Let’s talk about buying vintage cymbals and caring for them.
Vintage Cymbal Purchase and Care Tips
Having fun with this one
3 over 4 overkill
Read moreThis got me over the hump
I’ve always had a slightly strained relationship with 12/8, so I decided to work on a lot of variants to gain some control. Results turned out to be better than I’d hoped for.
Read more2021 Chicago Drum Show May 15 & 16
Good news! The 30th Anniversary Chicago Drum Show originally set for May, 2020 was delayed, and rescheduled for May 15 and 16 2021. It will be held at the Prairie Events Center of the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles Il., a suburb of Chicago. Go to Rebeats for exhibitor, ticket and policy details.
Read more2012 AK Bob Meyer model snare drum
It's constructed of brass in the old school 1920s Ludwig style soldered at the center bead. The bearing edges are also soldered back to the shell as in the 1920s Ludwigs. It's plated in 24k gold.
Read more20s-30s L & L 10 Lug 5x14 WMP/Engraved/Gold Plated Standard Model
“This drum is unique in that the White Marine Pearl (pyralin) has been expertly engraved, filled in with some type of ink or dye and embellished with blue and gold rhinestones. Engraving was typically restricted to brass shell snare drums of this era but gold plating was a catalogued option. This is most likely a one-off, uncatalogued special order drum.”
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 moreTrading Fours In A Contemporary Time Space
Keeping the ostinato in your solo keeps you honest.
Read moreCirca 1928 Leedy 5x14 Jade Green Pearl Snare Drum
I’d like to start this story by both thanking and blaming Mark Cooper (Coopers Vintage Drums) J. Many years ago, I met Mark at one of the Chicago Drum Shows. He was sharing his fabulous collection of vintage green-wrapped drums from Slingerland and Leedy.
Read moreMike Clark Words of Wisdom - Chapter 24
“One of my friends leans towards a 1950’s type of playing… I’m sort of the 1960’s. We were kind of going back and forth about this. He’s in the Jurassic Period, while I’m in the Cretaceous.”
Read moreInteresting Ludwig Drum Sets
When you have been a collector, seller and a repairman as I have
for 43 years you are bound to have owned some interesting musical
instruments. Luckily I had the foresight to photograph many of these
instruments because I just don't see as many nowadays unless of course I
visit one of the national drum shows. 95% of the pictures you will see
in my column were drums owned by me at one time or another. Today we
look at some interesting Ludwig drum sets.
Ralph Peterson Jr., Drummer Who Re-Enlivened Hard Bop, Dead At 58
Ralph Peterson Jr., a drummer, bandleader, composer and educator whose lunging propulsion and volatile combustion were hallmarks of a jazz career spanning more than 40 years, died on Monday in North Dartmouth, Mass. The cause was complications from cancer, his manager, Laura Martinez, tells NPR Music; Peterson had been living with the disease for the last six years. He was 58.
Read moreDuffy Jackson, Ebullient Drummer with Lionel Hampton, Count Basie and Others, Dies at 67
Duffy Jackson, a drummer whose swinging exuberance propelled him from child stardom to a prolific career behind Lionel Hampton, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne and many others, died on Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn. He was 67.
The cause was complications from hip surgery, Sandra Anton, his first cousin, tells WBGO.
Read moreSimple But Challenging
Here’s a set of exercises for those of us who want to develop faster bass drum technique but don't use a double pedal. I find this type of graduated arrangement yields greater freedom when applying it to music.
Read moreFrom the Editor
More ramblings from the guy who runs this joint.
Read moreWFL 7 X 14” Paramount snare drum Circa 1939
This 1939 WFL Paramount snare was produced in the year that Germany invaded Poland, and just over 2 years later, the U.S. would join the war. Bill Ludwig, Sr. had lost his name, much of his savings, and yet survived both the transition and WWII. In the end, his company thrived, and he regained his name. There is so much to be admired about Bill Sr’s. drive, fortitude, and relentlessness. This 1939 WFL Paramount snare is one representation of his work during this challenging time and embodies all those who appreciated its sound and construction over 8 decades.
Read more1938-40 LUDWIG & LUDWIG 8 x 14 WMP/CHROME SUPER-LUDWIG (PROTOTYPE OR SPECIAL ORDER?)
Looking at the outside photo one would think that this is a normal Ludwig 8 x 14 Super-Ludwig from the late 1930s..well, there is more to it that makes this drum a tad more quirky. The drum came to me 100% original and in excellent condition, no cleaning or polishing was necessary. The WMP is in excellent condition with virtually no yellowing at all. The white enamel badge is very clean with a tight, untouched grommet. Now for the quirkiness; looking at the interior photo you can see that the shell is aluminum with top and bottom maple 2” re-wrings. This leads me to the question was this a prototype snare or a special order snare?
Read more3rd & 4th Drum Co. 6x14 walnut/ash/walnut snare
These two snares are made out of the same constructed 6-ply shell - walnut (1) / ash (4) / walnut (1). Walnut is known for its classic and attractive characteristics for tone and visual aesthetic. Sonically, walnut’s tonal colors can be characterized as having a big and dark low end to it. On the other side of the coin, ash is known for its warmer highs and mids compared to maple. Having ash as the core and walnut as your outer plies allow you to obtain a lot of low end in the higher tuning range while not sounding “choked”. These drums will also have a deep and darker low end than maple. Both snares have a slight round over on the outer edge with a 45-degree inner cut. This allows the snare to give you both body and lively overtones.
Don't-cha-wanna-dance?
No, actually, I don't. This came into focus for me some years ago. It was one of those wonderful, serendipitous, off-the-cuff remarks that ended up being a defining moment. I was at the wedding of a close relative and one of the bridesmaids came over to me and tried to get me to dance. I politely declined (I’m even less into dancing than I am into singing). Her comeback was rather convincing: “When you hear the music, don’t you just want to get up and dance?” My response was even better: “No, I want to sit down and hit things!”
Read moreObservations of a Recovering Drum Collector
Our favorite picture of John, founder of Not So Modern Drummer and #1 DrumScratcher
I guess the main difference between collecting then as opposed to collecting now is getting to know the person who’s selling the drums as much as knowing about the drums themselves. Some of my best friends, people I met through collecting and custom drum building and engraving, came from a vintage drum transaction that took us a couple of weeks to accomplish due to the delays of mail, photography, and the phone.
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