The Ludwig Clear Vistalite Snare Drum

Drum companies in the 1960's enjoyed a period of great sales success. Business was literally booming and drum executives looked for ways to entice drummers to spend more of their hard earned cash on new drums and accessories. In addition, new companies like the Fibes Drum Corporation entered the marketplace. Fibes introduced acrylic and fiberglass shells and immediately began finding willing buyers.

This sales activity wasn't lost on the "old line" drum manufacturers. Nothing succeeds like success and Ludwig and Slingerland began making drums made of acrylic. But they ignored Fiberglass shells entirely. Ludwig called their line the Vistalite line, Slingerland called theirs the Phantom line. Interestingly enough, Grestch, Rogers, and Premier decided not to enter the fray.

Ludwig Vistalites were introduced in 1973. At first, 6 colors were offered--clear, red, blue, yellow, amber, and green. Later, more colors were added along with various patterns with a mixture of colors The drum you see pictured is an early clear Vistalite. She has the Classic lugs and P-85 strainer that she shared with her wood shell sisters.

The Vistalite line enjoyed initial success. Indeed, John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) played an amber kit. But, by the early 80's, the "bloom was off the rose. " In 1983, Ludwig dropped the line. Acrylic drums became an afterthought--- a reminder of a time long gone.

But in 2000, Ludwig began making acrylic drums again. They were really the only major American drum company to produce them. And Ludwig continues to make them. Indeed, at the most recent NAMM convention, Ludwig exhibited Vistalites along with metal and wood shell drums.

Interestingly enough, the Sonor Drum Company and the Canopus Drum Company have recently marketed acrylic drum kits in their respective catalogs. Other smaller companies have followed suit. Acrylic drums, which were considered a dead issue not so long ago, are alive and well.

The Camco Orchestra Tuxedo Model wood shell snare drum

Every drum company, at one time or another, has offered a flagship snare drum to perspective buyers. This snare drum is a top of the line drum. It's theoretically the best that a particular company has to offer.

In the 60's, Rogers had its Dynasonic. Slingerland had its Radio King. Fibes had the SFT 690. Ludwig sold the Supraphonic Super Sensitive. Gretsch had the Broadkaster and Camco offered the Super 99. But, except for Fibes and perhaps Gretsch, the rest of these companies sold "cheaper"models. The fact that these snare drums were less expensive was no indication of their worthiness as musical instruments. Indeed, the Ludwig Supraphonic 400 was " standard issue" on most Ludwig kits at the time. It can be argued that the 400 was the most popular snare drum of the 1960's. It has been said to be the most recorded snare drum of all time and yet it was not the flagship snare drum for Ludwig.

Which brings us, in a rather roundabout way, to the Camco Drum Company and the beautiful snare drum you see pictured here. There's no need to rehash the story of Camco. Readers are encouraged to see my blog dated March 7th 2011 for a more complete retelling. Suffice it to say, that Camco was the " little shrimp on the block." Ludwig and Slingerland simply dwarfed the company from Oak Lawn Illinois.

But Camco competed as best it could and like its competitors offered various snare drums in its catalogs. The company offered the Super 99, the Aristocrat, the Studio, and the drum you see pictured here, the Orchestra Tuxedo. This beauty listed for 79.50 US and came in two sizes, 5 x 14 and 6 1/2 x 14. Outside of the Studio model, it was the least expensive snare drum sold by Camco.

The Orchestra Tuxedo came with a trapezoidal or turret strainer and 8 Tuxedo lugs. These were the same type of lugs used on the pricey Super 99 ( 119.00 list US). The shell was made of 3 or 4 ply maple with reinforcing rings. Like the Ludwig wood shells of the time, the Camco shell was sprayed with white sealant. The hoops were triple flanged and were a copy of an earlier Leedy hoop.

No apologies are needed concerning the sound of this snare drum. This drum can more than hold its own with any comparable Ludwig or Slingerland model. Yet over the years, this drum was largely forgotten. Camco simply didn't have the promotional budget that Ludwig and Slingerland did at that time. But Camco made some great drums and this is a fine example, despite its modest cost.

The value of these drums has skyrocketed over the last 10 years. So many years after Camco closed its doors, drummers everywhere are discovering the quality of these fine drums.

The Rogers Dynasonic Snare Drum-Big R badge

Perhaps no other snare drum has created as much controversy among drummers as the Rogers Dynasonic Snare Drum. This flagship snare drum of the Rogers Drum Company still is "making waves" some 28 years after the last one rolled off the assembly line. (See blog dated Nov. 17th). Nevertheless, the drum had a good strong run and its place is assured in drum history.

