Late 60s AJAX "Nu Sound" Kit

Manufactured by Boosey & Hawkes in Edgeware, London, Ajax drums were much like any other English drum set in the 1960’s; standard 20,12,16 configurations, birch shells with teardrop lugs, die cast hoops and glitter finishes. Don’t get me wrong, these were great sounding drums but for me Ajax peaked with the introduction of their ‘Nu Sound’ kits in 1966. Design-wise, these drums stood out from the English drum crowd as much as Hayman did. Unfortunately, this was Boosey & Hawkes’ last attempt to keep the Ajax brand alive and by 1970 they’d disappeared.

As for the tone of these drums, I find them warm and responsive to play.

The drums featured straight grain shell construction, giving these drums a deep resonant tone and despite birch being standard, I have come across sets in mahogany.  As for the tone of these drums, I find them warm and responsive to play; A 20,12,14 set with the toms tuned high gives that classic bop sound, while a 22,13,16 in mahogany gives a good low end thud, with plenty of growl to the bass drum and floor tom.

All drums of this period feature internal reinforcement hoops top and bottom, and steel triple flange hoops.  The hardware on the shells is really quirky and very different to anything else of that era, except maybe the Trixon/Vox kits that came out of Germany.  Single lugs top and bottom were embossed with the letter ‘A’.  A lovely design detail is that the tension rods enter the top or bottom of the ‘A’ according to their position on the shell.

The lugs themselves are very thin metal, which are prone to splitting where the tension rod enters the insert; most I’ve taken off kits are filled with foam/sponge to stop the springs rattling. I’ve also found that the mounting holes are prone to snapping off too, when dismantling kits for cleaning, so do take care with these lugs! Don’t let this put you off though, these kits are real eye candy, and sound stunning too.

Other hardware highlights include the lovely 'A' brackets for floor tom and bass drum legs, cymbal holder and tom brackets (which were non-slip). The badges were metal with Ajax printed in bright blue, cut in the shape of the name, held on with 2 pins.

Three kit configurations appeared in the 1966 catalogue; 'Allegro' - 22 x12, 13 x 9,16 x 16; ‘Staccato’  - 20x14, 12x8, 14x14;  ‘Forte’ – 22x12, 12x8, 13x9, 16x16.  Most common in the burgundy ripple finish (often referred to as ‘raspberry ripple’). Occasionally you’ll come across a set in grey ripple, or white, black or red pearl. The catalogue also lists Mahogany wood finish, but I’ve never seen a set. As always, there are quirky kits that came out of the factory - one of the kits that came through my shop had 10 lugs on the bass drum, another was finished in ‘Blue Streak’ (a Rogers colour, although Boosey & Hawkes manufactured the ‘English Rogers’ drums in the 60’s, so there’s the link). If you ever see a set in a plain colour, it’s been recovered.

To complement the kit there was a choice of two snare drums, both 14x5”; the wooden shell  in a colour matching the kit, or the steel shell ‘Metasonic ‘ finished in ‘Sonic Chrome’ plating. Both drums were fitted with a round snare throw with ‘A’ embossed on it, not dis-similar to the Rogers clock face strainer.  Both the wood and metal snare are fairly rare in good condition.

A lovely set of drums in any of the above configurations that will turn heads if kept in good condition. It’s amazing how most of these kits that turn up are still in really good, original condition, with no modern hardware additions or extra holes (pleasantly surprising, given that the spares are fairly difficult to source.)

 

Drumming in the Shadow of Revolution

Maker:  S.D.C.Dated:  1794 Dimensions:  11”(h) x 15.5”(dia)

In the years of George Washington’s presidency, America faced increasing pressure and challenges on the frontier from hostile Indian tribes and the remnants of the British Army.  Included in the terms of the Treaty of Paris, 1783, which officially ended the Revolution, Great Britain ceded the lands of the Old Northwest Territory to the United States.  This area included most of modern Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin as well as part of Minnesota.  However, the indigenous people of the territory rejected the notion that they no longer owned their land.  The result was the Northwest Indian Wars.

