If you have ever found yourself looking at an old vintage drum and wondering, “What year was this made?”, or “When did they first use this type of snare strainer?”, or “What’s the name of this unusual finish?”, then this vintage drum guide may be of interest to you. The purpose of this guide is to help identify the various types, models, and features of vintage drums during the years 1923 to 1965. I consider this period to be the “golden age” of American drum manufacturing. This
Read more1926-27 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 5 x 14 NOB/12 pt. FLORAL ENGRAVED DeLUXE SUPER-LUDWIG MODEL
I think that this drum could have possibly been an un-cataloged special order. Everything points to a mid-1920s L & L DeLuxe snare drum (black nickel plating, 12 pt. floral engraving and DeLuxe copper plated/gold lacquered hardware) with the exception that the shell is nickel plated with the 12 pt. floral engraving showing through.
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 moreRarely seen in the wild - My 1960s MIJ Lido Supremes in Fantasia Pearl
There are a few drum wraps that make my head turn.: Peacock pearl. Capri Pearl. Bowling ball blue oyster. Tiger eye / Root beer swirl. But when my eyes laid on one of the rarest wraps, Fantasia pearl, I knew I had to get my hands on it.
Read moreMystery Drum: 1950s Pearl Canister Throne
Tried to Sell it, but i dont think anyone believes its Real ???....When i get confirmation from PEARL Headquarters, I'm hoping people believe its real !!. I bought it out of Delaware Ontario/Canada, with a load of antique/vintage drums/hardware/cymbals/accessories from the estate of an OLD Drummer !!..........Ken”
Read more1930 LEEDY 5 x 14 RAINBOW PEARL BROADWAY PARALLEL MODEL No. 2416 (First Generation)
Leedy Rainbow Pearl was only offered in 1930. The finish on this shell is similar to a 1930s run of Ludwig & Ludwig Peacock Pearl (see photo) which makes sense as Leedy and L & L were both purchased by C. G. Conn, Ltd. in 1929 and these snare drums were literally built across the way from each other.
Read moreHow My Passion For Collecting Rogers Drums Started
Welcome everyone to my Rogers World! I am super excited to have this fantastic opportunity to share my love for these amazing drums with the readers of ‘Not So Modern Drummer.’ My passion for drums started when my family lived in Venezuela.
Read more1958-65 Slingerland and Leedy Orphans in Capri Pearl Finish
Capri Pearl to me is like a wonderful mix of vintage Rogers Mardi Gras and Ludwig Sparkling Galaxy Pearl (my previous favorite). As I did more research on the rarity of the wrap, I soon discovered there were different variations as it was made from 1958-1966.
Read moreYamaha C200 1967 Drum Set made in Japan
In 1967, Yamaha introduced their first drum set - the D20 and D30. From their first conception, these drums were made from birch. The ends of the master ply are cut diagonally, ran through the glue machine and then put into the mold. Once they overlap the diagonal unto itself they hit the joints so they are locked in. Each seam is staggered 120 degrees so that the tension of the shell is evenly spaced. Once this is done, they stick an airbag in the middle of the shell so the glue is evenly spread throughout the drum. This method doesn't require the wood and glue to be put under high temperatures to create a bond.
Read more1966 Gretsch Round Badge 20/12/14 in Silver Satin Flame
There was a time many years ago when a 3-piece combo kit or “outfit” was all a jobbing drummer needed. There was no room for any “floor tom” in a cab. And certainly not on any subway train. So when the opportunity arises to purchase a set in the bass drum, tom tom, snare drum format: do we think one can find a matching floor tom to make our 4 piece kit dream normalcy come true?
Read moreWFL Deluxe Marble Outfit
….One such finish was called DeLuxe Marble and it was a short-lived finish that was painted on the shells to look like faux marble. The finish first appeared in the 1941 catalog and it lasted through WWII. Because a 10% metals law was put into effect during WWII limiting the use of metals on products, WFL was forced to design a drum made mostly of wood. That means that there were very few sets made in DeLuxe Marble that featured all-metal lugs and hardware made pre- WWII.
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 moreRare 1930s Leedy Broadway Standard in Abalone Pearl finish
The finish was Abalone Pearl! And, the Drum that this beautiful finish is attached to is a 1930s Leedy 5x14 Broadway Standard Model. I have actually only seen this finish on a Slingerland 1930s Radio King snare drum and a miscellaneous vintage bass drum. What a beautiful, stunning and striking finish this is. The Abalone Pearl has a three dimensional vibe that really illuminates with the change of natural lighting. The array of beautiful colors is what makes this finish pop. Apparently, there are only a handful of drums with this rare finish that exist. Also, I have not seen another Leedy snare drum equipped with the Abalone Pearl finish.
Read moreRemoving rust from a 1954-55 Slingerland Radio King set
I recently acquired this 1948 Radio King set from someone who rescued it from a neighbor who was going to “throw it out”. It’s in pretty darn good shape. I’ll update my clean up and restoration of this kit as I go along. The first thing I want to tell you about is a great new rust remover that works better than any other substance that I’ve used, and I’ve used all of them; Naval jelly, coca cola, vinegar, ketchup - all sorts of household and commercial products. This one is the easiest and most effective by far. It’s called Metal Rescue by Workshop Hero.
Read moreDrum Workshop Acquires Slingerland Drums
Drum Workshop has purchased Slingerland, and the company will release a new generation of Slingerland instruments next year, it was announced today.
Read moreMy Memphis Ducos
These are my put together Memphis Ducos. 1949 BD, 1973 12", 1965 9x13.
Read moreLATE 1950s *SEIMATONE/BEUSCHER (FRANCE) 6 x 14 NO NAME **SUPER-SENSITIVE (COPY)
I got this drum from a European seller who has sold me a drum or two before. I usually don’t collect European drums but this one was intriguing enough and somewhat historical so I went for it. A special thanks goes to my good friend, fellow collector and restorer extraordinaire Emmanuel of olDrums Vintage & Custom oldrums@sfr.fr for helping me to identify and date this drum.
Read moreDenny Hair selling Ludwig Stainless Steel collection to fund wife's liver transplant
Denny Hair is asking for help from the vintage drum community.
Read more1939 WFL 7 x 14 TWO-TONE (BDP/ROSE/BDP) TWIN SENSITIVE HOLLYWOOD SWING MODEL
I got this one off of Reverb. This drum has been around for a while and the owner worked with me on an even lower price. WFL two-tone pearl drums are pretty scarce so this was a good drum to add to the collection.
Read moreNew Not So Modern Drummer logo and badge
I’ve had a half dozen these old NSMD Winkler & Aldridge badges hidden away in a drawer for years and forgot about them until I ran across them recently. I decided to have a graphic designer update it a bit.
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