Rogers Drum Company Ad--Downbeat magazine

Drum Companies, like all other businesses, have used various means to get their message out to the public. In the 40's, 50's, and 60's, the print media was particularly effective. But unlike today, there were only so many outlets that were available  that made sense.

Downbeat Magazine was the choice of many, if not all, of the music manufacturers at the time. The magazine was very influential in the jazz and dance band circles. Musicians read it constantly, for it was one of the only magazines that focused on the subject matter. It seemed that every page had an  advertisement calling attention to a specific instrument and the company that manufactured it. Which brings us to the ad you see pictured here.

Up until the late 50's,  the Rogers Drum Company was a weak sister compared to Ludwig and Slingerland.. Even the Leedy Drum Company had more presence than Rogers. Things changed dramatically when Henry Grossman bought the company in 1955. Joe Thompson, an employee with Grossman Distribution, agreed to join  the company as chief designer and engineer.  Ben Strauss, another employee, joined the Rogers team as the head of marketing and publicity.  They immediately set about changing the drumming world landscape.

The pictured ad appeared as a two page (double truck) ad in Downbeat magazine in the early 1960's. This is only one page. As the ad states, Rogers held a 5 day percussion exhibit at the Edison Hotel on Times Square. Nearly 2000 percussionists attended the event, including the Company's principal endorser, Buddy Rich.  Rogers used the occasion to feature the new Swivomatic hardware, which was revolutionary for the time. Nothing like it had ever been seen, or used for that matter. Nevertheless, the introduction of this hardware skyrocketed the Rogers brand from an also-ran to a major player in the field.

Rogers Drums quickly became the "Cadillac" of American Drums. The shells and hardware  were  the envy of the drumming world. The drums were not cheap, clearly they were the most expensive American made drums at the time. But you "got what you paid for.".

Today, Rogers Drums continue to shine like a beacon so many years after their splash in the early 60's.

Sonor D 472 Pancake Snare Drum

The  1960's were a very profitable time for many drum companies. The old standbys, like Ludwig, Slingerland, Gretsch, and Rogers posted great sales figures. European companies, like Premier and Sonor, did their best to snatch a piece of  the pie. All the drum manufacturers went out of their way to offer something for everyone. Various drum kit configurations in a multitude of wraps and finishes were the order of the day. Even drums made of Fiberglass, e.g. the Fibes Drum Company, made a brief, but spectacular splash, in the marketplace.

But it wasn't just drum kits that enjoyed a renaissance. Snare drums of every size and description seemed to pop  out of the pages of drum company catalogs. Every company had its flagship snare drum. And most drum companies  offered other snare drum choices as well. Which brings me to the rail thin beauty that you see pictured here.

The Sonor Drum Company sold traditional size snare drums like their competitors, but for a short time, they also sold this 2.5 x 14 pancake snare drum.  This drum  has a small wood shell  wrapped in red marble finish and, as can be seen,  has offset lugs.  I believe the drum was sold as an add on  and was not intended to serve as the main snare drum in a drum kit configuration.  That being said,  this drum needs no apologies. I've seen and heard this drum played as the main snare voice and, although somewhat limited, does quite nicely, particularly in small jazz settings. Also, although these drums are rare, you can find one if you look  hard enough.

The drum was not a success, but interestingly enough, the Rogers Drum Company also offered a pancake snare drum for a very brief period of time. It too "failed at the box office." as was discontinued.

The idea did not die, however. In the late 1990's, Dallas Arbiter sold a complete kit that they called, "Flats."There were two series, the Lite and the Pro series. This English company advertised the stability and portability of these kits. and  the drums had an ingenious single screw tuning system. 

The Sonor HLD 593 Signature Snare Drum

Over the years, many drum companies have offered the 4 x 14 snare drum in their catalogs. In some cases, this size snare drum was offered, but was not pictured in the catalog and was only offered on a special order basis. In the 1920's and  early 1930's,  the 4 x 14 was considered an essential part of the modern dance band.  By the middle 1930's,  all this changed with the Swing Era and most big band drummers, following the example of Gene Krupa, switched to bigger drums to compete with the sound of the big bands.

But by the 1940's, Be bop became popular and drummers, led by the great Max Roach, began to switch back to smaller kits and the 4 x 14. The Grestch Drum Company, in particular,  pushed the whole concept of smaller kits. Grestch  used the term, "Progressive Jazz" in talking about these drums.

But truth be told, the 4 x 14 never reached the popularity of the 5 or 5 1/2  x 14 snare drum. Except for perhaps the Gretsch Drum Company, drum manufacturers did not consider the smaller snare a staple of a drum kit and, in the 1950's, 60's, and 70's, this snare drum was rarely offered as part of a standard set. You could buy a 4 x 14 snare drum, but only by special order. There were exceptions to the rule, of course. For a brief period, the Slingerland Drum Company offered the Buddy Rich  4 x 14 offset lug snare drum as a standard item in its catalog.

All of which brings me to the gorgeous little beauty you see pictured here. I'm not sure if the Sonor Drum Company was attempting to make the perfect 4 x 14 metal  snare drum when they offered this drum for sale, but if they were, they came awfully damn close. Beauty, of course, is in the eye (and the ear) of the beholder.