The Dyna was "born" in the early 60's and initially both wood and metal shells were offered. Great drummers, like Buddy Rich and Louie Bellson, played and endorsed it. But in the mid 60's, CBS bought the Rogers company and changes were afoot. By the early 70's, the wood shell model was dropped. The traditional Rogers Script badge was replaced with what is now known as the "Big R" badge. The snare mechanism, despite some minor changes, basically stayed the same.

In the early 80's, the wood shell model was reintroduced and that is the drum you see pictured here. This beauty differed significantly from the 1960's models. Earlier Dyna wood shells were made up of a 5 ply maple/poplar mix. These early models also had reinforcing rings and lacquered inner shells. The pictured drum sports a 10 ply maple shell, no reinforcing rings, and isolation gaskets around each lug. Also, the inner shell is clear. There is no lacquering whatsoever.

This Dyna marked the end of the line for the model. By the mid 80's, Rogers was a shadow of its original self. There have been attempts to revive the line, but only as a budget line, and so far, these attempts have not been very successful.

But perhaps that's as it should be. Rogers drums were never budget line drums. They were the"Cadillacs" of their time. They weren't cheap. They were of the highest quality and Rogers drums are still played and sought after by drummers everywhere.

The Ludwig Downbeat Snare Drum

The Ludwig Downbeat Snare Drum had a varied and short life in the history of the Ludwig Drum Company. But despite it's short life, this drum has a very interesting pedigree. The origins of this beauty really began with William Ludwig and his WFL company.

In the late 40's, Be-bop was the rage and drum companies scrambled to add endorsers to their rosters. Smaller diameter drums became very popular, perhaps as a counter balance to the big kits that were used during the height of the big band era. There were Be-bop big bands, but most of the bop ensembles at the time had fewer musicians and didn't require the volume that bigger drums provided, or at least, that was the thinking.

In the late 40's, William Ludwig signed Buddy Rich to be his top endorser. Slingerland had Gene Krupa and Bill felt that he needed Buddy to compete in the marketplace. Ludwig promptly "married" Buddy with the Be-bop phenomena and in 1949, the Buddy Rich Be-bop Snare Drum was offered in WFL catalogs. The drum came in two sizes, 3 x 13 and 4 x 14. In 1951, the name of the 4 x 14 was changed to the New Compacto Snare Drum. In 1956, the drum was dropped from the Ludwig line up completely.

But in 1960, the 4 x 14 you see pictured above reappeared in the Ludwig catalogs. Called the Downbeat model, this little cupcake delivered " the goods." In production until 1970, the Downbeat was surprisingly versatile despite its smaller size. The wood shell was composed of a 3 ply mahogany/poplar/mahogany mix. At the same time, the 3 x 13 reappeared as the Jazz Combo model. This model lasted until 1970 when it was replaced by the Ludwig Piccolo Drum ( See blog dated Nov. 30th).

This particular Downbeat is wrapped in the very desirable Black Oyster Pearl covering. This, of course, is the same finish that Ringo had on his Ludwig Super Classic kit. The wrap alone increases the value of this drum immensely. But regardless of the finish, the Downbeat Snare Drum remains one of the finest 4 x 14 drums money can buy.

The book on these 3 x 13 and 4 x 14 snare drums is "still open." Ludwig, to this day, offers smaller diameter snare drums in their catalog. Among their Classic Maple Snare options, one can buy a 3.5 x 13 or 3.5 x 14 snare drum. They also sell the Carl Palmer "Venus" Signature Snare Drum. This 3.7 x 14 "power piccolo" sports a green lacquered metal shell, die cast hoops, and brass-plated tube lugs.

The Ludwig Piccolo Snare Drum

The Ludwig Drum Company, perhaps more than any of their competitors during the 60's and 70's,did its best to align its drums with the growing youth market. Truth be told, Ludwig had a head start in the marketplace because of its association with Ringo Starr and other drummers from the British invasion. But many American drummers also played the brand. The great Hal Blaine, who played on hundreds of hit records, played and endorsed Ludwig Drums.

The Supraphonic 400 was Ludwig's top selling snare drum. It was offered as standard on many kits at the time. The jazz great, Joe Morello, played the drum. But Ludwig executives continued to dream up other snare drum offerings. After all, the "Now Generation", also known as "Boomers" in later years, were huge in number and they had money to spend. Which brings us to the drum you see pictured here.

The Ludwig Piccolo Snare Drum was sold from 1970 to 1991. This 3 x 13 drum was the metal version of the Jazz combo snare drum. The copy from an early 70's Ludwig catalog describes the drum as follows. "Presenting the PICCOLO snare drum, a new solo soprano percussion voice ideal for today's intricate rhythmic patterns. The all metal shell produces the crisp sound demanded by so many of today's top recording artists."

