Ramy Antoun, the designer of this wonderful drum, is a well-known drummer (Seal, Black Eyed Peas, Alexi Murdoc…), songwriter, producer and entrepreneur. Given this combination, it is no wonder that he applied his creative talents to drum design.
Read moreLyon And Healy 1909 military snare drum
This is a Lyon and Healy early 1900s Antique Military snare drum that dates to around 1909. This drum began its journey in Chicago - manufactured at the Lyon and Healy factory & salesroom located 213, 214, and 217 South Canal Street on the corner of State & Monroe back in the day per label inside the drum shell. Book Review: "Walberg and Auge - The History and Future of America's Most Innovative and Unknown Drum Company" by Jeremy Esposito
Mr. Esposito will be very instrumental in the future of W&A because he now owns the company. A rather new vintage drum enthusiast, having started only recently in 2011, Jeremy bought his first W&A drum set and was hooked. He started researching the history, discovered that the company had dissolved in 1983, and quickly purchased and registered the company name and trademarks, the website domain and started a Facebook Page. Walberg & Auge is now registered as a non-profit for historical and educational purposes.
Read moreReflections On Shelly Manne - chapter six
Shelly Manne (1920-1984) - Historically important jazz drummer most associated with the ‘West Coast Jazz’ style. Shelly was so versatile that he also played on hundreds of Hollywood movie, and television soundtracks. While Shelly’s extensive discography is amazing. The list of musicians he has played, or recorded with is literally mind-boggling.
Read moreVideo Review: SideKick Drums' Skinny Small Drum Set
My personal opinion is that Sidekick has a winner here. A "smaller" drum set with shallower depths in the toms and kick, but with standard diameters that sounds like a standard depth set at lower volume - and with a much smaller footprint for those small stages, street busking, rehearsals, in and out gigs, low volume gigs, etc. where a regular size kit is not required
Read more1977 Ludwig engraved Black Beauty
The 1977 Black Beauties were the first ones Ludwig had made since 1940. They were offered in 14"X5" and 14"X6.5" with a p-85 throw, and also Ludwig offered these in Super Sensitive model too. The shell was made of a single sheet of brass drawn and spun into a seamless construction. The black chrome plating gave it the striking appearance. These drums were provided with the Blue and Olive badge and an internal muffler. Factory machine engraving was offered in 1979. These 1970s Black Beauties are great collector drums.
1925-30 Leedy 5x14 #704E Black Elite Model snare drum - not engraved
Here’s the latest snare drum to enter into the collection. This drum was willed to me by a good friend who had passed away a few years ago. My friend’s wife was ready to sell some of his snare drums and she told me that her husband had specified that I was to be contacted in order to help her sell the drums. The drum in this article was originally found in “as is” condition in an antique store many years ago by my friend’s mother. The drum is in 100 % original factory condition.
Read more1964 Special order Ludwig Club Date set
This month's kit is a beautiful Ludwig Club Date from 1964. As you can see, it's Sparkling Red Pearl which is fitting for Valentine's Day. This kit came to me from a great vintage drum dealer out of the Midwest - Randy Houck Vintage Drums. He has amazing kits from all manufacturers and was a pleasure to do business with.
Read moreArticulation
Articulation - Miss Manners would certainly advise that you shouldn't talk with your mouth full. There's the visual aspects, to be sure, but there's also the issue of garbled speech with the attendant lack of actual communication. Better to have your vocal system free of debris if you want to be heard clearly and be understood.
Read more
1936 Ludwig & Ludwig 6.5 x 14 WMP/Chrome Silver Anniversary Super Sensitive Model
I rarely sell or trade my snare drums but this was an easy deal. The drum that I traded to Mark was a 1920s-30s Gretsch Emerald Green Pearl American Model. Mark is Mr. Sea Green Pearl and has the matching Gretsch EGP bass drum so I was happy to be able to help him get the matching snare drum and in turn Mark added another rare snare drum to my collection.
Read moreTo Click Or Not To Click
Whenever the discussion turns to click tracks, drummers like to cry foul (usually accompanied by a sour face). For many drummers, the use of a click track is unnatural, cheating, insulting, or all three. I'm afraid I can't agree. A drummer's prime responsibility is to keep time. Unfortunately, keeping steady, unwavering time is hard to do.
Read moreNew Drum Wrap Manufacturer in Canada
Although the folks operating Walopus Drum Wrap have been producing drum wrap for the better part of a decade, it has been on a very limited scale. Before 2015 production was limited to a few designs in small quantities for a handful of drum enthusiasts local to the Greater Toronto area.
During the course of the last five years the folks at Walopus have perfected their formula to produce the most flexible, durable, gleaming and lustrous drum wrap possible
Reflections on Shelly Manne: Chapter 5
Not So Modern Drummer columnist David Barsalou asked internationally recognized drummers – Billy Drummond, Larry Finn, Tim Griffin, Rod Morgenstein, Alphonse Mouzon, and Lewy Stix
to share their ideas and opinions on the following quote attributed to Shelly Manne.
Shelly Manne said...
"The ride beat is the easiest and the most difficult thing a drummer will ever play".
Read more
Mike Clark: Words of Wisdom part8
Once you’ve mastered a lot of the technical wizardry that your heroes have played, you only have a small piece of the puzzle...That’s the easy part.
When you age, and hear the phrasing they played when they were twenty years younger makes you realize where the real work is!
Read moreBello Drums for sale
Bello drums announces the sale of their boutique Fiberglass drum co. We are looking for a serious buyer to purchase our name, Bello Drums, our custom molds to make our shells, any and all other assets and inventory, and to retain our artist roster. Product training is available. The price is $20,000.00. Please, only serious applicants. Call 724-588-8193 ask for Bill Haller
History and Development of the Early Snare Strainer, 1889 - 1920
The first working snare release with a lever mechanism was patented in 1889. The invention was that of Ellwood E. Fry of Brooklyn, New York
Read more1965 Ludwig "Superbeat" in oyster blue pearl
This is one of those kits that you dream of finding and it actually found me. I run an ad on the local Craig’s List looking for vintage drums. One day I get an email from an older gentleman telling me about this kit he may want to sell......
Read more1929-30 Ludwig Ralph Smith Drum Outfit
In my relentless pursuit of vintage drums, I came across an interesting Ebay listing: “Early 1900's Vintage Ludwig Drums, Black Beauty Snare, Zildjian, Zenjian Cymbals”. While the pictures weren’t very sharp, I could definitely see a 1920s-1930s engraved Ludwig Black Beauty in what appeared to be the original case. There were four cymbals, a bass drum and clearly a bunch of assorted hardware, all in De Luxe finish. Normally, I just collect snare drums but in this instance, I decided to make an exception. So I pulled the trigger.
Read moreBlood Sports and Game Cocks
Completely constructed of thick cut ash, this sturdy relic from the birth period of our American nation is wonderfully preserved, as should be in the case of such an early, historical piece. Formally of a New England estate, this very unique drum must have been recognized for the role it must have played during a very special time in history, and thus carefully protected from the destructiveness of time and abuse.
Read more1970s Ludwig congas, sky blue pearl
The drums I have chosen from my collection to show you this month is a cool set of Ludwig Congas.They are not the best sounding congas you will ever hear, but they are definitely the coolest. I have always liked the conical congas like Ricky played on the "I Love Lucy Show".
Read more