that as it may (some people love to whine), if you are on the hunt don’t limit yourself. I’ll give you a recent example from my personal experience. I am far from being a Ludwig expert but if I have heard it said once that the COB Ludwig Supraphonic is the best sounding metal snare, I’ve heard it a thousand times. That coupled with the dilemma of determining if a vintage Ludwig metal snare is indeed brass, I was surprised to see one go for the “cheap” on eBay. Click here to see the auction page.

OK so I am also not a Ludwig collector (last NSMD article notwithstanding) but for a second, I considered jumping into the fray, if anything to see what all the hoopla was all about. Then I thought “BASTA” (enough!) stay focused Chet! But, there has to be someone out there who needs this drum and it was only a three-day auction. So, little ‘ol benevolent me thought “put this up on Facebook.” I have two Facebook accounts, my personal one and one I created for Billy Gladstone. Gladstone’s site has more friends than mine (I can’t understand why) so to get the word out I posted the eBay auction with the description “I am not a Ludwig expert, but aren’t these WFL era Supraphonic snares rare? And because it is that old, doesn’t that signify that it is the desired COB shell? A bit rough but it could be brought back. Better hurry…only 2 days left…” Good friend Todd Reemy commented “in my day I sold 150 or more COB Ludwig's...of that number just 2 were WFL...I've always said they were the best sounding of the bunch with Trans badge era being 2nd...” In his day, Todd went by “The Drum Detective” moniker when he was in the retail vintage drum business. And “Dective” he was. His posts in the “For Sale” section in NSMD made my mouth water. This of course, gave my assumption validity so I passed this information along to the seller.

Hey, what goes around comes around. I have had many a helping hand in my day. I knew he would receive “Buy It Now” offers so I wanted to warn him. The seller, who seemed a bit naïve by his eBay description of the drum, was most appreciative and posted my comments in the listing.

When I sent the message one day into the auction, the listing had a paltry $172.49 current bid (up from and opening $149.99 start bid) with only 7 bids and 149 views. The numbers subsequently went up, bids to 22 and a current bid of $701.99 the final day of the auction. I, feeling like the Good Samaritan, was curious where the auction would end… 538 views, 33 bids, with a winning bid of $1009.99. At first I thought “He did well.” Then I searched eBay for other COB Ludwig snares and found this Ludwig Supraphonic COB that went for $1300.

OK, it is pretty. Yes, “Minty”…god I hate that word…when is anyone going to learn the true definition of the word “mint”? read eBay’s take on the subject. My personal definition of mint and that of coin collectors is one word “Uncirculated.” That means untouched by human hands. So if it is still sealed in the original box, it is mint. “New old stock” is exactly that, unsold, new, but not mint. Be that as it may, Todd, whom I consider an expert, said, “in my day I sold 150 or more COB Ludwig's...of that number just 2 were WFL.” That puts the odds at 75 to one, no? OK, I’m not saying the “fair condition” WFL is worth $74,449.25 more than the “Original” Ludwig but less? I don’t think so.

Yes, Mr. WFL is  not cosmetically as nice as Mr. Ludwig, but therein is the answer. With a little imagination, read “elbow grease”, it is definitely 75 times the drum. Unless a drum is mint, I personally like to see patina. It gives the instrument character. It has been used, played, enjoyed. Patina does not include dirt and rust so some work is required here. Again, my personal call is less is more. I will not use a buffing wheel. If it cant be removed by hand, it is patina. The bent rim (being brass) could easily be straightened. Imagine what a little work will do for this drum.