In this case, the catalog description wasn't simply ad verbiage. This little beauty does produce a very distinctive " crack'. Because of it's size, there's not a lot of heft to the sound, and it's not for everybody. The idea was to offer it as the primary snare in a bop setting. It's best use is perhaps as a secondary snare voice in an expanded kit. Nevertheless, you can't help but notice it when you play it. The drum really sings.

In addition to offering the Piccolo as a stand alone item, Ludwig presented it as part of their Modern Snare Quartet. This package included 4 snare drums that would commonly be used in a concert setting. Along with the Piccolo, the prospective buyer could purchase a 12 x 15 Super Sensitive, a 6 1/2 x 14 Super Sensitive, and a 5 x 14 Super Sensitive Snare drum. All the drums had metal shells and concert stands were included.

To read more about the Ludwig Drum Company and Joe Morello kindly click on the following links.
http://www.vintagedrumsandmore.com/media-drum-articles-ludwig-drums-sound-is-young.htm
http://www.vintagedrumsandmore.com/media-drum-articles-ludwig-drums-joe-morello.htmm-a

The Rogers Dynasonic Snare Drum

Perhaps no other snare drum from the 1960's has created as much controversy as the Rogers Dynasonic snare drum. Every drummer who has played the drum has an opinion. And the opinions are varied to say the least. One drummer will claim that the Dynasonic sounds best tuned high and tight with Diplomat heads. Another will say that the drum sounds better with medium to low tensioning with Ambassador heads. And still others, some who don't even know anything about the drum, will say the drum sounds " terrible" in any tuning range. There simply is no middle ground.

To my way of thinking, all of this quarreling is really a " tempest in a teapot." The Dynasonic was designed to be the most responsive and sensitive snare drum of its time. Rogers designers, in particular Ben Strauss, did their best to make a snare drum that was playable "right out of the box." A special sheet indicating how to tune the drum was included with a Dynasonic purchase. As with any product, some Dyna's were better than others. If you happened to purchase a "good" one, you bought a hell of a snare drum. And the drum could be tweaked to no end.

The drum you see pictured is from the mid 60's. This beauty is wrapped in red sparkle and she still sports her original heads. The clockface strainer has a black background around the logo which indicates a pre 1964 vintage. After 1964, the black background was dropped and the shape of the strainer changed somewhat. Every Dynasonic was outfitted with a metal snare bridge that, theoretically, would keep the snare wires flat and in even constant contact with the snare head.

The drum came in wood and metal shells and in 5 x 14, 6 1/2 x 14, and 8 x 15 sizes. The shell was a 5 ply maple/poplar mix and was finished in a clear varnish. Rogers tom and bass drums, on the other hand, were finished with either black or grey speckled paint. Early Rogers Dynasonics came with brass "bread and butter" lugs. This model has the "Beavertail" lugs which replaced the earlier brass ones.

Many famous drummers played the Dynasonic, including Buddy Rich and Louie Bellson. Perhaps because of this association, the Dyna has become a very collectible drum, particularly the wood shell model.

To read more about the Dynasonic, kindly click on the following link

http://www.vintagedrumsandmore.com/media-drum-articles-rogers-dynasonic-snare-drums.htm

the Premier Royal Ace Snare Drum

The Royal Ace snare drum was the flagship snare drum for the Premier Drum Company. Every drum company back in the day offered a top of the line snare drum that represented the best that particular company had to offer at the time. Indeed, Slingerland, for example, had the Radio King. Rogers sold the Dynasonic. Camco offered the Super 99. And Premier presented the drum you see pictured here.

The Royal Ace garnered a full page in the 1966 catalog. It came in two sizes, 5 1/2 x 14 and 6 1/2 by 14., in either a wood or metal shell. The snare mechanism set it apart from its competitors. The parallel action strainer allowed the snare wires to " float" against the bottom head. Perhaps the best way to describe this strainer is to quote directly from the Premier catalog. " The patented Premier floating snare system brings snare response to a new high level. The perfect snare action keeps the 20-strand snare wires always under tension. Unwanted snare "buzz" is completely eliminated. No longer are the snares attached to both sides of the shell, choking the sound and stifling the vibrations."

Certainly some of this explanation is advertising verbiage. Nevertheless, it did work as advertised. The drum is responsive. And it comes with die-molded counter hoops, eye catching chrome plating and a choice of various finishes, some of which were exclusive only to Premier. This drum is wrapped in Red Sparkle Pearl and to say she's beautiful is an understatement.

A number of famous players endorsed Premier. Sam Woodyard with Duke Ellington, Gus Johnson with Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby Elliott of the Hollies and, of course, Keith Moon of the WHO----all endorsed Premier.

To read further details about the Royal Ace snare drum and the players who endorsed Premier, kindly click on the following link.

http://www.vintagedrumsandmore.com/media-drum-articles-premier-royal-ace-snare-drum.htm