I will be exhibiting and also giving lessons in booth 175 on the second level of the 2017 Chicago Drum Show, May 20 & 21.
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1935-36 Ludwig & Ludwig Silver Anniversary Black Beauty
By Mike Curotto
1935-36 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 6.5 x 14 SILVER ANNIVERSARY BLACK BEAUTY
Hi all,
Here’s another snare that I was able to add to the collection...fresh from the 2015 Chicago Vintage Drum Show. I got this drum from Joe Luoma, he had one to spare so we sealed the deal over the phone 3 weeks prior to the Show and culminated the deal at the Show. Thanks goes to Joe for helping me to add another cool and very rare drum to my collection. Joe’s drums are always pristine so this was an easy cleaning.
The SHELL:
The “sparse” later 1930s 10 pt. floral engraving pattern is clean and in good shape. The black nickel is also in good condition with some normal “freckling” that is to be expected on an 80 year old drum. I just gave the shell a minor cleaning with some lemon oil and all is good.
The HARDWARE:
Around 1932 Ludwig changed their Artgold (bright copper plating /gold lacquer) DeLuxe hardware option to Classic Gold (brass plating/ yellow gold lacquer). The Classic Gold on this snare drum was in very good condition and only needed a basic cleaning. The threads on the tension rods needed the most cleaning. One side of one of the tapped Imperial lugs was stripped but my good friend Al Schneider, The Drum Doctor, did his magic with a 12-24 Heli-Coil and as I’ve mentioned before, do not let stripped “Anniversary” lugs be a deal killer, there is a fix, a 12-24 Heli-Coil is the correct fix.
Of-the-era calf heads (note the tone control stamp on the top head) and James Snappi wires rounded out this simple cleaning.
Silver Anniversary Black Beauties are extremely rare, there are only 5 known at this writing and every one is different but I do realize that there is always the possibility that there are others out there. Be sure to weigh-in if you see or hear of another Silver Anniversary Black Beauty out there in vintage drum land.
Here’s a list of the 5 known Silver Anniversary Models:
- 5 x 14 gold plated Standard Model (Joe Luoma Collection)
- 5 x 14 gold plated Super-Ludwig Model (Joe Luoma Collection)
- 6.5 x 14 chrome plated Standard Model (Bun E. Carlos Collection)
- 4. 5 x 14 chrome plated Super-Sensitive Model (Mike Curotto Collection)
- 6.5 x 14 Classic Gold Standard Model (Mike Curotto Collection)
Enjoy!
April 2015 - Spring is Here!
My friend Rob Kampa has been a busy boy. Rob, of MagStar Drums fame, is one of the first and best of this generation’s custom drum builders. He moved to Nashville a while back and has been doing all the drum building and custom work for Andy Foote’s Drum Supply House for quite a few years. Rob and his wife Maggie have recently become the proud new owners of WorldMax USA, leading parts supplier to the DIY and custom drum building industry and makers of the infamous Black Dawg line of brass snare drums. I was wondering for a couple of years who previous owner Walt Johnson was going to hand the baton off to when he retired, and I can’t think of more suitable owners than the Kampas. If that weren’t enough to keep his day full, he is now also building drums for the resurrected Walberg and Auge Drum company. Jeremy Esposito is the other name in the W&A venture and has set it up as a non profit company. Much luck , Rob. You are now a cornerstone of the drum smith community. We need to do an article on you and the three drum companies you work with.
Not So Modern Drummer will have a booth at the Chicago Drum Show in May. I won’t personally be there because I have some performances I can’t get out, of but our Production Manager Chris Speich will be there along with Aaron Mlasko of Mlasko Drums here in Nashville. Please come by out booth to say hello to Chris, maybe talk about some advertising in NSMD, and to check out Aaron’s cool drums.
Matt Crouse interviewed me recently for his very cool podcast "Working Drummer". It's a conversation about what it is like to be a lifelong working drummer, my history and experiences, and Matt's take on things too. He is very good at this and I'm so glad he included me. Matt is an old friend. We met twenty years ago when we were both working at Fork's Drum Closet. http://www.workingdrummer.net/2015/04/15/georgelawrence/
I have resurrected the Famous Drums brand with a new work horse Black Beauty brass model featuring a Dunnett throw off. It has a low price of $385 and you can check it out at our Reverb.com storehttp://rvrb.io/2015-black-beauty-70g
The Snare Drum Olympics will be held this year. The judging will be in November and results will be published in the December Issue. If you want to enter a drum or two or three in this year’s contest and publicity event please sign up on our mailing list at www.snaredrumolympics.com and review the application and procedures. Since the Nashville Drum Show is not being held this year, we will have a separate public event for the public judging and debut.
There are many great articles in this issue including a healthy number of reader submissions and appraisal requests, so get our your iPad or your telephone or your Dick Tracy watch and read away. –George Lawrence
PS - Don't forget to check out all the new products in our new store: https://reverb.com/shop/georges-drum-shop
March 2015 - Lots of News!
Heads up! Be on the look out for an email from DRUM! magazine and NSMD about winning a $50 Visa gift card for taking a survey about your playing and the drum gear you use. We'd appreciate it if you would take the time to fill out their survey.
Lots of news this month:
The Nashville Drum Show will not be produced by Not So Modern Drummer this year. Even though the show has grown every year and even made a small profit last year, from this point it would cost too much in time, energy and resources for my two man staff to handle growing it to the size it needs to be. Also, my personal pursuits in music will be taking up more of my time this year and I simply won’t have the time to do it properly. I am offering production of the drum show to any interested individual or company, with my assistance and resources. Please contact me if you are interested. The 2015 Snare Drum Olympics will still take place and information will be available shortly.
