Drummer community & drum marketplace
The first vintage & Custom Drum Magazine, since 1988
The set I am featuring from my drum room is a 1970s Amber Vistalite Pro Beat set from Ludwig. They are strikingly beautiful. The Pro Beat sets have a 24X14 bass drum, 18X16 floor tom, 14X10 and 13X9 mounted toms. Most Pro Beats set have a 16X16 floor tom as well. When I bought this set there was no 16X16 with it. I plan to purchase one to add to this se
Read moreThis kit is my personal "holy grail" set and as a Ludwig collector/player is pretty much at the top of the vintage list and falls, as I was told, under the "go and try to find another" category.
Read morenobody else in the family plays the drums, we have decided to sell this set to someone that can really enjoy it and appreciate its historical value
Read moreViola Smith (born November 29, 1912) is an American drummer best known for her work in orchestras, swing bands, and popular music from the 1920s until 1975. She was one of the first professional female drummers.
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"I've never had a bad night!"
Yup, that's what Mel Lewis said, as stated by John Riley in "Beyond Bop Drumming." At the time, John thought it seemed like a bit of hubris, but Mel had a very good explanation. You see, Mel strove to be such a proficient player that even on an off night he was still plenty good at his job.
Read more*I am saying 1932-33 because of the internal tone control. Tone controls were first seen at L & L in 1932 and the Ludwigold option ended in 1933.
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The recently established wholesaler/distributor, Cardinal Percussion, has acquired the Wuhan Cymbals and Gongs brand. Percussion’s Jim Bickley stated, “the entire Wuhan line will receive some exciting changes that will appeal to the needs and demands of today’s drummers.” In addition to their own brands, Attack Drum Heads, Cardinal Packaged Goods, Wuhan Cymbals & Gongs, Cardinal Percussion will also be carrying a multitude of other popular domestic brand names known to dealers and percussionists worldwide.
Read moreDixon was one of the great organ jazz specialists. He was born in Gaffney, South Carolina and grew up in Washington D.C. and Buffalo, NY. Early in his career, Dixon played with Buck Hill, Shirley Horn and Webster Young. During Dixon’s three-year stint with the popular r&b singer Lloyd Price, Dixon met John Patton, whom he persuaded to take up the Hammond. Introduced by Lou Donaldson to Blue Note’s Alfred Lion, Dixon and Patton (plus guitarist Grant Green) went on to form a prolific tandem on many of the label’s now-classic soul jazz albums of the early and mid-sixties. He
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Legendary jazz drummer John Von Ohlen, “The Baron,” died on Oct. 3 following a long illness. He was 77.
He was a drummer, bandleader and recording artist. You could only marvel at his effortless technique, his musicality and his seamless communication with his fellow musicians. Small wonder he was the drummer of choice for Rosemary Clooney, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Tony Bennett, Benny Goodman, Mel Torme and Perry Como. He toured and recorded with Kenton for two years.. Von Ohlen was one of the last big band drummers of his era.
Read moreThe William S. Hart All Gold snare drum, made by Ludwig & Ludwig in 1925, owned by one family since then, is about to see the light of day. Some lucky person is going to be able to buy it and I hope I get to chronicle the story. Donn Bennett is the broker - www.DonnBennett.com . Since William S. Hart started off as a Shakespearean actor, I will quote the Bard with a little bit of a change as I daydream about this drum….. “This is such stuff as dreams are made on”.
Read more“By now it was 1956, and my drums were getting pretty worn and shabby from all the traveling. So I talked to the officer in charge of the tour, whose name was Lieutenant Whiting. I told him that I’d pretty much used my drums up playing so many dates. He told me to go to the music store in downtown Atlanta and order whatever I thought I was going to need, and send the bill to him.
“I went to the store and ordered the best set of drums that I could find in the Gretsch catalog: a Broadkaster ‘Bop’ outfit, including two 22″ K Zildjian cymbals.
Read moreThis is a 1965 Swingtime Outfit in the not so often seen Wine Red Ripple Pearl.
It’s a bit of a tongue twister to say indeed! I have learned (thanks to many of the Rogers experts online) that this is one of the rarest wraps Rogers produced and was not a particular big seller. To me it seems that most vintage drum companies “Pink” drums did not sell well when they were first introduced to the public all those years ago. And that low number of kits makes for quite a treasure hunt today.
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Forget the 'flat foot vs. toe' argument. When it comes to working the bass drum foot pedal, pretty much anything goes. All of the pedal techniques listed below have advantages and limitations. My advice is to try them all, as each one can bring something worthwhile to your bass drum execution. Note that some pedals may not be suitable for certain techniques.
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This brings to mind the adage “You don't stop playing because you get old. You get old because you stop playing”. The same might be said of creativity. Maybe we don't stop being creative because we're not very good at it, we're not very good at it because we stopped being creative.
Read moreBeing the house drummer for Los Angeles’ longest-running (and only) jazz jam at the late Billy Higgins’ non-profit The World Stage means playing music without or without charts, including original music, at the drop of a hat. We have many name and not-so-name high-level players sitting in on a regular basis. This isn’t the type of gig that will make a person rich, but the immense riches to be had just by keeping the rust off my jazz chops is priceless! Or at least I thought so until a short time ago….
Read moreThis full dress drum set dates back to the mid fifties, and its beautiful "fan" decor is made of painted engravings and inlaid brilliants ... Three ply shell with re rings, rounded bearing edge ... Nickel-plated zamack lugs, polished aluminum hoops and nickel-plated brass rods... Metric sizes GC 60cm (23.6") / CC 35cm (13.8") / Tom 30cm (11.8")... and calf skins.
I've completely restored this drum set which was shown during the exhibition "Roll & Swing, the drum set's birth in France" at the MUPOP french museum.
Read moreThe Ludwig Standard drums were introduced in ’68 to compete with the lower value import drums made overseas. The unique thing about Ludwig Standard drums is that its shell was the exact mold found in all classic shells of that time. Consumers were getting quality grade shells offering the Ludwig signature sound. However, the standard series used less expensive hardware cutting the overhead cost. Standard series drums had most essentials belonging to a drum outfit distinctly unique to this line. Everything from utility hardware, shell hardware, finishes and badges. Standard drums were also the first to feature the Granitone sound enhancement coating on the inside of the shell. Standard drums debuted with 3 different configuration styles and 15 finishes.
Read moreSteve Maxwell informed me last year that he was adding me to The Craviotto Drum Co. Education Endorsers group. That alone is a great honor but along with this honor I was also awarded a Craviotto snare drum of my choice!
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Todd Sucherman will play on Late Night w Seth Myers in December
Read moreI was referred to your site by Emory Grodek to list a drummer's swap meet 12/1/18 in the Buffalo NY area. It is from 12-5pm at The Music Room at 367 Main St East Aurora NY 14052. FREE Admission, vendor space available. For more information please feel free to email sk8ahead@yahoo.com. Thank you for sharing...