The shell is made of bell bronze and is cast from one piece. It is also 5 mm thick and has a 45 degree angle cut on both edges of the shell. She sports die cast hoops and all the mounted parts are copper plated. She weighs 15 pounds which, for the time, was the heaviest 4 x 14 on the market.  As you would expect, this little drum is loud, but very sensitive. The only caveat I have about her is the rim mounted muffler that sits on the batter head.  Perhaps it's not the best place for it. I suspect by experimenting with different heads and even some moon gel, you could control any unwanted sharpness in sound. But all of that is a matter of taste.

This drum was only offered for a very short time. By the late 1990's, it vanished from the catalog. Obviously, it didn't enjoy great sales success. Nevertheless, there's no denying her beauty.

The Camco Brass Snare Drum

The Camco Drum Company went through various stages of development over the years. There's no need to rehash the entire story here, but the reader is encouraged to check out blogs dated Jan 12th and Feb 23rd  for the specifics. Suffice it to say, that Camco built some fine drums in the 1960's---drums that were in many cases overlooked.  Camco simply didn't have the promotional budget that Slingerland and Ludwig possessed.  Ludwig,  largely due  to Ringo Starr and his fellow British Invasion colleagues, seemed to have the Rock market sewed up.  Camco's biggest rock endorser was Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. And there were a number of jazz players, most notably Colin Bailey, who played the brand. But even here, Ludwig's endorser list simply swamped anything that Camco could claim.

The drums themselves were instruments of beauty. Camco offered some of the wildest wraps then available.The wood shells were either 3 or 4 ply maple. Like Ludwig, the inside shell was covered with a white sealer. The hoops were copies of the old Leedy hoop.And some of the metal snare drums were chrome over brass models.

Unfortunately, the company changed hands a number of times. Originally based in Oak Lawn, a SW suburb of Chicago, the company moved to Chanute Kansas and eventually to Los Angeles. In the early 70's, the company gave up the ghost and closed its doors. Drum Workshop swooped in and bought much of the hardware and pedals and began their  climb to the top of the heap of American Drum Manufacturers.

All of which leads us back to the drum you see pictured. This is a late model Camco brass snare drum. I can find no information about it in any Camco catalogs or flyers. She has the Los Angeles Camco badge and she has been used often in live shows and sessions. She was once owned by Maury Baker, drummer with Janis Joplin, Judy Collins, and Tim Buckley. If I ever sell it, it will go right back to him.

In any case, this brass snare is an excellent example of a Camco drum from  the Los Angeles era.  To my knowledge, Camco never offered a natural brass drum in the 60's. She has a solid and heavy brass shell and, of course, the famous Camco Turrret lugs. She also has the very simple and very functional turret snare strainer.  This drum can be used in multiple musical settings and can deliver the goods.

Camco might not have had the allure or popularity of other brands, but they made some fine drums. Ironically, the value of these Camco drums has skyrocketed on the vintage market bypassing many of the Ludwig and Slingerland drums from the same period.

Camco's place in the drum history books is assured.

The Leedy and Strupe Snare Drum

The history of  American Drum Manufacturers is filled with stories of success and failure. Unfortunately, the history of the Leedy and Strupe Drum company is one of failure. I'll try to give a brief synopsis of the life of the company, but the reader is encouraged to pick up Harry Cangany's indispensable book, " The Great American Drums and the Companies that made them," to get a more detailed view.

In 1929, Ulysses Grant Leedy sold his company to Conn Instruments. Conn promptly moved the company to Elkhart  Indiana  from Indianapolis . But Ulysses wasn't ready to throw in the towel just yet. He kept the factory in  Indianapolis and in partnership with his son Edwin and Cecil Strupe, a former employee from Leedy, he formed the General Products Corporation in 1930. Thus the L and S ( Leedy and Son) Drum Company was born. But Ulysses was not a healthy man and  he passed away even   before the company had built its first drums.  His son wanted to continue the operation with the help of Cecil Strupe.  Leedy and Son  now was referred to as Leedy and Strupe.

The company lasted for about 8 years. Cecil jumped ship in the mid 30's and went to work for WFL in Chicago. By 1939, it was all over but the shouting. The company died quietly. All of which brings me to the drum you see pictured.

So little has survived over the last decades concerning the various drums that  L and S produced. The top of the line was called the Master Tension Series and the Dictator model was the flagship snare drum for the company. The pictured beauty is not a Dictator.  In fact, I've had a difficult time identifying it.  L and S made other models. They included the Rhythm King, the Service, the Transient, the Concert, the Reliant, and the Boys school model.  This drum is somewhat similar to the Leedy Reliance snare drum of the time.  She's 6 1/2  x 14 inches, has single flanged hoops, and tube lugs. The shell looks to be of brass, but I don't think so.  The tube lugs might be an indication of this drum's timeline.. Early models had tube lugs. Later models had Master Tension lugs. In any case, the drum is very decent sounding, and with a little bit of tweaking, could fill the bill nicely.

Unfortunately,  L and S is now a part of history. All that's left are the drums themselves as a reminder of a time long gone.

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.