Chris Speich and Aaron Mlasko will be hosting the Not So Modern Drummer booth at the Chicago Drum Show in May. Aaron is the owner and builder of Mlasko Drums and will be displaying some of his immaculate drums at our booth. Please check out his ad in this newsletter and the Custom Drum of the Month.
NSMD’s gear and back issue sales are being switched to the Reverb Marketplace and the store name is being changed to George’s Drum Shop. https://reverb.com/shop/georges-drum-shop Reverb is rapidly surpassing Ebay as THE venue for music instrument and gear sales so we are going to set up shop there. Just to clarify, George’s Drum Shop is not a brick and mortar shop; no showroom, just online sales that are personally handled by me. I am still a staunch supporter of supporting your local drum shop. Fork’s Drum Shop here in Nashville is where I spend my money.
Many new products have been added to the shop and more are on the way. Recently added were Ronn Dunnett’s great throw offs and other parts. I will also be adding all the Snare Drum Olympics drums that are for sale. If you are interested in having your products represented and sold by George’s Drum Shop please contact me, george@notsomoderndrummer.com or george@georgesdrumshop.com.
As usual we have some great articles and columns from our regular writers. Please check them out and leave any comments that come to mind. And remember, “the drummer with the prettiest drums gets the gig!" :o)
2014 Chicago Drum Show Review
The 24th Annual Chicago Drum Show
May 17-18, 2014 Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles, IL
by Bob Campbell with Kat Almlie (covering the “Careers in the percussion industry” Roundtable)
Each year now for 24 years, Rob Cook and his amazing team have put together one of the most exciting drum shows in the U.S.A. The Chicago Drum Show has become the place to gather for drummers, drum collectors, builders and craftsman from around the world. Oh, and yes they have some very cool raffle prizes…and a fantastic selection of drum books, DVD’s, t-shirts and swag for sale :). We would say that any drummer who has not had the chance to attend at least one Chicago Drum Show has truly missed out on a remarkable experience.
This year, the two days were jam-packed with great booths, performances, clinics, master classes and educational presentations. On Saturday, there were some wonderful clinics starting off with the flamboyant, fiery-red-haired Mike Semerau (“Chicago’s #1 Drum Lessons”) in the morning, followed by the multi-talented Curt Bisquera, a.k.a. “Kirkee B”, (whose credits include: Go-Go’s, Bonnie Raitt, Seal, Celine Dion, Mick Jagger, Queen Latifah, Dixie Chicks, Lionel Ritchie, Nelly Furtado, Spice Girls, and many more), and then rounded off by a gentleman from New Orleans, Stanton Moore (Galactic, Garage a Trois, Stanton Moore “Conversations” album, Stanton Moore Drum Company, the Hudson Music Groove Alchemy educational book/CD/DVD). Stanton always impresses me with his clinics; paying homage to his drumming history, humility and the constant evolution of his playing. Most of all, that man can groove.
For the drum collectors and historians, there were some terrific presentations by Rick Gier (“Dating Ludwig and Gretsch drums”) and Gary Astridge (“Ringo’s Beatle gear on the road”; “Ringo’s Beatle gear at Abbey Road”). All in all, both Rick and Gary were quite knowledgeable and approachable; I learned a lot from each of them. They have tried to set the record straight as best as possible, capturing the facts and discussing the gaps in our knowledge. I personally loved all the pics of Ringos’ kits and gold-plated Ludwig Supraphonic.
This year, the Chicago Drum Show offered a new element to the clinics and equipment - a Rebeats Roundtable in the Master Classroom on “Careers in the percussion industry” which Kat was keen to attend. The Careers roundtable featured Karl Dustman as moderator (music industry executive), and Jim Catalano (Ludwig Drum Company), Todd Trent (Ontario Music, Artists Relations for Ludwig and now Taye Drums), and Paul Wertico (Trio New, Paul Winter, seven-time Grammy Award winner with Pat Metheny Group), as panelists. So if you were thinking about getting into the business of drums/percussion, these guys were definitely great role models and sources of info. This roundtable was divided into two parts. The first segment was a 50-minute overview of the percussion industry as a whole, including everything from education to retail sales. The second segment consisted of about 50 minutes detailing how the percussion industry breaks down the economic impact of revenue generated by drum sales, services and education. One of the main features was a discussion of whether or not to pursue a higher education. Furthering your education was always viewed as a positive factor. Having a degree in Music or Business was helpful, but wasn’t the only way to get the job. Jim Catalano and Paul Wertico each had extensive education and then built on their experience in percussion. However, Todd Trent’s moving up the ladder from music store stock boy to Sales and Marketing Manager for Taye Drums proved that “plain old hard work” and lessons on the job pay off as well. While each worked diligently to get where they are today, there wasn’t any single formula for success. They did give some general advice:
- It is important not only whom you know, but also who knows you.
- Learn to market yourself and be your own best advertiser.
- Go to the shows.
- Be an active participant. Introduce yourself.
- Continue to move on forward.
To sum it all up, this was a very enlightening class offered by the Chicago Drum Show. It was refreshing to experience an educational event that didn’t actually involve a performance. One left this discussion feeling empowered. I (Kat) hope that more educational classes such as this will be offered in the future.
During both days, Jim Messina of Vintage Drums Talk (www.vintagedrumstalk.com) was doing live interviews with renowned drum experts such as Mike Curotto, Mark Cooper, Dave Brown, Bun E Carlos, Steve Maxwell and more. So that was just Saturday and I didn’t mention all the great drums yet…!