Tacton used the same wraps as everyone else. I don't see any evidence that they were making wrap in East Germany. If they were , then a whole bunch of other drum companies were buying their wrap from East Germany.

They also , similar to many other drum companies produced several levels of drums. The one you own, if it included a fibreboard shell, is one of the entry level drums. A similar drum exists ,with parallel strainer and a beech shell with re-rings. All of the Tacton drums were made with great attention to detail( whatever the shell formulation) and the stands are some of the most tastefully designed stands ever made.

Some additions to Phil's comments:

1. Weißenfels made snares shells only from beech or chromed steel even for cheap entry level kits. Bakelized cellulose shells were made for cheap BD or toms only.

2. Strainer is not original --- in 70's all snares has have parallel action, after 1979 only a small part of steel shells snares has have a one-side strainer.

3. This shell was reawrapped, no doubts.

George.

hmmm. not sure , George. I've certainly seen Tacton drums in black wrap----there was a kit on ebay.de a while ago and that throwoff, is a Tacton throwoff. If you are suggesting that the parallel mechanism has been replaced with a standard throw system , then the shell would have extra holes on both sides. I can't comment on the shell formulation because this is the first snare I've ever seen with a fibreboard shell. I understand that they kind of pushed chrome on steel snares; that's what the catalogues pictured but wrap on beech snares were also available for the top of the line kits. If the rest of the cheaper kits were fibreboard, why not a fibreboard snare too? any extra holes in this drum, Marc?-- could you post a picture of the interior

Phil, during last sad years their situation was terrible and they general have ceased to produce a woodshells for snares and all the kits were assembled only with metal snares in numerous kinds --- a bit with old famous Trowa's parallel throwoff and double old lugs, with simple one-side strainer, with new deep shell and old single lugs or new single lugs, or new doble lugs on old short COS shell, new simple hoops... It's really impossible to imagine all the bunch of variants --- they were desperately trying to find the way to keep though any little part of their former market... Some years ago I have sold one of my snares from that era - it was one suprising COS snare with simple strainer and without butt plate --- it had a chromed threaded bush and screwing cap --- that device worked exellent.

Unconditionally, the top version of last GDR snares was the beautiful COB Tacton Concert 14 x 6,5" with external parallel action mechanism based on single camshaft.

George.

I am maybe wrong,but I think that those type of lugs were om earlier Tacton,with metal shell or beach shell with re-rings.Hoops are Sonor type,or Slingerland type.Newer Tacton had metal shells only,triple flanged hoops but toms and bass drums were from carton board.So this snare looks like someone cut 14" tom and made snare with some older lugs and hoops

Hi Dule, you are partly right.

These lugs were used from 1970 - after Tacton's transfer from Markneukirchen to Weißenfels. Bottom hoop is original but top hoop could be a later transitional version from S-type to simple.

If this snare shell is really made from cellulose then your hypothesis with cutted tom is not bad... :)

As for BD, then cellulose was used only for a cheap entry level or in two agonal years when you can suddenly meet 6-ply birch shells in combination with cellulose shells in the same kit...

George.

thanks all.

The strainer is original, I am quite sure. I own another snare (metal) which has the same single mechanism, but a full metal strainer, same genereal design.

[img]http://img3.fotos-hochladen.net/thumbnail/20130822164258hqu8i6ewfx_thumb.jpg[/img]

And I saw a snare whith that parallel lechanism with that exact strainer.

The snare is not wrapped, but varnished (in piano black). If some one does cut a Tom, he did well. There is a snare bed and no hints for this argu. But who knows?

I think it is a supersonic Tacton.

Hi Marc,

Well, perhaps it's so --- "Tacton Supersonic" have had a concert toms, and if it was an entry level cellulose version, then no troubles to make a snare from it --- as visual result without any extra holes.

George.