The Gretsch Broadkaster Snare Drum

Arguably one of the finest snare drums ever made was the Gretsch Gladstone two way or three way tension snare drum. ( See blog date Oct 6th, 2010). There wasn't anything else quite like it and great big band drummers like Chick Webb and Jo Jones raved about the Gladstone. Jo even played a complete set of Gladstone drums. In the 30's, Gretsch based it's reputation on this drum and the company "rode" it for all it was worth
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 But the Second World War affected drum production and it wasn't until the late 40's that drum companies returned to their normal way of doing business. The music scene was changing also. Be-bop was the trend of the day and Big Bands were starting their long slide into oblivion.

The Gretsch Drum Company recognized this and was johnny-on-the spot in grabbing the lion's share of endorsers who played this "new" music. The list of musicians was most impressive. It  included Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, Art Blakey, Shelly Manne, Art Taylor, Chico Hamilton, and Charli Persip. The company didn't ignore big band drummers either. Jo Jones continued to play the brand but he was joined by Louis Bellson, Sonny Payne, Don Lamond, Mel Lewis, Shadow Wilson and Dick Shanahan.  Thus Grestch  entered it's glory days.  The company started a run that culminated in the 60's, stumbled a bit in the 70's and 80's, righted itself in the late 90's, and is currently enjoying great success in the marketplace.

All of which brings me to the gorgeous beauty you see pictured here. This is a Gretsch Broadkaster Snare Drum from 1947. She has a 3 ply wooden shell, which was advertised as being perfectly round for life, double flange hoops, self-aligning non strip lugs and the " feather touch" snare strainer.

 This drum has no reinforcing rings. Gretsch engineers believed that such rings distorted the sound. She is wrapped in a White Pearl finish. Later Gretsch drums had a silver sealant on the inside of the shell.  This drum does not. Perhaps not the most sensitive drum around and her sound is "old fashioned". That is to say that younger players who like that real poppy snare sound would not care for her at all. But no matter. She's a real sweet heart, and for us older players, she fits the bill perfectly.

The WFL Super Classic Snare Drum

Drum Companies, depending on the size of their advertising budgets, have always tried to build up an impressive list of endorsers. The Slingerland Drum Company, particularly during the Big Band era, had the most impressive roster of players.  Gene Krupa was Slingerland's best salesman and the famous Radio King Snare Drum soon became known as the Gene Krupa Radio King.

The Ludwig Drum Company,on the other hand, made great drums but their list of drummers wasn't nearly as impressive as Slingerland's. In the late 1940's, William  F. Ludwig set about rectifying the situation by signing Buddy Rich to endorse Ludwig Drums.(See blog dated Feb.3rd 2011). In 1947, Ludwig introduced the Buddy Rich Model Super Classic Snare Drum.  This 8 lug beauty came in one size only--5 1/2 x 14.  At the same time, there  was a snare drum called the New Classic or Ray McKinley that was sized  6 1 /2 x 14 (See blog dated  May 24th, 2011). But that drum was a different animal  entirely with 16 twin lug casings. Which brings me to the 6 1/2 x 14  Black Diamond Pearl sweetheart you see pictured.

I've never been able to find a picture of this drum in any WFL or Ludwig catalog. In the1980's, Ludwig produced a drum called the Rock/Concert model that was very similar, but that's about it. In the 40's, there was nothing like this. There were no 6 1/2 x 14 models with these lugs and this strainer.  There was a model called "the Contest" but it had a very different snare strainer on it. So this beauty seems to be a real one off.  Perhaps some Ludwig employee became creative while working on the snare drum line one day. I'm not even sure if the drum has a title. I'm calling it the WFL Super Classic Snare Drum only because it shares all the same qualities as the Buddy Rich model. The shell is made of mahogany and the strainer is the Classic P87 Snare Strainer that was remodeled in 1969.  The later strainer is still in use today.

What matters, of course, is how the drum sounds and, in this context, it's a real winner. It might not have a place in the official Ludwig Drum Company history book, but no matter. As the reader can see and I can attest to, Beauty is not simply skin deep.

Super-Ludwig Mahogany Snare Drum

It can be argued that the 1930's belonged to the Slingerland Drum Company. The Company introduced the Gene Krupa Radio King Snare Drum in 1936 and the company's list of endorsers was a who's who of big band drummers. In addition to Gene Krupa, the list included Buddy Rich, Davey Tough, Ben Pollack, Ray McKinley and Jackie Cooper.  Krupa was perhaps Slingerland's best salesman. No one could touch him in terms of popularity. Even the music press referred to him as, "America's Ace Drummer Man.."