Playing on the subconscious of the people of the new American nation was the idea that a large standing army was somewhat of a morale wrong.  They had just fought a seven year war to evict the British army from their homes.  This ideology brought about an under strengthened force comprised of one regiment:  the 1st United States Regiment.  Recruitment started in 1784 with two companies of artillery from the recently disbanded Continental Army.  The 1st United States Regiment comprised of approximately seven hundred men and was all that there was, with the exception of the militia, to protect the entire frontier.  Eventually a second regiment of similar strength was raised.  England, as well as the rest of the world, could hardly take the new and seemingly weak American nation seriously.  This resulted in Great Britain not evacuating the forts it occupied in the Territory as per the terms of the treaty.  Hoping that America would fail, Britain encouraged the local tribes to band together and to continue to harass American settlers on the frontier.  This was especially the case in the Ohio Territory of the Old Northwest.

By 1791, the American Army had suffered a string of loses culminating in the worst defeat at the hands of Native American Tribes.  In the Autumn of 1791, General Arthur St. Clair took 320 men of the U.S. 1st Regiment and over 1100 militia north along the western border of Ohio. Near Fort Recovery, the ill-trained force met with disaster at the hands of the Indians Western Confederacy.   There the Army suffered nearly one thousand casualties, including over six hundred dead.  Interestingly, included with the battle reports, is the remark that “the Army had lost every drum.”

1794 brought final victory and a relative calmness to the Territory with General Anthony Wayne’s victory at Fallen Timbers on August 20, located in western Ohio.  Wayne’s new army, the Legion of the United States, was an extremely well trained force.  The Treaty of Greenville in 1795 ceded much of present day Ohio to the U.S.  Into this turbulent environment, this drum was made.

In 1794, there were not that many drums left available for use. Built by hand in the cottage industry style of the day, this drum exhibits many of the characteristics of very early American drums.

The shell is made of a single ply of rough-cut oak.  On the inside of the shell, there are vertical cuts in the wood to help in the bending process of this thick ply of very strong oak.  The two heavy counter hoops are also made of oak strips.  Both the shell and the counter hoops are joined by thick scarf joints and fastened by hand-made iron nails and natural glue.  The shell was painted entirely blue while the counter hoops have faint remnants of red and blue or black paint as well as old varnish. They may have been painted more than once over the years.  The over-all style is very reminiscent of the time.  The only adornment on the shell is two brass tacks which appear vertical, top and bottom to the simple, unreinforced vent hole.  As with the rest of the shell, they are painted over in blue.

Hand-cut into the bottom of the shell are two snare beds.  The bottom counter hoop hasn’t any snare gates, but there is evidence that the drum once sported thick gut snares as the indentations in the bottom of the hoop testify.  The most popular method of affixing snares at the time was to simply pinch the two ends of the snares between the drum and counter hoop.  The only real way to adjust the snare tension on the head was to pull down on the ropes via the leather ears, sandwiching everything together.

Glued inside the shell, are two paper labels.  The first, and oldest of the two, is the maker’s label.  Hand written in the old brown of “iron pen,” it simply identifies the maker as “S.D.C.,” and the year “1794.”  The second label is type printed and belongs to Frederick Blume.  Blume was a small scale maker of pianos, organs, and melodeons and began his career in Pittsburg, PA around 1840.  In 1859, he moved his business to 54 Chatham Street, New York City.

Blume’s label reads:  “Drums and Trumpets. / Flutes, Violins, Guitars, and musical instruments of / every description.  Send stamp for price list.  Silk violin / strings, 25c., mailed.  Frederick Blume.  208 Bowery.”

Frederick Blume moved his shop to 208 Bowery Street, NYC in 1861, during the Civil War.  It is presumable that this drum was reconditioned for use during the War, hence the label.  It is also presumable that at this time, it was cut down in height by about three inches to its present height of eleven inches.  The presumption that the drum shell was originally about fourteen inches coincides with several irregularities with the shell.

 First is that the vent hole is off-centered top and bottom by three inches.  Normally the vent would be centered on the shell.  The second clue is that there are two different styles of glue rings inside the drum.  Made of a different type of wood and obviously made by a different craftsman, it also uses machine made nails which were available around the time of the War, instead of the handmade iron nails present in the rest of the drum.  The original glue ring is made of the same wood as the shell and is of a completely different style, and utilizes the same hand-made nails found elsewhere on the drum.

By the time of the Civil War, smaller drums were coming into style and many of the old drums were being cut down to accommodate the trends of the time.