The 1926-27 Liberty Snare Drum

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Here’s a new one that just entered the collection (thank you Ebay). I always thought that Slingerland manufactured the parts for various drum companies including the Liberty Musical Instrument Corporation. But alas, I was mistaken. Check this out:

LIBERTY MUSICAL INSTRUMENT CORPORATION: Chicago, IL company founded in 1926 from the joining of two Boston firms--NOKES & NICOLAI, and JOSEPH PACHECO with the Liberty Rawhide Company, a major Chicago supplier of banjo and drum heads from 1920. Contemporary articles state that Liberty had purchased the "stock and good will" of the other two companies, and moved the stock in trade and equipment to new quarters in Chicago; each man was to have responsibility for his own end of the business, while John W. Placko, president of Liberty, was to supervise the manufacture of the drum and banjos heads. Within a year the new company had failed and was sold at auction, in August, 1927; since the factory and most of the machinery were new, there was great competition for the assets, which were finally purchased by Slingerland.

1926-27 5 x 14 LIBERTY SNARE DRUM Nothing earth-shattering here but I do like the history involved with this snare drum. I am not even sure what the model name is so any Liberty catalog photos will be welcomed. The shell is aluminum, the rims are steel, there are 8 double-tension lugs, 16 screw-type tension rods, calf heads top and bottom, 12 silk-wound snare wires and the flip-down strainer is pretty primitive . The Liberty badge is quite different than the Liberty badges that are on my other Liberty snare drums. Those badges are more like the brass oval badges that Ludwig & Ludwig used in the mid-1920s to the early 1930s. The batter head has some signatures from yesteryear and it looks like M. J. D’Arcy was possibly the original owner of this drum. That’s about it, feel free to weigh-in with any other information.

Enjoy! Mike Curotto

Evans 360 Technology

Over the years I’ve notice that drums with undersized shells had a fullness and resonance that was very different than wider standard sized shells. This is because almost any brand head would sit flat on the undersized shell and the curved collar of the head did not conflict with the bearing edge to cause any uneven fit. A timpani works much the same way because the bowl is much narrower than the head and there is no curved collar, thus the completely flat head sits level on the edge of the drum, all the way around; 360 degrees. This is the principle of Evans’ appropriately named “Level 360” new head shape that they are incorporating into all of their head models. At this writing has retooled to produce snare and tom heads with the 360 improvements. The bass drum sizes are next.

At my request, I was sent a set of 4 tom and one snare coated G1 batter heads, their 10 mil. standard single ply head to try. I put them on a Taye Parasonic drum set and gave them a good workout during a two week tour with Tommy Malone, formerly of the Subdudes. We played a variety of clubs and theatres in the NorthEast and South. The same kit was used by a dozen Nashville pro drummers for the Jeff Porcaro Tribute that I was involved with.

The first thing I noticed when installing the heads with the 360 technology is that each head centered itself on the shell automatically, before I even put the hoop on the head. Tuning was a breeze because there was no unevenness around the collar, which is what usually causes wrinkles in a head.

Usually when there is any unevenness or wrinkling in the head, that part of the head has to be tensioned more to get the slack out. Not so with the Level 360 technology. My tuning process was to get the tension rods finger tight, then tighten them with the key until they were past the wrinkle stage. But there is no wrinkle stage on these new Evans heads, so I just tightened them up until I heard some tone from the drum. That tone came very quickly with much less tension, and with a much lower note than I was used to. I tend to tune pretty low on rock gigs and sessions so I left them at that lowest tuning for the first rehearsals for this tour.

To me, the biggest advantage to these heads is that I can hear them better. Some of these gigs were under less than perfect sound and monitor system conditions, but I had no problem hearing these heads, even on the one gig where my drums were not amplified at all – and this was with a fairly loud band. I don’t now what to attribute this to other than that the “level” aspect of the new head shape keeps the entire head in contact with the shell in a very even spread around the shell, thus maximizing the transfer of vibrations from the head to the shell.

Tonally, the heads seemed to be very focused. That is, there was a defined note from each drum and it was easy to tune the toms to minor thirds.  I notice no over-ring or “wanginess” due to typical tuning problems. I also noticed that after a few gigs that the heads were staying in tune and not stretching.