Slingerland's main competitor, the Ludwig Drum Company, simply didn't have the star power. Sure, there were many endorsers, but no Gene Krupa among them. It had to be especially galling to William Ludwig because Krupa had originally played Ludwig and, because of an administrative snafu concerning a possible endorsement deal, called Slingerland and received a kit. The rest, of course, is history.

But none of this really addresses the quality of drums that were made by Ludwig in the 30's. Ludwig made some fabulous drums during that time and the pictured beauty is certainly one of them.

The Super Ludwig Snare Drum came in a wood or metal shell. She also came in two sizes, 5 x 14 and 6 1/2 x 14. The drum listed for $49.50  The sweetheart pictured  here is the mahogany wood shell version, sized 6 1/2 x 14.  She has eight Imperial lugs and each snare wire could be individually adjusted to suit a drummer's taste. A special drum key was included with each drum.

 This drum had one weakness.  The tension rods screwed right into the lug, which, if you weren't careful  when tuning it,  could end up stripping it. Ludwig quickly recognized the problem and within the year came up with self aligning inserts that were placed inside the casing. It worked beautifully.

  The 1937 catalog describes this drum as follows."The modern beauty of its design is matched by splendid tone, sensitive snare response, and excellent power and volume." Even though these words seem like marketing slogans, in this case, they do apply. This snare drum could stand up to any of its competitors, even the vaunted Radio King. No apologies are needed. I feel fortunate to own this beauty.

The 2012 Chicago Vintage Drum Show

This weekend brings the return of the Annual Chicago Vintage Drum Show. Over the years, the show has grown to include many custom and mainstream drum companies. Indeed, both Ludwig and Gretsch have increased their visibility over the years. At the same time, show organizers have downplayed the vintage aspect of the show, simply calling the event, "The Chicago Drum Show."

But that being said, there is perhaps no better place in the whole country to find that elusive vintage drum or vintage drum part.  After all, the Chicago metropolitan area was home to three of the major drum companies from the last century,  Ludwig, Slingerland, and Camco. And there always seems to be a local exhibitor at the show who is displaying some super rare drum or drum part.

For me, the best part is seeing old friends and acquaintances. In many cases, this is the only opportunity for me to get together with other collectors and drummers. I must admit the noise in the hall does get to be much, but hell, I'm a drummer and I love drums. It comes with the territory.

The entertainment roster for the show is as follows. There will be performances both on Saturday and Sunday . The list of performers included Jane Boxall, Fred Young, John Fred Young, Ed Shaughnessy, Mike Clark, and Les Demerle. Usually, the convention floor thins out whenever anyone is playing as fellow drummers check out the headliners. All in all, it should be loads of fun, and it's an event that I look forward to.

See you there!!

The Rogers Brass Lug Dynasonic

The Rogers Dynasonic Snare Drum was, depending on who you  talk  to, the epitome of American Snare drum manufacturing.  It was  the flagship snare drum for the company and it was advertised as :"the drum with the smile built in." Ads also stated that the,  " Rogers Dyna-Sonic's got  it! You get it, too ". This referred to the drum's pinpoint definition, choke free sound, and, according to Rogers, simple snare adjustment.

The drum quickly became identified with Rogers main endorsers. These included  Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Cozy Cole, and Jack Sperling. Indeed, Rob Cook, author of the Rogers Book, talks extensively about Ben  Strauss, the head of the company, consulting with Buddy Rich to build the most sensitive snare drum possible.

The whole idea was to have the snares wires float against the snare head, rather then be pressed up against it.The metal bridge allowed this to occur and added stability to the whole snare mechanism. The feeling among Rogers engineers was that the snare wires would vibrate more freely, thus be more sensitive. Or at least, that was the theory.

The pictured beauty is 50 years old. She is  one of  finest examples of an early Brass Dynasonic. She has the heavy brass shell, the drawn brass lugs and the swivo-matic perma tension strainer. Collectors refer to this strainer as the clockface strainer. She also has the original steel " Tall Hoops." that early Rogers drums were fitted with.  The lugs, though beautiful, tended to crack and they were a weakness with this drum. She still has her original snare head. This model came in 5 x 14 and 6 1/2 x 14 sizes,  in either a wood or brass shell.  List price on this cupcake was 150.00, a princely sum in 1962. It was clearly one of most expensive snare drums of its time.