When this old tub came into the collection, the first thought was to keep it in relic condition.  After a thorough examination, I realized it was a victim of hard use and abuse.  It was a complete catastrophe.  There were four different types of leather ears, the most recent circa 1900.  Both heads were broken.  The snare head was made of a material that resembled cloth, with a pitch-like black coating on the inside that made me wonder if it was even a drum part.  The snares were also missing and there were two different types of rope that were spliced together with black thread.  When I took the drum apart, I found it was also put together upside down.  The newer of the two glue rings was coming off the shell and there was some breakage involved.

The restoration included nine new period correct, handmade leather ears; repair of the glue ring and flesh hoops; new calf skin heads; four old-stock cat gut snares from my old parts box; new cotton rope and a leather rope washer; a hand-made wrought iron drum sling attachment ring and leather lacing; and a thorough cleaning.  Over-all condition of the drum is very sound and is in perfect playing condition.  It’s a great “rattler!”

Accompanying the drum is a very nice pair of period oak drum sticks, correct in every manner to those common to the eighteenth century.  They measure 17 ½” in length and are ¾” in diameter at the butt.   As with most known sticks common to the era, they tapper gracefully from the butt all the way down to the “acorn” style tips.   Attached to each stick is a heavy, hand-hammered pewter end cap.  They are more than likely, original to the drum.

The fact that this drum even exists is amazing, let alone its ability to be played.  The original unit is unknown as well as who may have played it over the years.  There are those authorities in the historic antique community that believe that it may have originally been a Navy drum.  It certainly spent time in the army or militia at one point or another.  Use during the Civil War is also very probable.  The period into which it was made and initially used was a period of tremendous unrest and uncertainty on the frontier, as well as on the waters of America.  For an entire generation, it was a time that was lived somewhat optimistically in the shadow of the Revolution.

From Lancaster County, PA... thoughts from the shop.

- Brian Hill

1971 Ludwig Hollywood Mod Orange Set

Greetings vintage drum lovers and friends. I hope the Winter is on the way out and nicer warm weather is on the way in. I brought out a set out into the sunlight to show you that I try to keep in the dark as much as possible. It is a 1971 Ludwig Hollywood set covered with the rare Mod Orange wrap. The reason I keep them in the dark is to try to keep the color from fading even more than it already has. This color is one of the three Ludwig psychedelic wraps that caused quite a stir in the late 1960s and on into the 1970s. You have to be around 50 or older to understand why anything psychedelic was cool. The three psychedelic colors were, Psychedelic Red, Mod Orange, and Citrus Mod. These wraps are filled with color, but unfortunately they fade when exposed to sunlight. It is hard to find a set with these wraps on them that is not partially or severely faded.

My set is faded and has some cracks in the wrap and bumps and bruises. When you get a chance to own a Mod Orange set you will overlook a few flaws, because there are not that many sets out there to be had. The Reds are a little more plentiful. Ludwig did really well selling the Reds and then introduced the Oranges. The Oranges didn't sell as well as the Reds, even though John Densmore helped their sales by playing a set of Oranges with the Doors. The Doors were very cool, but you already know that. The Citrus Mods did even worse in sales than the Oranges and therefore they are even harder to find. A nice set of Citrus Mods will cost you big bucks.

The sizes of my Mod Orange kit is, bass drum 22"X14", the floor tom 16"X16", the toms are 13"X9" and 12"X8". The shells are three ply with reinforcement rings and clear coated inside. The white sealer paint inside the shells ended in the late 1960s. The toms have the rotary mute inside with the larger round handles outside the shell. The double tom mount is factory placed on the bass drum. There is a paper badge inside the shell that dates them to 1971. The Blue Olive badges are pointy on the corners which indicates early 1970s. The snare drum placed with the set is a 1970s 14"X5" chrome Supraphonic. It is very hard to find a wood shell Mod Orange snare. If you do you will pay a large ransom for it. Some Mod Orange snares have been recover jobs using a strip from a donor floor tom. Be careful when buying a Mod Orange snare drum.