Conclusion: It makes a lot of sense, you can hear the difference, definitely worth a try and I'm wanting to try some of their other heads that use this new technology.

The 1941 Leedy Set

HELLO AND HAPPY FALL!

The air is cooling down and the leaves are beginning to change colors. It's time to put away the summer clothes and get out the long sleeves and sweaters. I have a very "cool" old drum kit to show you this month. I know I featured a black diamond kit last time, but this black diamond set has "greened" a little giving it a completely different look. The set I want to show you is a 1941 Leedy. I have all five pieces. It was bought as a set in the year they were made and was owned by one gentleman until his death a few years ago. The man played this set with an orchestra until he purchased a Ludwig set in the 1960s. He put this set away in storage and that's where it stayed until his son decided it was time to find a new owner.

I'll tell you more about how I was fortunate enough to acquire them later. The sizes are: bass drum 28"X14", toms 16"X16", 13"X9", and 12"X8". The matching Broadway Parallel snare is 14"X8". The shells are plies with re-rings. The lugs are Beavertails introduced in the late 1930's. The insides of the bass drum and snare are painted white like Ludwig.  Conn owned both Ludwig and Leedy when these drums were made. They were made side by side and yet maintained differences. Conn finally joined the two lines in the 1950s and made Leedy Ludwig Drums. The Ludwigs bought the Ludwig line back in the mid 1950s and Slingerland bought the Leedy line. You already know all this, I'm sure.

These drums were made in Elkhart, Indiana. The workmanship is excellent. The date stamp inside is January 1941. That was just months before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor bringing the United States into the World War.

The mark inside also says "For Pearl". This means the shells were marked for a pearl wrap finish. The black diamond finish still looks very good although age has made it look sort of green. The hardware is nickel. The heads are calf with the exception of the bass drum batter head.

The son called me and told me he had gotten my number at the music store. He asked me if I would be interested in a very old Leedy drum set. After catching my breath, I calmly said, "sure, when can I come see them." Never say what do you have unless it's a very long drive. My wife went with me, and there they were all spread out on the garage floor. He said the head with orchestra name and his Father's shield logo had been destroyed. The mounts were gone and some of the rods and clips. He gave me a great deal , because he was tired of storing them. It was very exciting to load them up. I have enjoyed the clean-up and having the great piece of history in my collection. Oh, What about the Ludwigs?, some of you are thinking. He said his step-mom had disposed of them and I could tell it was not a subject I wanted to pursue.

Until next time, Phil Wilson

My 1961 Ludwig Joe Morello Kit Restoration - Bill Ray

This story goes way beyond the mere restoration of a drum set but rather this is a sense of full-circledness that I've arrived at in my life at this very moment.

I've always been a drummer, I just kinda knew what my calling in life was from the moment I understood what that funny thing called a "musical pulse" was; the yin/yang of kick and snare drum spoke to me like a voice from on high. I think this was probably before my second birthday.

My upbringing was fortunate in that I was grafted into a musical life by way of my lineage and also in a nepotistic manner by the family photography business. My parents did a lot of work with Malaco Records, a label that was instrumental in helping to lend a megaphone to many of the "mainstay" Blues musicians that one will hear on the radio at any given time. Both my grandparents on my mom's side were musicians, and my uncle Albert Francis "Pud" Brown was a world-renowned clarinetist / sax player who worked with such luminaries as Danny Barker, Pete Fountain and many others in the New Orleans jazz scene.

But the real genetic and physical connection I was given to the drums was through my father, who at one time enjoyed a life as a working professional musician. I have very little information on my dad's playing except for a couple of recordings from the early 1960's that, having heard them in my 40's for the first time would have thought it was myself playing on these tracks! Scary stuff indeed…

At the age of 12 my parents suffered the inevitable for that time / geography / mindset and they ended up on opposite sides of the divorce table. This was rather unfortunate because my father took his drums for personal reasons and I was without a kit for a little while. I can still hear my 12 year old self saying "I'll never play drums again". That worked out well...