Later models substituted the steel beavertail lugs  for the brass ones. Many of these later models were made and it's not difficult to find them at  very reasonable prices.  But this only applies to the brass models.  The wood shell models are much rarer and very, very expensive.This sweetheart is not as rare, but you don't  see them everyday, particularly at this age and in this condition.

One thing is for sure about the Dyna. No other drum created as much controversy as this one did at its inception. You either loved it, or you hated it. And as for its simple snare adjustment? For many drummers, this was the joke of the century.

 And the arguments continue to the present day.  Pointless discussions about snare tension, head selection, and the like abound  wherever drummers gather.  The real story is this. The Dyna is versatile and can be used in a variety of musical settings. Finicky yes, but one great snare drum,

Slingerland Radio King Snare Drum

The Slingerland Radio King Snare drum was the flagship snare drum of the Slingerland Drum Company. First introduced in 1936, the drum was offered in both a wood and metal shell and it came in two sizes, 5 x 14 and 6 1/2 x 14. During the 30's, the great Gene Krupa became associated with the drum and it became known as the Gene Krupa Radio King. In the late 30's, both Buddy Rich and Ray McKinley had Radio King's named after them.

In 1957, the Radio King name was dropped and the drum was simply referred to as the Gene Krupa Snare Drum. The drum was in production until 1976. After a brief hiatus, a reissue of the Radio King appeared in 1979, but that's another story. Over the years, the Radio King has achieved legendary status. So many great drummers played the drum and many collectors have at least one in their collection. Which brings me to the beauty you see pictured here.

This is an early 60's 6 1/2 x 14 Radio King. She sports the famous Radio King Strainer and has a solid maple shell. She doesn't have the engraved Radio King hoops, but rather the Slingerland brass hoops. I've seen pictures of other Radio Kings with these hoops, particularly those from the early to middle 60's. The Slingerland badge has no serial numbers which means this was one of the earliest drums made by Slingerland when they moved to Niles Illinois in 1960.

As the reader can see, she has a red and yellow duco lacquer finish. Radio Kings were offered in both lacquer finishes and pearl wraps. You usually find them in White Marine Pearl wrap and this is the preferred color among collectors. Both Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich played kits in this wrap. Buddy preferred this wrap throughout his career regardless of what make of drums he played.

To sum up, the Radio King occupies a special place in the history of American Drum Manufacturers. Even today, this snare drum can hold its own against its modern day competitors.

The Ludwig Standard Swing Snare Drum

In the mind's of many drummers and musicians, the 1930's and early 40's belonged to the Slingerland Drum Company. Their roster of endorsers was impressive. The great Gene Krupa headed the list followed by Buddy Rich, Dave Tough, Cozy Cole, Big Sid Catlett, and Ray McKinley.

The Radio King Snare drum was the cat's meow for drummers everywhere--the epitome of snare drum construction. It's thick steam bent maple shell with reinforcing rings was the Radio King's calling card.

But the Ludwig Drum Company, one of Slingerland's competitors, wasn't asleep at the wheel during this period. The Company had its own list of endorsers which included Haskell Harr, Ben Pollack, Ray Toland, and George Wettling. And both Buddy Rich and Big Sid Catlett switched to Ludwig in the 1940's.

Ludwig also had been producing some very fine snare drums beginning in the 1920's. The Ludwig Black Beauty, the Super Ludwig, and the Ludwig Super Sensitive were great snare drums and all of them have stood the test of time. Which leads me to the drum you see pictured here.

This beauty was known as the Ludwig Standard Swing Snare drum. It dates from the late 1930's, specifically 1938-39. She came in one size, 7 x 14. The shell was constructed of mahogany. Early Ludwig wood shells were solid mahogany, but by this time the company had introduced laminated shells. In any case, she does have an indented snare bed.

As the reader can see, she sports wood hoops with silver sparkle inlays. The lacquered Duco finish is a very cool dark green to white fade. This finish was cheaper than the pearl wraps that were offered. Indeed, blue and white fades and red and yellow fades were more popular than other Duco finishes.

The snare strainer was known as the 339. It was first sold in the late 30's and remained in production until 1950. This strainer was very functional and fit the bill perfectly. Finally, this cupcake has the self aligning Imperial lugs that were first offered in 1938. Before that time, the tension rods screwed directly into the lug causing numerous problems. After 38, small tubes were inserted into the lugs allowing the tension rod to float.

This particular model was offered only for a short time. Nevertheless, it's a fine drum that, with some tweaking, could handle many present day musical situations. Interestingly enough, this drum was traded in recently at my local drum store. It is currently up for sale. (But perhaps not for long.) Anyway, it just goes to show that great drum "finds" are still possible.