Ludwig reintroduced the Mod Orange finish a few years back, but I think the results were about the same as the first time. I guess we will just have to say it's so ugly it's kinda pretty. You might still  be able to purchase a version of this wrap if you would like to have this finish on a restoration job. Some have found Mod Orange wrapped drums that have been painted over. Can you imagine buying a pawn shop white painted Ludwig set and finding Mod Orange wrap underneath the paint. It will be difficult to remove the paint and not damage the finish. Get a professional to help you with that. Until next time, use cases and stop scratching up those future vintage kits, and keep searching for that Mod Orange Jazz Festival in somebody's yard sale.

 

X Still Marks The Spot

Maker: Henry EiseleCirca: 1890’s-early 1900’s Dimensions: 12”(h) x 16”(dia.)

One day, back in the day, while attending my good friend Jack Lawton’s PA Vintage Drum Show in Sunbury, I first met another good friend and fellow collector, Jack Ricciutti. Among the many wonderful vintage drums Jack had brought to the show was an incredible 1926, 4” x 14” Leedy Elite snare drum. Not only was this drum beautifully engraved and trimmed in Art Gold, it also sounded great. Not having enough pocket cash with me that day to make the deal, I took Jack’s phone number and some notes on the drum. I also learned that Jack had a couple Slingerland Radio King WMP snare drums at his home in New Jersey.

Back home I started looking into Leedy Elites and Radio Kings, making a few phone calls to people in the know and decided the Leedy would be a wise investment to my collection. A few months later I made the call to Jack and we agreed to meet at his home in a week and do the deal on the Leedy.

At Jacks home we made our way to the studio where there were drums everywhere. He soon presented me with the drum I had come for and we eventually started talking about the Radio Kings he had mentioned back at the drum show. They were from the late 1930s and early 40s and in great condition. We soon made a deal on them and I happily added them to my treasure trove. As I continued to examine my two new and unexpected finds, I hadn’t noticed that Jack had left the room. When he returned, he placed on the floor at my feet an old rope tension drum. During our prior conversations, I had mentioned that I was an old drum corps kid from DCA and DCI. What Jack had not only was a very cool old rope drum, but one that was identified from the artwork on the shell as the “Garfield Corps.” Being a former DCI member, that name rang home with me.

I decided that this extra drum should also come home with me and we settled on a price. Jack sent me on my way home with a nice bottle of wine and a handshake that would be repeated often. The trip back home was filled with the satisfaction that only a car load of new vintage drums can bring.

While the Leedy and Slingerland drums were an incredible score, I was entirely consumed with the intrigue of what I might uncover on the “Garfield Corps” drum, which today is another “X” in the hunt for my next perfect drum.

Since this rope drum was previously restored by Jack Lawton, there was nothing to do but research and enjoy it. The paper maker’s label inside the drum identifies Henry Eisele of New York City as the maker. Eisele is listed as being established as a drum maker as early as 1862. He eventually became the successor to famed drum maker, William Sempf, who he worked with and perfected his trade. Eisele eventually took over Sempf’s business when he retired in the mid 1880s. The label reads: “Henry Eisele / Successor to Wm. Sempf / Manufacturer of / Bass and Snare Drums / 209 and 211 Grand Street, New York / N.B. – Drum Heads, Sticks, Cords, etc. / Constantly on Hand.” Eisele maintained this address listing from the mid-1880’s until the early 1900’s.

Built during a time of great innovation, this drum sports many of the modern features that make it one of the top-of-the-line rope tension models of its day. This includes the 10 metal-reinforced “break-away” style leather ears, sash rope, metal snare butt, and nickel plated metal rope hooks. The snare adjuster is the screw-type version that came to the market during the Civil War period. This adjuster type has the adjusting screw receiver mounted on the bottom counter-hoop. This always seems to put too much pressure on that hoop when tightening up the snare tension, forcing it away from the snare head. The bottom counter hoop, which in this case has fairly deep snare gates, is often too thin or weak and tends to negate the ability of that hoop to provide adequate pressure or tension on the snare head.

Eisele used an early form of plastic for the grommet of the vent hole. There were several advances in plastic technology available at this time and may help narrow down the date of manufacture. The first plastic was invented in 1862 and was known as Parkesine. Celluloid quickly followed in 1868. My first guess as to the identity of the material used for this grommet would be Bakelite, which was invented in 1897. This would help date this drum more accurately to 1897-1909. 1909 was also the last year Henry Eisele used that exact address.