So for the next couple of decades this kit sat in a closet in Mississippi and one day I got a letter from my dad. Attached to that letter were a couple of UPS boxes containing the remnants of my childhood, namely my old drum set.

I took delivery of the kit sometime in 2001, and through that interim I too ended up in the same seat in regards to my nuptial arrangements and the drums once again went into the dark place for another 12 years.

It was with the spirit of a "Father/Son Project" involving myself and my own son, 12 years old now, that I decided to "turn karma around" and rather than remove this drum set from a 12 year old, I would BESTOW it to him!

A BIG JOB AHEAD...

I pulled all the shells out of the cases and did a cursory inspection; they appeared to be in sound condition but man, were they fugly! The date stamp inside the shells read "Feb. 8, 1961" and are clear-sealed, not white painted. So I knew I was onto something rather special. The drums are 14x22, 9x13 and 16x16 with a 5x14 Super-Phonic Ludwig snare.

As it would turn out, this kit is the "Silver Sparkle Joe Morello Model" with a couple of modifications obviously done by my father. The original spurs had been replaced by a couple of the "disappearing" type spurs. Apparently back in those days that design was considered "enough" to prevent the drum from walking across the stage. My, how technology has changed for the better! Also, the cymbal mounts that were once attached to the bass drum were removed and the drill holes filled in and patched with a nearly perfect-fitting piece of sparkle covering.

I began by pulling all the hardware off the drum and taking inventory of what I would need to bring this old beauty back into service. As it worked out all I needed was ONE lug casing! Everything lee was there with the exception of that lug casing and a couple of tension rods. No big deal, a trip to a collector friend of mine David Jansen solved that debacle.

Once I had everything prepared I set about to clean the shells. 51 years of funk, closet grit, cigarette smoke from gigs past, the Coke I spilled on the drum when I was 4, the time I took a magic marker to the bass drum when I was 3, I even found a drip of what appeared to be chocolate ice cream, probably from when I was jamming in my room to KISS records and stopped for a snack. Memories flooded back to me in droves throughout this process and I often found myself in deep introspect of where I was in life and how congruent my picture "then" of how I am "now" played out. So far, so good.

It took a ton of elbow grease and some 220 grit sandpaper to rasp these down to something that looked decent. I really was not too concerned about being overly careful because it was my intention should the finish be beyond repair that I would just recover them in a similar color. That was not necessary, as the shells revealed a beautiful Ginger-Ale like tint once the grime was removed. They seemed to be almost smiling at me! I opted to dry-sand them because I did not want to risk damaging the shells with any sort of liquid.

After the sandpaper treatment I hit them with a bit of rubbing compound. This brought up a little deeper luster and finally I finished them with a coat of Turtle Wax from the auto parts store. Why did I use Turtle Wax? I have no idea, I had heard over the years that a hard shell Carnauba wax was actually beneficial to the finish of an older drum so I decided to just jump headfirst into that. Good thing it didn't turn them green!

Once the shells were completed and looking more incredible than I'd even imagined them, it was time to clean up the hardware. So I began using a product called Cymbal Shield by Solo Percussion Products. It's a great cymbal cleaner that is new on the market and it cleaned everything up to a brilliant shine. At some point I got wise and threw all the casings into the sink with some dishwashing detergent to loosen all the grime and dirt; I had been cleaning them with the Cymbal Shield cleaner on a rag and that was somewhat counterproductive.

When it was all shined up it was assembly time! Yay, the very moment I'd been waiting for. I opted for Satin Finish Aquarians on the toms, Classic Clears on the bottoms, and a Superkick II on the bass drum with a pre-cut front head with the offset hole. These choices proved to be the correct ones! During the quest for heads I had talked to David Jansen and he told me that standard sized heads were fine. It was the older Gretsch and Slingerland that required the "oversized" hoops that Aquarian American Classics provided.

