The 4 x 14 Slingerland Radio King Snare Drum

In 1936, the Slingerland Drum Company introduced the Radio King Snare Drum. It was the flagship snare drum of the company and quickly became associated with Slingerland's number one endorser, Gene Krupa. For many years, the drum was simply referred to as the Gene Krupa Radio King. The drum came in various sizes--5 x 14, 6 1/2 x 14 at first, then 7 x 14 and 8 x 14 later. Many big band drummers used the larger sized Radio Kings in their bands so they could be heard over the horn sections. Or at least, that was the theory.

But, in the 40's, particularly after the war, Be-bop became the fashion and with it drum sizes began to contract. Drummers began favoring smaller sized snare drums. Indeed, the Gretsch Drum Company began marketing 4 x 14 snare drums and associating them with their endorsers, particularly the great Max Roach.

Other drum companies followed Gretsch's lead and began making 4 x 14 and 4 x 13 snare drums. Between 1948 and 1962, Slingerland produced the 4 x 13 Bop snare drum. The drum wasn't associated with any particular drummer, but it did offer the aspiring drummer yet another choice in snare drums. Which brings me to the very rare and very beautiful snare drum you see pictured here.

You will not find this drum in any Slingerland catalog. There is no factory information anywhere on a 4 x 14 Radio King. The inside of the steam bent maple shell is stamped Sept. 1941. The badge is an early 50's Slingerland badge. Otherwise, the drum is correct in every detail. It has the Radio king stick shredder hoops, the nickel plated Harold R. Dobbs twin internal muffler, and the three point strainer. There are no other modifications to it. It is not a cut down shell.

A couple of things come to mind about this beauty. The drum was, I believe, either a special order or an endorsers request. Slingerland did stockpile shells and the Second World War affected production immensely. Drums made during the war were subject to the 10% rule. Metal could not constitute more than 10 % of a drum's total make up. Wood became the major material in construction, even in the case of lugs. Drum production didn't really hit its stride until after the war. As mentioned earlier, Be-bop was the rage and the 4 x 14 snare drum was part of that excitement. I think this snare drum was but one result of the times.

But how does it sound? Simply great. The drum is extremely versatile--at home in various musical situations. With the choices one has today in drum heads, the mind boggles at what this drum is capable of.

The Camco Aristocrat

The history of the Camco Drum Company is one of many twists and turns. Originally, the company was located in Indiana and was then known as the George Way Drum Company. Through various business dealings, the company was sold and the new owners moved it to Oak Lawn, Illinois. The company was sold again in the early 70's and moved to Kansas. Eventually, the company was sold once more and moved to Los Angeles. In the late 70's, Camco gave up the ghost and Drum Workshop swooped in and began to build their empire.

In any case, what concerns us here are the drums manufactured by Camco in Oak Lawn many years ago. These drums have become highly prized by collectors, particularly over the last decade. Camco was always second banana to Slingerland and Ludwig, her Chicago neighbors. The company simply didn't have the wherewithal to compete in the marketplace. But the quality of the drums was never in question.

The drum you see pictured was the workhorse of the Camco Drum Company. This was the snare drum that was offered with most of their kits. Indeed, this drum is part of a complete outfit. Camco described this beauty as a " tailor made instrument of mechanical efficiency and modern styling." The Aristocrat, as this beauty was called, has a 4 ply maple shell with reinforcing rings. It came in two sizes, 5 x 14 and 6 1/2 x 14. The list price on the 5 x 14 was 90.00 US. Like the Ludwig drums of the time, the inner shell is coated with white sealant. Unlike the Ludwig drums, or Slingerland drums for that matter, the Aristocrat has its own pop-in drum key holder.

As the reader can see, the drum is finished in a walnut stain. Camco offered stains in red, green, ebony, and clear. They also offered various sparkles, pearls, swirls, and satin flame finishes. Some of these wraps were quite striking, to say the least.

Even though Camco couldn't compete with Ludwig, Slingerland, Gretsch, and Rogers in the advertising arena, the company did produce some very fine drums. This Aristocrat is proof of that fact.

The Leedy Reliance Snare Drum

For many drummers, mention of the Leedy Drum Company will draw blank stares. But this was not always the case. Leedy's motto was the "World's finest Drummers Instruments," and, during the 1920's, 30's, and 40's, Leedy built some of the finest drums that money could buy.
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Leedy was originally based in Indianapolis. In 1930, the Conn Instrument Company bought Leedy and moved it lock, stock, and barrel to Elkhart, Indiana. In the 1920's, the company offered 16 different sized snare drums. The customer had a choice of a solid maple, mahogany, or walnut shell. In addition to the wood shells, Leedy also sold a heavy double inverted brass shell. The company even sold a floating head 8 lug snare drum.

The beautiful little drum you see pictured is from the late 1920's. Known as the Reliance or Utility Snare drum, this cutie pie sports a heavy brass shell, 6 tube lugs, and steel single flanged stick shredder hoops with clips. Initially, the drum had 8 lugs, but then became a 6 lug. In the early 1930's, the drum reverted back to 8 lugs.

The snare strainer on the Reliance was called the Utility Snare Strainer. If this drum has a weakness, this is it. The strainer is balky and none too solid. It is definitely not user friendly. Thus, this drum would need more than a fair amount of tweaking to make it usable in today's musical environment. Nevertheless, the drum oozes quality, and when it was made, it was one of the finest drums then available.

Leedy went through numerous twists and turns in its lifetime. At one time, Leedy was partnered with Ludwig. In the 1950's, Slingerland bought the company. Slowly, but surely, Leedy faded into the background, yet another casualty of the "Drum Wars" between competing companies.

But all is not lost. Leedy, currently owned by Fred Gretsch of the Gretsch Drum Company, is alive and kicking, at least on the web. Leedy has also maintained a booth at the winter NAMM show the last few years. The company that was founded by Ulysses Grant Leedy in 1895 still has life in 2012.

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.