The stained and varnished shell is made of a single ply of maple as are the varnished counter hoops which are all in very good shape. Placed in the center of the shell is an eagle and flag design that Eisele used quite often during this era. Placed directly on the eagle is a capital letter “B.” This is presumably for Bergen County, NJ. Also painted in large gold letters top and bottom is “GARFIELD CORPS.” This drum was probably not a military drum but rather part of a civilian drum corps or possibly a band. The exact origin still remains a mystery.

The most famous and longest running of the Garfield marching units was formed in 1934 as the Holy Name Cadets, a Catholic youth group drum and bugle corps. They eventually became known as the Garfield Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps. Later incarnations where known as the Cadets of Bergen County, The Cadets of Garfield, and finally just The Cadets. Despite the name changes, they have become one of the longest running and most successful drum corps in the world with ten DCI World Championships. This drum, no doubt, is somewhat of an ancestor to this most famous of drum corps.

In this case, the “X,” or the unknown factor in my trip to New Jersey, turned out to be a “ten.” Not only did I find that special unexpected drum, I made a friend for life who also shares a mutual love for the percussive arts. I was also reminded that “X” sometimes still does mark the spot for treasure, as the Garfield drum not only reconnected me with my drum corps past, but also rekindled of my love affair with rope tension drums and the history that surrounds them.

From Lancaster County, PA…..Thoughts from the Shop.

-Brian Hill

 

John Beck's 1922 Leedy Snare Drum

"THE DRUM"

CHARACTERS: 6 1/2” X 15” Leedy snare drum with 14 single tension rods and gut snares Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Eastman School of Music “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band William G. Street Oliver “Ollie” Zinsmeister John H. Beck

PLACE: Rochester, NY

DATE: 1922 to present

STORY: This Leedy snare drum belonged originally to William G. Street who in 1922 was the percussionist for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. The Eastman Theatre was opened in 1922 and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra performed the first concert heard in the new Eastman Theatre. The first sound that was heard in the Eastman Theatre was the snare drum roll performed by William G. Street on the Leedy snare drum to announce the Star Spangled Banner. This drum was Street’s pride and joy.

The first graduate in percussion from the Eastman School of Music was Oliver “Ollie” Zinsmeister in 1935. Ollie was a resident of Rochester, NY. Besides performing in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, William G. Street was also the Professor of Percussion at the Eastman School of Music and Ollie was his first student.  Street continued to teach both timpani and percussion at Eastman until 1968.

When Ollie graduated he was selected for “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in Washington, DC. Street was overjoyed with his first student’s success. Ollie joined the Marine Band and became part of the “Dream Team” - Charles Owen/ Oliver Zinsmeister. They performed on marimba and xylophone not only in Washington, DC but for 20 years all over the United States as the band toured once a year for nine weeks in various parts of the United States. They also did weekly radio broadcasts. As you can imagine, Street was proud of Ollie to the point that he gave the Leedy snare drum to him while he was a member of the United States Marine. I imagine Ollie used it many times for concerts with the band.

When Ollie’s 20- year enlistment was up in 1955, it was my turn to graduate from the Eastman School of Music (1951-55). I took the audition with the band to replace Ollie and was successful. For four years (1955-1959) I was a member of the band and played marimba solos in Washington, DC and on tour. Essentially I was continuing what Ollie had done. Street was also proud of me for my accomplishments. Now he had two of us who did him proud. I only stayed for four years because a call from Street telling me he was going to retire from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and would I like to audition. I said “yes” and got the job. I also became the teacher at the Eastman School of Music in 1968 when Street retired.

Ollie and I kept in touch with each other over the years. The Leedy snare drum was still in his possession. Because I continued teaching in the tradition of William G. Street, continued Ollie’s tradition in the United States Marine Band, and Ollie’s affection for Street and the Eastman School of Music, Ollie gave the drum to me with the idea that I would continue the tradition of the drum.

Since the drum has been in my possession it has been used for a celebration of the renovation of the Eastman Theatre in 2004 in a percussion fanfare that I wrote. I also used it in 2009 in a performance of the Downfall Of Paris for a celebration to announce an addition to the Eastman Theatre. I have used the drum many times to tell the story that you have just read - and will continue to do so.