THAT SOUND...

On the day the heads arrived I put them on and got everything tuned up and held them up for a couple of strikes- Every time I hit these drums flashbacks of my childhood kept appearing behind my eyes so much to the point of invoking tears as I reflected back onto that very tumultuous time in my 12 year old mind. These drums had given me a sanctuary to hide within; something that was louder and more powerful than the raised voices in the house! These drums saved my life, I'm certain of it.

With as much as I sought to keep it all original, that was not really possible for the sonic quality I was shooting for. Prior to the 2012 Nashville Drum Show I ordered a 16" RIMS floor tom cradle. In the process of doing that I had exchanged emails with Gary Gauger himself and he told me "wait until the show, I've got the perfect thing for that 13" tom if you're going to mount it in a snare basket". Wow, he pretty much read my mind! I was fully intending on putting the drum on a snare stand rather than adding the old console mount with the tongue-style tom mount. Plus the thought of choking down the wonderful resonance of that shell with a big clunky plate…notsomuch an idea I'd like to engage.

Upon my return from 2012NDS, the RIMS floor tom mount had arrived and was waiting to be installed. For the record, as simple as the concept of a RIMS mount is, the newer ones with the moveable eyelets are a real trick to mastering the assembly of. Took the better part of an hour to get that set up. Next time I'll read the directions.

The 13" tom has a very unique mounting bracket; it's the Gauger "Flex Frame" and it fastens to the drum via these small plastic clips that attach to the lugs. Those in turn clasp onto a thin metal ring that sits in the snare stand and everything rides on this very precarious yet solid arrangement of hard durometer plastic and steel. The results under microphones are outstanding!

IT'S TIME TO PLAY THESE OLD TUBS!

Upon getting everything assembled I was thinking that I would christen their reawakening by playing some grandiose stage somewhere at some killer gig with a rockin' band. Instead, my kid and I took them over to a friend of his' place and I let him have a go at my old stomping' grounds. He seemed to enjoy them, being the Bonham/Moon/Nick Mason fanatic that he is at such an early age.

The first gig was actually at a small beach bar in South Mission beach, Ca called the Beachcomber. I played with some friends of mine, some "vintage dudes" and they were in full appreciation of the older drums to compliment the tunes we were doing. Yeah, this kit was made to ROCK & ROLL!

A recent project that I involved this kit in is the recording of an album with the blues vocalist Earl Thomas of old Ike & Tina tunes; The Kings of Rhythm (Ike's band, we still continue to play) backed him up on the recording and we are set to tour Europe in the spring of 2013. These drums won't be traveling with me but rather they will be staying at home, doing what they seem to do best- develop young drummers into competent players!

NEW MEETS OLD

Speaking of my son, he's recently found a band of sorts and they are jamming on some old classic blues and rock tunes. These drums are now pretty much under his control and it's my wish that they help him find his voice as a drummer, as they did for me all those years ago. I think he's going to be just fine.

This story goes way beyond the mere restoration of a drum set but rather this is a sense of full-circledness that I've arrived at in my life at this very moment.

I've always been a drummer, I just kinda knew what my calling in life was from the moment I understood what that funny thing called a "musical pulse" was; the yin/yang of kick and snare drum spoke to me like a voice from on high. I think this was probably before my second birthday.

The trio before sanding

Crusty the Bass Drum

And Bubba the 13 tom

His cousin Derelict the floor tom

Stamp in 16 tom

Detail of cymbal mount filled with patch

Detail of bass drum interior

Bass drum with mounts filled in

bass drum edge

bass drum date stamp

13 tom edges

Inside the 13 tom

16 tom edges

sanded shell

The first one to be finished

before-after

then-now

Xairan Ray on th Drums

My upbringing was fortunate in that I was grafted into a musical life by way of my lineage and also in a nepotistic manner by the family photography business. My parents did a lot of work with Malaco Records, a label that was instrumental in helping to lend a megaphone to many of the "mainstay" Blues musicians that one will hear on the radio at any given time. Both my grandparents on my mom's side were musicians, and my uncle Albert Francis "Pud" Brown was a world-renowned clarinetist / sax player who worked with such luminaries as Danny Barker, Pete Fountain and many others in the New Orleans jazz scene.

