Here we have a nice example of an early 1950’s Leedy and Ludwig Knob Tension kit. This unique outfit first appeared in the 1951 catalog and made its last appearance in 1953. The kit featured a revolutionary “internal tensioning system” in which tuning was accomplished by turning knobs on the exterior of the drum where the lugs would normally be. The catalog touted this as “fingertip control” and no drum key was needed.
The system worked by having external knobs move internal aluminum toggle links. As the knob is turned, the links increase or decrease pressure to metal rings that fit up against the underside of the drumhead; this changes head tension and pitch. According to period catalogs, the kit was available with a 9 x 13 mounted tom, a 16 x 16 floor tom, and a choice of either 14 x 22 or 14 x 24-inch bass drums. The 14-inch snare drums were available in 4.5 or 5.5 inch depths. Catalog finishes were Black Diamond Pearl and White Marine Pearl; however, Gold Sparkle examples are known to exist. The bass drum features clip on spurs, a rail tom mount, and two cymbal mounts which tighten with round knobs of the same style used for tuning.
The Knob Tension kit was ultimately a flop and was only produced for three years. The internal tensioning system was fragile and proved to be unreliable. Drummers of the time did not embrace the new technology and obviously preferred a more conventional design.
My kit is in excellent working order and tunes up quite easily. To prevent potential damage to the mechanisms, I keep the drums tuned in the medium to low range. These drums sound great and are fun to play. This kit is a great example of a unique but ultimately unsuccessful concept.