John H. Beck

Professor Emeritus of Percussion Eastman School of Music Retired Timpanist of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra

 

"Secret Agent Man" with Mickey Jones

Recording:  Secret Agent ManArtist: Johnny Rivers Drummer: Mickey Jones Year:  1966 Chart Position: #3

The opening guitar riff is definitely recognizable and was destined to become a classic.  The song is timeless, evidenced by its resurgence in today’s movies and commercials.  I had the pleasure of speaking to Mickey Jones regarding his role in recording this popular drum track.

LSL:  When and where was this song recorded?

Mickey Jones:  We recorded it in late 1965 at Western Studies in Los Angeles.

LSL:  Can you give us some background on this recording?

MJ:  We were on tour in England and our producer Lou Adler, one of the hottest record producers in the industry, was with us.  Lou ran into another producer while were on tour that produced in England the TV show Danger Man.  They were going to sell the show to CBS in America and retitle it Secret Agent Man.  They needed a theme song and they loved Johnny Rivers.  Lou said, “I think we can put it together”.  We got back to the States and Lou got Phil (P.F.) Sloan, who wrote “Eve of Destruction” and Steve Barri to write “Secret Agent Man” But unfortunately they only wrote one verse and one chorus – it was just for the opening theme of the new TV show.

Disc jockeys started playing it as bumper music and we started getting requests to do it in the show.  It was only 30 seconds long, so Lou Adler had this brilliant idea and took us back into the studio.  We recorded this at Western Studios in Los Angeles with Bones Howe engineering.  Lou brought in a couple of hundred people before our recording time and them we  came in to do the recording – his idea was that he wanted it to sound live at the Whiskey a Go-Go because when the record came out, it was on one of the live Whiskey albums.  So we had all these people in the studio and I’m not sure if we did the tracks and then they added the people or if the people we in another part of the studio and he was able to blend the live sounds, but it was not live at the club; it was just that he had a lot of people in the studio.  He needed a couple more verses for the song so they went back and wrote follow-up verses.  The song came out and it was definitely a Top 10 record.

In retrospect, with Johnny River’s career, this was probably the largest record he had, and it’s poignant to me today because I still receive correspondence from drummers across the country regarding the record.  To bring this to the present time, Chase Master Card used our original track in a major advertising campaign!  I was really proud to be the drummer on that track.

LSL:  Your playing on that track was so muscular and groove-oriented.  Were you allowed free rein to come with the parts for that song?

MJ:  Yes, and that’s just the way Johnny and Joe Osborne, the bass player, and I worked it out.  That was it; there is nobody else on that record.  I was always a pretty percussive, hard player.  I was known as the guy in town with the heaviest right foot.

LSL:  What kit did you use on that track?

MJ:  I used my Black Oyster Pearl Ludwigs.  I bought them in 1961 when I was working with Trini Lopez, and I used them all around the world with him and with Johnny Rivers, Bob Dylan, and the First Edition.  My set with Johnny Rivers was pretty basic – 14”x22” bass drum, 9”x13”ride tom, and two floor toms, 14”x14” and 16”x16”.  My cymbals were Zildjian – 20” ride, 18” crash, and 15” hi hats.  I sold that set to the Hard Rock Café chain, currently on display at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square, New York City.

LSL:  Do you have any closing comments about this song?

MJ:  I think the defining track for Johnny Rivers is “Secret Agent Man.”  I have to say that this song was probably the defining one for me with Johnny.  When we had Johnny Rivers, Joe Osborne on bass, and me, this little trio made more music than anyone I’ve known.  I’m honored to have been a part of musical history.

Editor's note - Mickey Jones is known as the character actor's character actor. You've seen him on tv and in the movies. He also played drums with Trini Lopez, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, and Bob Dylan.

 

Wilson Brothers 1922 Drum Catalog

Chicago played such a role in the 20th century history of American drum companies. Ludwig, Slingerland, Camco, Liberty, Lyon & Healy, Novak Drum Supply, and today’s featured company—Wilson Brothers. Tom Wilson stated that he became involved with drum building in 1887, and by 1907, he was a principal in Wilson-Jacobs, the predecessor manufacturer to Wilson Brothers, founded in 1917. Wilson-Jacobs sold drums to music stores and distributors for their private labels. Wilson Brothers sold directly to the public, at first, and, then, through music stores. I have no information on Tom’s other brother or brothers.