But the real genetic and physical connection I was given to the drums was through my father, who at one time enjoyed a life as a working professional musician. I have very little information on my dad's playing except for a couple of recordings from the early 1960's that, having heard them in my 40's for the first time would have thought it was myself playing on these tracks! Scary stuff indeed…

At the age of 12 my parents suffered the inevitable for that time / geography / mindset and they ended up on opposite sides of the divorce table. This was rather unfortunate because my father took his drums for personal reasons and I was without a kit for a little while. I can still hear my 12 year old self saying "I'll never play drums again". That worked out well...

So for the next couple of decades this kit sat in a closet in Mississippi and one day I got a letter from my dad. Attached to that letter were a couple of UPS boxes containing the remnants of my childhood, namely my old drum set.

I took delivery of the kit sometime in 2001, and through that interim I too ended up in the same seat in regards to my nuptial arrangements and the drums once again went into the dark place for another 12 years.

It was with the spirit of a "Father/Son Project" involving myself and my own son, 12 years old now, that I decided to "turn karma around" and rather than remove this drum set from a 12 year old, I would BESTOW it to him!

A BIG JOB AHEAD...

I pulled all the shells out of the cases and did a cursory inspection; they appeared to be in sound condition but man, were they fugly! The date stamp inside the shells read "Feb. 8, 1961" and are clear-sealed, not white painted. So I knew I was onto something rather special. The drums are 14x22, 9x13 and 16x16 with a 5x14 Super-Phonic Ludwig snare.

As it would turn out, this kit is the "Silver Sparkle Joe Morello Model" with a couple of modifications obviously done by my father. The original spurs had been replaced by a couple of the "disappearing" type spurs. Apparently back in those days that design was considered "enough" to prevent the drum from walking across the stage. My, how technology has changed for the better! Also, the cymbal mounts that were once attached to the bass drum were removed and the drill holes filled in and patched with a nearly perfect-fitting piece of sparkle covering.

I began by pulling all the hardware off the drum and taking inventory of what I would need to bring this old beauty back into service. As it worked out all I needed was ONE lug casing! Everything lee was there with the exception of that lug casing and a couple of tension rods. No big deal, a trip to a collector friend of mine David Jansen solved that debacle.

Once I had everything prepared I set about to clean the shells. 51 years of funk, closet grit, cigarette smoke from gigs past, the Coke I spilled on the drum when I was 4, the time I took a magic marker to the bass drum when I was 3, I even found a drip of what appeared to be chocolate ice cream, probably from when I was jamming in my room to KISS records and stopped for a snack. Memories flooded back to me in droves throughout this process and I often found myself in deep introspect of where I was in life and how congruent my picture "then" of how I am "now" played out. So far, so good.

It took a ton of elbow grease and some 220 grit sandpaper to rasp these down to something that looked decent. I really was not too concerned about being overly careful because it was my intention should the finish be beyond repair that I would just recover them in a similar color. That was not necessary, as the shells revealed a beautiful Ginger-Ale like tint once the grime was removed. They seemed to be almost smiling at me! I opted to dry-sand them because I did not want to risk damaging the shells with any sort of liquid.

After the sandpaper treatment I hit them with a bit of rubbing compound. This brought up a little deeper luster and finally I finished them with a coat of Turtle Wax from the auto parts store. Why did I use Turtle Wax? I have no idea, I had heard over the years that a hard shell Carnauba wax was actually beneficial to the finish of an older drum so I decided to just jump headfirst into that. Good thing it didn't turn them green!

