The set is pretty rare having the Starlight Sparkle wrap that was available from 1958 to 1962 only. It has a beautiful light lavender tint in the light.
Read more1959 Starlight Sparkle Gretsch Broadkasters Name Band drum set.
The Ludwig Memorial Edition Chief Supraphonic Snare Drum
I was looking for one of these beautiful drums to add to my collection and found this one on drumsellers.com. I was able to contact George Lawrence who did a great job in helping me obtain it from a collector who was selling some of his collection
Read more1970s Ludwig Sky Blue Pearl Classic Set.
The set I am featuring this month is a 1970s Classic four piece 22,13,16 set with three ply shells. This beautiful kit is wrapped in Sky Blue Pearl. The blue color is still vibrant in the near perfect wrap
Read more1950s Sliingerland Radio King Set.
My good friend Matt Brennan owned this set. He had purchased it at the Chicago drum show a few years ago. He fell in love with them just like I did when I saw them for sale on Facebook. He had enjoyed having them and had replaced the heads. He had cleaned them up to a very nice level and had also played them some. They are not the set you would gig on every week, but for special occasions they are the ticket. Matt had bought a car that he wanted to restore and he looked around at his treasures to see what he could turn in to cash for the project. I have done it many times myself. I have also sold things I wish I had kept.
Read more1960s Ludwig Red Glass Glitter Player Set
The set I am featuring in this issue is a completely restored 1960s Ludwig Set in beautiful red glass glitter. The bass drum is 20X14, the mounted tom is a 12X8, the floor tom is a converted marching drum 15X12. The snare is a Jazz Festival. The rail consolette works great and all the chrome is in great shape. It is a very pretty set with the glass glitter wrap. Red sparkle looks great, but red glass glitter just pops. I have a humorous story about this set I would like to tell you.
Read more1960s Ludwig Hollywood Set
This is a 1960s Ludwig Hollywood set that I bought from my longtime friend Bill Pace, who by the way is doing fine. I talked to him this week and even though he doesn't get out and go as much as he once did, he is playing his drums and still buys and sells at times. He felt that the kit was in need of restoration, including a new finish, so this was his project 20 plus years ago. He said the finish was badly damaged and wanted to make them look and sound good again.
Read more1970s Slingerland Rock Outfit 50N
The kit I am featuring is a 1970s Slingerland Rock Outfit 50 N with Maple outer ply. The kit is outstanding with a 22X14 bass drum, 12X8 , 13X9, and 16X16 toms. They are just perfect for most playing situations. I love the Set-O-Matic tom mount and all the mounting hardware.
Read more1940s Slingerland Gene Krupa Deluxe Radio King Ensemble 1-N
This set I'm featuring this month is the 1940s Slingerland Radio King set I bought from Brian Scoggins. It has a lovely white marine pearl finish. I think marine pearl looks so good on these vintage drum sets. Even if the finish "yellows" I still love the way it looks. To me, these drums are yellowed to perfection. One must consider these drums are over 70 years old. The Beavertail lugs, and all the hardware is nickel plated. The badges are beautiful brass clouds. The drum sizes are 24X14 bass drum, 16X16, and 13X9 toms, and a matching 14X5 snare. There are two cymbal mounts on the bass drum shell. The high tom mounts on the bass drum hoop with a clip-on holder. The bass drum spurs fit into a mount on the bass drum shell. The shells are 3 ply mahogany poplar mahogany with large maple re-rings. I opened the 13 tom to peek inside. The smell inside was just heavenly. The workmanship is second to none.
Read more1970s Ludwig Deluxe Classic Drum Set
My favorite finish on Ludwig drums is Oyster Black Pearl. I think every Ludwig collector loves this finish. When Ringo chose Oyster Black for his Ludwig drums, he made a great choice. They were perfect for the Beatles as they looked so good even on black and white TV. The 1970s version of this finish made a radical change. The pattern became bigger and the color became blacker. I love the seventies version of this finish, but I must admit I like the 60s version more. The Oyster Black finish survives to this day and the newer versions look great.