Rumor has it that Tom Wilson worked at Lyon & Healey and learned his craft there, before later buying the drum works of that prestigious organization and running Wilson Brothers until the late 1920s.

Wilson first made drums and traps, sold Leedy timpani along with his own, and later added banjos just like competitors Leedy and Ludwig & Ludwig, by 1926.

Wilson Brothers eventually had a four story plant at 218 May Street. Their statement, in our catalog, was that they were capable of building 150,000 drums a year, and that seems impressive. I have no idea how much capacity was reached, but I have seen a few Wilsons in my day. Their signature piece was their strainer—the Wilson 3 Way. The throw handle would swivel left, right or stay in the center, supposedly for the ease of the player. Even then, some of us were left handed!The 3 Way strainers seem to always be attached to the bottom hoop. Wilson’s catalog illustrated solid maple shell snare drums and one piece brass shells with a center bead. These metal snare drums could be nickel plated or be colored—ebony, maroon, cream or violet. Bass drums and wood shell snares could also have those colors. The drums could have traditional tube lugs and a Wilson designed separate tension tube lug that used thumb rods at the bottom, with a special lug lock on each lug so that the thumb rods could tension the bottom head and the top head separately (did this inspire Billy Gladstone years later?). Wilson often used the terms “Ultrafine” and “Superfine.”

I found the price list, and on it, and not in the catalog is some extra information. Wilson offered gold plating, gold-bronze plating and gunmetal shells with either gold-bronze or nickel parts. There was no mention of engraving available.

Here is a description of the 1922 catalog from a press release I found in a magazine: “with 96 pages showing 97 different sizes and models of snare drums, 98 different models and sizes of bass drums, and 5 complete drum outfits, this catalog....carries a significant message pertaining to ‘Perfecting the Art of Fine Drum Making—An Achievement Born of 35 Years of Experience in Making America’s Finest Drums.’ “ Well, with those words, a red cover catalog with a black and gold Wilson Brothers Trade-Mark with heavy stock paper with a color section, was released to the public, packed with the aforementioned drums, a lot of traps and Deagan mallet instruments. It is impressive for the time.

Tom Wilson appears to be about 50 in the picture shown in the catalog. I found one reference to Wilson Brothers assets being sold at auction in 1929 to Novak Drum Supply, and the supposition is that the company was gone by the time Leedy and Ludwig & Ludwig sold to Conn in September, 1929. I would suppose the same market forces that hurt the biggest two manufacturers, negatively affected Wilson Brothers as well.

From the look of their catalog and the press releases I found, plus the picture of the factory, they certainly looked the part of a major contender. I just haven’t seen enough of surviving product to think they were as prominent as these clues may lead us to believe. Let us know what you may have seen or heard about Wilson.

 

Late 1960s Beverley Drums

This month I’m looking at the rather lovely Beverley drums of the late 1960’s / early 1970’s. Originating from the North Yorkshire town of Beverley, ownership of the company changed hands a few times between their appearance on the market in the 1930’s and  their demise in 1979. These drums really do represent some of the finest sounding English drums, in my opinion,  the nicer drums  produced  between 1968 and the early 1970’s.

The 1969 catalogue marketed Beverley drums as ‘The Sound Of Success’ although they were viewed in the UK as lower quality in comparison to other brands. The shells, however, were produced in the Premier factory in Leicester (UK) and were 3 ply birch or 3 ply mahogany with beech reinforcement hoops (identical to the Premier drums of that era).

They differed from Premier drums in many ways, most notably the lugs; rather than one piece, all drums featured single lugs top and bottom in a design not dissimilar to the American market leaders. The finishes of the drums were different too, with the black Oyster the closest in comparison to Ludwig’s famous ‘Beatles’ kit of the same period. Other finishes included nice glitters (Champagne, Blue, Red) and some very subtle shimmers (red, blue).  All drums were fitted with triple flange hoops, the bass drums having disappearing spurs and disappearing shell-to-shell tom mounts. The badges were silver circles with a blue ‘b’ in the centre.

