Hello from the Peach State,
I have a really "peachy" Rogers drum kit from my collection to show you this month. Rogers drums are among the world's finest and there are scores of Rogers collectors out there looking for a sweet Script badge or Big R kit. I fell in love with Rogers drums in the 1960s when Dave Clark of the Dave Clark Five fame played a sparkling red Rogers set on national TV. I thought that was the greatest looking set of drums I had ever seen. Color TV was very new and those drums were very spectacular. I had already caught the drum bug from Ringo, and when Dave Clark played on TV, I was completely blown away. It seems like it was much harder to have Rogers drums when I was younger. On thing was they were not in as many music stores as Ludwig, Slingerland, and Gretsch. I guess another thing was the price. Rogers drums were more expensive also.
This set is a beautiful blue glass glitter finish that has developed a texture. They are not smooth to the touch. It is uniform over the complete set. I would like one of the Rogers experts to shed some light on this mystery for me. The paper labels inside indicate that these are Cleveland Holiday models. The solid grey interiors indicates that these are early 1960s. I have been told the Cleveland and the Dayton models were both made at Covington. Production was later moved to Fullerton. These drums have Beavertail lugs which replaced the Bread and Butter model lugs that cracked easily. The hardware is Swivomatic. Ringo used a Swivo tom mount on some of his Ludwig sets. A lot of pride and workmanship is evident in the quality construction. The drum sizes are: bass drum 20"X14" the the high tom is 12"X8" and the floor tom is 16"X16". The matching Powertone snare is 14"X5". The Powertone snare is become more in demand since the prices on the wood shell Dynasonic snares have gone through the roof. I put some "Swan" leg hardware with the set. I hope that's period correct.
I always wanted a blue sparkle drum set because some of my neighbors had blue sparkle sets when we were growing up. I have several blue sparkle snare drums and a few sets in this finish to remind me of my youth and my unrequited love for blue sparkle drums as a kid. This set came to me from my good friend Butch Braddy. He is the drum salesman I have told you about. He gets a lot of great drums here and there, and I get lucky sometimes and get them from him. He called me one day and told me he had this Rogers set and a Slingerland set he would sell me if I had the cash. I try to keep a little cash stashed back just for such emergencies. I told him I would buy them both. He left them for me at a mutual friend's house where I could make the pick-up. I think this deal might have been the worst disagreement me and my wonderful wife ever had. It wasn't that I had bought the two great drum sets. Even she agreed it was a good deal, but it was that I did it without discussing it with her. Oh how I had to suffer for that indiscretion, but I lived to tell you about it, and you tell me if they were worth it. I have always believed that sometimes it's easier to get forgiveness than permission. I have lived by this code.
Until next time..if there is a next time for me...keep searching for that wood shell Rogers Dynasonic at the pawn shop.
Phil Wilson