Once the shells were completed and looking more incredible than I'd even imagined them, it was time to clean up the hardware. So I began using a product called Cymbal Shield by Solo Percussion Products. It's a great cymbal cleaner that is new on the market and it cleaned everything up to a brilliant shine. At some point I got wise and threw all the casings into the sink with some dishwashing detergent to loosen all the grime and dirt; I had been cleaning them with the Cymbal Shield cleaner on a rag and that was somewhat counterproductive.

When it was all shined up it was assembly time! Yay, the very moment I'd been waiting for. I opted for Satin Finish Aquarians on the toms, Classic Clears on the bottoms, and a Superkick II on the bass drum with a pre-cut front head with the offset hole. These choices proved to be the correct ones! During the quest for heads I had talked to David Jansen and he told me that standard sized heads were fine. It was the older Gretsch and Slingerland that required the "oversized" hoops that Aquarian American Classics provided.

THAT SOUND...

On the day the heads arrived I put them on and got everything tuned up and held them up for a couple of strikes- Every time I hit these drums flashbacks of my childhood kept appearing behind my eyes so much to the point of invoking tears as I reflected back onto that very tumultuous time in my 12 year old mind. These drums had given me a sanctuary to hide within; something that was louder and more powerful than the raised voices in the house! These drums saved my life, I'm certain of it.

With as much as I sought to keep it all original, that was not really possible for the sonic quality I was shooting for. Prior to the 2012 Nashville Drum Show I ordered a 16" RIMS floor tom cradle. In the process of doing that I had exchanged emails with Gary Gauger himself and he told me "wait until the show, I've got the perfect thing for that 13" tom if you're going to mount it in a snare basket". Wow, he pretty much read my mind! I was fully intending on putting the drum on a snare stand rather than adding the old console mount with the tongue-style tom mount. Plus the thought of choking down the wonderful resonance of that shell with a big clunky plate…notsomuch an idea I'd like to engage.

Upon my return from 2012NDS, the RIMS floor tom mount had arrived and was waiting to be installed. For the record, as simple as the concept of a RIMS mount is, the newer ones with the moveable eyelets are a real trick to mastering the assembly of. Took the better part of an hour to get that set up. Next time I'll read the directions.

The 13" tom has a very unique mounting bracket; it's the Gauger "Flex Frame" and it fastens to the drum via these small plastic clips that attach to the lugs. Those in turn clasp onto a thin metal ring that sits in the snare stand and everything rides on this very precarious yet solid arrangement of hard durometer plastic and steel. The results under microphones are outstanding!

IT'S TIME TO PLAY THESE OLD TUBS!

Upon getting everything assembled I was thinking that I would christen their reawakening by playing some grandiose stage somewhere at some killer gig with a rockin' band. Instead, my kid and I took them over to a friend of his' place and I let him have a go at my old stomping' grounds. He seemed to enjoy them, being the Bonham/Moon/Nick Mason fanatic that he is at such an early age.

The first gig was actually at a small beach bar in South Mission beach, Ca called the Beachcomber. I played with some friends of mine, some "vintage dudes" and they were in full appreciation of the older drums to compliment the tunes we were doing. Yeah, this kit was made to ROCK & ROLL!

A recent project that I involved this kit in is the recording of an album with the blues vocalist Earl Thomas of old Ike & Tina tunes; The Kings of Rhythm (Ike's band, we still continue to play) backed him up on the recording and we are set to tour Europe in the spring of 2013. These drums won't be traveling with me but rather they will be staying at home, doing what they seem to do best- develop young drummers into competent players!

NEW MEETS OLD

Speaking of my son, he's recently found a band of sorts and they are jamming on some old classic blues and rock tunes. These drums are now pretty much under his control and it's my wish that they help him find his voice as a drummer, as they did for me all those years ago. I think he's going to be just fine.