Read more1970s Ludwig Clear Vistalite Big Beat Outfit
My vintage drum collecting started out with a five-piece Ludwig clear Vistalite set in the 90s. There was a classified ad in my local newspaper that listed two Ludwig drum sets for sale. I bought the two sets and one of them was a clear Vistalite set, and the other a Rocker set. I cleaned up the Ludwig Rocker set and sold it for the price of both sets. I kept the Vistas and my collecting vintage drums started. It was downhill like a snow ball from then on.
Read more1976 Rogers Londoner V Drum Set
They 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."
Read more1960 Slingerland Gene Krupa Deluxe Ensemble 1-N
When we got to my friend's home, he had the Slingerland set on the porch and also a big 26" Ludwig clear maple bass drum and 14"mounted tom there also. Along with these he had a few extra goodies that he was willing to sell as well. Well, what to do? Buy it all even if it's going to be tight in the car getting it home, that's what. My wife is a good sport, but this was trying her patience with me. I briefly thought about leaving her with my friend. No, I'm kidding, I was determined to get her and the drums home and not make the three-hour trip back to get all the drums. We were crushed in the front seats, but we made it safely back home
Read more1970s Rogers Londoner Set
It’s Halloween time and I am featuring a spooky "dark side" set of Rogers drums for your enjoyment.
Read more1960s Gretsch Progressive Jazz Set
“I like the smaller bass drums, although I look better behind a larger one. It's all bout the look, you know. Ringo looked good behind a 20" bass drum, but Abe Laboriel Jr. would not look good behind a 20" bass drum.”
Read moreSolid Drum Company Snare Drum
Almost everybody in the drumming world knows the name, Johnny Craviotto, but not everyone knows the name Solid Drum Company.
Read more1960s Gretsch Rock and Roll Set
Gretsch drums are some of my very favorite sets to collect and play. The first drum set I actually owned was a 1960s Gretsch kit. It was a beautiful Aqua Satin Flame double bass set. I have owned several Gretsch kits in my collection over the years and currently have a few beautiful Gretsch sets which I highly treasure
Read more1970s Slingerland Pop Outfit
I have just purchased this 1970s Slingerland Pop Outfit in recent days. The toms are standard sizes 12, 13, 16 and as you can see, single headed. The rockers in the 70s were removing the bottom heads to get a dry funky sound from their drums. Most of the drum companies decided to just make the drums with top heads only to basically get that sound the pop drummers wanted.
Read moreChurch Find: 1970s Ludwig Smoky Vistalite "Big Beat" Set w Black Beauty
The drums are Big Beat sizes 22" bass, 12" and 13" mounted toms, and a 16" floor tom. The snare was another story. I could tell it was a 1970s Black Beauty. Ludwig re-introduced the Black beauty snare in the late 1970s. They made Supraphonics both 5" and 6.5" and Super Sensitives 5" and 6.5". I don't know how many of each one they made. I'm sure that information is available. If you have one, they are great snares to own and very collectible. The snare was missing parts and the heads were taped up and cloth applied to kill any snare drum sound the poor drum tried to make. I could tell this drum was a diamond in the ruff.
Brush with greatness - an afternoon with drummer Fred Young of the Kentucky Headhunters
It is fun just to hear Fred talk with his thick Kentucky accent. He is a fantastic storyteller with a lot of knowledge about music, musicians, and gear. Fred took us inside the venue to see his iconic drum set. As you know, it is an eclectic set of vintage drums from the 1940s to the present. The drums are dusty, crusty, and beautiful. Scott told me no one is allowed to clean them or monkey with them in any way. Fred didn't want the "Mojo" disturbed. I was able to sit behind them. Fred sits very low on his stool. I did not so much as tap on the heads, but it was tempting to thump the big double bass drums.
Read more1970s Ludwig Amber Vistalite Pro Beat Drum Set
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
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