I only got to see Tony play on two occasions. Once at The Blue Note and again at Birdland. Both nights, I received the drum lesson of my life and learned firsthand about control, finesse, and confidence. He played that massive canary yellow drum kit with the three floor toms and used every drum melodically and musically. His flams and single stroke rolls knocked me out on the spot. Looking back now, I wish I would’ve checked him out live more, but am grateful for the two times I did.
Read moreAs well as being a much sought-after session drummer, as of this writing, Anton is also the touring drummer with Joe Bonamassa.
Read moreHere is a great example of a 1938 Leedy Broadway Standard in white marine pearl. Leedy only offered this unique 4-point strainer on these models for one year. This snare was special ordered with ornate engraved rims. All hardware was ordered and upgraded to the optional chrome plating. Chrome plating was more expensive than nickel for the upgrade.
Read moreThis drum is from 2012 It was made for me by the great Adrian Kirchler from Italy. It is 7" x 14" brass with 24k gold plating. The shell is of 2 piece construction with soldered bearing edges like the 1920s Standard or Black Beauty models from Ludwig, although the "triangle" of the bearing edge is smaller in size [profile] than the
1920s drums.
Read moreThis is the standard 1930s 5 x 14/13 Duplex Spirit of St. Louis Model. The shell looks to be some type of “Butterscotch Pearl” finish. I couldn’t find any Duplex finish reference so I’m calling it Butterscotch Pearl for lack of a better term.
Read moreA short while ago, I was contacted by a talented drummer by the name of George Sluppick on Instagram. It turns out he had a Ludwig drum from the 1940’s which he wanted to identify and might consider selling. He got the drum from a shop called Lollipop Music in Princeton, WV. They got the drum from a guy who bought it from a pawn shop. So unfortunately, no identity of the original owner. I was still determined to find out more…
Read moreI was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of drumming legend Ron Tutt. He had an over 60 year career as an “in demand” session and touring drummer. I’m sure you’ve seen the numerous comments and tributes made by various musician luminaries such as Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Michael McDonald and also from Ron’s former band mates in the TCB Band and Neil Diamond’s band. However, on a personal note , I felt compelled to comment from a different perspective.
Read moreThere are a couple of new features here at Not So Modern Drummer magazine.
Read moreThe goal of this study is to provide accurate information to assist vintage drum collectors to better evaluate the authenticity of Ludwig Standard snare drums by delving deeply into the specifics of when different logos appear on the P-83 model throw-offs and P-32 model butt ends.
Read moreTwo more blasts from the past that I never did articles on. The 4 x 13 Sparkling Gold RK “Be Bop” model was one of my earliest purchases (1995) from Ned Ingberman, The Vintage Drum Center and the WMP 4 x 13 RK Bop model was purchased from a fellow musician in SF about 20 years ago. A special thanks goes to my good friend and fellow collector Mark Cooper for helping me to date these two drums.
Read moreOne-of-a-kind, drum set in excellent condition. Thin, spun-fiberglass shells with carbon fiber reinforcement rings deliver a powerful yet warm tone with great response. Manufactured by Ming (Taiwan). UPS shipping is available in North America.
Read moreNot every drummer is expected to be a rudimental expert but familiarity with all forty rudiments is highly recommended for each of us. And it isn’t as big a chore as you might think.
Read moreThis 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 moreIn 1919 at the age of two, Bernard 'Buddy' Rich was already traveling the country with his parents' vaudeville act. By 1932, Buddy had already been performing for 13 years as 'Traps The Drum Wonder'. At 15, he was already headlining with his own group earning up to a thousand dollars a week. That same year he also received a Slingerland endorsement deal. The accolades began rolling in... The year 1932 was an early indicator of all the great things to come for drummer Buddy Rich.
Read moreThanks to Bob Campbell for covering the Music City Drum Show in Nashville this summer. He has posted a great number of pics on our Facebook page. Great photos, Bob, as always. Click here 2021 Music City Drum Show (Nashville) - Part 1
Read moreThis heart felt note from JD in Australia reminds me of what an emotional and spiritual attachment we drummers have to our instrument and profession. Thanks, JD. “I'm crippled with damaged arthritic hips & end stage emphysema but I still tap along despite puffing after one song!…
Read moreSeveral months before he passed in October of 1996, we played The Florida Drum Festival to 2,000 drummers. Tony was at the top of his game... Expressive, powerful, creative and you always expected the unexpected. We had the chance to talk for a while before his performance. He had an album coming out, 'Young At Heart' which he was excited about. He talked about wanting to be known as a composer and an individual artist. I told him, you are already there! Tony really appreciated that. He was, and still is such a powerful force in drumming and music.
Read moreThis seems to be an uncatalogued finish as it is nowhere to be found -- that I know of -- in any Ludwig literature. I have seen 1 or 2 other Ludwig Butterscotch Pearl snares and I also own a Duplex Spirit of St. Louis in this finish so I personally know that this finish exists. So my best guess is that this is an uncatalogued or special order finish. As always I welcome any other information that may be out there regarding this finish.
Read moreWe all know the standard short rolls included in the “Standard 26 American Drum Rudiments” and the Percussive Arts Society’s “40 International Rudiments” which are the 5-Stroke Roll, 7-Stroke Roll, 9-Stroke Roll, 10-Stroke Roll, 11-Stroke Roll, 13-Stroke Roll, 15-Stroke Roll and 17-Stroke Roll. But what happened to the others that are missing: 8-Stroke, 12-Stroke, 14-Stroke and 16-Stroke Rolls?
Read moreKent occupies a small but interesting corner of the vintage drum world. The drums were manufactured from 1946 to 1977 in Buffalo, NY. Bill Kent said, “The inspiration and the purpose of Kent Drums was to give the youth the opportunity to be able to have an affordable drum outfit which was known as a starter set.”
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