I just know what I have read here and on other forums.

I heard that they traded/bartered with the companies they sold/made hardware for.

A kit could have Gretsch die cast hoops ,Ludwig shell,rogers lugs and sling mounts,for instance. I have seen a few kits that were almost or all gretsch,except for the W/A badge.

From what I understand there was one person that pretty much made,or at least signed off on,the kits ,on the inside of the shells.

I like when someone posts one,it is always fun when the person takes close ups so you can see what components were used,and it is always a surprise.

Welcome to the forum,by the way.

I guess they also aquired some very limited wraps,limited edition/ short run from the drum companies,I have seen pics of very scarce and unusual wraps on these kits.

Walberg and Auge were based I think in Mass,and most of the sets I have seen have been from up in that part of the country.

As I remember they bring at least as much as Slings,maybe more on the vintage market.

I was alerted by a fellow member that someone wanted to know about my latest passion in vintage drum collecting. The info already provided is right on the mark. Barney Walberg, when Mr. Auge was his partner and after that as well, was a manufacturer of hardware for most drum companies in the United States. The factory was an offshoot of his music store in Worcester, Mass. He (they) had agreements and trade outs with the drum companies already mentioned so that W&A could make drums from the components to sell to their own customers. All of my Walberg sets are signed by Mr. RGB with his hadwritten initials and date inside the shells. I got my first W&A set about three years ago--a 1965 set in the oddball wrap of Salmon Satin Flame the drums are 14x20-8x12-16x16. I then acquired a set made in 1972. I didn't know that they made any drums after 1970 until I found this beauty in an unusual finish that I call Ice Blue Glass Glitter 14x22-two 9x13s-16x16-matching wood snare. By the time this set was made, the factory had been moved to nearbyAuburn, Mass. The most recent acquisition in late 2011 is the 1963 Gold Glass Glitter set 14x22-9x13-16 deep x 14 diameter floor tom. I also found a 1968 snare drum in Champagne Sparkle that matches up quite well with the Salmon set and the faded Gold Glass Glitter set. Hey...anyone can play a common brand. I have some of them, too. Vintage drums from Rogers, Slingerland, Leedy, and Ludwig also reside in my drum room. But, the Walbergs are the stars.

Oooops. I forgot to show the snare drum with the unusual W&A snare throwoff--Rogers Bantam with their own cover plate and internal muffler. The drum sets have all different mixtures of Gretsch, Ludwig, Rogers and W&A made components. Two of the three bass drums have internal W&A mufflers.

Thanks for sharing, those are really cool. How do they sound?

The drums with diecast hoops sound almost as boxy as Gretsch of the same vintage. Those with Ludwig or Rogers hoops sound much more alive, and remind me of Cleveland era Rogers drums.

I know a bit about them. I worked for Clarence Walberg as a teenager 1966-1970 in both the Worcester and Auburn factories/stores. Bob Bernard made the drum sets. They were all custom made to the customer's spec for color, size, hardware, etc. I had a set made for me with Rogers lugs for example. I would guess I'm the only remaining living soul who worked at the place. I watched the drums being made. You won't find a higher quality set anywhere, and I say that now in retrospect with two engineering degrees behind me. Let me know if I can answer any other questions.

Monks, very cool to have you post here. I'm wondering, how did it come to be with all those different parts and shells that sets were put together? I know that it wasn't just custom orders being made as specified by customers because my parents bought my little brother a W & A kit (blue sparkle) around 1968 and they did not custom order it. They walked into a music store in downtown Worcester and bought it off the floor.

BYW I am a huge fan, I own 2 W & A kits: a '66 Black Oyster Pearl and a '72 Gold Sparkle. The sound of these drums is amazing- warm, deep, rich, I don't have language to describe how they make me feel.

Post some pics of the kit if you can. That will help.

I only recently heard of W&A. I started looking for a kit from them because I grew up in Worcester. You don't see them too often.

Only after seeing some parts on eBay that state they were made by W&A did I realize that I have some - a hi hat stand and drum throne. A 60s MIJ kit that I picked up last year in Auburn has a W&A drum head on it.

I'm very pleased and honored to meet (sort of) someone who worked for my favorite American drum company. The irony here is that two of my W&A sets were made prior to when you started working for them, and the third set is dated as made in 1972 after you were no longer there. Two questions for you:

1. The floor tom of my Salmon Satin Flame set is dated from 1970 while the small tom and bass drum are dated from 1965. They look like they came together as a set. Did W&A wrap the shells as they made them in to finished drums? Or, did they wrap the shells right before they shipped the drums?

2. Were drum sets still made in Auburn a late as 1972? Or was the date written in the shells at the time they were shipped from the factory?