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The first vintage & Custom Drum Magazine, since 1988
No drummer can deny that Made in Japan drums had some of the most eye-catching wraps on the market. This is why Ludwig created 15 unique wraps that had that M.I.J. mojo—most notably, the strata wraps.
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By the time the Quintet had taken the stage, most of the crowd had left, not willing to endure the weather. I stood amongst a small group of die hards at the front of the stage. It was a torrential downpour at this point. Herbie Hancock had drops of water dripping from his sleeves and onto the piano. I seem to remember it was during Pinnochio when Tony started dropping bombs on the bass drum that the crackle through the PA became more pronounced with each bomb. Eventually the PA went completely out! The band kept on cooking as though nothing had happened. We were listening to them acoustically.
Read moreAt that time, the Allman Brothers Band was the archetype. We decided to try the double drum sets, which worked out really well. To play double sets requires a lot of intuition and acute listening, as well as a solid assessment of each player’s strengths and weaknesses. I had studied snare drum with a noted classical percussionist, so the double stroke press rolls and the fancy things were mine. Bob had a very organic approach, so I usually had him lay down the floor and I danced around it, but always trying to keep it unified. There is some forethought involved. You have to pre-decide who fills where and when so that you don’t over crowd the aural bandwidth. When done tastefully, having two drummers allows for great shading and dynamics and also looks great on stage.
Read moreThis seems to be an uncatalogued finish as it is nowhere to be found -- that I know of -- in any Ludwig literature. I have seen 1 or 2 other Ludwig Butterscotch Pearl snares and I also own a Duplex Spirit of St. Louis in this finish so I personally know that this finish exists. So my best guess is that this is an uncatalogued or special order finish. As always I welcome any other information that may be out there regarding this finish.
Read moreThis Multi-Model Marvel is truly a lovely drum and extremely well-preserved. The Marvel strainer works quite nicely and smoothly, applying even tension across all snares. So why do I think it wasn’t successful? First off, the bridge mechanism extends about 1 3/8” from the bottom. For snare stands of the time, this overhang could be problematic.
Read moreThis is a companion article to one about Gretsch round badge drums published in December 2020.[i] This study involves Ludwig Keystone badge drums with serial numbers produced from late 1963 to late 1969. Many collectors place a premium on born together drum sets. However, very few vintage drum sets come with original receipts or reliable histories which can assure owners or potential buyers that the sets were originally purchased as one unit from the factory or music instrument retailer. When documentation is not present, many look for sets with closely grouped serial numbers. But how close is close enough?
Read moreNormally I write articles on vintage drums or drum history as I have a love for that stuff. I felt this article would be a great chance to pay tribute to those individuals that have taught drums for many years.
Read moreLet’s talk about buying vintage cymbals and caring for them.
3 over 4 overkill
Read moreI’ve always had a slightly strained relationship with 12/8, so I decided to work on a lot of variants to gain some control. Results turned out to be better than I’d hoped for.
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Good news! The 30th Anniversary Chicago Drum Show originally set for May, 2020 was delayed, and rescheduled for May 15 and 16 2021. It will be held at the Prairie Events Center of the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles Il., a suburb of Chicago. Go to Rebeats for exhibitor, ticket and policy details.
Read moreIt's constructed of brass in the old school 1920s Ludwig style soldered at the center bead. The bearing edges are also soldered back to the shell as in the 1920s Ludwigs. It's plated in 24k gold.
Read more“This drum is unique in that the White Marine Pearl (pyralin) has been expertly engraved, filled in with some type of ink or dye and embellished with blue and gold rhinestones. Engraving was typically restricted to brass shell snare drums of this era but gold plating was a catalogued option. This is most likely a one-off, uncatalogued special order drum.”
Read moreThey have a very nice KOA finish which was a Rogers finish from 1973 to 1976. The finish is hard like a counter top. This finish was according to Jack Propps, fellow vintage drummer, "The finish a lot of southern rockers used in the 70s, Monty Yoho- The Outlaws, Frank Beard-ZZ Top, Rick Burnett -Grinderswitch , Danny Darling-Jay Boy Adams and more. The finish was 'down home' but more durable than lacquered Gretsch or Slingerland and took bumps and bruises of 1 night stands across the USA."
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Keeping the ostinato in your solo keeps you honest.
Read moreI’d like to start this story by both thanking and blaming Mark Cooper (Coopers Vintage Drums) J. Many years ago, I met Mark at one of the Chicago Drum Shows. He was sharing his fabulous collection of vintage green-wrapped drums from Slingerland and Leedy.
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“One of my friends leans towards a 1950’s type of playing… I’m sort of the 1960’s. We were kind of going back and forth about this. He’s in the Jurassic Period, while I’m in the Cretaceous.”
Read moreWhen you have been a collector, seller and a repairman as I have
for 43 years you are bound to have owned some interesting musical
instruments. Luckily I had the foresight to photograph many of these
instruments because I just don't see as many nowadays unless of course I
visit one of the national drum shows. 95% of the pictures you will see
in my column were drums owned by me at one time or another. Today we
look at some interesting Ludwig drum sets.
Ralph Peterson Jr., a drummer, bandleader, composer and educator whose lunging propulsion and volatile combustion were hallmarks of a jazz career spanning more than 40 years, died on Monday in North Dartmouth, Mass. The cause was complications from cancer, his manager, Laura Martinez, tells NPR Music; Peterson had been living with the disease for the last six years. He was 58.
Read moreDuffy Jackson, a drummer whose swinging exuberance propelled him from child stardom to a prolific career behind Lionel Hampton, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne and many others, died on Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn. He was 67.
The cause was complications from hip surgery, Sandra Anton, his first cousin, tells WBGO.
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