The configurations in the 1969 catalogue are as follows;

‘Galaxy 21’ set – 22x17, 13x9, 16x16 with Cosmic 21 snare; ‘Galaxy 650’ set – 22x17, 13x9, 16x16 with wooden 6050 snare; ‘Panorama 21’ set – 22x17, 12x8, 13x9, 16x16 with Cosmic  21 snare; ‘Panorama  22’ with 2 bass drums and wooden snare.

Bass drums were available from 18” up to 24”, so we do see some variations in kit configurations, which are a little rarer to have survived in good condition.

Overlooked mainly in UK at the time the drums gained the most popularity in the USA and Holland. Some argue that they were a cheaper alternative to Ludwig drums, whilst looking (and sounding) very similar. These drums always surprise me when they come through my shop, in a good way. Big, warm tones from the bass drum and floor tom, especially the African mahogany shells. The birch shelled kits are a good too, accurate in tone with good projection. The bass drums on these sets never fail to impress me - a 22” Beverley bass drum sounds like a 24” with your eyes closed!

While some never doubted them, there is a  growing respect for Beverley drums in the UK and any kits I have in stock don’t stick around long. The most Recent went to a customer in Switzerland who says this:

“I just love my 60s Beverly Blue Label kit.  It has a vintage feel but a big deep resonant sound that really punches if you want it to, but is subtle enough for quiet performance situations.  I feel right at home on this kit playing rock, blues or country.  Its old-school for sure, but some things never go out of style” HJ

The ‘Cosmic 21’ snare drums that came with these kits are worth a mention on their own, so I’ll cover those next month.

I found this link online to some Beverley kits in use...

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.

 

Red Sparkle Ludwig Club Dates

To all the vintage drum lovers wherever you are, true love is a wonderful thing. I have a sweetheart of a drum kit to show you this month. It is Valentines red, sweeter than candy, and you're sure to fall in love with it. Ludwig introduced the Club Date series way back in the 1940s. The more modern Club Dates are from 1959-1970. Ludwig has recently re-introduced Club Dates, and has opened the door for a whole new generation of Club Date players. My Club Dates are truly a great set of drums. They look and sound great. The story I have about this sweet drum set is pretty cool, and I'll share it after I tell you more about this set.

These drums have a beautiful red sparkle finish as you can see in the photos. The sizes are typical for this era Club Dates. The bass drum is 20"X14", the floor tom is 14"X14", and the mounted tom is 12"X8". The snare with this set is a matching Pioneer 14"X5". Acrolite snares were offered with this kit beginning in 1966. There is cymbal mount on the bass drum that is factory placed near the batter head side pointing toward the floor tom. Also the small brass cowbell was featured with the set. They are light weight three ply shells with reinforcement rings. The unique characteristic about these drums is the center shell mounted "bowtie" lugs. Dual tension is achieved by long tension rods. The shells are painted white inside and have Keystone badges. The floor tom has "clipper" legs. The legs are straight and the holders are spring loaded with a push button adjustment. The mounted tom is attached to the bass drum by the "old faithful" rail type single tom holder.

Now the story. I was talking to a fellow drummer who told me he had just bought a new Tama drum set. I asked him what he had done with his old set? He said, "they are really old, in pretty bad shape, and they are beginner Ludwigs." I of course inquired about the "old, bad shape, Ludwigs." He told me I could come over and see if I wanted them. I asked him if right now would be too soon. If possible, go the minute you hear about a set, because things can happen so quickly and you will lose your chance.

He had let them get in very poor shape. They had no resonant heads or hardware, also missing were the front hoop and rods on the bass drum. A screw driver was employed as a bass drum leg. 30 years of dirt and grime was coating everything. I asked him," how much will you give me to take them away". He was mildy amused, and then said, I'll take $50.00 for them". Without haggling I gladly paid and loaded them up.

I spent a good bit of time and money putting them back in shape, but they are worth it. I even got some flat base hardware with the deal.My friend, Butch Braddy, drum dealer at a popular Georgia music store chain was asked to provide some authentic vintage drums to be featured in a movie. Savannah, Georgia  has become a favorite spot for many movie makers to shoot films. Butch and I provided the drum sets for the movie about the CBGB Club in New York where many famous bands made their debut. This set is in the film. I haven't actually seen the film yet, but I did watch the trailer, and can't wait to see these Club Dates in their starring role.

Keep looking for those great vintage drum deals.